Calling All Gardeners…

/ dankplant / 1 Comment

We need your help! The Grow and Share Garden has received a gift of trellis building materials, seeds, and plants from the Earth Breeze Detergent company in recognition of Earth Day. They will supply the materials, but we need volunteers to lend a helping hand in the garden. Please join us this Wednesday, April, 14th, from 9 am – 2ish to build trellises, and plants vegetables for all garden plots. Please bring hats, masks, reusable water bottles, and your enthusiasm. If you have a power drill or hammer, that would be helpful. Earth Breeze will be on hand to document our building progress. We expect the event will be shared on facebook, twitter, and other social media nationwide. Come help us grow…we really need your help. First 15 volunteers will receive an Earth Breeze T-Shirt, Mask, and first crack at transplants.

For more information contact Dan Kinkade at dankpeg@gmail.com.

April 2021 Workday Recap

/ M.E. Kinkade / Leave a comment

The day was clear and chilly but the gardeners were excited! Welcome to the best season for gardening in Texas!

We had a large group of gardeners and volunteers (thanks, YMSL!) and were able to get a lot done.

We focused on laying cardboard and mulch for weed suppression in the paths, as well as improving the compost pile, which had a big backlog. We also filled the newer beds with fresh compost to get them going.

We had a lot to do but got a lot accomplished.

We talked about the best bets for the season: it is time to plant just about everything you think of as a “garden crop”: tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, beans, and more! Please keep note of what you plant and/or label each plant so we can track what does well in our area!

Bad bugs!

Bad bugs, bad bugs: we’ve noticed an influx of Harlequin beetles. These relatives of squash bugs (remember those baddies?!) are showing up all over the garden. We also have some aphids. Treat the underside of leaves to remove and discourage aphids; squish the adult Harlequin beetles and consider adding diatomaceous earth around your plants with the beetles.

We’ve had some confusion of what “community” means: if you see someone helping themselves to our mulch, compost, or harvest, please remind them that these belong to the community garden, not the community at large. We pay several hundred dollars for the high-quality compost we use, and want to keep using it to support area food banks.

Turnip days!

We were contacted by a company looking for an Earth day project. We may be able to get benches and trellises for our garden. More info to come!

Our next workday is Saturday, May 8, from 9-11! We can’t wait to see you there!

Workday Recap: March 2021

/ M.E. Kinkade / Leave a comment

Applause for spring weather! We were so excited to get outside with our garden friends that the gardeners applauded during our meeting. Hooray for spring!

Ready to garden

We focused on weeding—lots had sprang up since January! We also did mulch and laid cardboard. We had many hands and made it easy!

We built four new garden plots

We also built four new garden plots, which was great, as we have many new gardeners! Welcome to our garden!

Kimberly came ready to garden!

Because of all the “pandemic gardening,” we noted there is a seed and plant shortage. Shop early to find plants for your garden! Our group said Lowe’s and Home Depot just got shipments, and to check your local Calloway’s early in the week. You can also share with neighbors or “shop” our seed library on workdays.

Our seeds were organized during the workday

Best bets for March are… most everything! Now is the time to plant! Particularly tomatoes (remember to plant them sideways), but also beans, peppers, potatoes, cucumbers, and squash.

Remember to think about the “square foot gardening” and also about how long you want to have a plant in that area. For example, potatoes won’t be harvested all summer, but beans may last just two months. You may want to draw your garden to get ideas—or just try something and we’ll figure it out together!

The record holders for best surviving cabbages!

Thank you for coming out! It was great to see everyone!

Our next workday is April 10, 9-11 a.m. See you there!

Good News…and Bad News!

/ dankplant / 2 Comments

The BAD news is the water supply to the church sustained damage, so the water line that includes the garden had to be shut off. No news on how long until repairs are completed, but we will keep you posted.

The GOOD News is…surprisingly some plants survived the wicked cold, kale, spinach, onions, potatoes are alive, and we are seeing new growth emerging from the ground.

Water Off at Garden!

/ dankplant / Leave a comment

Due to predicted record low temperatures, the water at the garden will be turned off to prevent further faucet and water line damage. When temperatures rise above freezing later next week…it will be turned back on. Thank you for your patience.