2011 Gardening Season Begins

2011 began with our family growing.  Our second granddaughter, Ashlyn Mary was born January 1st.  As we are sorting our our plans to go and visit, we are starting our garden activities.

We have completed our grant proposal for Fiskars.  There was a lot of hard work devoted to the proposal, but we did manage to resolve two nagging issues during the process.

1. We received a positive response from First Utility and will have water at the site this year.  They will re-establish the connection when the ground warms up.  One of our projects early on will be to make sure we can securely lock the connection and obtain hose, nozzles, soaker hose for the watering chores.  We will be looking for donations from the Seniors and put the Clothes Closet on alert for items that may come to them.  
2. The Second issue was a solution to the land use question.  After talking to Mayor Deal and the City Recorder, the garden was described as a Civic Asset located on property owned by the City of Church Hill.  As such, the length of tenancy, like the City Charter, is perpetual.  

For the Grant and also our continuing relationship with the Master Gardeners, these were important steps.  Organizations want to make sure that a project has a reasonable prospect for success and longevity before funding takes place.  If we are selected by Fiskars, the garden will receive $3500.00 in cash and $1500.00 of Fiskars tools.  The announcement date is February 11.

At our December evaluation session, in addition to adopting our 2011 goals and objectives, we listed a series of projects that we wanted to consider.  The list went out to our Garden Directors and others for their comments.  This week we will prioritize the list and complete things as funds become available. 

Project Description

Information Center  Posting info at the garden.  Make with recycled materials. Old window on box frame.  Attach to existing sign and make roof to keep rain out of the box.  

Manufactured Sand for Rows Needed for weed control in between the rows.  About 4” depth would be enough for adequate control

Additional Compost Bin We have good manure supply and want to expand the amount of compost available for the garden and eventual Community Garden

Additional Raised Beds For eventual community garden and expanded production at existing site.  We would expand flowers grown and herb beds. Fit some for season extension with row covers.

Soaker hose, Hose for watering  Water connection has been approved by 1^st Utilities.  Will make transplanting and watering in dry times easier

Produce scale Needed to record production on a consistent basis.  A dietary scale is fine if it can handle 20+ pounds.  Don’t need Legal for Trade and calibration

One or Two Bluebird Houses Way to encourage birdlife at the garden and provide insect control.

Bat House  Way to provide shelter for bats and to provide insect control

 We have cost estimates for each of the projects.  After the meeting the prioritized list will be posted.

Also at the meeting we are beginning our outreach to the area schools.  The educational component of our objectives needs to be addressed soon so teachers can incorporate the garden into their lesson plans and we can think about times and projects that are age appropriate.  There is some presentation material available, and we want to develop a list of teachers and administrators to contact. 

The Blurb book has also had nearly daily attention.  While the grant proposal took front stage for the last 10 days of last year, there are over 15000 words written for the book.  We are using Google Docs to collaborate on the writing and editing--the program is not very user friendly at this time.  Selecting artwork and photos is much more difficult and time consuming than word processing software.  We can all see the various versions and make suggestions and changes in real time.   Once we have settled on the text, it will be exported to MS Word and the final tuning and image placement can take place.   Our goal is to publish before the end of April.  At this point, we seem to be ahead of schedule.

Our December weather was some of the coldest on record in the Tri-Cities.  The end of the year has given way to better weather and temperatures in the 50s.  The snow has disappeared and the effects of the weather on the remaining garden plants will be assessed early in the week.  The kale pictured above is usually tough enough to easily brush it off and continue growing.  It will also be a good time to see how the compost piles are progressing.  The bacteria and fungus are like people, they slow down in cold weather.  There was some rain at at least two different times in December.  Warming weather should stimulate the pile to heat up considerably.  We should be able to soon put down the seed catalogs, stop dreaming and get growing.
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A Progress Report

 This is a fairly uncommon, though by no means rare photo of snow in Church Hill.  This photos were followed by a real treat, a combination rain, freezing rain and ice storm.  Under it all there are still signs of life in the beds.

This is also a rare photograph it shows the slow march of 10 compost bins, FKA tomato cages, to Spring Planting. The composting action was evident in the warmth of the outside boards on the big bin.

The year-end garden evaluation was held December 9th.  After we worked and ate, the conversation was distilled and recorded.  After it was submitted to the Garden Directors and some suggestions incorporated, this is the lump of work that we would like to do in 2011.

