CVG Progress Report: Saturday, 26 April 2014

On Saturday Carl and Adam put promix in the north and south raised beds outside the front garden fence to ready them for zinnia seeds. They also continued adding promix to 3 of the 4 north-side cinder block beds. They hung the mason bee houses and sprayed the cabbages with witch hazel.

Tomorrow (Wednesday, April 30) , assuming the garden is dried out enough, from 9:30 am - noon we will be finishing up moving the promix (and maybe the rest of the compost) into the last raised bed and remaining cinder block holes... and any other necessary tidy-up.

This week, Carl also plans to mow and trim.

We also want to invite everyone to an open house event that will be at the Garden this Sunday, May 4 from 10:30 am - 1:30 pm. The church will be having a cookout and both CVG and Plants 4 Habitat have demonstrations and give-aways planned. Stephanie needs some folks to help oversee the zinnia seed sowing with the church kids, Val could use some help at her seed-starting table, and also a couple of folks to serve as garden tour guides. Stephanie will also have some pints of green tomato relish that she made with some of the abundance of green tomatoes from CVG last year to give away.... Please let me know if you are able to attend!

See you at the garden!

CVG Progress Report: Wednesday, 23 April 14

Today Carl watered the peas, beans, tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, potatoes and Stephanie moved the donated 6 bags of pine straw (thank you Cyndy Canfield!) into the garden and moved some of the donated pro-mix soil (thank you Mr. Norman Brown of Eplex!) into the large south cinder block raised bed. This raised bed should be ready for planting once it is leveled out a bit. Both Carl and Stephanie saw a bluebird at the east birdhouse today as well!

South raised bed with added pro-mix...ready for leveling and planting:

Bluebird!:

This afternoon the Crosswind Roots and Shoots Garden Club visited the garden. The visit started with a tour of the garden pointing out the radish and okra seedlings they planted last week as well as a pop quiz of "name that vegetable." The bulk of the time was centered around decorating some stepping stones for the garden but a few radishes and a couple more okra were also planted in open spots near the cabbages. A few mint and creeping thyme volunteers also found their new home in a few cinder block holes.

Brave "Roots and Shoots" members trying some asparagus:

Things to do in the garden:

- Continue watering the sweet peas, beans, strawberries, peppers, etc....
- Continue moving and leveling the pro-mix soil into the 4 NORTH cinder block beds and the two beds outside the gate
- Continue adding oak leaves into the empty cinder block holes (using the bags located inside the north cinder block bed closest to the water spigot)
- Continue topping the cinder block holes with pro-mix as needed
- Continue moving the compost (outside the taped off area) into the NORTH cinder block raised beds
- Rotate the north compost barrel a few times each time in garden
- Pull weeds and send them to the dumpster

CVG Progress Report: Tuesday, 22 April 2014

YTD donation to Collierville Food Pantry: 21 lbs

On Thursday, 4/17, Carl put blood meal on the onyuns and garlic, liquid fertilizer and carbon boost on strawberries and napa cabbage and sweet peas and tomato hay bales, put fresh fill in the hummer feeders, and organic soapy witch hazel on everything green except onyuns and garlic.  He also delivered the harvested spinach (and the check donated by the high school students who visited the garden earlier!). Crosswind Elementary Roots and Shoots also visited the garden on Thursday and found a patch of 4 leaf clover, planted some okra and radish seeds in between and around the napa cabbage, as well as a few carrots around a few south cinder block holes, watered the transplanted strawberry plants, and surveyed vegetables in the garden plots.



Crosswind Roots and Shoots: Lucky clover and Planting Okra:

On Saturday, 4/19/14, Teresa D. completed the last cinder block raised bed!, moved a significant portion of the remaining donated P4H soil into the raised beds, and spread her donated pine needles around the walkways of the north cinder block area.

On Sunday, Carl mowed and trimmed around the garden.

