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EECO Farm – JULY 2025 Newsletter for Gardeners
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"July is hot afternoons and
sultry nights and mornings
when it’s joy just to be alive.”
Sundial of the Seasons – Hal Borland (1900 -1978)
NOTE: FULL MOON POT LUCK DINNER (FMPLD) COMING AUGUST 9TH!
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The EECO Farm Board is proud and happy to sponsor a FMPLD to be held over by our picnic area for the one and only time this year. This special event will take place on August 9th (Saturday) ---- starting at 6:00pm.
According to the “Farmer’s Almanac”, the moon that night will be just about 90% of a “Supermoon”. This means that it will be closer to earth than usual and thus about 10% brighter than normal.
In the olden days, August’s full moon was called the “Sturgeon Full Moon” but today it is more commonly called the “Corn or Grain Moon” (in the Mid-west), the “Ricing Moon” (down South) and even the “Black Cherries Moon” (west of the Rockies) --- basically signifying that this is the time of year to gather in the mature crops of those various items.
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SPECIAL NOTE: EECO Farm is animal friendly and we like dogs as much as the next person. However, not everyone shares that fuzzy feeling. In fact, many people have a true fear of dogs --- no matter how inordinate or unwarranted that fear may be.
Therefore, please remember that if you (or your guest) bring a dog to EECO Farm you are NOT allowed to let it run free --- and leash length should be limited to below 10 feet or about half the diameter of your own garden size should you stake the leash in the middle of your own garden patch. There is a dog park up in Springs that is dedicated to that running activity --- but not here at EECO Farm.
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All dogs at EECO Farm must be restrained by a leash and kept near your own garden so you can monitor the pet and, most importantly, clean up after it. Obviously, no one likes having Fido lift his leg on their lettuce or tomatoes --- and finding a solid doggy surprise in your garden is just beyond the pale. Kindly hose away any such accidents! Please --- cooperate with your fellow gardeners. Just think --- if every gardener brought a dog to EECO Farm at the same time, we’d have well over 100 fur babies running around loose!
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If, as most gardeners do, you have removed the scapes from your garlic recently and the top-most leaves have now turned at least half yellow/brown, you may want to dig up one garlic head just to see how the rest are doing. Depending on when you planted the garlic cloves (and the variety) around here at EECO the middle to the end of July usually means harvest time.
Now, in the empty space left behind in your garden by the removal of your mature garlic heads (or maybe your bolted salad greens) you can once again directly sow seeds into the ground for cabbage, arugula, spinach, all lettuce types, most beans, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, radishes and the like for a late summer or early fall crop. Of course, you may plant greenhouse transplants in order to get a jump on an earlier harvest date.
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Our rules for enjoying the FMPLD are the same as always. This special event is NOT open to the general public and only EECO Farm gardeners in actual attendance may bring as many guests as they wish: Please remember to bring at least one dish of food, bread, wine/beer, soda and/or dessert for the common table and for all to share.
NOTE: The cost of the FMPLD is free but we do request all attendees to please give a monetary donation to help defray the costs of the extra food, beverages, charcoal, etc.
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By the time you get this newsletter, summer will be almost 2 weeks old and in full swing at EECO Farm. If your cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, eggplants and peppers are starting to set fruit, then you may wish to give them one more small shot of a light, balanced ground fertilizer (5-10-5) and, of course, make sure it is certified organic and OMRI approved.
| For bigger vine fruits and veggies (such as acorn or butternut squash, pumpkins, watermelon, cantaloupe, etc.) you may want to pick off all but one or two flowers from each of the separate vines in order to get a bigger final product. Also, gently fertilize organically once a week until picking as these crops are deep feeders. | |
To get larger blooms on stalk flowers (dahlias, sunflower, hollyhock, etc.) remove all of those small side shoots (“suckers”) from the main stem.
Divide your iris, canna and daylily now, if you have any and want more.
Harvest your green/string beans daily: the more you pick, the more the plant will produce.
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If you are planning a vacation, even a short one, remember that with no shade to speak of, it can get super-hot at EECO Farm really quick. It’s smart to arrange for a surrogate waterer. Heat waves and/or a local drought --- even a brief one --- can literally be garden killers. You want to fry your peppers & onions at home on the stove --- not in your garden! Check the future local weather forecasts before leaving your garden unattended for more than a few days.
EECO Farm does not give out specific “helper recommendations” as we cannot be held accountable for poor quality of service but if you inform us by email that you need a watering service for a week or more, we may be able to hook you up with an arrangement in exchange for a donation to EECO Farm. Please give us a decent amount of lead time to set it up.
FINAL NOTE: Kindly do not violate garden rule #11 by attaching a timer and sprinkler to any water spigot! And, no, you may not add a splitter to the faucets. All of our faucets are meant to serve up to 8 tenant gardens and any device attached to a faucet is subject to removal by the EECO Farm Board.
Happy Gardening!
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