Workday Recap: Oct. 2020

The garden was lush, the weather was great, and everyone was happy to be at the garden!

We focused on harvesting: sweet potatoes and leaves, eggplant, okra, and more! Thank goodness we had the YMSL volunteers: we had a lot to do!

A sea of sweet potato vines

Even before our HUGE harvest today, we had donated 2,100 pounds to local food banks. We’ve had an incredible year!

Massive donations!

Best bets right now are switching over to our winter crops. If your summer crops are looking sickly, give up on them now to make room for our winter cole crops. Keep harvesting okra!

Tool time

A moment for tools: be sure you use the new sprayers correctly—turn the water on and off using the blue metal poles (not at the hose), and use the gasket when adjusting the water. Avoid changing the setting while spraying!

As frost season approaches, be sure to turn off the water AND remove the sprayer to avoid ice damage.

Gardening brings us together

In many ways, a garden workday is more important to us right now. Many of us have cleared schedules and nowhere to go. We don’t get to see anyone’s smiles or chitchat in the office. While we still require masks for safety, the garden gives us an opportunity to see others, to move our bodies, and feel the sunshine. And we get to do all that while helping others.

Thank you for the help, YMSL!

Thank you, gardeners. Our next workday is November 14 at 9. We will be there, whatever the weather!

Digging for sweet treasure this Saturday!

Join us for our next Garden Workday

Digging for treasure.

Join us this Saturday October 10th, as we dig for buried treasures! We will meet from 9-11 am for our next Garden Workday…activities include harvesting sweet potatoes, planting fall crops, and discussing upcoming activities!

Garden Water: Tapped Out!

NOTICE: the leaks in the garden have gotten more severe. We will be turning the water to the garden on and off, to try to reduce the flood. If you go to the garden and the water is turned off, please return at another time. The water will be on intermittently as we work to quickly repair our leak(s). Now is a good time to use your water tower!

Use your water tower to passively water your plot while we repair our faucets.

Special thanks to Bill, Daryl, and Scott for bravely accepting the water repair challenge!

Thank you gardeners for your patience!

Workday Recap: Sept. 2020

Finally a cool morning! It felt great to be in the garden, and we had lots to do!

The garden is looking great! Please do not trim the grapevine; it needs the space!

The garden is lush with our summer sunshine and rain. Our first focus was harvest! So far this year, we have donated 1,800 pounds of produce to area food banks! (And that doesn’t include our melon harvest at the workday!)

We had a large group at the garden

We had a large group of volunteers, so we divided into groups. We had a brave group of compost-carers, water-tower construction crew, and a herd of “buffalo” in our wildflower prairie.

“Buffalo” hard at work in Parr’s Prairie

Our wildflower patch supports native wildflowers, which would have been trampled by herds of buffalo before we all moved in. To replicate the buffalo, gardeners grabbed hoes and shovels to break up the soil. These “hoof prints” make a great place for the wildflower seeds to germinate. The bees appreciate the efforts!

New water towers are “on the level” thanks to our efforts!

We are working to add new water towers to each plot. Remember, a water tower is not a replacement for regular watering; they help even out the water and keep our soil moist even on hot days. Additionally, some of our water spigots are leaking. We are aware and will make time to repair them all at once; unfortunately the repairs will be a challenge and will require shutting off all water to the garden, so please be patient and avoid using the damaged faucets for now.

Thank you to the hardworking compost crew!

Now is the time to plant “cole crops,” such as cabbage, kale, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. It’s nearly time to harvest summer crops like black-eyed peas and basil. If you were able to keep your tomatoes alive this summer, look for a fall harvest soon. Keep harvesting okra! Remember, okra is the only crop that we can help our neighbor gardeners harvest—some will be ready to pick every day!

Pull up diseased and damaged crops, or to make room for new cole crops

Our next workday will be Oct. 10, 9-11 a.m. See you there, and happy harvesting!

See you at the next workday!

Ode to a Community Garden

Ahhh…Cool at last!

Beautiful cool weather is predicted for our upcoming garden workday, this Saturday, September 12th, from 8-10. Join us as we work to place the bases to our water towers, swap seeds, plant wildflowers, and discuss fall crops.

Water Towers are ready…are you?

Our engineer and builder Scott Cherry has completed the stands for the new Water Towers. If you would like to add a tower to your plot, follow these steps.

1. Grab a stand and dig a shallow trench for the back legs and level.

2. After leveling, set the front legs so they rest on the wood beams of your plot. Use a drill and star bit (found on bench in shed) to attach the two predrilled screws to the beam.

Star bit (in shed if you don’t have one)

Add a barrel, attach soaker hose, fill and you are done.

If all this seems too much to do in 106 degree heat…No Worries! We will be installing these during our Garden Workday, September 12.

Thanks again to Scott, Abdel, and for whoever installed a stand and water tower for me!

Workday Recap: Aug. 2020

It sure feels good to get to the garden!

The garden is looking lush!

Despite the early workday and the heat, we had a great crowd. The focus of our workday was adding cardboard and mulching our paths, harvesting produce, and working on the compost heap. A special thank-you to the Young Men’s Service League for working so hard on cleaning up our compost bins!

Thank you Young Men’s Service League!

We achieved a lot and were able to make some nice donations to the food bank. It feels good to be able to share our bounty!

We are entering The Epoch of Okra! Normal rules about harvesting other plots are suspended now that it is okra season—okra needs to be harvested almost daily, so please help your neighbors harvest!

We are also welcoming volunteer food delivery drivers, so please let Dan know if you are interested in helping.

Special shout-out to Abdel, who is helping us procure barrels, and to Scott, for designing and building our new “water towers.” Each pair of plots will eventually get a water tower, which will help conserve water while helping our plants stay damp even in the heat.

The new water towers will help us passively garden, keeping our plots watered even during high heat!

We will have our next workday starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday, September 12. See you there!

If you have large cardboard boxes…

Our workday is this Saturday, August 8th, 8-10 am. If you have some large cardboard boxes, please bring them to the workday. We need to cover weedy areas with cardboard and mulch. Thanks!

Looking for a Big Harvest? Come to the Garden Workday to Learn How.

Our next workday is this Saturday, August 8th, from 8-10 am. We will be getting some help from the Young Men’s Service League, and will talk about preparations for a great fall harvest! Come and join us to learn more.