Summer Reading List 2011 (à la Green City Growers)

The dog days of summer are currently in full swing. While that means that we at Green City Growers have had our hands full (and I mean that literally; I've picked plenty of zucchini over the last few weeks that are the length of my forearm), it's that time of the year when folks travel to new places, hit the beach, or maybe have a little stay-cation at home. If you've already read your share of Michael Pollan and want some other good food-related books, you can read...

Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit (Barry Estabrook)
Okay, so maybe the title and the topic aren't exactly cheerful, and maybe you don't want to read about something so morose when you're trying to enjoy some extended downtime. But this book was featured on NPR a few weeks ago and has been getting rave reviews from publications like the New York Times and prominent foodies like Jacques Pepin, so clearly there's something about this book that's resonating with someone out there. Estabrook explores the production of the tomato that you could find in your average American supermarket, and looks at the nutritional, environmental, and social problems that the tomato industry has created. Taking extra special care of those tricky heirlooms in your backyard might look like a mighty fine option after reading this book.

Weeds: In Defense of Nature's Most Unloved Plants (Richard Mabey)
Not to be confused with the popular Showtime series, Weeds is all about the roles weeds have played in our histories around the world and how they continue to affect us today. While Mabey isn't claiming that weeds are pure rainbows and sunshine that can do no wrong, he explores how weeds work and how they've impacted our lives from a variety of angles, including the ways they've actually helped us and how we need them. (But please don't hate us for pulling weeds out of your garden when they get to be overwhelming.)

Plan Bee: Everything You Wanted to Know about the Hardest-Working Creatures on the Planet (Susan Brackney)
Most of us at GCG are not expert beekeepers, but we're big fans of bees and how their work makes our job easier and more productive. Plan Bee is great because it accessibly discusses how bee colonies are structured, the work that bees do, the basics of beekeeping, and some of the problems bees are facing nowadays. And it talks about how bees are important for fruit and vegetable production!

Are there any foodie books out there that you like in particular? We love book suggestions, so hit us up at our Facebook page and feel free to post a food-related book that you've been digging recently.

Tomato explosion!

It's the beginning of tomato season, and every time I swing by a garden I haven't seen in a few days, it seems like the tomato plants have exploded and been producing fruit like crazy. (The cherry tomato plants around the office have been doing particularly well, and I've been guilty on snacking on more than a few while working out there. Job perks, right?)

Beefsteak tomatoes in their baby phase

A Valencia tomato, which is ready for pickin' because of its orange skin

Although tomatoes are not the most difficult crop to grow and take care of, they tend to need a little more TLC than hardier crops like salad greens and radishes. Trellising tomatoes is key if you want to easily see the plant's development and keep pests at bay, so don't forget to tie up your tomatoes regularly as they grow. Sprinkling eggshells into the soil around them keeps them healthy and strong because the tomatoes benefit from eggshells' calcium. Pulling off suckers, or the branches that grow at a 45 degree angle between the main stem and the branches that grow perpendicular to the stem (especially on lower branches), is important because the plant can then direct more energy to the flowers and eventually fruit. And if you have access to compost tea, be sure to spray it generously all over your tomato plants, as compost tea can give your plant an extra boost with fighting off nasty diseases such as blight, which can really hurt tomato plants and is difficult to reverse.

The Inturnip

Hey there!

I'm Marta and I'm the horticultural intern (the inturnip?) around Green City Growers this summer. I love earthworms and brassicas and spending my summer days outside rummaging around through soil, so it's no surprise that I've been having so much fun and learning a ton from this internship.

(Beets aren't in the brassica genus but I appreciate them nonetheless)

For the next few weeks, I will regularly post (the many) photos, stories, and tips that I've accumulated during my internship with GCG. Stay tuned!

Urban Food Harvest and Bike-Ride, Oh My!

Have you heard of the Greenhorns? They are an awesome grass-roots non-profit that are all about promoting and supporting the new generation of young farmers. Check out their website for more information about the great things they are doing.

One such great thing is happening right here in Somerville! On May 14th from 12-6pm The Greenhorns is hosting a foraging bike-ride followed by a screening of their documentary “The Greenhorns”. What is a foraging bike ride you say? We’re glad you asked. It’s a bike ride in which a group of people forage for food growing along the bike route. This particular trip will be dedicated to finding Elderflower in the Boston area.

Check out the details on the poster------>

Following the ride will be a screening of the Greenhorns documentary which will include local beer and food. Yuuummmmm!

Green City Growers Just Got Greener!

Here at Green City Growers we strive to do business in an environmentally responsible way.

We source organic seeds, and practice organic growing from compost to pest control. Now we’ve found a new way to reduce our environmental impact while increasing the quality of our service. We’re happy to announce that we are now working with Read Custom Soils in Canton, Ma. Through Read we receive soil in reusable bags which are sent back to Read and promptly reused. As you can imagine, this greatly reduces the waste of throw away bags. After all, we go through a lot of soil here at GCG!

We’re also happy that this new source is more local than our old supplier in Vermont and that they mix the soil for us, which reduces the prep time here at the office, making our lives easier through the busy spring season.

We have many new exciting developments in the works. Stay tuned for more updates from your friendly neighborhood backyard farmers!