The 2023 Edition of the Sea Call Farm community gardening group held a Spring pot luck dinner at our gracious hosts’ Andrea and Tim Howell’s home on May 21st. It was a wonderful evening with great food and plenty of camaraderie.
Thanks to the Howells for hosting on the back deck of their lovely home! Thanks also to Joan Francolini for organizing the event. And, finally, many thanks to all of those who contributed such wonderful food and beverages to make the evening such a great success!
A recent note from fellow gardeners Judy Ryon and Ginia Pati. Re-posting here for all to view.
Good morning Sea Call Gardeners,
As you all know, we will be continuing to donate our garden produce to others this year. Here is an update from Ginia:
The gardeners of Plot #22 (First Light Sangha: a local Buddhist meditation group) are once again growing and giving all of their fresh vegetable produce to a nonprofit group that provides fresh, healthy meals to our local community members in need: “LOCAL” is the Lower Cape ecumenical food program prepared and distributed from St Joan of Arc church.
If any gardener has ‘extra’ produce during the summer season that can be donated to their efforts, please contribute into the ‘cooler’ that will be placed next to the inside of the main gateway of Sea Call garden, for regular pickup. (And if you have an unneeded old cooler, they would be grateful to borrow it for the summer).
Throughout the summer they will be appreciative for any of your ‘extras’/garden contributions for St Joan of Arc meal preparations!!
Thank you all for your participation in this wonderful endeavor.
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.
Roughly 30 gardeners came out to help with and enjoy the 2020 Turnip harvest at Sea Call Farm this November.
Fred and Kathy Perreault have been gardening in Orleans for more than 45 years, and in recent years moved to a different, smaller property. They have grown Eastham Turnips and propagated seeds from same for 30+ years and each year produced a different quality crop.
This was Fred’s first attempt at growing turnips at Sea Call Farm. Per Fred, “Frankly I am a little disappointed in the humongous size, and therefore the quality of the harvest. I had planted the seeds about 2 weeks earlier than usual not knowing that the season would be so warm, dry and long. Next year I will probably plant the seeds nearer the end of July, rather than the first week of July. I have 2 half plots and the soil conditions and the micro environment produced 2 different size and quality of turnip at each plot. One of the exciting parts of gardening to me is the surprise that we get in the weeks following planting the seeds. Sometimes we get great beans, sometimes we don’t. Same for the tomatoes, the peas and such. I will no doubt try turnips next season, but as so often happens in the garden, I will alter the strategy a bit, and things will be different but hopefully better.”
Also per Fred, “This was my first season at the Farm, and the best part of all was having the 30 or so folks come by on such a fine Fall day to share their experiences and knowledge as we harvested a crop of Eastham turnips and shared in a few slices of the product right there on an upturned bucket resting on the garden path in the bright morning sun.”
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