We started planting late this year, but hopefully that means that everything will be ready in the fall when everyone is back to eat it. I decided not to plant any greens, peas or beans because no one will be here to eat them and in the past we haven't been able to grown enough for the kitchen to be interested. Instead there are a lot of root crops and squash with some others planted upon request. So far the onions and various squashes seem to be doing the best.

20- Beets (mixed seeds)and carrots (red, purple, Nantes) from seed, shallots, and onions from bulbs

25- Raised Beds made: added Lime, Blood, Rock Phosphate, Potash, Compost and Manure

26- Potatoes planted: mixed reds and Katadyn white

31- Winter squash and cucumbers

2- Kale! Redbore, Dinosaur, Mixed

6- Leeks, watermellon, basil, more kale, peppers (mostly hot), broccolli(from starts), eggplant, squash (pumpkins, hubbard) 7- Leeks, more carrots

8- Tomatoes

9- Cherry Tomatoes

19- Nasturtiums

23- Summer squash (mixed)

4- Replanted beets

Sunflowers direct seed after frost

Marigold direct seed after frost

Nasturtium direct seed after frost

Johnny Jump Up cold treatment (10-15 days in fridge), direct seed after frost

Chamomile cold treatment (10-15 days in fridge), direct seed after frost

Echinacea transplant after frost, direct seed after frost

Lavender start seedlings, transplant after frost

Mint start seedlings, transplant after frost, direct seed after frost (slow to germinate)

Holy Basil direct seed after frost

Oregano start seedlings, transplant after frost, direct seed after frost?

Lemon Balm direct seed after frost

Marjoram start seedlings

Chives direct seed after frost

Parsley direct seed after frost

Cilantro direct seed after frost

Basil direct seed after frost

Leeks can start more seedlings, transplant in May, direct seed after frost

Onions can start more seedlings, transplant after frost, direct seed after frost?

Carrots direct seed when soil can be worked

Beets direct seed when soil can be worked

Radish direct seed when soil can be worked

Turnips direct seed after frost

Parsnip direct seed when soil can be worked

Melons can start more seedlings, transplant in early June

Watermelons direct seed in warm soil

Peppers can start more seedlings, transplant in early June

Cauliflower start seedlings, transplant May/June, or direct seed after frost

Kale direct seed once soil temperatures are 60 degrees F, after frost?

Collard Greens direct seed 3 months before fall frost, after frost?

Chard direct seed after frost

Tomato can start more seedlings, transplant June, transplant after frost and after night temperatures reach 45 degrees F

Cucumber direct seed in warm soil

Squash direct seed after frost

Pumpkin direct seed in warm soil

A few weeks ago we put in some more kale, spinach, and lettuce.

We will be putting in garlic in the next few weeks and cover cropping the rest as we harvest.

Planting in the ground began in mid-April. So far we have onions, peas, carrots, chard, mustard and beets planted and so many more flats to go!

The greenhouse in the science building is full of seedlings-- tomatoes, basil, onions, peppers, broccoli, kale, chard, and all kinds of flowers are sprouting and growing strong!

Here's a picture from the end of April

This picture was taken in March, when the planting had just begun:

The Plan:

The farm plan was composed using principles of companion planting and guilds. Companion planting is the idea that placing plants that benefit each other close together builds a more productive and healthy garden. Guilds, a related permaculture concept, are groups of plants that are mutually beneficial. In each tier, I’ll point out how these principles influenced the plan.

Tier One:

Strawberries and onions are friendly. Lettuce does well with beets and carrots– all three grow next to each other. Beets have magnesium in their leaves, which are good for the soil. Peas are also a good companion for carrots. They fix nitrogen in the soil– a good thing to remember for the next rotation. I may replace the peas with leeks, which support the tomatoes and the carrots.

Tier Two:

This tier is mostly composed of a “tomato sauce” guild. Guilds can be formed for biological reasons– because the plants support each other’s growth– or because the guild improves the flavor of the plants. I formed this guild with the latter in mind. Basil is said to improve the flavor of tomatoes. Basil is also a good companion to peppers. Garlic works as a fungicide through accumulating sulfur and may help repel pests. Hot peppers have been said to prevent root rot and other diseases and bell peppers support the flavor of tomatoes. Bee Balm also enhances the flavor and health of tomatoes. If I can locate some bee balm plants I’ll consider planting those near this tier.

Tier Three:

The next tier contains another guild, the traditional three sisters guild. This guild has Native American origins. Corn depletes the nitrogen from the soil while the beans enrich the soil as they fix nitrogen from the air. The squash suppresses the weeds around the corn and traps moisture into the soil. Peas are near the corn since peas also fix nitrogen, replenishing the soil which the corn has depleted. One change will be to swap potatoes and the spinach since spinach does well near beans and peas. Potatoes would move where the leeks are.

Tier Four:

As mentioned before, I may move the leeks up to where the peas are, since leeks are good with carrots and with the tomato sauce guild. Potatoes being moved to where the leeks are would support the cabbage which is friendly with potatoes. This final tier is the most random of the tiers. I don’t know much about companion planting for sweet potatoes, melons nor kale.

we have started our seeds in the Science Greenhouse. Beginning in late February we started the first seedlings and by now the greenhouse is fostering a fast growing number of little black planting pods -- some with long streaks of leeks, some with flowering babies of kale, others with tiny round leaves that will soon looks like strawberries, and others with quickly maturing tomato trees.

Below is the schedule for our planting including what we have already seeded going all the way through august for our fall babes. Any and all repeated names are for repeated plantings so that we can have continued harvests for the majority of our plants throughout the season.

--leeks, onions, kale, peas, asparagus, eggplant

-peas, kale, onions, leeks, peppers (planted)

--endives, chard, marjoram, strawberries, eggplant, tomatoes (planted)

--peppers, basil, collards, chard, eggplant, broccoli, tomatoes (planted)

--cabbage, mustard greens, sorrel, tomatoes

-- tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, and sunflowers in the greenhouse in the science building.

--cabbage, lettuce, collards, chard, strawberries, melon, cucumbers, broccoli

--pak choi, cabbage, mustard greens, cucumber, lettuce, summer squash, melon

--lettuce, chard, corn, brussel sprouts--

--lettuce, arugula, corn, sprouts--

--zucchini, squash, pumpkin, carrots, lettuce, rutabega, radish, beets, turnips, PLUS everything from the greenhouse--

--zucchini, squash, pumpkin, arugula, carrots, lettuce, radish, beets, turnips, diakon--

--carrots, arugula, radish, chard--

--beans, carrots, diakon--

--beans, cucumbers--

--beans, carrots--

--beans, peppers, eggplant--

--diakon, carrots--

--carrots, diakon--

--collards--

--collards--

--leeks, collards--

--collards, beets, turnips--

--arugula, rutabega, turnips--

http://cs.marlboro.edu/ courses/ campus_farm/ Planting
last modified Monday July 11 2011 1:22 pm EDT

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