The Monastery’s Greenhouse will be open on the following days. Thank you in advance for volunteering!
- Tuesday, Oct. 27, 10-1
- Wednesday, October 28 – CLOSED due to forecasted inclement weather
- Thursday, October 29, 10–1
- Saturday, October 31, 10-1
Also:
Saturday, Oct. 31: Taste of Stokes, 3700 Oakview Terrace, NE, Brookland, 10-1
FMGG will set-up a table to display activities from bees, vegetable garden, flowers, etc.
Email Joe Bozik for further information: 1retrojoe@gmail.com
Below are tasks for Tuesday and beyond!
Tender Plants’ Winter Storage
- Dig-up all banana trees (near the service drive) and the Angel Trumpets (Fr. Jim’s Insect Garden) and bring to Greenhouse storage room
- Return two potted planters from the Lourdes Shrine; two potted planters from St. Anne’s Shrine; one potted planter from the Gethsemane Shrine to Greenhouse storage room
- Move all potted plants from around the picnic tables (adjacent to the greenhouse) to the Greenhouse storage room
- Cut-off, dig-up and divide/pot lemongrass from Culinary Herb Bed and bring to Greenhouse storage room
- Dig-up and dry Cana Lilies and bring to Greenhouse storage room
Vegetable Garden – Dismantling Tasks for Winter Preparation:
- Rototill former squash bed at top of the main vegetable garden (mix in mushroom mulch)
- Rototill Joe A’s bed, upper tomato beds and upper corn bed (mix in mushroom mulch)
- Move swiss chard, chives, and herbs (parsley, oregano, etc.) to the top of the garden in the rows near the kale
- Swiss chard: dig a long trench or two (the current crop is pretty robust and could be spaced a bit more to make two rows, with two trenches, each about a foot or foot and a half deep and about three feet apart) at the top of the garden to form the swiss chard row(s); add mushroom mulch to the bottom of the trench, then carefully lift and immediately replant the plants about two feet apart and mound in the trench(es) with mushroom mulch and water thoroughly
- Chives are not nearly as transplant-sensitive and can be easily and roughly dug up, divided and replanted right below the swiss chard
- Plant hard neck and soft neck garlic by mid-November right below swiss chard, chives and kale
- Garlic: plant the garlic that has been drying in the greenhouse and can be used to plant next year’s crop. Additional garlic may be used for an extra row or two
- Spread hay/straw on top of amended soiled around the swiss chard, chives and garlic
Asparagus Bed (top of the main vegetable garden):
- Once the asparagus greenery has faded, the asparagus should be cut down to a couple of inches above the ground
- Straw and mushroom mulch – after it has been cut back, a few feet of loose straw should be applied, followed by lots of mushroom mulch – several wheelbarrows-full, at the least
Soil Amendment:
- Move sand pile via wheelbarrow and distribute evenly in main vegetable bed
- Move mushroom mulch via wheelbarrow and distribute evenly in main vegetable bed
- Till soil either via tractor (pro bono) or roto tiller (set to deepest)
- Spread hay/straw on top of amended soiled around the remaining portion of the main vegetable garden
Compost:
- Run chipper/shredder to grind up the corn, sunflower stalks, amaranths’ stalks and green mulch
- Layer mulch on top of main vegetable bed
- Ask Level Green to add ground-up leaf and pine needles mulch
- Compost bins – soak compost soil with water and cover with black vegetable felt (to heat weed seeds)
Luminaria:
Move all luminaria from the Rosary Portico and return to the root cellar below the greenhouse
Herb Gardens:
- Weed in the four formal herb gardens (in front of Monastery) and culinary herb garden (in Fr. Francis’ Garden)
- Cut dead tansy stalks to the ground, cut out dead sage and remove leaves from gravel (spray with hose first)
- Deadhead calendula, horehound, and tansy, and pull garlic chives
- Cut old basil plant to the ground and cover spot with potted pineapple mint
- Pot up the bay laurel and move indoors in greenhouse for winter storage
Perennial Garden:
Weeding and plant tulip bulbs
Rose Garden:
- Weed in the Fr. Francis’ Rose Garden
- Rototill rows of weeds between roses
- Prune out deadwood for all roses in Fr. Francis’ Rose Garden
Water:
- Turn-off water valve in greenhouse for six outdoor water spigots in Fr. Francis’ garden
- Remove hoses on all spigots except for lowest spigot in the main vegetable garden
- Extend the hose of the lowest spigot in the main vegetable garden
- Open all spigots to drain all water (the lowest spigot will act as a syphon to drain remaining water out of the system)
- Remove hose from lowest spigot
- Turn off all spigots and bring all hoses to greenhouse for winter storage
Miscellaneous:
- Mowing
- Wash the Rosary Portico Shrine’s green marble shelves with water