WE DO NOT EXPECT COVID-19 TO IMPACT GARDENING FOR THE 2020 SEASON.

Social distancing should not be an issue if we visit in our own plots.We might have to yell across the plots or communicate more via email, but I do not expect any major changes. Make sure to throw any trash away so no one else has to pick it up. We will have a seed and seedling swap the first Saturday in May, and that will be staggered so we don’t have to actually come in a group. If you have any extra seeds or seedlings, or need seeds/seedlings please email us at cedarfallscommunitygardens@gmail.com or use the contact form so we can organize this with safety in mind. 

It has been a beautiful week, so we’ve been thinking about gardening as April opens and May rapidly approaches. The Community Garden has six open plots left for lease for the 2020 season in the first phase. Although we can open up the West Side of the gardens, they have not been used in a few years and we will likely stop leasing plots when the six left are taken. 

The garden has gotten a lot of use since it it opened after the 2008 floods and we need to be thinking about how our gardening impacts the soil quality. So, this year we have set aside conservation plots. We will plant nitrogen fixing green crop covers this summer and move the gardens down next year to give the current plots a rest. Rotating our plots will keep the soil healthy and reduce soil borne viruses and pests that we have seen increase in the past few years. So, next year, you will have a different plot while we use cover crops on the plots we use this year. 

If you are new to gardening with us, please read up on the rules and tips and I want to emphasize again, please do not plant potatoes. The Colorado Potato beetle that destroyed last year’s crops will be present in the soil this year and unless you are vigilant about removing every last beetle and egg from the plant, it will kill all your potato plants and move onto everyone else’s tomatoes.
If you planted squash last year, rotate where you planted due to vine borers and keep an eye out for the signs  https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/squash-vine-borers.
We will be posting more often as we get closer to May and hopefully the city will get back to me with the til plans. 
Let me know if you have any questions- Peg.