June was a period of great growth for the Cambridge Community Garden, even if the sweet corn didn’t quite reach the “knee high by the Fourth of July” mark. In June, garden members harvested lettuce, peas, herbs, and radishes from their personal victory garden style plots and even a few strawberries from the communal berry circle. Although we’ve had a particularly rainy and cold summer so far (especially in late June and early July), most crops in both the personal plots and communal spaces are now thriving.
In the garden’s communal spaces we’ve planted beans, onions, potatoes, sweet and flour corn, several varieties of tomatoes and several varieties of winter squash, as well as wheat, oats and millet.
The herb garden is another communal space project that is beginning to fill out. Herbs planted include: basil, thyme, parsley, sage, dill, cilantro, borage, fennel, oregano, lemon balm, sweet marjoram, summer savory, rosemary, tarragon and chives.
Here are updates on some of the garden’s larger undertakings in the past six weeks:
Berry Circles
After much transplanting and mulching, the berry circles in the center of the garden’s communal space are well on their way. The circles are concentric rings of strawberries (inner), blueberries (middle) and raspberries (outer). While we wait for the berries to get established, we’ve also planted some cosmos, calendulas, and leeks to fill out the circles. We hope that the circles will be an inviting place for garden get-togethers and community events. Future plans for the circles include picnic tables and possibly an arbor.
Scarecrow Building Session
After crows cleaned out two beds of flour corn in early June, a handful of garden members (and their kids) joined in a scarecrow making session. The afternoon was a great success as we now have five new residents to the garden including a pirate and a fairy. So far, the crows have stayed away from the new batch of corn to boot.
Lawn Mower
The garden also recently invested in a new push mower. Garden members are taking turns on mowing duty, maintaining the lawn and grass paths between plots.
Garden Tour
The Community Garden will be the first stop on the local garden tour, “A Midsummer Tea Time in Cambridge Gardens,” Sunday, July 12. The tour, which runs from 4 to 7 p.m., is a benefit for Hubbard Hall. Tickets are $15.
