Cooperative Extension's Kitchen Garden Tours Feature Shared Gardens
and Root Cellars
The "2009 Kitchen Garden Tours" organized by Cornell
Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County will continue into
September, with three additional local food gardens open for
visitors. These remaining tour sites feature a country "stimulus"
garden, and two gardens that extensively utilize root cellars for
winter food storage.
On Tuesday, September 8 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, visitors
may take a free tour of the "Stimulus Garden" located at 77
Halseyville Road in Enfield where neighbors Joan Adler, David
Dietrich and Ann Rider have joined forces to grow vegetables this
season. They prepared their site last fall with cardboard mulch
topped with manure, tilled it in spring, and have been planting and
enjoying produce ever since. The garden yields greens, peas, beans,
cole and root corps, with more fall storage vegetables on the way.
The final two tours feature gardeners who have built
root cellars to help preserve their harvest. These sites have an
admission fee, are limited to 40 visitors each, and pre-registration
is required; additional tours will be added if these fill.
On Thursday, September 10 from 6:00-7:30 pm visitors may
tour the extensive vegetable and fruit gardens of Kathy, Bill and Dan
Halton in Danby. This site features a circular root cellar dug into
the hillside, and another built below ground in the home. The root
cellars are used to store root crops, beer, wine and rain water for
dyeing fibers. The Haltons also make their own electricity from
solar panels which stand inside the garden. Visitors must
pre-register for this tour by calling 607-272-2292. Tour fee for this
site is $5/person or $8/couple, limited to 40 visitors.
On Thursday, September 17 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm visitors
may tour Peasant Dreams Farm (www.peasantdreamsfarm.com) owned by
David and Katie Quinn-Jacobs in Ithaca. This farm focuses on root
crops for winter home storage and offers information about root
cellaring. They use certified organic seed and no chemical
fertilizers or pesticides. The gardens combine raised beds, raised
rows and larger crop plantings. The orchard includes apple, pear,
peach, pawpaw, northern kiwi, Cornellian cherry, and an assortment of
berries and nuts. The root cellar below their porch includes storage
areas for cool/dry and cool/moist storage required by different
crops. Chickens and Romney sheep provide manure to the gardens.
Visitors must pre-register for this tour by calling 607-272-2292.
Tour fee for this site is $5/person or $8/couple, limited to 40 visitors.
For additional information and to register, please call
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County at (607) 272-2292 or
email <mailto:[email protected]>[email protected].
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For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please
visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
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