CVG Update 23 May 2014

This week's harvest donation to the Collierville Food Pantry = 37 pounds
YTD donation = 119 pounds

In the last few days, Carl and Val planted tomatoes, sugar baby watermelon, midget cantelopes, zucchini, and threw out some gomphrena and marigold seeds in plot 3. Carl also fertilized all the new plants and mowed and trimmed around the Garden. Leah, Patree, Teresa and Stephanie harvested the back half of the mustard green row and the rest of the Napa Cabbage (37 pounds) and Patree delivered to the Pantry. We weeded around the okra seedlings and mulched, mulched, mulched in the Garden. We sowed some sweet yellow corn in the large south cinder block bed and marigolds in empty cinder block holes.  Anthony watered the gourds and beans and sprayed witch hazel mix on the plot 6 cabbage and mustard greens and taste tested the bonsai carrots. Teresa and Stephanie filled large containers with a mix of compost and sand and planted Beauregard Sweet Potatoes in plot 4. Stephanie added a little nitrogen on Wednesday and Osmocote on Friday to all of the raised cinder block beds.... and watered, watered, watered. Starbucks grounds (24 lbs) was added to the south composter along with some shredded paper and 5 gallons of compost.

Next work morning Tuesday May 27,  9 - 11 am: focus on watering, weeding, mulching.

On Tuesday June 3 we will be hosting 10 -15 middle-schoolers from Central Day Camp from 9:30 am - 11:30 am. There will be a few different stations set up for them including weeding, watering, vegetable plant ID games, taste testings, maybe some harvesting.... Stephanie will be there at 8:30 am to set up. Please come if you are able!

Plot 3 all planted and mulched!

37 pounds of mustard greens and cabbage ready for the Pantry:

Sweet Potatoes!

Baby bluebirds with feathers!

CVG Progress -- next work opportunities: Tomorrow (Wednesday) 8 am - 11 am, noon - 2 pm

Carl, Kathy, and Stephanie completed a lot of prep work for plot 3 today. Carl also hoed the corn in plot 6 and put a little nitrogen on the tomatoes in the bales and refilled the mealworm tray. Stephanie sprayed the cabbage and curly leaf mustard greens with a witch hazel mix and watered all the cinder block raised beds and pole bean and gourd pots and baled tomatoes. She assisted the newest CVG volunteer in planting a couple zucchini in the north cinder block raised beds as well. Tomorrow morning we'll be planting tomatoes and melons! Hope you see you there! The fun starts at 8.

Tomorrow's ambitious work list:

- plant plot 3
- complete mulch of plot 3
- harvest rest of Napa Cabbage and back half of mustard greens
- add more mulch around pole bean pots
- mulch bush beans in the raised beds, leaving centers open until corn germinates
- overseed south large cinder block bed center with corn
- water gourd and bean pots especially but other raised beds as well
- weed around okra and radishes (where napa cabbage was) and mulch
- lay landscape fabric around back edge of west water station and cover with pine needles
- prep/plant sweet potatoes in row north of garlic bed
- refill mealworm tray and hummingbird feeders

CVG Progress Report, Monday morning planting cancelled (too wet)

This week's harvest = 45 pounds
YTD harvest donation = 82 pounds

On Thursday, 15 May 2014, Carl harvested and delivered to the Collierville Food Pantry 45 pounds of curly leaf mustard greens, Napa cabbages, bush sweet peas, bonsai carrots and garlic scapes.

On Sunday, 18 May 2014, the Garden hosted Girl Scouts from Troops 10554, 10029, and 13268. They will be working with the Garden this summer and fall to maintain, harvest, and deliver zinnias to area adult day care centers, nursing homes, hospice and rehab facilities. Today they planted toured the Garden, planted zinnia seeds in the front raised beds outside of the Garden gate, painted vases, planted acorn squash, dill, and bicolor 'sugar dots' sweet corn. MG's Stephanie, Jan, Twila, and Arlene assisted the Scouts.

From all the rain this weekend, plot 3 is too wet plant tomorrow morning. Stay tuned for the reschedule.

Stephanie will be at the Garden on Wednesday from noon to 2 pm to continue mulching, watering, and prep/planting for sweet potatoes. Please join her if you are able.

CVG Saturday Work Day Cancelled

Looks like we're just going to assume it will be raining tomorrow in the a.m.... so no work day tomorrow. Carl will be at the Garden on Monday (19 May) from 7:30 am - 9:30 am to plant tomatoes and melons. Please come if you are able.

We're still planning to host the Girl Scouts on Sunday, 18 May from 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm to plant zinnias, tour the garden, and paint zinnia flower vases. If time remaining, we may also reseed the centers of the south cinder block beds with sweet corn. If weather cooperates, the Plants 4 Habitat folks will be continuing the mulch transfer after the zinnia event. Please come if you can.



P.S. Stephanie checked on the growing bluebird babies today!

Progress Report and Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities

YTD Harvest Donation = 37 lbs

On Sunday 11 May 2014, Stephanie and her son watered the Garden and started removing the garlic flower heads. We also checked the bluebird house and found a nice surprise-- the eggs had hatched! Mama bird watched our every move.

