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

Welcome to The Garden!

Huge Flower Grab

Huge Flower Grab

The temperatures in the next few days will be in the 30s. Even if it's not a hard frost, this kind of cold will finish off many of the flowers. Team Flower Power has us covered. These goddesses of garden glory remind us that it's time to harvest huge bouquets for...

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What else is growing at the garden?

Undercover Gardening

Undercover Gardening

We use row cover, a.k.a. low tunnels, to protect seeds and seedlings while they mature and gain strength. Garden fabric like this holds in moisture, protects against too much heat or cold, and keeps out insects who would eat the little plants. We uncover greens when...

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Planting Day: Basil, Cukes, Eggplants, Peppers

Planting Day: Basil, Cukes, Eggplants, Peppers

On a blustery day in early June, gardeners planted seedlings for hot-weather crops. Basil varieties this year include these classic Italian basil seedlings from Cate Farm and Heartwood Farm. A gardener started sweet the sweet basil, and the cinnamon basil and Thai...

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Horseradish, at Times

Horseradish, at Times

Horseradish grows outside the garden fence. It's one of the few crops that deer, woodchucks, and others never bother with. Others are lemon balm, other mints, garlic, and onions. Horseradish best harvested in the spring and early fall. Brush off the dirt, and the root...

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Potato-Planting Day

Potato-Planting Day

The first step in planting potatoes is selecting the seeds. Seed potatoes are just potatoes that have started growing alien-looking tendrils and eyes. The more exciting looking, the more desirable for planting. Gardeners cut up the potatoes so that each piece has...

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Planting Onion Seedlings

Planting Onion Seedlings

The garden purchases allium seedlings to grow onions and shallots rather than growing them from seed here. Look at these beauties from Ananda Gardens. Planting onions is not difficult, but it takes many hands. First the chickens "turned" the beds. Then gardeners...

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Early May Garden Eats

Early May Garden Eats

Gardeners have planted snow peas, snap peas, lettuces, arugula, kale, collard greens, carrots, turnips, radishes, and more. It's be a few weeks before they're food. But there's food ready now that we planted years ago. It comes back every spring. There's no marjoram,...

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Adapting Plants and Chickens to the Season

Adapting Plants and Chickens to the Season

Gardeners have planted peas, greens, radishes, and more. Their tender seedlings will attract flea beetles and other beings who, like us, enjoy fresh, delicious food. Gardeners cover the planted beds with Reemay, or acid-free garden fabric, to give the plants a chance...

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Flower Power Prevails

Flower Power Prevails

Gardening weather and soil thaw began early. Flower Power team got right out there to prep the beds for cutting flowers. A gardener who started these giant marigold seedlings indoors ensures enough planting space to allow them to bloom. Watering in the giant marigolds...

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In Which the Garden Has a Chicken Visitation

In Which the Garden Has a Chicken Visitation

Aster, Ophelia, and Winifred live near the garden. Recently, they arrived to spend a couple of weeks here. Aster, Ophelia, and Winnie are helping prepare the garden beds for planting. Chickens use their strong, sharp feet and beaks to search for bugs and seeds....

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It Begins

It Begins

In November 2022, we planted garlic on a day like this one. Partway through the season, there was a harvest, not of garlic but of the scape each plant was sending up. And here's how garlic harvest day goes. Today falls between planting day and scape-harvest day. More...

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