Lower Valley Report for October 2020

 

 

October - It brought the end of the growing season but it also brought some much needed rain!

 

It’s been a busy month.  The Full Circle Pantry Garden in South Hadley has their final harvest, this season providing over 2,000 pounds of produce to local agencies.  It was an unusual year for them as with Covid-19 restrictions, they had to do all the packaging of the produce differently.  Thanks to MG Sue Brouillette and all the MG’s who volunteered there.

 

At the Springfield Museums, MG Janet Dolder ordered 200 daffodil bulbs which were planted in the small renovated garden, known as Emily’s Garden, behind the Seuss Museum.  MG’s spent the rest of the month getting all the gardens ready for winter.  Thanks to all the MG’s who volunteered there this year.

 

As the garden season ends, you might want to spend some time on the MG web site.  MG Pam Reed, Co-chair of the Roadshow committee told me about all the documents that are on the web site.  After you logon as a member, scroll down to the Documents Library, then click on Committees to open that folder. Click on Roadshow to open that folder and then click on Handouts.  There are 38 documents there!  Pam said that they have tried to group them together (ex. All the ones pertaining to herbs are together) and they can be downloaded and printed.  If you are one of the MG’s who do the hotlines, these might give you some added information.  Thanks to all who have worked on the Roadshows, here’s hoping that next year we’ll be able to see them at our Farmers Markets!

 

Fall is always a time to check on what went well in your garden this year and what changes you might want to make next year.  One thing I know that I need to do is to keep better track of what is were in the garden.  One thing I started doing this year is an idea I got from MG Toi Graham at Wistariahurst, to mark the plant with a plastic fork with the plant name in put into the ground.  Hope this will make it easier in the spring to know what is new growth that I want and what is not!

 

Wishing all continued health and happiness as we approach the holiday season.

 

Carol Hegeman, Lower Valley Rep.