On Monday 12 May 2014, Carl mowed and Patree and Stephanie started weeding the garlic and finished picking the flower scapes. We mulched the north archway pole bean pots with straw, over-seeded the centers of two of the north cinder block beds with bicolor sweet corn, planted about 20 mammoth sunflowers amongst the onions in plot 1, the mustard in plot 6, and the outer corners of the largest cinder block beds. We also watered everything well.

On Thursday, 15 May 2014, at 7:30 am, Carl will be harvesting cabbage and mustard greens to bring to the Collierville Food Pantry. Please come if you are able.

On Friday, 16 May 2014, from 8 am - 10 am, we will be moving mulch to refill the Plants 4 Habitat plot that we emptied for the cinder block beds. Please bring shovels, wagon/wheelbarrow, if possible.

On Saturday, 17 May 2014, from 7 am - 10 am, Carl and Stephanie will be in the Garden to plant melons, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes, and maybe some more sweet corn in the south raised beds. If time left, we will mulch the beds with straw and/or possibly continue the fresh mulch transfer for the P4H plot. Please come if you can.

On Sunday, 18 May 2014, from 4 pm - 5:30 pm, we will be hosting a Girl Scout Troop to tour the Garden and plant zinnia seeds in the raised beds outside the Garden fence and work on some vase decoration for the Zinnia Donation project. Please join us if you can for a fun teaching opportunity.

CVG Progress Report: 9 May 2014

Sorry it's been awhile since an update. But here goes this week:

This week's harvest donation = 16 pounds, YTD = 37 pounds

On Tuesday Carl side-dressed the corn and onions with nitrogen. Carl and Stephanie both tackled the weeds at the front of the garden where the tomatoes will be planted shortly. On Wednesday and Thursday, Stephanie shifted focus from the Garden and helped Jan and Twila landscape two Habitat homes in North Memphis with some of the plants grown in the plots next to CVG.

On Wednesday, the three of us also high-tailed it back to Collierville to meet Val as we hosted the 5th grade Roots and Shoots Garden club. The 12 students and one younger sibling accomplished much in the Garden including planting zinnias in one of the 4 front beds outside of the garden, dwarf sunflowers across the back of the demonstration beds, pole beans in the front archways, decorative gourds in the back archway, and more than a dozen varied (hot and sweet) pepper plants, cucumbers, eggplants, and one acorn squash in the north "corner" beds. All of the garden was watered and any open spots growing in the cinderblock beds were over-seeded with bush beans. Some of the north cinderblock holes were planted with curly parsley, basil, and chocolate mint. The students enjoyed taste-testing the strawberries as well..... On Thursday, Carl harvested and donated to the Collierville Food Pantry about half of the cabbage and some sweet peas for a total of 16 pounds. Year-to-date the harvest total is 37 pounds.

 Next week's work opportunities:

On Monday, 5/12, (since that seems to be forecasted as rainless, so far), Stephanie will be at the Garden from 9:30 am  - 11:30 am to move the rest of the available compost into some big containers north of the garlic beds and plant some sweet potatoes. I also plan to sow some mammoth sunflower seeds across the back of the Garden and maybe lay the last bit of landscape fabric around the back water spigot, and clip the garlic scapes if needed

On Tuesday, 5/13, from 5:30 pm - dusk, we will be moving yards of mulch into the P4H bed that we emptied for the cinder block beds. Please bring shovel and cart/wheelbarrow, if possible.

On Sunday, 5/18, from 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm, we will be hosting a Girl Scout Troop visit to finish seeding the zinnia beds and paint some vases for the Zinnia Project (to donate arrangements during the growing season to Page Robbins, Dove Rehabilitation, etc).

Also this week....stay tuned for time.... Carl will be planting a couple dozen tomato plants.

Things to do around the garden:

-Commit to watering, etc schedule for summer
-Add snake barrier to bluebird posts
-Weed and snipe scapes in the garlic
-Continue garden clean-up as needed
-Keep watering as needed, but especially the strawberries and peppers in cinder block holes
-Complete landscape fabric/pine needle mulching at back water spigot. The fabric is next to the back shed.
-Start thinking some whimsy fairy garden focal points
-Prepare a couple of the pallets for vertical planting
-Keep turning the new composter and fill the second one....
-Keep hummingbird feeders stocked with fresh sugar water and the mealworm feeder filled



 

CVG Progress Report: 5 May 2014

Carl and Stephanie watered the garden on Friday and Saturday and he also cleaned out the front bin and mowed and trimmed. Thanks goes to Les Branum of Bonnie Plants for the donation of 10 plants to the garden as well as Jan Trent for a nice hose and a couple shepherd hooks!

On Sunday CVG and P4H met quite a few of the Collierville Christian Church congregation during a BBQ. The youth gave us some rock blessings that we placed at the base of the hummingbird feeders. We picked out a few special ones and placed them under the bluebird house.

The youth will also be working on some strawberry rock decoys during VBS this summer as well as painting both the CVG and P4H front bins. They also mentioned a new scarecrow! Val and Stephanie represented the Garden while Jan, Twila, Joan, Joanne, Dawn, and Jeff represented P4H. Leah also picked up a couple gourds to start working on some fairy houses.

