Thanks to Charlie and the generous support of our Volunteer Fire Department, SPUDS potato plants have suffered through but survived our extremely dry summer so far (driest July on record since 1985!)
While next week's weather forecast sounds promising, the little bit of rain we have had since the dry spell began has been negligible, so the SPUDS patch has been watered as judiciously as possible. With no more cistern refills coming this year, we are now solely reliant on Mother Nature. We have just a few short weeks of needed tuber development left so help is needed now to remove weeds that may otherwise retard remaining growth potential.
Please come on out to the field this coming Monday evening at 7:00 pm (Aug. 30th) to help get this relatively small job accomplished swiftly. A quick call or email response will let us know how many members intend to participate. We’ll also roll up the hoses that are no longer needed on the field this year.
A reminder will be sent out closer to the date, but please also mark your calendar now for our 2010 HARVEST, set for Saturday, September 18th at 10:00 am!
SPUDS member Bob V notified the FSC that he will be away in September but has arranged for someone to take his place (and share his potatoes) so we are not short-handed in the field on harvest day. We hope others unable to attend may be inspired and able to do the same!
Mike Lindsay will be back in the field to prepare all four quadrants for cover crop sowing as soon as possible after our harvest. Members will be needed to reconvene in the field on Saturday, September 25th (and/or possibly Sunday, Sept. 26th) for this vital task. There won't be many weeks left in the growing season for the seed to establish itself, so time is of the essence. Next year we should be able to plant our potatoes earlier and harvest them sooner so there is a longer window available to us for fall cover cropping.
The BLACKBERRY FAIRE is on Sunday, September 5th This isn't an official SPUDS date, so therefore not included on the list of field parties below. However it would be great to have a SPUDS table at the faire, so if anyone is interested in helping host our small display, please get in touch! We could really use a few more members for 2011 and this might be just the time to interest neighbours and island newcomers.
Finally, another reminder that anyone interested in assisting SPUDS FSC or Communications Team is welcome and encouraged to do so. A general meeting of the membership will be in order after the harvest for budget reports, sharing learning experiences and recommendations for the 2011 growing season. Stay tuned!
For your convenience in the meanwhile, here again are the several SPUDS field dates requiring membership involvement. RSVP’s always appreciated!
Monday, August 30th, 7:00 pm (WEEDING)
Saturday, September 18th, 10:00 am (HARVEST TIME!)
Saturday, September 25 (COVER CROP SOWING, time TBA)
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