Aug 23 - 28, 2014 CVG Progress and and Upcoming Organized Work Opportunities

This week's 130 lbs of harvest donations:
to The Salvation Army Center of Hope = 57 lbs;
to the Collierville Food Pantry =  73 lbs
Total YTD harvest donation = 1795 lbs

Next Week's Organized Work Opportunities:
Saturday 8:30 am - 10:30 am -- Spread/use donated wood shavings (thank you Russell's!) in-between wooden raised beds and half-fill cinder block holes with any remaining, pull north large cinderblock plantings, move cotton-burr compost soil into raised beds and cinder block holes, hand water turnip seedlings in south raised beds, move corn pile into compost area, harvest as necessary.
Tuesday 8:30 am - 10:30 am -- Continue prep for Fall planting and compost area maintenance, harvest zinnias for the Collierville Burch Library, harvest as necessary
Tuesday 5:30 pm - 7 pm --Girl Scout visit for zinnia and vegetable harvesting
Thursday 8:00 am - 10 am -- Harvest and deliver to Collierville Food Pantry, any necessary garden maintenance

Upcoming Educational Visits:

Saturday Sept 13 9 am - 1 pm -- Beyond the Blooms open house for MAMG. Let me know if you know of any MGs that still need teaching hours.

Monday morning, Oct 20 -- 130+ Collierville Elementary 3rd graders and many of their parents to visit/tour the Garden. Details to follow!

This week's Work Progress:

On Saturday, Carl, Val, and Stephanie added compost to the south cinder block beds and planted turnips in rows. They harvested 19 lbs of okra and tomatoes as well as trimmed half of the okra plants back. Stephanie added a couple of new hoses to the progressing CVG irrigation system and watered all of the cinder block holes, bean pots, and tomato bales. Val harvested zinnias for Baptist Hospital patients.

Val and Carl moving compost and planting turnips:

On Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday, Stephanie harvested another 38 lbs of tomatoes, okra, and purple hull peas, continued working on the irrigation system with Jan, watered the turnip seeds and bales/cinderblock holes/beanpots. She harvested and delivered zinnias for the Library and assisted harvesting zinnias for Page Robbins. Delivered 57 lbs to The Salvation Army. A yard of cotton burr mulch/soil was delivered by Jim.

Harvest donation to The Salvation Army:

On Thursday, Carl, Jan, Teresa, and Stephanie harvested and delivered 73 lbs for the Collierville Food Pantry. Jan and Stephanie completed and tested the CVG irrigation system-- 2 separate zones, each with 4 overhead sprinklers and on an automatic timer. Truly a beautiful, beautiful thing. Jan added some donated soil to some of the cinderblock holes and finished the pruning of the okra plants. Stephanie started pulling tired plantings from the north central cinder block bed, added a little nitrogen to the south cinderblock beds, and did any necessary hand watering.

Food Pantry donation:

Carl and the Thursday harvest:

Jan and Stephanie finishing up the CVG irrigation system:

Jan changing the sprinklers to 25 psi ones to allow the entire system to pressure up a bit:

Working "front garden" irrigation zone sprinkler head:

Beauty in the Garden this week:

Aug 16 - 22, 2014 CVG Progress and and Upcoming Organized Work Opportunities

This week's 124 lbs of harvest donations:
to Ms. Julia and the ladies of Harris Cove = 8 lbs;
to the Collierville Food Pantry =  116 lbs
Total YTD harvest donation = 1665 lbs

Next Week's Organized Work Opportunities:

Saturday 8:30 am - 10:30 am -- Work on new irrigation system, prep for Fall planting, move compost into Garden, any necessary harvest/watering
Monday 8:30 am - 10:30 am -- Continue prep for Fall planting, harvest zinnias for the Collierville Burch Library, harvest as necessary
Tuesday 5:30 pm - 7 pm --Girl Scout visit for zinnia and vegetable harvesting
Thursday 8:00 am - 10 am -- Harvest and deliver to Collierville Food Pantry, any necessary garden maintenance

Upcoming Educational Visit:

Monday morning, Oct 20 -- 130+ Collierville Elementary 3rd graders and many of their parents to visit/tour the Garden. Details to follow!

