Schlafly Gardenworks in July
>> Thursday, July 11, 2013 –
edibles
As regular readers know, there's a monthly meet-up at Schlafly Gardenworks that I try to attend. The first Saturday of each month gardeners of all experience levels meet there at 9:00 to see what's changed in the last month, get tips from other gardeners, find out what's doing well, talk about chickens.
It's a fun way to spend a Saturday morning (well, certain months it is), and you'll often leave with some free plants or huge bags of soil amendments like coffee grounds or manure. Here's how things looked there last weekend.
A huge row of various squash, mixed with some spring greens that have gone to flower:
Yes, they have squash bug problems, as evidenced by the eggs on some of the leaves:
Jack says that he just brushes them off with his finger and the ants will take care of them once they fall into the soil.
Tomato plants not quite as big as mine, but the rebar trellis is nice, and quite sturdy:
The tomatoes that were started in the hoop house though:
Well, they're colossal! The sunchokes to the left are quite tall too... maybe 8' (2.4m) already.
Lots of blooms to attract pollinators:
A sea of sweet potatoes:
Do you want fresh basil? The chefs here sure do!
Basil is growing everywhere, interplanted in many of the beds. I remember Nolan saying that he bought a pound of basil seed and was going to broadcast sow it all over. He sure did! The rest of the herbs looked amazing too:
I'm especially jealous of the rosemary. This area must stay quite warm in winter, as it overwintered with no visible damage and even flowered this spring!
The end of the garden that is visible from the parking lot is more ornamental, as a food-producing garden is not always the most attractive thing:
Not to say that there's not beauty inside the garden too...
...it's just that not every visitor to this brewery and restaurant is willing to take a walk among the plants to find it.
If you're in the St. Louis area on the first Saturday of each month, please stop by. It's fun!
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What a great place - is this a common thing in the US? It looks like a community garden. Is it?
I would love to start one here in my small village!
Barbie: no, it's a private garden with a community focus. They grow food to supplement the restaurant's needs, but it's more for education than to reduce their produce bill. They have 4-6 events each year to help people who are interested in gardening, and are always eager to talk to visitors about what they're doing and what works for them.