On Monday morning, 4/21/14, Stephanie, Teresa D., and Dave S. added rebar to the last north cinder block bed, completed moving the donated soil from the P4H plot into the new raised beds, added 5 large wheelbarrows full of compost to the north and south (soon to be zinnia) raised beds outside of the garden fence, and half a dozen wheelbarrows full of compost to the cinder block raised beds. Three yards of pro-mix was delivered to the garden, but too late to start moving any on Monday. Stephanie also moved the composting material out of one of the trash bins into one of the new 50 gallon barrel composters. Teresa and Stephanie also witnessed a bluebird checking out one of Sam's new bluebird houses!!

Panoramic view of the completed construction of cinder block beds:

Teresa and Dave harvesting soil from the P4H plot:

Compost pile left to move to the raised beds (thank you Dave for tackling a huge portion of it on Monday!)

On Monday afternoon, 4/21/14, Carl and Jane and Latanya refilled the hummingbird feeders, transplanted one last strawberry plant, moved pots and filled them up with pro-mix and planted beans in first crosswalk under trellises, harvested the last spinach and all the showing asparagus, planted a dozen pepper plants in cinder block holes, planted purple hull peas in plot 2 (south cinder block raised beds) in all beds except the large outer bed that needs more fill, and planted tomatoes in some prepared hay bales.

Jane and Latanya planting peppers:

Planted purple hull peas in beds in plot 2 (south cinder block area) except the large outer bed.

Planted tomatoes in the hay bales and newly planted beans in the archways:

On Tuesday morning, 4/22/14, Stephanie emptied one oak leaf garden bag into the bottom of the cinder block holes around the north bed closest to the water spigot, then topped off some of the holes with pro-mix, and prepared for Wednesday's Crosswind Elementary Roots and Shoots visit by potting a few spearmint and creeping thyme volunteers from the demo bed and priming a few 12" pavers.

Next work times:

On Wednesday morning from 9:30a-11a, Stephanie will be at the garden to continue moving and spreading the pro-mix into the raised beds and zinnia beds and preparing for the Crosswind group visit. Please come if you are able!

On Wednesday from 4:15p-5:00p, Crosswind Roots and Shoots will be visiting the garden to paint and decorate some pavers to be used toppers for some of the cinder block corners and transplant the herb volunteers into a few of the cinder block holes. Please come if you can (you can work on other punch list items if you like!).

Things to do:

-Continue filling empty cinder block holes with 1/2 oak leaves (located in black plastic bags near the cinder block beds) and topped off with pro-mix.
-Continue moving pro-mix soil into all of the NORTH cinder block beds and ONLY the largest south bed (because beans are planted in the two south corner and one south center raised beds).
-Add pro-mix soil and level the zinnia raised beds (north and south wooden raised beds outside of the garden gate entrance).
-Remember to spin the north barrel composter a few times every time in garden
-Continue moving the compost (outside of the taped off area) into the raised beds that haven't been planted
-Water the strawberry and pepper plants in the cinder block holes and sweet peas and archway beans every time in garden
-Move pine needle bags from front of demo area into the garden.... maybe store them under one of the far archways until we're ready to use them as row mulch
-Pull/Dig any weeds.... disposing of them in the trash dumpster
-Maybe start picking up Starbucks grounds again a few times a week??

CVG Progress Report: Wednesday, 16 April 2014

Leah M. and Stephanie accomplished much today at the Garden, including pulling up the crop fabric after last night's freeze to find..... healthy corn sprouts! They also harvested 4 grocery bags full of spinach that Carl will take to the Food Pantry tomorrow. They had trouble weighing it but suspect 2-3 lbs of spinach was picked. They continued work on setting the first course of cinder blocks on the last raised bed as well as put a couple of coats of primer and base color on four 16" garden pavers that will be used as caps for a few of the raised bed corners.  Finally, they watered the strawberry transplants and worried over the frost-bitten young basil....

Tomorrow we will be hosting the Crosswind Elementary "Roots and Shoots" Garden Club from 4p - 5:15p. We will be planting okra and radish seeds as well as decorating the garden pavers. Please come if you can!

