Sun + Rain = Food
A tree farmer described how trees grow as "Sleep, creep, leap." The garden does the same, with much faster cycles than trees. After a sleepy start, days of sun and rain have kicked things into high gear. All our seedlings are planted. Only a few direct-seed crops...
What else is growing at the garden?
Giving Food on Giving Tuesday
The Garden at 485 Elm made an offering on Giving Tuesday: Garden donation team leader Caitlin Roseen brought our extra—and still beautiful—onion starts to the Montpelier Food Pantry. Caitlin writes: These onion starts will be offered to shoppers along with seed...
Planting Days Are Here Again
The new health-and-safety considerations for work parties and gardeners gardening here on their own are working well. Seed and seedlings are in the ground: peas, onions, carrots, salad greens, kale, and more. Art projects and experimental crops are under way. We...
Time to Conduct a Potato Experiment
What better time to try new things when absolutely everything seems like an entirely new thing? Years ago, the garden grew potatoes in one of the fenced garden’s plot. It was labor-intensive and not greatly beloved. The results were delicious, but local potatoes are...
Safe Community Gardening in the Time of COVID-19
Gardening here this season means adhering to the COVID-19 rules. Our new garden health and safety team devised them to support three groups we identified: Gardeners taking recommended precautions while still visiting public spacesGardeners in high-risk households who...
Safe Gardening Has Begun
Gardeners are long accustomed to change being the only constant. Every season is different, but this year has redefined the word "different" for everyone on earth. Gardening means access to food, along with promoting mental and physical well-being. And so we grow....
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”
May you be safe and well in the midst of this. (Meme creator unknown but appreciated)
Garage Garden Work Party
February 29 saw a small garden get-together in the garage. We cleaned and oiled hinged tools and shared homemade coconut milk chai. Camaraderie and inspiration began germinating among returning and new gardeners. At this time of year, the question often arises: do we...
The winter garden arrived this morning.
Here once lay winter squash and herbs. Kale is still happening, and Brussels sprouts are only getting better. Before last night's hard frost, the first of the season, gardeners gleaned the chard (formerly between the two kale rows in the foreground) and donated it to...
Our 2020 Garlic Crop Is Planted
On the beautiful first Saturday afternoon in November 2019, we planted our 2020 garlic crop. But it all began in 2018. Back on a snowy day in November 2018, we planted a garlic crop, which we harvested it in August 2019, shown here. Half the crop went home with...
Community Garden Seeks Food Scraps & a Compost Team
We have built it. Will they come? Compostville at the Garden at 485 Elm was built in 2018 and 2019 with help from a NEGEF grant and grant partners including the Vermont Community Garden Network, the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District, and the Composting...
