Gardens Shaping Into Form at Sea Call

Gardens Shaping Into Form at Sea Call

by | Jun 13, 2021 | Miscellaneous, News

Gardens are really shaping up and looking good at Sea Call Farm. The cover crops have been trimmed and are now being utilized as mulch, row dividers and water retention material for individual plots. From a beautiful sea of crimson clover, sweet peas and oats that covered Sea Call Farm over the winter and spring, you’ll now see 10’ x 20’ and 20’ x 20’ plots that feature a wide array of wonderful veggies and flowers, some just starting to grow and many well underway. Gardeners have been busy at work sowing seeds and planting seedlings and starter plants, weeding and watering, and helping others.

It’s interesting to note the various approaches that Sea Call gardeners have taken with their plots – double digging, raised beds and mounds, fabric or plastic cover to reduce weeds, mulch from the cut cover crops or from chopped leaves or salt hay, various frames and supports for tomatoes and vines, etc. Local birds, butterflies, bees and dragonflies are loving the garden, and bird chirps and calls are a wonderful background feature from dawn to dusk at Sea Call.

Popular crops include tomatoes (of course), peppers both sweet and hot, green beans, peas, eggplant, a multitude of greens including kale, chard, many lettuce varieties, spinach and arugula, onions and shallots, Brussels sprouts, beets, radishes, and others too numerous to list. It’s fun to see fellow gardeners carry in their seeds and seedlings, to observe the various strategies of planning and planting, to share in nurturing and watering the crops, to compare notes and stories about gardening successes and failures, and eventually to cheer on the harvesting of plentiful produce. It’s a long and labor-intensive process, but a wonderfully worthwhile endeavor to garden at Sea Call Farm.

Once produce is ready for harvest, gardeners are welcomed and encouraged to donate excess produce via the on-site veggie collection for food bank distribution. Truly a community garden! Details to follow regarding the food bank!

National Garden Week

National Garden Week

by | Jun 1, 2021 | Events, Miscellaneous

June 6 through 12 is “National Garden Week” sponsored by National Garden Clubs.

National Garden Clubs is an organization that sponsors youth programs and contests such as a high school distinguished service award, essay and poetry contests, grants such as the Youth Pollinator Gardens Grant and the Wildflower Education Grant, and college scholarships, all to encourage a sense of stewardship and a love of gardening, conservation and sustainability. Participation in programs is encouraged at local, state and national levels.

Sustainable gardening is a focus of Garden Clubs, and the National Garden Clubs’ website features information on community gardens, water use and conservation through Xeriscaping (mindful and careful utilization of water), gardening to support and nurture local ecosystems for plants and animals, and a comprehensive primer on organic gardening practices.

Although a large, national organization, Garden Clubs can be found on a local and state level. Nauset Garden Club is located right here in Orleans, and there are several chapters on the Cape. Garden Clubs’ focus on education and youth engagement with an eye towards conservation and sustainability is definitely a valuable aspect of their overall organization and outreach.

The National Garden Week proclamation is a fun read and mentions several important aspects of gardening including nurturing the beauty and resources of the earth, advocating ecology, and enjoying the benefits of gardening.