Germantown Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends

47 West Coulter Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19144

Old Tennis Court Farm

5407 Wissahickon Ave, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19144

Find the garden

Our Mission Statement:

The Old Tennis Court Farm is established by Germantown Friends Meeting and School in the tradition of Quakers to grow food, promote sustainable living, and nurture friendly interactions. Germantown Friends encourages interested gardeners, including individuals, groups, and classes from local public and private schools, to sign up for a plot, try out new ways to grow vegetables, and learn about their neighbors. We hope that everyone in our community will share our vision of a peaceful green space, and that together we can establish a harmonious and vibrant community.

Aug 2012 It has been an excellent season. The new plots have done very well and there were many interactions between the new plot holders and last year's people. We delivered more than 20 tons of compost for use in amending the soil. The new plots were cultivated by a variety of methods. Some elaborate raised beds were constructed and filled with soil delivered commercially. Others dug down into the gravel and clay, screening out the gravel and mixing the clay with compost. This made excellent fertile garden soil at low cost. We organized potluck dinners held every month. These were a great success, with many dishes served from vegetables grown on site. There have been bountiful tomatoes and greens grown on site, along with flowers and herbs.

The well and water barrel storage system worked very nicely for the greater number of plots this year. However, there were several prolonged dry spells, and during one of these the water system failed for a few days. The solar panel stopped charging the battery when trees grew new leaves that shadowed the solar panel. Once the leaves were trimmed back the system went back to normal and gardeners could water their plots without difficulty. The system has been working flawlessly for the remainder of the summer.

The new apple and pear trees have thrived and along with the red currant bushes were watered during dry spells. The new paw-paw trees are flourishing. Because they're from a warmer climate they took a few extra weeks in the spring to open leaves. The fig and persimmon trees are also flourishing. We got several handfuls of red currants that appeared on the stems from last year's growth. Most of the currants grew robustly this year so we are expecting a bountiful harvest next year.

An inexpensive compost bin was constructed out of free pallets and donated fencing material. The bins have been kept very neat and are already filled up, so we are planning for more.

The apartment building across the street was purchased by a new owner and is now called "Charter Court". The management has been very organized and friendly but installed a gate on the parking lot adjacent to OTCF. We have had discussions with the managers and are hoping to arrange some automatic keys so OTCF members can access the parking lot.

May 2012 The next work day is Saturday, May 5, 9 - 10 AM. We look forward to working together.

April 2012 We have seen tremendous activity in the new garden plots, like busy bees. Enthusiastic OTCF gardeners have amended the soil. The gravel, rocks, and soil are first dug out and then screened to remove gravel larger than 1/4". Seasoned gardeners are teaching the new gardeners how to amend their soil. Some of the clay below the layers of gravel is also dug and screened and when mixed with the new garden soil makes an important contribution of nutrients. A generous amount of compost (50%) is added along with several bags of limestone powder, and mixed with the fine soil. Over the past month, we have received deliveries of compost for use by the gardeners on site totaling 20 tons. Many gardeners have constructed raised beds and have arranged delivery of additional topsoil. The raised beds are not required but some gardeners believe they facilitate growing and harvesting. The new driveway ramp is now finished and ready for use by cars and light trucks. We are all enthusiastic about learning new ideas for gardening from our neighbors!

Many gardeners have planted their plots with peas and early greens, and even some tomatoes. Committees have been formed to take care of the weekly chores such as weeding the fences, picking up trash along the sidewalk, caring for the trees, shrubs, and flowers, and mowing the grass. The wall along the middle steps up from the parking lot has been repaired. Additional hoses have been added to allow the new plots to be efficiently watered. The 10 fruit trees have sprouted leaves and are all growing fast. Many of the red currants planted last year are growing fast and are already developing flowers.

We have organized work days and potluck dinners on a regular schedule so that OTCF gardeners can work and socialize together to gain a better sense of their community. Some of the chores can be done on workdays, but those who are not able to attend can do chores at other times during the week. The potluck dinners enable discussions about new joys of gardening and about ideas for improvements. During one community service workday, a group of GFS students helped to screen the soil in some of the new plots.

