Weekly Farm Report

From Friendship Farms & Fare

Week of April 25, 2016

http://www.fffsite.org/

A Community Service To New Port Richey’s FarmNet  & West Pasco’s Urban Agriculture Community

Brief Highlights

Current Farm Report Posted

This week’s Farm Report is now posted on the 3F website. For the full report, go to:

http://media.wix.com/ugd/643592_af7721d111e3408eaaa9dba56869870f.pdf

Check Out The Site For New Images & Content

http://www.fffsite.org/

Drop Us A Line

http://www.fffsite.org/#!contact/cl4l

500 Sweet Potato Slips Planted

Our first shipment of sweet potato slips from George’s Plant Farm has been planted – 500 total slips. Over a three-day period, we planted 275 at East Madison Gardens (Friendship Farms & Fare) and 225 at Grand Gardens.  We planted a total of 250 Georgia Jets, 225 Beauregards (equally divided between the two gardens), and 25 Dianes at the East Madison Gardens.

First Okra

(April 22, 2016)

Since the newsletter went to print, we spotted our first mature okra pods.  There are probably not enough for a share this week, but they are coming in.  We’ll include a few if we have that many in all shares.

Learn More about Local Gardening Projects

For more information about Friendship Farms & Fare programs, including the CSA, the Grand Gardens project, the New Port Richey Farm Net, and our educational projects, please drop us a line, at LET’S TALK on our website:  

http://www.fffsite.org/

Loquat Preserves

We have locally sourced and locally produced loquat preserves.  Suggested donation is $6.00 per jar and 2 for $10.00.

First Peaches

Our two peach trees are carrying fruit this year – looks like about 20 fruit between the two.  This happy event reminds me again of just what a tremendous gift the Loquat is to humankind.  Here are these great peach trees, with a pretty good yield; and right next to them are loquats of same size and age with probably 20 times the production.

As always, the first ripe fruit will be offered to the Mother. That’s still probably a month off.

Peanuts Arrive

Will Plant This Weekend

We’ve gone heavy on peanuts this year, and found a good range and variety at Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.  Look for Schronce’s Deep Black and Texas Red and White in a few months.  We are also planting peanuts saved from our own crop of last summer, which was vey light.

Here is a note about the Deep Blacks, from Southern Exposure:  Selected since 1980 by NC gardener Gordon Schronce. Seedstock sent by his son Arty.] Black peanut selected for larger seeds with darker (violet-black) skins than Carolina Black and 3-4 seeds per pod. Very productive.

Suggested Spring & Summer Crops and Offerings to the Community

For the general public, and especially folks participating in the New Port Richey Farm Network (Friendship Farms & Fare and Grand Gardens), we are recommending the following vegetables for warm-weather gardens (Spring and Summer):

Cucumbers (Spring only)

Pepper (Spring best)

Tomatoes (Spring best)

Beans (Lima and string/bush and pole)- we recommend lima and bush

Eggplant

Okra

Peanuts

Sweet Potatoes

We recommend these vegetables on the basis of their suitability for our area, our history of growing them, their high-yield, and because they are relatively easy to grow.  Folks are welcome to try other warm-weather vegetables.

We are offering seeds and seedlings of these vegetables to folks in the New Port Richey Farm Network (Friendship Farms & Fare and Grand Gardens) for a contribution.  If you have a plot at Grand Gardens we will gift you seedlings – you can share a donation if you like.  

Seeds:  See Rose or Us

Folks who desire seeds can acquire them at Rose’s Bistro Off Main.  You can also acquire them from the Farm Net (donation suggested $3 per pack).  If we don’t have what you desire, go to Seed Saver’s Exchange website, pick the items you want, then give us your order.  Seeds will are suggested donations of $2 for 3F and GG participants (CSA members, plot holders, and contributors). See the SSE website: http://www.seedsavers.org/

Planting Picks Up

Spring Seedings At Gardens

Seeds & Seedlings Available for Your Gardens

We are starting more seeds every week.

So far, we have okra, eggplant, lima beans, and Japanese Climbing cucumbers sprouted and ready for planting.  We are behind on the planting, and look forward to others joining us.

We’ve planted okra in East Madison Gardens and at Grand Gardens.

Eggplant is ready to go at both locations.

Check the farm report for more details, and also a cool image of a couple of the volunteers amid our abundant collard greens:

http://media.wix.com/ugd/643592_62ca00e0182d44a1a18fba25f0f94307.pdf

Grand Gardens and Loquat Festival T-Shirts Available

Grand Garden and Loquat Festival T-Shirts are now available.  Suggested minimum donation for the shirts is $15, additional donations will help us cover production costs and allow us to give more to the students at Gulf Middle School (our school partner).

Links to Key Parts of the 3F Site
 
This week’s Farm Report is now posted on the 3F website. For the full report, go to:

http://media.wix.com/ugd/643592_af7721d111e3408eaaa9dba56869870f.pdf

SHARE REPORT  http://www.fffsite.org/#!share/c5hi

Hover over images at the share site, and text of available items will appear.

MAIN REPORT SITE:  http://www.fffsite.org/#!report/c1tuh  

Friendship Farms & Fare is a branch of Ecology Florida, a not-for-profit corporation.  Contributions to Friendship Farms & Fare and Ecology Florida are tax deductible.
 
Friendship Farms & Fare affirms and advances agrarian ideals to reestablish a sustainable culture

Friendship Farms & Fare is a branch of Ecology Florida, a not-for-profit corporation.  Contributions to Friendship Farms & Fare and Ecology Florida are tax deductible.

Friendship Farms & Fare affirms and advances agrarian ideals to reestablish a sustainable culture

Ecology Florida advances the harmonious integration of healthy natural, cultural, and economic ecologies to regenerate a sustainable world

PO Box 596 ● New Port Richey, Florida 34656-0596

www.EcologyFlorida.org