tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408555463494239122012-02-16T00:54:02.419-08:00Our enlightening adventures here on the farm as we try to build a bistro garden from scratch.Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.comBlogger351100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-56927838711578054622011-10-17T16:15:00.000-07:002011-10-17T16:15:13.091-07:00

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-41259182159982910122011-10-03T14:45:00.001-07:002011-10-03T14:45:12.931-07:00

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-69179872836789038032011-09-19T17:43:00.001-07:002011-09-19T17:43:49.899-07:00

Sitting down with my husband Jim as he talks about our upcoming pig roast in Elizabeth...the goal of which is to help raise funds for community gardens and urban farming in NJ!!

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-56816487917833735652011-09-19T17:42:00.000-07:002011-09-19T17:42:28.216-07:00

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-78581194166601215182011-08-22T17:50:00.000-07:002011-08-22T17:50:03.870-07:00

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-30045922394161324952011-08-22T17:48:00.001-07:002011-08-22T17:48:58.524-07:00

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-74126898786712515592011-08-22T16:19:00.000-07:002011-08-22T16:20:34.665-07:00

 Mother Nature released a whopper of a storm on Sunday on parts of New Jersey.  For most of the afternoon and evening, we had driving rains, thunder, lightening, winds, and more.  It was a storm right out of the wizard of oz...we just needed a few twisters to round out the day! But...once the authorities said the coast was clear, the ATH crew weathered the elements and produced an amazing 6-

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-24867701398829931852011-08-08T13:42:00.001-07:002011-08-08T13:42:25.208-07:00

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-25606743757945256162011-08-08T11:25:00.000-07:002011-08-08T11:25:21.650-07:00

tomatoes vining over the top  of the support cages we built.  So I do know that part of my problem is that I always am running a little behind in my support of my plants.  This was our first year that we had structural supports for most plants in with the seedling plants...and not after they'd gone crazy!   But...I still think our supports are falling short...which is why I am embarking on

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-66160103665262019532011-08-01T17:36:00.001-07:002011-08-01T17:36:31.457-07:00

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-6692651198249646902011-08-01T16:17:00.000-07:002011-08-01T16:17:51.947-07:00

what happens to your tomatoes when you take a little time off, the squirrels win the battle!  What a week!  I've had to take a little break from the gardens...right in the height of summer to battle a bronchial infection (including anti-biotics that say to "limit exposure to sun"!) HAH!  Don't they know we gardeners don't have time to be sick during the summer! But, after resting up per

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-45851876456727669112011-07-11T15:32:00.001-07:002011-07-11T15:32:23.575-07:00

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-16454028458853378472011-07-11T12:25:00.000-07:002011-07-11T12:25:10.314-07:00

Don't Forget...you can join us on Thursday, July 21st when Andrea will be on hand for a talk titled "Great Communities are built on Great Food".  Her talk will cover the future of urban farming, her work with local farmers in developing the green ethic of ATH, and the creation and use of Jack's Run Garden as a truly local source.  This talk is free and open to the public at the Cranford Community

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-260437119009985502011-07-11T12:21:00.000-07:002011-07-11T12:21:55.996-07:00

This week's to-do list will be a pretty simple one... weed weed weed some more weed a little bit more... The perfect weather has been helping all of the plants to bloom and blossom, but has filled in under the rows as well with all of these weeds. There are a lot of theories about maintaining and preventing weeds, we have tried a good number of them, some with success, others not so much.  Here

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-36615356717394939962011-06-27T16:39:00.001-07:002011-06-27T16:39:55.558-07:00

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-1229779023302754342011-06-27T16:05:00.000-07:002011-06-27T16:06:42.172-07:00

I have finally finished the plant listings for this year - whew, when you expand the garden as much as we did this year apparently it takes a bit longer!  Anyhow...just wanted to share these with all of you in the event that you were interested, and I will try and add in some photos as the plants fruit and develop to create a garden journal for the year!  I will keep you posted on progress!

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-5556209492358208002011-06-27T15:49:00.000-07:002011-06-27T15:49:57.995-07:00

kohlrabi heads fennel bulbs ready for harvest  Gardening can be a very satisfying project when everything finally heads into fruiting, flowering and setting....the harvest is a comin'! celery - nearly ready eggplants - in blooms tomatoes on the vine the first poblano pepper

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-86896104626669091352011-06-20T15:24:00.001-07:002011-06-20T15:24:35.115-07:00

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-41954041604030200032011-06-20T14:41:00.000-07:002011-06-20T14:41:06.001-07:00

squash/bean supports at Stonegate farms in upstate NY  We are about 45 days into this year's season at Jack's Run and plant supports are starting to play a "supporting" role in the evolution of the garden once again. I recently spent a little time on one of my favorite garden blogs/websites (http://www.stonegatefarmny.org/) where they chronicle the year at an organic estate farm in the

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-31102002137811108882011-06-13T16:53:00.000-07:002011-06-13T16:53:23.732-07:00

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-71856819447557461182011-06-13T14:52:00.000-07:002011-06-13T14:52:34.842-07:00

 Week 5 in the gardens was a productive one, but also saw the introduction of some of our first pests...much to my chagrin! In the critters category - it was a week for the arrival and unfortunate departure of some small creatures.  I found a baby bird, possum, and squirrel that were all mother nature's littlest victims - having succumbed to wind, extreme heat, and driving rains respectively.  