March 2012 We have received many new inquiries about plots, so most of our 50 plots have been taken for this season. The new plots have been measured and staked, and are ready for screening. We have constructed a dozen new screeners of different sizes to help with preparing the soil in the plots. New OTCF gardeners will be offered help in screening their plots. We plan to extend the fence around the new plots before the start of the growing season. A second hose outlet has been installed on the water barrel system to provide extra watering capacity. We are arranging a delivery of compost for use by OTCF gardeners, and we plan to construct several compost bins for composting organic matter.

Now (March 1-15) is a good time to start seedlings indoors -- tomatoes, collards/kale/broccoli, chard, spinach, lettuce, radishes. Plant them in soil blocks that you can transplant outside later. After the seedlings emerge, place them in a cold frame for the next several weeks during March and early April. We have installed 2 cold frames for OTCF gardeners to grow their seedlings over the next 6 weeks. Seedlings need sunlight and also exposure to cold to harden them for growing outside. A cold frame gets warm in the day to allow warm-weather vegetable seedlings to grow. Peas once sprouted can be planted directly into an outside plot.

A big part of the OTCF is the interaction between gardeners that develop and enrich the community. We can all learn from each other about new ways to prepare the soil and grow vegetables and flowers. Near the end of March (tentatively March 24, 9-10 AM), there will be an OTCF garden orientation meeting for all members but especially to welcome new members. The meeting will include a seed swap and some seedling vegetables, and an introduction to work days, committees, guidelines, contracts, and payment collection. We also plan a series of OTCF community days. The series of potluck dinners will continue throughout the season to provide a time for OTCF gardeners to interact and trade new ideas.

February_2012 The MLK day projects went very well. We made a cold frame with hoops and plastic, and we laid out the 24 new plots with stakes and string. We are organizing a series of monthly potluck dinners so gardeners can meet each other and discuss priorities and plans. The new plots will be assigned in March, first-come first served, with priority given to last year's OTCF gardeners, subject to approval by the OTCF supervisory committee. The signup list is nearly full for this year but we are maintaining a waiting list in case plots become available. The new driveway is usable but the gravel hasn't been installed, so please before you use it check to make sure it's not too muddy or wet. We are constructing cold frames to allow vegetable seedlings to grow in sunlight and adapt to the early spring temperature.

January 2012 This year, the OTCF will have 48 plots, twice as many as last year. We are planning a workday for students from local schools on MLK day, January 16, 2012. OTCF gardeners and other interested neighbors are invited to help out. We have made a dozen screeners and plan to organize a screening party. We will lay out the next 24 plots and start screening them.

We encourage interested neighbors to sign up for plots (see email address below). We are maintaining a signup list, and currently have vacancies for this year. The new plots will be assigned in late March to early April, first-come first-served. The new driveway access lane is almost finished but is now usable, so if it's not muddy, gardeners can drive up to deliver supplies to their plot. We plan to deliver compost for the use of OTCF gardeners in March.

November, 2011 We removed the asphalt from the second tennis court, and had it recycled. This provided space for 24 more plots. The new driveway access lane is under construction so gardeners will be able to drive up from the parking lot to the Old Tennis Court Farm. We planted several new fruit trees in the common space around the edge of the garden area.

Harvest Potluck, October 22, 2011, 12 Noon -3 PM We had a very successful potluck afternoon festival on Saturday to celebrate our successful 2011 growing season. Everyone brought a dish to share with others. We made hearty vegetable dishes including soups, stews, and apple crisps for this event. It gave us a chance to discuss the season and trade anecdotes about our experiences. Rain date: Oct 23, 2-4PM.

July 2011 Many of the plots are producing very bountiful amounts of beans, greens, carrots, squash, melons, and tomatoes. The raised beds require watering every day but the in-ground plots seem to do very well with watering every 2-3 days. With hot weather, the water storage system started to get empty every night, for after solar panel was in shadows there was no more power to run the pump. Therefore we set up a battery system to power the pump even when sunlight is not available. Now, the water barrels are always near full, which gives better water pressure in the hoses. We also acquired a cordless electric lawn mower and a weed trimmer that are charged by the solar panel. Garden members are asked to spend some of their time working on the common space, the paths, and the perimeter of the garden area, to keep the OTCF trim and neat.