Church Hill Senior Center Garden

2011

Goals & Objectives

Goals

1. Increase senior/public participation in planting, harvesting and maintenance of the Garden
2. Find a long term solution to water availability at garden site
3. Develop and prioritize list of projects requiring funding
4. Continue to expand raised bed and compost bin infrastructure
5. Implement effective partnership between garden facilities and Church Hill students
6. Obtain a long term agreement on continued use of garden site
7. Develop short/long term solutions to path weed control
8. Increase production by 10% in 2011 by more effective use of space, earlier planting, additional beds, greater soil fertility, and increased composting.
9. Implement liability waiver policy and establish garden rules for all participants
10. Publish Blurb book by 4/30/2011 about 2010 garden

Objectives

• Meet with Seniors to discuss garden and need for additional member participation
• Continue to publicize the garden through blog, television and press coverage
• Talk with Elementary School leaders and teachers about including garden in curricula
• Build message center for participants at the garden site
• Include garden activities in Senior Center monthly newsletter
• Contact FFA leaders to ask for participation by raising plants and assisting with bed construction labor
• Talk with Boy/Girl/Eagle Scouts about participation
• Continue conversation with 1st Utilities about water at site. If necessary, seek alternative water storage alternatives
• Talk with Carter Valley Elementary leaders/teachers about garden by late January 2011and present logical plan for their participation.  Ask for their assistance in planting, Sunflower project and offer to supplement their lesson plans about seeds, gardening, photosynthesis etc.
• Schedule and conduct at least one public session about raised bed gardening, sustainable or organic practices, and or composting in conjugation with Master Gardeners.
• Form list of prioritized projects requiring funding, develop costs to implement and raise money to complete at least 2 projects designated as “significant”
• Finalize and submit Fiskars grant proposal
• select and implement Waiver of Liability forms and procedures and develop Garden Rules
• Provide for uniform collection of volunteer hours, weighing produce and reporting of production
• Develop recognition system for Donors
• Continue with organic policies

Well there you have it.  Perhaps too broad, and perhaps too  optimistic.  


We have received a positive reply from 1st Utility.  They will rehabilitate an old connection in the garden parking lot and have water available in the Spring.  They have capped the rates and given us a rate similar to the area churches.  This is a significant step forward for the garden and also in our effort to obtain a grant for the garden.

The work on the Blurb Book has shifted into high gear.  The show and ice storms provided a convenient excuse to stay inside and write.  We are using Google Docs to co-author the tome.  At this point we have over 11000 words, and a reasonably bad opinion of Google Docs.  There is going to be some considerable dancing before the thing is ready to hit the presses, but the text is coming along quite well and starting to sound somewhat coherent. The book has helped me focus on some of the issues that need to be completed and changed for next year.  

Work to finish the Fiskar's grant proposal will restart next week.  We are waiting for an answer from Mayor Deal regarding a long term usage arrangement for the garden.  The "last Call" email was received last week and the submissions must be received by year end.  We are not spending the money until received, but the $1500 worth of Fiskar's tools would be wonderful.  

Thanks to all who helped during 2010.  Merry Christmas and Good Growing in 2011.

Season Statistics

This is the point where we compute the statistics and start evaluating the 2010 garden.  There is some Kale and Turnip greens that will survive the typical Tri-Cities winter. So there will be some additional items to add to the production for this year.  But for all real purposes This Is IT!

 Crop                   Pounds or Units                        

Beans	20.25
cantaloupe	7.00
corn	112.00
corn stalks	47.00
cucumbers	113.00
cushaw	229.50
eggplant	1.00
feed corn	21.50
floral arrangements	34.00
kale	1.00
lettuce	1.00
mustard greens	26.50
okra	17.50
peppers	22.50
plum granny	7.50
puff ball	2.00
radish	19.00
spaghetti squash	39.25
sunflower heads	103.00
tomatoes	162.50
turnip greens	6.75
watermelon	21.50
winter squash	11.00
yellow squash	61.75
zucchini	53.00
	1141.00

In addition we have about 250 cubic feet of compost in process.  This is comprised of 14 truck loads of  shredded leaves and horse manure.  The big central compost bin holds 120 cubic feet and the 10 wire tomato cages have a total of 105 cubic feet of material.  There was one bed that was empty, so it was filled with the same material.  This would be another 25 cubic feet of material. 

In the Spring, there should be enough compost to fill all the existing beds to the top.  We limped along with the basic soil fertility( as found) and only had about 50 cubic feet of compost for soil amendment. With enough strong backs next year, we can do an instant replay and fill the big bin again for some compost to use in the fall and to fill any additional beds that are constructed.  We still have a good supply of leaves that will be available and there should be large amounts of horse manure available by Spring.

The Garden Evaluation meeting will be held December 9th.  Many of those invited have responded positively.  We are hoping for a good turnout and a productive session.  A letter has been prepared asking First Utility District to donate a water connection and water to use for the 2011 season.  We shall see.

Last work session

 Brian and Judy are loading one of the Truckloads of horse manure at the secret compost location .  A week earlier, we had loaded leaves and manure.  During the week, additional leaves and manure were transported and placed in the compost stockade. 