Healthy corn (yay!):

Leah harvesting spinach:

Ready for the Pantry:

Work continues on the cinder blocks:

Painted pavers ready for decoration:

CVG Progress Report: Tuesday, 15 April 2014

Quick work at the Garden today focused on trying to protect the tender corn from tonight's possible freeze. Stephanie secured what garden fabric we have with landscape anchor pins and put a light cover of straw over any additional exposed corn....

Then placed cinder blocks for the last raised bed, looking to modify the plan to avoid the water spigot/hose station and maximize the use of the remaining cinder blocks:

Tomorrow's (Wednesday's) work plan from 10a - 1p includes digging a trench to level and set the first course of the LAST planned raised bed.... and add the second course and rebar if time allows. Stephanie would also like to spray a coat of masonry primer on a few garden pavers (see Thursday's work plan). We'll likely remove the garden fabric and straw from the corn beds (careful to save the landscape fabric anchors).....  and harvest some spinach for the Food Pantry. Please come if you're able!

Thursday's work plan from 4:00p - 5:15p will be spent with the Crosswind Elementary Roots and Shoots Garden Club. They will be sowing radish and okra seeds around the planted cabbage at the front of the garden. If time allows we will also be painting a few 16" garden pavers to be used as a cap on some of the corners of the raised beds. Please come if you can!

If you're looking for a fun project to do at home (with or without your kids)..... we're working to give some fairies a place to live in the garden. Here is Stephanie's first attempt at a fairy (from New Orleans) door, made with popsicle sticks.... She'll spray some clear enamel that will protect the doors from the elements...... and loctite adhesive to fix it to the blocks....

And here's a panoramic photo of the garden as the raised beds are taking shape!

Hope to see you (and warm weather) soon at the garden!

CVG Progress Report Saturday, 12 April 2014

Much progress was made today in the garden! Carl sprayed the persistent edge weeds and ant piles. Judy delivered more than a dozen yard bags of oak leaves (thank you!) and Val, Leah, Patree, and Kathy spread them in the raised beds and added a little more nitrogen. Val and Leah planted some basil in the cinder block holes and watered and fertilized the basil (and the strawberries). Patree spread pine needles in the walkways, moved the card board piles to the dumpster, and attacked a few more ant piles. We all worked to top all the beds with the remaining parking lot pro-mix..... pile is now gone! Teresa and Stephanie transferred about 40% of the nice soil out of the Plants 4 Habitat (thank you!) plot into the raised beds. We also picked up the black plastic and stored it next to the shed as well as watered the sweet peas. Sam added 2 great new bluebird houses to the north corners of the garden and added a hummingbird feeding station at the garden gate!

If weather permits, Carl will be in the garden early Monday morning. Stephanie will be in the garden Tuesday from 9:30-noon-ish working to construct the last north raised bed and/or moving soil from the Plants for Habitat plot or compost from the compost pile. Please come if you are able!

Sam, who added 2 bluebird houses and 1 hummingbird feeding station today!

Leah and Val (and Patree!) working hard:

Pro-mix pile is gone:

One of Sam's bluebird houses:

And Sam's hummingbird feeder station (and the black tarp removed from the garden):

Beds filling up.... but still more fill needed:

CVG Progress Report Friday, 11 April 2014

Twila, Patree, Deb, and Stephanie worked today to fill and top-dress the cinder block holes in both the north and south sets of raised beds. Deb and I transplanted the strawberries from the front beds (that are planned to become zinnia beds soon) into the south "corner" raised bed cinder blocks. We split the strawberry plants when possible. The north central bed was also completed today and is ready for fill.

Hope to see everyone tomorrow, Saturday, from 8 am - noon, when the main focus of our time will be to fill the new raised beds with all available fill at the garden. Please bring gloves, (marked) shovels, and wagons/wheelbarrows, if possible. There are other things that can be done, as well, if you'd prefer to work on something else! So please come if you're able!