Check out:
This month's Tennessee Gardener Magazine-- There's an article in it written by Carl about CVG Garlic!

And new Instagram page for the Collierville Victory Garden photos:
http://instagram.com/colliervillevictorygarden

This week's Work Progress:

On Saturday, Val, Teresa and son Jack, and Stephanie attacked weeds in the plot 3 tomato patch and the walkway along the tomato bales in plot 6, filling 5 yard bags with weeds. 29 lbs of tomatoes, okra, melon, and cukes was harvested.

On Monday, Carl, Twila, Patree, Teresa, Jan, and Stephanie harvested 17 lbs of tomatoes and green beans and continued pulling weeds. Robert Hollingsworth, MAMG President, visited the Garden.

On Tuesday morning, Carl mowed and Patree and Stephanie spread wood shavings where weeds had been pulled in plot 6 and watered pots and bales and cinder block holes.
Worrisome infestation of Harlequin Bugs found on new crowder peas:

On Tuesday evening, Jan and Twila assisted the Girls Scouts while they harvested zinnias for Page Robbins and harvested 12 lbs of okra, peppers, and eggplant. (zinnia photo by Jan)

On Wednesday, Carl, Jan, Twila, Teresa, and Stephanie hosted Chris Cooper and Booker T. Leigh/Shelby County UT Extension Agents, Richard Powell/Extension Agent/Jackson, Dr. Senseman/Dept. Head of Soil Sciences, UT Knoxville. Teresa picked 11 lbs of peas and beans. Stephanie watered. Jan and Twila worked on the compost area.

On Thursday, Carl and Stephanie harvested 47 lbs. Carl delivered 116 lbs to the Collierville Food Pantry. Jan and Carl attacked the compost fire ants. Jan single-handedly installed 2/3 of an overhead irrigation system for the Garden. Stephanie added 20+ lbs of Starbucks grounds and a few gallons of water to the compost bins.

C'Ville Food Pantry (photo by Carl)

new 8 head irrigation system, designed and installed by Jan:

beautiful, beautiful sprinkler:

On Friday, Stephanie watered and harvested 8 lbs of tomatoes, okra, peppers. Delivered Friday's harvest to Ms. Julia. Picked up 15 lbs of Starbucks grounds for the compost bins.

second batches of compost working... full of comfrey leaves, pea vines, wood shavings, and Starbuck's grounds

Beauty in the Garden this week:

Garden neighbors dropping by:

 Okra "forest":

 weeded plot 6:

Mammoth sunflower:

Green pepper

Tomatoes!

August 10-15, 2014 CVG Work Progress and Upcoming Work Opportunities

This week's 180 lbs of harvest donations:
to Ms. Julia and the ladies of Harris Cove = 55 lbs;
to The Salvation Army Center of Hope in Memphis = 96 lbs;
to the Girl Scout visitors and other young Volunteers = 9 lbs;
to the Collierville Food Pantry =  20 lbs
Total YTD harvest donation = 1,541 lbs

Next Organized Work Opportunities:

Saturday 8:30 am - 10:30 am -- compost area work, garden weeding and maintenance, prep for Fall planting
Monday 8 am - 10:30 am -- continue compost area work, garden weeding, prep for Fall planting, harvest zinnias for the Collierville Burch Library, harvest as necessary
Tuesday 5:30 pm - 7 pm --Girl Scout visit for zinnia and vegetable harvesting
Thursday 8:00 am - 10:30 am -- Harvest and deliver to Collierville Food Pantry, any necessary garden maintenance, host visitors from MAMG and UT

Work Progress:

Over the last weekend Stephanie was able to harvest many pounds of tomatoes and okra-- the tomatoes have officially, officially arrived-- so that on Tuesday she delivered 55 lbs of produce to Ms. Julia. Also on Tuesday: Jan and Stephanie discussed plans for an overhead irrigation system; BT was sprayed on the pumpkin and honeydew vines as well as the corn silks; and zinnias were harvested and delivered to the Collierville Burch Library. 

