The Garden at 485 Elm
People growing together:
a collaborative community garden in Montpelier, Vermont

Oct. workdays: Compost & so much more

On a gorgeous fall weekend, we transformed the garden for the season.

Elizabeth hacks down corn stalks and loads them up for the ride to the chipper.

Elizabeth hacks down corn stalks and loads them up for the ride to the chipper.

Ella and Hannah feed corn stalks into the chipper so they can be added to the compost pile. Norma arrives with more stalks.

Ella and Hannah feed corn stalks into the chipper so they can be added to the compost pile. Norma arrives with more stalks.

 

Bernice harvests pole beans so they’ll continue to produce. This row is too tall to cover. When frost hits it, we’ll pull out the trellises and move on.

Picking all the bush beans off these vines allows tender new beans to continue to grow. This row gets covered on frosty nights.

Chris is picking all the bush beans off these vines. This allows tender new beans to grow. This row gets draped with row cover fabric on frosty nights.

We've pulled out the row cover for the season. Peppers and zucchini need coverage to survive nights when the temperatures dip near freezing.

We’ve pulled out the row cover for the season. Peppers and zucchini need coverage to survive nights when the temperatures dip near freezing.

 

Hannah and Ella pull out tomato trellises. We still have some tomatillos, ground cherries, and a few cherry tomatoes on the vine.

Hannah and Ella pull out tomato trellises. We still have some tomatillos, ground cherries, and a few cherry tomatoes on the vine.

Lawrence and Albert mix the soil in the summer and winter squash boxes. We've harvested most of our squashes for the year.

Lawrence and Albert mix the soil in the summer and winter squash boxes. We’ve harvested most of our squashes for the year.

Irina thinned a row of sweet, delicious carrots.

Irina thins a row of sweet, delicious carrots.

Mia labels perennials out in front of the garden. Until they bloom again next year, that's the only way some of us will know what is planted there.

Mia labels perennials out in front of the garden. Until they bloom again next year, that’s the only way some of us will know what is planted there.

After working hard, Alison stopped to take home a food share before departing.

After working hard, Alison stops to take home a food share.

We planted numerous turnip seeds because they were old and we wanted to increase the chances some would grow. They all did! Thinning the plants, yielded a 5-gallon bag of tender, delicious greens, which Cindy brought to the local community lunch at the UU where Cindy brings fresh food from the garden every week.

We had planted numerous turnip seeds because they were old and we wanted to increase the chances some would grow. They all did! Thinning the plants yielded a 5-gallon bag of tender, delicious greens, which Cindy brought to the local community lunch at the UU where Cindy brings fresh food from the garden every week.

100415 Giant container of giant beans for UU donation

Cindy brought this tub with at least 7 lbs of pole beans and bush beans to the UU for the weekly community lunch. The beans will go into soups, stews, casseroles, and other dishes.

As the workday weekend ends, the rented chipper goes home.

As the workday weekend ends, the rented chipper goes home.