 Brian, Judy and Marcia enthused and effused loading the first of an additional two loads of manure. 

 

Only crazy committed gardeners can get excited about shoveling a truck or two of manure and be all smiley in the photos.

The bin is finally full.  There are a total of 9 truckloads of material in the bin.  We had some small amount of material from the garden.  However, the tomato vines corn stalks were taken to the landfill to prevent the spread of powdery mildew, and  southern corn rust.

The compost bin measures 6 feet x 4 feet and is 5 feet high.  Doing the math, it contains 120 cubic feet.  Since the manure was already "hot" we expect the pile to heat quickly.  It has been rained on several times during the loading process.  So we have all the ingredients needed for a treasure trove of Black Gold in the spring.  The leaves are not very compact and the pile will settle to about half the current height.  We are also using the wire tomato cages as mini-composters.  About 1/3rd of the height has been filled with manure.  Additional leaves and manure will fill the height.  We will see how much composting will take place since there is not much volume in the cylinder.  The material can either remain in the cage or be scattered in the bed. 

There are post holes already drilled and enough treated lumber has been purchased to construct a bin like the one already filled.  If the weather cooperates, we may have an additional bin before Spring.

composing and composting

On November 11th, the composting bin received its first large deposit. Two truckloads of partially shredded leaves and horse manure were picked up and placed in the bin by the "usual suspects".  Only gardeners can really get excited about locating a prime deposit of horse apples.  One of the Senior Center members provided the hot tip and we were off.  The manure was at a farm quite close to the garden and was steaming when we loaded the truck.  It was very clean and did not contain the detritus that sometimes accompanies the barn run stuff. Because of the garden's location we needed to be careful of the appearance and odor of compostable materials. 

It is preferable to know the types of trees when you are composting leaves.  Certain trees and their leaves (such as black walnut) contain toxins and can inhibit growth of certain garden plants. The leaves we used were mainly maple, tulip poplar, gum, and pecan.  If grass clippings are included in compost, it is preferable to use clippings from lawns that have not been treated by lawn services. 

Another composting session is scheduled for Nov 18th.  The weather hopefully will cooperate in placing another truckload of leaves and manure.  This will probably be the last gardening session of the year.  We plan to harvest the remaining mustard, radishes, and other greens.  The volunteers are all scattering for the Thanksgiving holidays and we want to gather and distribute as much as possible before a killing frost. 

Billions Perish as Frost Decimates Populations in Church Hill--Species from Arachnids to Zinnias Succumb to Sub Zero Celsius Temperatures

As we changed the time last night, nature also changed the seasons.  At 6:00 AM when the dogs shook the family out of bed, the temperature was 23 F .  I took a few pictures showing the demise of a few old garden friends.

The tough garden geezers brushed it off and are back to growing for another day.

hardfrost and harvest

The weatherman promises that there will be a hard frost tonight with temperatures dropping to the low to mid 20's.  After consulting Marcia, I harvested the Black Seeded Simpson lettuce,  There was one pound after cleaning.  Picked a large bunch of radishes the day before and pretty much cleared out all that were ready to pick.  I wasn't really thinking about harvesting the local wildlife, but came on this large group of wild turkeys on the way to the garden.  Cut the heads off the lettuce, but the turkeys are still roaming, blissfully unaware of a certain holiday later this month.

People ask me every day, "Garden must be done by now??" and are amazed that we are still picking things every week.  We have picked 31.25 pounds since the last posting in October.  The lettuce would not have survived the overnight temperatures, but the mustard, kale and turnip greens will all be fine and continue to produce.

The last of the floral arrangements were distributed on Oct 29th.  There was not many remaining flowers, but some holly, nandina berries, cosmos and herbs from other gardens combined with  snapdragons, okra foliage and some other flowers to make 5 bouquets.  The staff at the health department send a very nice "Thank You" card for the arrangements they received.

The Rogersville Review  printed a very nice article about the garden in their October 20th edition.  It was on page 16, however this is the first page of their Life & Style Section.  It was a full page long with several photographs.  Our thanks go out to Joel Spears,  feature editor, and the Review.

We have located a supply of horse manure and intended to pick a truckload up this week.  The heavy rainfall that morning canceled the loading, but we intend to get a big batch of compost started before the end of this season. The delay will also enable us to incorporate a truckload of partially mulched leaves to the pile.  The wind, rain, sleet and hail of today and the past week have almost ended the leaf peeping season.  The cyclone rake gizmo was ready to pick up, but it was too wet for the operation today. 

The initial work on the Blurb book has started.  We are gathering information from the web and have a draft outline that is being reviewed.  A meeting to evaluate this year's garden and plan for next season is scheduled for later this month.  There is only a little clean-up work left to complete, so this is a good time to start the review and think about improvements for next season.