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??