Summer/Fall Results 2021

The 2021 summer gardening season is over but we can look back and be thankful for the bounty and growth. We shared our harvest amongst the volunteers and visitors at the ranch, as well as the food bank on Junction Avenue. If you attended the restarted Hagemann Ranch Open House in August, you may have taken home some tomatoes, pepper, ground cherries, or eggplants.

Look at some of the Heritage Garden’s abundance given away at the August 29th Open House! Top basket holds tomatoes, then the hot peppers (Thai and jalapeños), eggplant and ground cherries. To the side of the hay bale is a large basket full of sweet peppers and chiles. (Photo: L.Kaskey)

Here are dried black-eyed pea pods. Mindful of drought conditions in our area, this legume does well in reduced watering conditions. We planted them as a companion plant in one of the pumpkin patch beds. (Photo: L.Kaskey)

A perfect fall harvest image with Waltham butternut squash, Cushaw squash (the white and green striped ones) and sugar baby pumpkins. Framed again our “three Sisters bed” showcasing Stowell’s evergreen corn and dragon tongue beans. (Photo: L.Kaskey)

Hoping your upcoming 2021 holidays will fill you with gratitude and joy. In the words of Marcel Proust "Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy. They are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”

Winter Prep Back in 2020

Let's talk about soil preparation. Here is a look back to the fall and winter efforts of 2020 that helped us get to this summer’s crop.

First pull out all the 2020 summer crops and request a manure delivery – not hard to come by, given we share the ranch with Del Arroyo’s 4-H horse and chicken program. Spread that mixture among the beds, pull out the rototiller, fire it up, and mix it all in. Next lay out and check the irrigation lines and fix any leaks. And finally, plant some winter crops. These activities occurred in late October and early November 2020.

LHG volunteer Soraya Rawlings and I really appreciated the help of the Granada Green Team.

Pulling out the 2020 summer crop are Audrey Fenner and Natsuki Romero (both of the Granada Green Team) and Soraya Rawlings who collected the last of the peppers in late October 2020 (Photo: L.Kaskey)

Jeff Kaskey delivers sun-dried aged horse manure to the Heritage Garden and has fun driving the little tractor. By the truck load or by the returnable burlap bagful, this will improve your Livermore clay soil. If you are interested in some and have a way to get it home, contact Jeff. He will fix you up! (Photo: L.Kaskey)

Tara Martin and Caylie Natsch supervise while Granada Green Team President Audrey Fenner is hands-on, rototilling one of the garden beds (Photo: L.Kaskey)

Background

While the Sunflower Garden (over the fence) grows modern vegetables as part of their job skills training programs, the small household garden behind the Hageman Ranch House (in the back lawn) demonstrates sample crops and a kitchen garden from heritage seeds typical on the 1880-1930 era.

Loretta Kaskey and dedicated volunteers seed, weed, and reap what might have been crops serving the Hagemann dinner table. If you are interested in planting, weeding, harvesting, or creating/tending to a garden bed, contact Loretta. We'd so appreciate you joining our crew!

2020 Garden Report [with CC]:

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