letter to members – Perkins Park

Hello Gardeners and Friends of PPCG,

Let’s first acknowledge the challenges we faced at PPCG: 2020 was the growing season none of us signed up for, from seed shortages and store closures to limited gardening supplies and plant stock. We were locked out of our shed with all of its tools and hoses and couldn’t hold our work parties and annual harvest picnic. Our new beekeeper had to cancel his hive. And then there were periods of record heat plus drought conditions.

For some of us it wasn’t worth the risk and hassle, on top of everything else we were coping with in a pandemic year. Five members took the option to keep their plots reserved for 2021. Others couldn’t wait to get started and chafed at the fact that we were cut out of our spring growing season.

We thank all of you, whether you gardened this year or decided to wait for better circumstances. We also thank Director McGrath from the health department, Councilor Donna Connors, and Mayor Kokoros for helping us get our safety rules in place for the summer growing season.

If you held off in 2020, we hope to see you again soon; your gardens were maintained and will be ready for you in 2021. For those of you who were able to make our garden space work, we appreciate all of your careful attention to our rules with regard to wearing face masks, cleaning hose connections, and keeping a safe physical distance from each other. It was good to see you and share garden talk. Thanks to everyone for keeping an eye out on each others’ gardens and helping with watering as needed. It wasn’t a typical year, but all of this is what ‘community’ meant to us in 2020.

And how about all of the good crops that came out of our plots? We had a lot of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, beans, garlic, kale, and flowers, to name a few. Cucumbers did well in the beginning of the summer, and then many vines collapsed from disease. Some other more unusual crops for PPCG growers included pumpkins and other types of squash, pink celery, corn, winter radish, and asparagus. It’s always great to see how new crops and varieties fare in our space, because even if they don’t quite make it, we always learn more about how to try again in another season. It looked like we were close to getting some corn this year, for example, but then the deer figured out how to bust down fences. They were thirsty beasts this summer.

Speaking of fencing, we’re having ongoing problems with the use of fine mesh netting, which easily gets caught in the mower and isn’t safe for wildlife. Gary rescued a few tangled birds this summer alone. Moving forward, we ask that you avoid using fine netting. We know it’s a big expense and effort to install sturdier barriers, so if you have any challenge getting set up in 2021, let us know. We are allocating some of our extra funds to the cause, and along with the materials we’ve accumulated in previous years, hope to be able to eventually get all of our plots protected with safe fencing (for gardeners who want it).

During the October snowstorm (!) a tree came down on the western side of the garden, near the shed and pergola. Fortunately there was no damage to structures or plots. Thank you to Gary and the Parks Department for managing the clean up.

In addition, Gary trimmed branches along the edges of our gardening space. Since we first started gardening in Perkins Park, the trees are all eleven years taller and starting to make a significant shade impact, especially in the plots along the southern edge in the fall. We will try to figure out how to get some of those trees trimmed (with the town’s approval) so that we can continue to garden without making a negative impact on the wild spaces. Other chores to check off in 2021 include repairs to the compost bins, re-installation of the buried hose from the shed to mid garden, and assessment and care of our herb/flower garden.

Also in 2021, everyone gets a fresh start, so if you were unable to keep your plot going last season and want to give it another try this year, you are welcome to come back.

Because we do not know the restrictions we will be facing in the upcoming growing season, we are waiting to mail our 2021 applications. In the meantime, you can help our planning process by letting us know (1) if you would like to return or (2) if you are a ‘maybe,’ what general circumstances may impact your decision.

Wishing everyone a better 2021,

Suzanne Brothers and Gary Roden, Co-Managers PPCG

Hello Gardeners,

I always say this, but once again, I can’t believe we are already planning another season at PPCG. I hope we are getting out our 2020 contracts early enough so that we can catch any of you who head off to warmer places for the winter.

The 2019 season marked our 10th growing season at Perkins Park. I’m trying to

remember who has gardened here since our first year, and I think we have a few, including Joe M., Jun W., Ed K., John and Christine S., me (Suzanne B.)…anyone else? In any case, thank you to everyone for all of the work you put into making our 10th year a successful one.