Library zinnia arrangements:

On Wednesday, Carl mowed around the garden and the Girl Scout visitors, aided by Twila, Jan, Amy, Judy, Carolyn, Lauryce, and Stephanie, harvested zinnias for Paige Robbins and an additional 84 lbs of produce for The Salvation Army Center of Hope.

part of the Tuesday night harvest:

Zinnias for Paige Robbins Adult Day Care Center:

Busy Harvesters:

On Thursday Twila and Stephanie harvested another 20 lbs and delivered to the Collierville Food Pantry. They also started pulling pea vines out of the south cinder block area and weeds in the walkways as well as watered the garden.

On Friday, Carl, Cason, Twila, and Stephanie continued pulling tired pea vines and healthy weeds from the cinder block area and started moving available compost into the garden beds.... and fighting fire ants. Carl also harvested some zinnias from Peterson Lake and delivered them to the Morton Museum and the Bible Museum.

Much progress was made cleaning out the south cinder block beds and adding fresh compost today:

Beauty in the Garden this week:

Okra flowers

Green Bean Archway

Ornamental Gourd Archway

Bluebird nest

Walkway between 5 ft tall okra and more than 3 ft tall zinnias

August 3 - 8, 2014 CVG Progress and Harvest Update

This week's 119 lbs of harvest donations:
to Ms. Julia and the ladies of Harris Cove = 47 lbs;
to the Girl Scout and Tuesday evening Volunteers = 2 lbs;
to the Collierville Food Pantry =  70 lbs
Total YTD harvest donation = 1,361 lbs

Next Organized Work Opportunities:

Tuesday 8:30 am - 10:30 am -- weather permitting, garden and compost area maintenance. Harvest as necessary
Wednesday 5:45 pm - 7 pm -- Girl Scout visit for zinnia and vegetable harvesting
Thursday 8:30 am - 10:30 am -- Garden and compost area maintenance. Possibly start strategically clearing slowing production cinder block areas to make way for Fall plantings.

Work Progress:

On Saturday, Carl mowed around the garden and harvested 11 lbs, delivered to Ms. Julia.

On Monday, Carolyn, Val and Stephanie harvested 36 lbs of beans and peas, cukes, tomatoes, okra, and one each of sugar baby watermelon and cantaloupe. The produce was delivered to Ms. Julia to be distributed in Harris Cove. On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, Stephanie watered.

Zinnias were harvested for 3 arrangements and delivered to Collierville's Burch library.

The large 100 ft long zinnia bed on Peterson Lake Road is absolutely gorgeous right now! Drive by if you can! Carl's been working with the town to add a sunflower bed in the next portion of the median next year.

The bluebirds are nesting at the Garden again.... and there were black and tiger swallowtail butterflies visiting this week.... and at least one monarch!

On Tuesday evening, Carolyn and Stephanie assisted Girl Scout volunteers of Troop 10554 as they harvested enough zinnias for 14 full arrangements, delivered to Paige Robbins Adult Daycare Center, and harvested 20 lbs of produce for Collierville Food Pantry. They also taste-tested a 2 lb super-sweet cantaloupe from the Garden.

On Thursday Carl and Stephanie harvested another 50 lbs of cantaloupe, watermelon, okra, beans and peas, eggplants, hot and sweet peppers, and a little corn. One of the cantaloupes even weighed in a 7.5 lbs! Carl delivered to the C'Ville Food Pantry. Stephanie continued her war on squash borer bugs and added nitrogen to the plot 6 corn.

Even in late summer, the Garden is still looking good!