The garden is blooming! We've been working hard to get it started and the rabbit fence added new this year is really helping to ensure our efforts are not wasted.
These are the veggies already coming up:
peas,beans (though they've been attacked by Japanese beetles :( ), peppers (THANK YOU LU, FOR PURCHASING PLANTS!!), beets, carrots, radish, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, spinach, 3 kinds of lettuce, yellow squash, acorn squash, zucchini, swiss chard, basil, dill, watermelon, green onion
These veggies are not doing well:
Cucumbers (4 of the 8 are dead), Eggplant, Broccoli, TOMATOES (all 20 plants are dead - too much rain after they were put in) :(
I have seeds for the cucumber & eggplant, which I will start this weekend. I think we can forget the the broccoli this year and try again next year.
I'm putting a call out to everyone who is able to help replace the tomato plants. We had 20 plants - three varieties: cherry, roma, big boy/beefsteak - I'd like to replace all 20, but I just can't afford to do it myself with plants at $3.99 each. If several people purchase 2-3 plants each, we could get it covered quickly. If anyone is willing to help out with this, please purchase plants and bring them to the garden sometime this week. They can be set either on top of the tool box or in case of rain, place under the raised bed closest to the community plot. Shoot me a quick email or text message to let me know you've dropped some off 614-477-8610. Thanks!!
Thank you's and New News
I'd like to give a shout out to Catherine Best, her husband Mike (traveling from Chicago!), and Lu Taylor for their instrumental assistance in getting the community plot started the weekend of May 21st.
That same weekend, regular volunteer, Patrick Caffrey, led a group of OSU student volunteers in laying pavers and brick to make the garden more wheelchair friendly. Thanks to Patrick and our new gardener, Nick, for leading those volunteers and doing a bang up job! Special thanks to Marlinda Iyer for donating cement and cinder blocks to help us create a much safer pathway for the wheelchairs!
I'd also like to say a BIG THANK YOU to Patrick for working so hard in the garden for the last three weeks. This weekend, he built two new raised beds for Creative Living. He even has enough left over to make a couple of smaller boxes. He has also fixed the hose system so now it is always on and in reach of all gardeners. Please always make sure to leave the majority of the hose close to the raised bed area, and specifically, leave the nozzle hanging from one of the raised beds so those gardeners have easy access to the water.
Please welcome Rick, a Creative Living resident, to our garden! He'll be able to start planting his raised bed on Wednesday.
A BIG THANK YOU to Marilyn Frank, Director of Creative Living for authorizing the purchase of materials to build more raised beds! THANK YOU to Butch for transporting Patrick and the lumber/soil, etc back and forth from Lowe's :) Thanks to Butch also for getting the wheelbarrow tire fixed a couple of weeks ago!
WHAT'S NEXT IN THE GARDEN
- We will have a meeting this Wednesday evening, June 8th, at 6:30pm in the Creative Living Lobby at 1531 Perry St.
- need to create a watering schedule, a compost turning schedule, and a weeding schedule
- I'd like to plan a garden party for some time in the next few weeks - what do you think? Let's celebrate the garden together!
- WORK DAY - Saturday, June 10th, 9am-??? - the community plot needs weeding despite our efforts with the straw!
- During the workday, an OSU student wants to interview volunteers about their experience in the garden - if you wouldn't mind being interviewed, please let me know so I can pass along your email address to her.
- Another work day project - planting flowers along the fence! Anyone want to help with that? Can happen any time this season.
- Greenscapes is donating more brick/pavers so we can complete the paths in the garden for the raised bed area - when those come we'll need help installing them. We don't know when they are arriving.
- A sign for the garden - I have a piece of plywood, but it needs to be nice so OSU doesn't get upset about it. Anyone with artistic skills, please let me know if you can/are willing to help.
- Signs for the compost bins - step by step or the 1-2-3's of composting so we stay on top of it this year
april
614-477-8610
