santa barbara country n news-from seed to their table

SANTA BARBARA COUNTRY N NEWS-FROM SEED TO THEIR TABLE

johnnyseeds.com

several weeks ago the local santa barbara ace hardware donated a box of seeds for us to use in our community garden
eg
we planted close to 100 pumpkins and gourds and winter squash for our fall fundraising sale
the funds going back into the garden
some of the produce was donated to food centers food pantries womens shelters the organic food kitchen etc

we took the spaghetti squash seeds and planted them in 4 inch pots
in a few weeks we got these beautiful squash plants that grew in our greenhouse to about 1-2 feet in length

if you dont know spaghetti squash you can click on the link under the picture to read about it
it is a winter squash
slice it in half like in the johnny seed picture above
take a fork and you can tease the insides so they look like long spaghetti noodles
a delicious quite nutritious way to eat this pasta like food

our plan is to donate these to the above organizations
from the seed to the time the squash reaches the organizations the operation is all donated or volunteer driven

the seeds are planted by folks like me who donate our time each week to do whatever needs to be done
the beds are prepared by the same volunteers
in fact this whole process is one that i did all the steps im describing here
the panels that the squash are planted on were put into place this week on my volunteer day
i like the rustic look of the wood and old rusted wire panels
like i told our garden manager it looks like it belongs on a farm somewhere

we planted about 20 spaghetti squashes along this 30 foot row
spaced about 2 foot apart on each side
the squash will trellis up the panels allowing the large spaghetti squash to hang off the ground

the plants were watered in well with a fish emulsion seaweed molasses solution to jump start them
i used our rainwater from our two rainwater tanks yes the ones i put in a few months ago
as the vines grow they will be slowly wound in and out the 6 inch panels

when they reach their peak
they will be harvested
weighed
then
donated to the lucky organizations that will receive them

these i will keep an eye on closely since i was involved from the ground prep the trellis setup planting the drip line placement seed planting and now vine planting
i will be one of those who will nurse these along with keeping them fertilized watered weeded and free of pests
all organically grown of course

hopefully we will deliver to those in need all these healthy large spaghetti squashes in a few weeks

this is how i spend my volunteer hours each week in the community garden
volunteering will make you live longer
and
be happier

the organicgreen doctor