Andra (the lady who started this), two of her brood, Rhiannon & I were over there yesterday for about an hour, trying to figure out where we should start. Unfortunately we have a lot of shaded areas to work around / with, but I'm hoping that something will grow and that we can eventually expand into sunnier areas and maybe even get enough donated materials for raised beds.
Rhiannon & her girlfriend dug a few holes (for like two seconds & then ran off to play....oh well), older brother flexed his muscles and dug holes and we quickly planted the few vegetables we brought along.
We only got eight tomato plants, six okra, two lemon balm, one oregano, one chocolate mint and the two teeny-tiny basil plants in the ground, but it's got to start somewhere. Andra also bought some grape vines but we'll have to figure out where to put them and set some sort of trellis up. I think deciding on where to put beds and then getting them installed will have to be the next step. Once that's done it's just a matter of getting the plants in the ground.
We're hoping to get more volunteers and more items donated so that there's more than one salad's worth of veggies out there. It might not look like much now, but hopefully with time and getting the word out, this will just be the start of something bigger and better.
This is awesome!!!!
ReplyDeleteThat's great!
ReplyDeleteThat is an absolutely excellent idea! And what an important concept to teach our kids. I hope it catches on big time and you get the whole community involved and enthusiastic.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn,
ReplyDeleteYou and your friend came up with a fabulous idea. Having a community garden accessible to the food pantry will make a difference for all involved.
It's a large project, and we all know you'll do well with it.
Maybe you can get some of the local farmers to help by using there equipment to clear some of this property so you can plant more seeds.
How about some of your friends at the farmers market, would they be interested in helping?
ME Masterson & Kristina, Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteLeigh, It's small, but with time & some elbow grease, I'm hoping it becomes bigger & better.
Sandy, I can take no credit for the idea, but am certainly glad to be able to help. The lady who started it is already getting replies from her requests for help & materials so it's just a matter of time before we "grow" more :)
I LOVE community gardens! I had noodled around an idea of starting one here, but I can't do it by myself and no one else volunteered. Maybe when I retire. Hahahahahaha.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! What a great thing to bring neighbors together for something as cool as this. I think what I'm trying to say is "bonding with your neighbors."
ReplyDeleteOne thing caught my eye though. You might want to think about planting mint in places that you "marked"for other plants. Mint in the ground will spread like wildfire and pretty much take over the area. On the other hand, it looks, smells, and tastes wonderful. I was at the nursery the other day and came this close < > to bringing some home. I just didn't want to fork out the $5 they were asking for it. I'm cheap.... err... frugal like that. (I almost took a pinch off one to bring home. Does that make me a plant thief?)
Around here I wouldn't know where to start a community garden. As a matter of fact, while driving around, I noticed an absence of gardens in general. It makes me wonder what the deal is. Especially since last summer I went looking for canning lids and couldn't find any. So I guess folks ARE gardening but I can't see them from the road? Finally found some at Tractor Supply.
Good luck with the new garden! Hey at least the chickens won't eat everything that comes up there!
Have a great weekend,
Sci