In early June, we partnered with Gardin in Braintree, who provided us with over fifty basil, tomato, and cucumber seedlings to pass out at Sustainable Braintree’s table at the farmer’s market.
A lot of garden fences went up this year, and as a result, most of us were successful in keeping out the deer. I do want to mention that a Swiss chard-loving deer was able to get into John and Christine’s garden by wiggling through a weak corner. Once they figure it out, we have to keep one step ahead of them.
The flower bulbs we planted for early spring food for our bees came up, but sadly the bees didn’t. Our beekeeper lost his colony last spring and did not return with a new hive. We’ve been contacted by another beekeeper, Andy Rice, who would like to put a hive on our property next year.
I’m hearing a lot about the threat of mass insect extinction–not just bees–worldwide. Aside from keeping poisons out of the garden, another way to support insects and other wildlife is to care for the native plants in our space such as burdock, goldenrod, chicory, aster, blackberry, and sumac.
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In the spring/early summer, we pulled a bunch of garlic mustard, an invasive plant that outcompetes natives. And we’ve given room for native plants to grow around the edges. There’s always a balance to be achieved between the wild and cultivated portions of our space, so especially for those of you on the borders, if you are finding yourself cramped by wilderness (!), let us know. Gary always likes to keep at least enough space to pass comfortably with the mower. Similarly, the mint that’s taken over a large portion of the garden is enjoyed by a wide variety of pollinators, so we’ve resisted taming it. Next season we can reclaim some of that space if we have other herbs we’d like to grow.
We kept up John and Christine’s garden and grew lots of potatoes, Swiss chard, green beans, lettuce, and radishes. The tomatoes, zucchini, and peppers struggled all summer, so we had the soil tested, which found super high levels of phosphorus. I’m mentioning this because I’ve had this problem in my garden, too, and it’s a good reminder that even compost and organic products can be overdone. High phosphorus causes problems because it can bind with important nutrients such as nitrogen and calcium, which are then not available to your plants. There’s no way to get rid of the phosphorus, other than to wait it out. I put on a light application of blood meal and planted peas and oats as a cover crop to fix more nitrogen, which seemed to help.
We started a new policy asking gardeners to cover their plots for the winter season. This practice is an easy one that will make a big improvement to long-term soil health. It’s up to you to choose what materials you’d like to use. Leaves and tree debris and healthy crop residue are free for the taking, but shredded mulch, straw, etc., and fall cover crops are other possibilities. Also consider leaving behind garden plant roots in the soil (or even leave the whole plant intact if it’s healthy) and limit your digging. I know the end results looks a bit messy if you are used to and evenly-raked clean garden bed, but these methods will build healthy soil.
Gary and I presented at Sustainable Braintree’s annual meeting with an overview of ten years of organic gardening practices at PPCG. I will work on getting that presentation up here on our blog; it’s interesting to think about how we’ve moved from a primary focus on excluding toxic chemicals to include other principles of organic gardening, such as the soil health practices I just mentioned above.
Let’s talk about food waste, please. We’d hoped to be able to donate unwanted veggies to local food pantries that accept fresh foods, but we ran into a couple of difficulties. 1) We had only dribs and drabs. 2) Gary and I don’t like entering into even gardens that appear to have been abandoned. So…that means we all have to keep an eye on our gardens and make sure we’re not wasting produce. Check on your gardens at least once per week, pick your produce, and/or offer it to other people if you can’t use it. And as always, if you find yourself unable to care for your plot, please ask for help or relinquish it for the season so that someone else can use it. You are always welcome to put your name back on the list to try again another year.
One more quick reminder: Our height limitation for garden structures and plantings is 6 feet to avoid casting shade into adjacent gardens.
After 10 years, the shed finally has a white coat of paint over the primer. Many thanks to Peter W. for doing a beautiful job. The shed looks ready for the next ten years.
More thank yous to:
- Amanda and Leo H. for donating a beautiful 10th anniversary cake from Amanda’s business, Lucy’s Cupcakes and Confections.
- Marie H. for tending to the pergola and herb garden every week.
- John S. for taming the wisteria beast on the pergola.
- The mystery gardener(s) who kept the garden mowed while Gary was away and repaired the hose at the shed.
- I’m sorry if I missed anyone. Please let me know!