The Gardening Project

My Green Beans are grown and ready to eat. A little pinch at the top end and pull is usually enough to harvest them. I love there sweet taste right off the plant. Green bean fries are also great. Just flower, egg, roll in breadcrumbs, and fry.

Calories in Green Beans – 22 calories per 1/2 cup

High in Nutrients, Especially Vitamins K, C, and A.

Compost Pile News
For the first time in recent memory, we are using our own compost!
Previous years have seen our litter laden compost piles removed by
truck and disposed of as hazardous waste.

This left us with the burden of purchasing additional finished compost for use in our gardens.During the last 3 years, the leadership team, headed by current president,
Tim Horn, has started managing our compost in rows that are
turned 4 – 8 times per year.

In June, we ground up all of the compost and plowed last year’s stock into large piles in each composting area. We are mixing NITROGEN with the compost and covering it with black cloth to ‘cook’ as a hot compost pile during the summer. Once the pile cooks for July, August, and September, we will be able to uncover at least two piles in October for addition to our gardens.

-Fenway Garden Society Summer Newsletter 2009 http://fenwayvictorygardens.com/forms/Summer-2009.pdf

Growing Beans

Beans! Growing green beans in your garden is about as easy as it comes. Place them in a glass of water for 24 hours and most of them should germinate.

After this, just dig a trench in your garden about 2 inches deep and space them about 6 inches apart. Wait 50 days and eat. I love gardening, it’s so easy.

Easy Gardening

Nothing makes gardening more satisfying than your first harvest. This Snow pea is a gardening delight. I picked it last weekend and it was delicious. Peas are easy to grow.

Before you plant them you should germinate them. Every gardener has their tricks, but I find that simply putting them in a glass of water for 24 hours works wonders.

If you want to get a little more complex with your gardening, place them on a wet paper towel, fold it over, and put in a Ziploc bag for a day or so. Once most of them have sprouted little tails transplant them into the ground.

Note: Peas grow up! I use a lattice made of string but a few sticks crossed together will work too. Another idea is to grow them next to a chain link fence or any other vertical object that they can grab on to.

COMPOSTING

Composting…yum. Unlike popular belief, compost doesn’t smell (sorry). I could talk for pages about composting. We could go over different types of bacteria, optimal temperatures, carbon: nitrogen ratios, etc. You’re in luck, I’m not going to do that (yet).

Here is the secret to composting…. Ready??… Put leaves, veggie scraps from dinner, and garden leftovers into a pile and wait. That’s it.

You don’t need an overwhelmingly complex composting bin bought at Super Joes Magic Compost Corner for hundreds of dollars. I have made bins made out of left over wood and chicken wire. Most common type by far is just an ol’ pile of leaves. Any of these types will result in compost.