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-46936152897631118362011-06-06T16:34:00.000-07:002011-06-06T16:34:08.935-07:00

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-79436466516816334122011-06-06T16:13:00.000-07:002011-06-06T16:14:16.721-07:00

 Jack's Run made some real progress this week in terms of growth with the addition of sun and heat.  The question now is weather the roots took proper hold during the storms and rains of the previous two weeks.  If not, we might have some shallow roots to overcome in the coming months - which could lead to toppling and sick plants with the onslaught of the summer temps and humidity. For the

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-40666220172991681052011-05-30T16:13:00.000-07:002011-05-30T16:13:01.493-07:00

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-54431189341612234402011-05-30T15:37:00.000-07:002011-05-30T15:37:20.962-07:00

the parsley box A drastic change in the weather pattern this week.  I had begun to think I was going to develop some webbed feet...but alas the sun came out, and came out in full force.  Temperatures hit 91 on Sunday and 93 today, and the plants have all perked back up and gotten back to the business of growing. cilantro/coriander The real work this week was weeding...the combination of wet

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-69394870413499211262011-05-23T16:39:00.000-07:002011-05-23T16:39:25.746-07:00

Don't forget to tune in for this week's update from jack's run...

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-54844082907834238272011-05-23T15:55:00.000-07:002011-05-23T15:55:03.907-07:00

english thyme blossoms  The rain's certainly set in heavy this past week...with a remarkable 7 days of straight rain, it was Thursday afternoon before we saw any blue sky or limited sun.   The garden, while certainly enjoying the free watering is looking forward to some sun, although the forecast for the week doesn't bode well. lavender wands A lot of flowering this week...the flowers on

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-76680148001914161322011-05-16T16:44:00.000-07:002011-05-16T18:43:36.053-07:00

Andrea Carbine...farmer in training! So we have begun another year of planting here at Jack's Run and it is shaping up to be one of our best yet.  This year will see the addition of three major projects...  1) A major installed drip irrigation system - we had a drip system installed in all garden beds and boxes this year to help conserve water and time!  The system is automated in order to

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-87249857542125507072011-03-14T15:54:00.000-07:002011-03-14T15:54:43.652-07:00

I took an interest in honey bees a few years back when I met a pretty dynamic lady at Home Depot.  It turned out that she actually lives across town from me, and that she and her husband are bee farmers - they now have 3 hives on their property here in Cranford and collect honey and honeycomb throughout the year.  I took a look and it was a pretty impressive site - with the queen situated amongst

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-22112088195740905752011-01-31T17:36:00.000-08:002011-01-31T17:36:35.032-08:00

We decided to continue composting through the winter this year.  And although it faces a few challenges -  digging out the compost bins from the snow & getting to the compost bins through the feet of snow - it seems to be truly rewarding!  When we dug down into the bins this past weekend to deposit eggshells, coffee rinds, and veggie scraps from Sunday's brunch, we discovered a little heat still

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-10384620814981314202010-12-07T07:04:00.000-08:002010-12-07T07:04:46.128-08:00

Jim and I spent most of Sunday getting the bistro and gardens battened down for the winter ahead...and seeing the first few flakes falling this morning, it appears just in time!  But, what was truly remarkable, was that as we were hanging the holiday decor the mums were still going strong.  This has been a bizarre season for temperature and precipitation to say the least, but the mums were

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-73174104560790064082010-10-18T08:58:00.000-07:002010-10-18T08:58:32.099-07:00

2010 Rhubarb crop - first push 2010 Rhubarb crop - first cutting 2010 rhubarb - end of spring hair cut Our rhubarb has been a sort of wonderful constant over the last couple of years - we've gotten a great, flavorful harvest of stalks each year.  We planted the first batch of 3 plants with roots in 2008.  In the fall of 2009, we split the heads after limiting the harvest for

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-70113919425730378892010-10-14T07:38:00.000-07:002010-10-14T07:38:25.921-07:00

There was an amazing photo spread of Alice Water's done for one of the big magazines about 5 years ago that showed her in her home gardens...it was really amazing stuff.  It made me want to move to Berkeley and just take up residence in her garden.  Oh, don't mind me Alice, I'll just be over by the broccoli if you need anything.  The pebble lined walkways, the perfect mounds, the tidy beds.  It

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-830986246098165112010-10-11T14:03:00.000-07:002010-10-11T14:03:25.893-07:00

I started this blog back in the spring to help navigate this year's growing season.  Note to self, running the bistro and the farm doesn't leave a ton of time for blogging!  :)  But, as fall has begun and I find myself breaking down the gardens for winter and prepping for next year I am starting to put a plan together to accomplish it all next year...or give up sleeping, one or the other for sure

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840855546349423912.post-88816819431489342872010-06-10T09:24:00.001-07:002010-06-10T09:33:15.496-07:00

2010 started off with a bang - we wanted to make sure that all of the plots had a heard start to protect against some of the issues that were so prevalent in gardens last year (ie - blight, stem rot, and over saturation from the rains).So, we hand-turned all of the plots. What a project - 3 days later we were done. We dug out & forked all of the plots down about 2 feet and then turned the soil

Andrea Carbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02665211635985826242noreply@blogger.com0