Check out the newsletter that MAMG released today. Carl has an article in it about our zinnias!
http://www.memphisareamastergardeners.org/newsletter/publicnewsletterapril2014final.pdf

Twila and Deb topping off the south cinder blocks:

Patree readying the north beds for soil and compost:

A wagon full of strawberries:

Strawberries in their new home:

Completed north central bed ready for fill -- so, only one north "corner" bed left to build!!:

Collierville Connection Homeschool Tutorial Tours the Garden

Today Jan T. and Stephanie hosted a high school homeschool geography class that is taught by Pam D. They have been learning about world hunger and food scarcity and wanted to see locally how those two topics are being addressed. We talked to them about the different active projects that we have at the garden, such as the fresh grown food that we donate to the local food bank, the landscape planting material that we provide to Habitat For Humanity, and also the fresh flowers that we give to local adult day care centers and hospice centers. They presented us with a check for the Collierville Food Bank of $280!

Val and Carl moved all of the remaining cinder blocks into the garden on Wednesday and today I continued working on the north central raised bed. I also added rebar supports to the north corner bed and it is now ready for the holes to be half-filled with oak leaves. I will be at the garden tomorrow (Friday) from 9:30 - noon continuing to build the last two raised beds. Please come if you can.

The last of the cinder blocks yet to find a permanent home, moved into the garden by Val and Carl on Wednesday:

North central raised bed nearly complete:

 North "corner" bed ready for oak leaf fill (located in the yard bags) in the cinder block holes:

On Saturday, Carl will be at the garden from 8:00 - 10:00 and I will be there from 9:30 - noon for hopefully the last big push to complete the raised beds and ready them for planting. We'll be moving the last of the donated pro-mix from the parking lot into the beds as well as moving the Plant For Habitat's fill that they have donated to us to use, and the last couple of yards of compost that we have available "behind the fence".... Please bring a (marked!) shovel and a wagon/wheelbarrow if you can easily get it to the garden. Please come if you're able and available!

CVG Progress Report Saturday, April 5, 2014

Lots of great progress was made on the cinder block raised beds on Saturday 5 April 2014 by Adam, Val, Kathy, Teresa, Leah and Stephanie. Adam added a few more oak leaf bags into the south beds and moved a HUGE portion of pro-mix pile into the south beds (and added some nitrogen), Teresa started moving the remaining cinder blocks in the parking lot and placing cinder blocks in the central north bed, Leah and Kathy added oak leaves to each cinder block hole in the largest north bed. Val moved all of the compost that was in the north garden walkway into the south beds as well as added some oak leaves to the largest north bed. Leah and I weeded all of the onion beds and started cleaning up/removing the cardboard and storing the plot covers in the shed.

Carl will be at the garden from Wed-Sat of this week from 7:30a-9:30a. He'll be bringing lots of plants to put in the ground/in the finished beds. I will be at the garden Thurs-Sat from 9:30- noonish working on the raised beds, finishing up the cinder block walls, moving the rest of the pro-mix and moving part of the Plant 4 Habitat bedding material (see photo below) into the new raised beds--to help us fill our beds and to help them make room for more potted plants. Please come if you can!!

On Thursday at 10 am, we will also be hosting a visit from a high school geography class that has been studying about food scarcity/world hunger!

Plants 4 Habitat bedding material (keeping 3 feet or so untouched near the rows of potted plants) to move to new raised beds:

We have mustard greens:

And garlic!:

Victory Garden status Wednesday April 2, 2014

Carl, Patree, and Stephanie sprayed some weeds, planted and fertilized some Merit 80 day yellow sweet corn, a flat of napa cabbage, and mustard greens,  uncovered some emerging squash, potato, and carrot spouts, and did some weeding today:

Here's Carl:

In addition to all of the garlic growing, we've noticed some spinach, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, and sweet peas breaking ground:

Please join me if you can on Saturday. I'll be continuing the work on the new raised beds, moving soil and compost and building the last two beds. Let me know if you need to start a little earlier....

Other to do's:

-discard trash, including cardboard

-weed the onions

-fold up and store the row covers and plot 6 black plastic in the new shed.

Last (yay!) of the 5.5 pallets of cinder blocks that need to find a home in a raised bed: