Seedlings for your bed

A benefit of our participation in the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s City Harvest Program is that our City Harvest Chair is usually given more seedlings than she can use in the City Harvest beds, and the rest are free for garden members. This week, a number of early-season crops are available: kale, several kinds of cabbages, onions, broccoli, bok choy, and others.

Please note that leftover seedlings will be placed on the picnic table on the grassy area of the garden. Seedlings on the deck area near the sink are off-limits; the City Harvest team is in the process of planting those.

Modesty for your seedlings?

Weaver’s Way Co-op’s Food Moxie project has generously donated three large bags of row cover to Hansberry Garden. If you want to shield your young seedlings from the elements, this lightweight fabric can be used with wire hoops, some of which are available in the shed, to help retain a little bit of heat and moisture in your soil while allowing about 80 percent of the sun’s rays to enter. Properly used, it can also keep out pests — but take care: improperly used, it can also keep pests in! Here’s a nice overview of how to use row cover at Mother Earth News.