June 2011 Thirty plots have been cultivated and are growing nicely. Several gardeners installed raised beds on their plots using 2x12s, but others screened the soil and amended it with compost. We purchased 15 tons of compost from the Philadelphia Recycling Center and OTCF gardeners added it to their plots, along with additional organic fertilizer and limestone. The plots are growning fast, with bountiful crops of peas, arugula, lettuce, strawberries, collards, kale, and beans.

We purchased a shed to store garden tools, and installed a solar panel on the shed roof to power the well pump. The solar panel is active from 10 AM to 4 PM, and the pump can fill the 350 gallon barrel storage in about 2 hours. It is regulated by a float valve that turns off the pump when the barrels are full. Water is available from a system of hoses for watering plants only. The water flow is modest because the hoses are gravity-feed and the tanks are only 4-6' above the level of the garden plots. The valves at the tank are left on during the day when people are watering, but may be closed at dusk. The valve on the supply hose from the pump is always left on.

We installed a 3' fence around the perimeter of the garden area to ward off woodchucks. The fence is attached to metal posts and is loose to discourage the woodchucks from climbing over. Five gates allow entry through the fence. They are held closed with short loops of clothesline. The last person to leave the garden checks to make sure the gates are all closed, and turns off the water valves.

OTCF member gardeners have worked to maintain the common space around the perimeter of the garden and its paths. Typically we have a workday every few weeks when gardeners are asked to cut grass, and trim weeds.

Project Flow, a group of 9th grade students from local public and private schools, worked site this summer. They installed a gutter on the shed that fills a water barrel below, and they added signage about the OTCF and our water-related projects. Thanks to Project Flow for these improvements.

April 2011 We held an orientation community meeting on April 2 to show the lot to interested gardeners. We laid out 24 12' x 12' plots and everyone there who wanted a plot got one. Gardeners can sift their soil with several screeners and a big pile of compost is available. Water is available on site from a well. The irrigation water test is here. The water system is not working yet but we are planning to have it going in several weeks. Please note that the water is not potable and is not for drinking. The soil test is here. The plot layout is here. Plots are available first-come first-served, subject to requirements in the rules and regulations. We are planning workdays to help gardeners who have signed up for plots with soil preparation.

March 2011 We held a community meeting on March 10 to explain the plan for the OTCF. The meeting was successful, with about 20 attendees. We plan to hold an orientation meeting on April 2, 2011 at the OTCF to show interested gardeners the plots. Compost and wood chips will be available. Water is available on site. Plots are available first-come first-served, subject to requirements in the rules and regulations. We are planning workdays to help gardeners who have signed up for plots with soil preparation. See the minutes of the community meeting.

January 2011 We erected the OTCF sign and are accepting contact information from interested neighborhood gardeners. We plan to have a community meeting where anyone from the neighborhood can attend to hear our plans for the 2011 season.

November-December 2010 We removed another one-third of the asphalt from the tennis court, giving enough area for 2 dozen individual plots.

September-October 2010 We continued to harvest tomatoes, peppers, and greens. We planted several new garden beds with tomatoes greens. We constructed a system of water barrels and kept the beds watered.

July-August 2010 We harvested bountiful amounts of cherry tomatoes, broccoli, beans, eggplant, squash, cucumbers, basil, and sunflowers. We managed to keep most of the plants alive during 14 day dry spells in July and August. We are currently setting up a water storage system. You are welcome to help in this gardening effort. We hope to pen the garden to interested neighbors in 2011. To join, please sign up.

June 2010 We are currently preparing the soil that was underneath a strip of the old tennis courts. We are screening the soil and over the summer we plan to add compost to ready the soil for gardening. We are also planning a composting project to recycle organic materials. If you are interested in volunteering for this phase of the work, contact us (see below) so that we can sign you up!

April 2010 We have started a small garden bed (4' x 60') that contains tomatoes, broccoli, beans, cabbage, eggplant, squash, cucumbers, basil, and sunflowers. The plants require regular care and weeding. Because we don't have water on-site yet, the plants will require occasional watering. You are welcome to help in this gardening effort. To join, please sign up.

Interested gardeners: To sign up, please contact garden@gmm.gfsnet.org or the Meeting Office at 215-951-2235