Get Ready, Get Set.....GROW!

It's May 24 and we're just a couple of weeks away from the official start of the 2013 Hands for Growing season!

One way to keep relationships fresh and fun is to try new things! This summer we'll try a couple of new things in the garden as well.

One of them will be to use burlap bags for growing containers. The method we will use has been used successfully in Africa where soil may be poor and water at a premium. This method has allowed families to grow a lot  of healthy food in a small space. Some families have been able to sell their food also, generating much needed income.

Posted below are a few pictures of successful burlap gardens -

This final picture is one I hope we'll reenact as we build our own burlap growing bags!
 

 

It's November. Our first hard freeze was a couple of weeks ago, so this is our garden now. Mostly gone, BUT, look closely at some of the perennial plants...they're still green! Likes friends who stick around through the hard times, eh?

Thanks to the hard work of those who worked in Sept to get the stepping stones in! After our freeze the tiny seeds for thyme were scattered between the stones - the perennial gardener's hope has us looking forward to a beautiful mat of thyme in place of this year's aggresive weeds!

 Wasn't it crazy to see how big the cherry tomato plants were? Those little tomatoes were soooooooo good!

Just before the freeze I picked two of the little watermelon, just to see what they were like inside....

 they were pink and didn't taste very good

I also picked a few little pumpkins and put them in the planter at the front door to the parish center. Someone helped themselves to a couple of them. :)

So, now, as the garden rests through winter we can begin dreaming and planning for next year. We have a large, wooden box that needs a little work to become another raised bed, if any of our "Hands for Growers" are up to it we may be able to work on it some nice day this winter!

If you see ideas you like, post the link here and we'll start compiling our list for our garden for 2013!

Until then, take good care of your relationships - take time in your busy life to nourish them, keep the weeds out, and keep them growing!

Forgiveness

When I got to the garden to water this morning I was greeted with the scent from the petunias. As I looked out over the garden, and how it's come along the thought that came to me was that these plants have been pretty forgiving. 

     They've survived the sustained heat, and periods when they didn't get water as regularly as they needed. They've wilted and struggled, but here they are, growing like crazy! The tomato plants have left the confines of the cages, the watermelon, pumpkins and cucumbers are wandering all over each other's space, the little grasses in the planters are taking off....pretty forgiving plants.

How important is forgiveness when it comes to growing and maintaining healthy relationships?

In our relationships - with friends, families, teachers, coaches - when was the last time I forgave someone? When was I forgiven? Is there forgiveness that needs to take place?



It's been a very hot, very dry summer.

So hot, as one newspaper article said, that the trees are whistling for dogs.

Our garden has struggled and is not what any of us envisioned at this point.

BUT!

Look where it was last March...

 And think of all the tire painting, hauling soil and compost, planting, weeding, watering - all with having fun together!

The idea for a section with "animal" plants - way to go! The research and hunt for plants, and all the work to keep them going through the heat and drought. And the plans to finish that area next year.

Remember the work to get the rest of the new area planted? It had it's struggles, too, but there are plants there now! And hope for next year!

Now that school has started we are coming to the end of getting together. We'll meet tonight and then, who knows? The garden will keep producing until frost, so even if we don't get together as a group, you can check on it and enjoy the good food that grows there.

The garden and our young gardeners have reminded me, that in relationships, even when things are tough there can be laughter.

Their energy and enthusiasm continued even when things didn't go exactly as planned. That's what kept the garden going.That can be what keeps a relationship going when things don't go exactly as planned.

Thanks to our young gardeners, to their parents, to Sybil and Kim from DOVES, and to the folks in our community who supported our Hands for Growing project!

The heat and drought continue. It's taken a toll on some of the plants we've been working to establish. But, most of them are getting settled in!

We had a little tiny bit of rain and that seemed to be enough to magically transform much of our bare space into "goathead city." One of our young gardeners looked at the bountiful crop of sticker weeks with some dismay yesterday and asked, "Where did they all come from?"

The fun stuff is that we started making identification markers for our "animal plants." We have access to a large pile of broken concrete so are re-purposing pieces as markers. As a young gardener remarked, they won't blow away and hail won't hurt them...and if they DID blow away we'd have bigger worries than a garden!!

 The summer is quickly coming to a close and we still have some fun, creative stuff we'd like to get done. There are tires that didn't get painted, we want to finish identifying plants in our animal section and it would be great to get the pavers for our path in place.                                                                                       It's been a year of slow progress and hard work. But, of course, any good relationship takes hard work through the tough times. Our young gardeners know that and have said it's been worth it, and they said they can see the potential for good things to come. What more can you ask? What a great group to work with!                                                                                                                 Sybil and Kim from DOVES, since this is all new to you, many thanks to you, too, for staying with what must look like a crazy project this year!               

Look at the garden grow! Those few days of cooler weather and rain seemed to make a difference. Plants are not only perking up, they're growing and setting on blooms! As you can see in the photo we put a little wood mulch around the tire planters. The picture doesn't really show how beautiful it's getting to be.

Our poor corn. Of all the rows that were planted only four stalks came up. So, we'll baby those and let them grow. The rest of the rows were being over run by weeds so, for the time being, we covered them with weed barrier. (Hopefully they'll just quietly cook away.)

The planters all have compost, grasses and wood chips now. By next year those grasses should really take off and get anywhere from 8-10 feet tall. That will look spectacular!

Relationships, too, hit hard spells. Times when they struggle to survive, much less grow. The trick is to figure out if the relationship is one to hang in there with, or if it's one to let go off.

Thanks to our young participants and their moms for hanging in there and working to keep the garden going! Next week, after a few basic care things, we'll move on to some more fun, creative projects!

YIPPEE!

YIPPEE!!

That's the best way to describe the garden now...through all the heat and wilting plants and extra waterings I'm very happy to say the plants are beginning to perk up and look as though they've settled in.

We still only have 4 stalks of corn, but there's always next year for that! I'm sure there are lessons to be learned there, too, that relate to our relationships. It would be fun to hear what connections our "Hands-for-Growers" can make.

This week coming we'll do the usual watering and basic care and then! we'll start making plant markers using Kelly's idea of writing the plants' name on a rock or piece of concrete. I'll bring permanent markers and a list of the plants with correct spelling. We have that wonderful pile of concrete close to us from which I'm sure each person can find just what is needed to use.

Thanks to all who have helped us through the craziness of the start of this year's garden!

Thanks to the moms who have supported, worked and donated!
Thanks to the city parks crew who roto-tilled, hauled giant rocks and planters and allowed us to use city park space and water!
Thanks to TNT for donating the wood for the base for our tires!
Thanks to Roods Tires for the donation of tires!
Thanks to Sybil and Kim from DOVES for going along on this unusual ride this summer and sharing their work and knowledge!
And of course, thanks to our young Hands for Growing members - without you, of course, none of the rest of this would happen.

I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday morning!