Since Joanne, the resident bluebird expert, was at the garden, we opened the east house and found a nice surprise-- 4 bluebird eggs. In two weeks or less, if all goes well, there should be babies .... and about 3 weeks after that fledglings. We need to keep watch!! In about 5 - 6 weeks we should clean out the old nest and hopefully the bluebird pair will prepare a second nest. A barrier needs to be placed around the pole to make sure snakes, etc. can't scale it... and maybe add a little vaseline and hot pepper flakes/powder....We also need to make sure that the mealworm feeder always is filled....the dried mealworm bag is in the grey plastic bin labelled "grow". She also wondered if the second bluebird house would be better placed at the far diagonal corner from the east house to possibly attract a second pair... it is currently empty.

The other thing that needs to happen is putting together a watering/weeding/witch hazel spraying schedule for the summer. Stephanie tried to mix some witch hazel spray but the sprayer was cracked and broken.... she'll try to pick up a replacement quickly. She plans to be at the Garden on Tuesday mornings but we also need a second water/weed opportunity at the end of the week--- maybe Friday or Saturday morning. Any takers to commit? Carl will continue mowing and trimming and fertilizing as well as leading the harvesting parties early on Thursday mornings, when needed.

Stephanie is currently talking with a girl scout troop to possibly lead and/or assist the zinnia cutting/arranging/delivering this summer.... will know in a few days, hopefully, if that works out.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, from 9:30 am - 11 am, Stephanie will be at the Garden working on some of the "to do" list and preparing for Wednesday's Roots and Shoots event. Please come if you can.

On Wednesday from 4:15 pm - 5:15 pm we will be hosting another visit from the Roots and Shoots garden club kids.... we'll be planting and watering. Please come out if you are able.


Things to do around the garden:

-Commit to watering, etc schedule for summer
-Add snake barrier to bluebird posts
-Weed plot 3 (immediately left of front gate) to get the area ready for planting tomatoes
-Weed around garlic
-Continue garden clean-up as needed, like folding black plastic and putting away behind compost area
-Keep watering as needed, but especially the strawberries and peppers in cinder block holes
-Complete landscape fabric/pine needle mulching at back water spigot. The fabric is next to the back shed
-Add a few extra rebar where needed in the cinder block beds
-Start thinking some whimsy fairy garden focal points and scarecrow
-Prepare a couple of the pallets for vertical planting
-Keep turning the new composter and fill the second one....
-Plant back archway with gourd seed
-Keep hummingbird feeders stocked with fresh sugar water and the mealworm feeder filled

CVG Progress Report: Tuesday, 30 April, 2014

Yesterday was very productive for the Victory Garden! Leah M. and Stephanie cleaned out the 4 raised beds outside the front gate so now they are ready for the zinnia sowing on Sunday. Teresa D. joined them to complete the transfer of the last of the pro-mix into the north beds, fill about fifteen 3-gallon containers (some or most for sweet pea flowers on Sunday) and and fill most of the cinder block holes. There are a few cinder block holes in the north largest bed to fill.... and we still have the available compost to transfer... but other than that, the beds are complete for now!  Carl then planted and fertilized some corn and bush beans in two of the north cinder block beds and set out some mealworms for the nesting bluebirds. Today he set organized seeds and fertilizer for the zinnia sowing and plans to mow this afternoon around 3:30.

Carl will be at the garden this Saturday, May 3, from 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm. Please join him if you are able!!

On Sunday, May 4 from 10:30 am -1:30 pm, we are hosting visits to the Garden for the Collierville Christian Church during their BBQ event. Please come if you can to thank the congregation for their support of our Garden.

On Wednesday, May 7, from 4:15pm - 5:15 pm the Garden will be hosting another visit from the elementary student members of the Roots and Shoots Club. We're planning to let them plant the last two available north cinder block beds.....maybe with a couple trellised (using a few of the extra cages from behind the compost area) cucumbers or midget cantaloupe. We'll also plant some bush beans and/or eggplant... and maybe some more radishes and herbs/flowers/peppers in a few of the cinder block holes..... Please come out if available, it's always a fun time.

Things to do around the garden:

-Weed plot 3 (immediately left of front gate) to get the area ready for planting tomatoes
-Weed around garlic
-Keep watering as needed, but especially the strawberries and peppers in cinder block holes
-Complete landscape fabric/pine needle mulching at back water spigot. The fabric is next to the back shed
-Add a few extra rebar where needed in the cinder block beds
-Start thinking some whimsy fairy garden focal points and scarecrow
-Prepare a couple of the pallets for vertical planting
-Keep turning the new composter and fill the second one....
-Plant back archway with gourd seed
-Fill donated bird feeder (thank you Patree!) with nyjer seed and add hanger on hummingbird station for it.

Thank you Leah and Teresa for all of the heavy lifting yesterday!:

Things are growing at the garden!
Sweet peas:

Potatoes:

 And more potatoes and elephant garlic:

And tomatoes in straw bales: