Newsletter March 2023

In this Issue...

• In the Garden this month…
• Everything About Amendments
• Year-to-Date Harvest Numbers
• On the Calendar - Upcoming Workshops and Plant Sales
• Recent Postings
• Volunteers Needed for…

In the Garden this Month - By Dianna Wiklund, FBG Garden Coordinator

1. Cold and wet. That is what we are looking at for March. Get out the cold frames, cloches and floating row covers. Prepare your greenhouses and hoop houses. These are the tools we will need to get everything started this month. According to NOAA it is likely to be colder and wetter than normal for the next 3 month, so we need to gear up for a cool start.
   
2. Most veggies can be started inside then transplanted out once they are up and growing well. If you are careful even beets and corn can be transplanted out in compostable containers. (I use toilet paper tubes.) Transplant shock can be mitigated by planting under cloches or in cold frames and hoop houses. Put Everything off a couple of weeks longer for direct planting than normal. 
   
3. We may have to hand pollinate our fruit trees as I do not know if it will be warm enough for the pollinators to fly. Hand pollinating isn’t hard, just tedious. Remember some fruit trees require cross pollination, so move often between your trees. I hope this will bring all of us a better harvest than last year. 
   
4. Many people have asked me when to plant potatoes. Usually this would be mid-March, but not this year unless you have a very well drained and warm site. If it is too cool and wet the potatoes will just rot in the ground. The soil must be at least 40 degrees for potatoes to sprout. Do no water them until they start to emerge above the ground. This is challenging with a very wet spring predicted.
   
5. Start as much as you can inside. Get your seedlings off to a good beginning as possible. Watch the weather forecast and look for when the low temperature goes above 40-45 degrees and stays there. Then we can start transplanting out, under cover, our hardier plants. 

Have questions/comments?

Dianna can be reached at: FBGgardencoordinator@gmail.com

Everything About Amendments

Judith Johnson discovered this gem on GrowAbundant.com. It’s forever found on the FoodBankGrowers.org 

LEARNING page or via this link. 

Year-to-Date Harvest - 227 pounds

Go here for full break out of veggies harvested. 

On the Calendar: Training, Workshops, and Plant Sales 

Click for full monthly calendar Located on the front page of FoodBankGrowers.org website.

• March 8, 8:30 - 4:00  Food Safety Plan, Practices, and Sanitation
• March 11, 1:00 - 4:00 Tool Maintenance Workshop
• March 25, 9:00-2:00  “Birch-Stock” Plant Sale and Grafting Event

Recent Postings on FoodBankGrowers.org

Slug. It. Out!

Mini Salads for PT Food Bank Seniors

Sharpen Your Tools and Skills
Boat School Mulching Party and More!

Volunteers Needed for:

• Garden Managers -- Each garden needs a point person -- someone who can point to what to do next… This year we're partnering new Garden Managers with experienced ones for every step. Between them, Dianna, and the Monthly "to dos", you'll have everything you need to produce baskets full of produce.
  
• Growers - - Learn how to grow fresh food for the Food Banks while learning how to grow food for yourself at home. We guarantee the every day you'll learn something new. All gardens will need help -- the more volunteers, the easier and more fun the work becomes. Go to the MAP SECTION of the website and locate a garden near you. Stay at one, or rotate through many. Hours differ by garden.
  
• Harvesters - Each garden will need harvesters to pick and prepare the produce for the Food Bank distribution. Hours differ by garden.
  
• Writers - Could you talk about plants all day? Put it in writing. You write. We'll post.

VOLUNTEER HERE

Thank you for your time, cash, or tools We are a shoe-string organization that puts all donations to work. Go HERE for more information.