Summer of Solutions is an incomplete name.  Summer ended a while ago, but Hartford’s growing season has a long ways to go, and so do we.  Our summer training program may be over, but Summer of Solutions Hartford is still busy.  Part I of our Autumn Update Series is all about the gardens, and the plants in them.

Harvest

Our late-season crops are finally ready, and we have a second round of short-season crops coming in too.  We have beans, tomatoes, peppers, greens, eggplant, and more.

We also have a nice variety of flowers- flowers that attract beneficial insects, other flowers that repel pests, and some flowers that just look really pretty.

Our team has been harvesting a lot of the produce for our Garden Stand and for our After-School program (see below), but our garden members have also been taking home fresh fruits and vegetables.

We hope to take advantage of September and October harvests to generate a lot of interest in our community gardens.  It’s hard to imagine how much food can grow in a small raised bed without seeing the long-term results at the end of the season.  We intend to use our fall publicity, garden stands, and lots of pictures to bring new members to our community gardens next year.  Our work this summer and fall proved how productive small plots of land can be over an entire year.