Dec 8 - Dec 14, 2014 CVG Progress and Upcoming Opportunities

Last week's 64 lbs of harvest donations:
to the Salvation Army= 45 lbs
to the Collierville Food Pantry = 19 lbs
Total YTD harvest donation = 3,237 lbs

Salvation Army harvest of Collard greens, turnips, chinese cabbage, onions, mustard greens:

 Food Pantry harvest of turnips, mustard greens, and radishes:

Upcoming Week's Organized Work Opportunity:
Thursday Dec 18:  8:00 am - 9:30 am -- Christmas Harvest for Collierville Food Pantry and deliver

* Looking for any hotel sized toiletries, toothbrushes, kid's jackets and socks, new kid's underwear (all kid sizes, gender). We'll send on anything we receive with our produce donation to the Salvation Army on an ongoing basis.... So clear your shelves/drawers/closets!


Wish List for the Garden/Opportunities easily done on your own time:

*  Yard bags of pine needles for the cinderblock walkways and mulching garlic
*  Clean, sharpen, and oil the garden tools located in the shed in the compost area
*  Pick up Starbucks (on Poplar) coffee grounds a couple of times per week (mid morning after breakfast rush or early afternoon after lunch rush) for composting
*  Old bird feeders
*  Bat house / Robin nest platforms/Bird bath
*  Meal worms for bluebirds

Garden Maintenance To Do List:

* Figure out how to shred the huge pile of oak leaves to speed up the composting process....
* Weed in cinderblock beds and wooden raised beds, plot 3 and plot 6 along fence line

Last week's Work Progress:

On Monday, Twila and Stephanie reattached the frost covers in plots 1 and 4. Kathy weeded in plots 1 and 4. Twila, Stephanie, and Carl discussed holding a garden planning meeting in early January.

On Tuesday, Kathy, Carl, and Stephanie harvested 45 pounds of mustard greens, chinese cabbage, turnips, onions, and radishes for the Salvation Army. Patree delivered the produce as well as an additional 15 pounds of donated toiletries and new kids' sundries. (Thank you Arlene, Schilling Farm Middle School Junior Beta Club, and Kathy Robinson!)

On Thursday, Kathy, Arlene, Twila, Carl, and Stephanie harvested 19 pounds of mustard greens, turnips, and radishes for the Collierville Food Pantry. Carl delivered. Kathy weeded in plot 3. Arlene, Twila, Teresa, Stephanie, moved remaining delivered promix into the zinnia raised beds. Sophia delivered some coffee grounds and 5 gallon buckets from the Donut Hutt. Thank you, Sophia!

On Saturday, Twila, Teresa, and Stephanie raked any available pine needles on the church property and spread them in the cinderblock bed walkways. Troop 56 scouts moved a huge, huge amount of oak leaves on the church property back next to the compost area. Stephanie talked with an Eagle Scout candidate about possible projects at the Garden.

Kathy and Stephanie harvesting tender green mustard:

Troop 56 church property Fall clean-up:

Dec 1 - Dec 7, 2014 CVG Progress and Upcoming Opportunities

Last week's 25 lbs of harvest donations:
to the Collierville Food Pantry = 25 lbs
Total YTD harvest donation = 3,173 lbs

This Week's Organized Work Opportunities:

Monday Dec 8:  8:30 am - 9:30 am -- Prepare frost covers for possible light freeze this week and other garden maintenance

Tuesday Dec 9:  10:00 am - 12:30 pm -- Harvest for Salvation Army and deliver, garden maintenance, secure frost covers if necessary

Thursday Dec 10:  8:00 am - 9:30 am -- Harvest for Collierville Food Pantry and deliver

* Looking for any hotel sized toiletries, toothbrushes, kid's jackets and socks, new kid's underwear (all kid sizes, gender). We'll send on anything we receive with our produce donation to the Salvation Army on an ongoing basis.... So clear your shelves/drawers/closets!
Wish List for the Garden/Opportunities easily done on your own time:

*  Yard bags of pine needles for the cinderblock walkways
*  Clean, sharpen, and oil the garden tools located in the shed in the compost area
*  Pick up Starbucks (on Poplar) coffee grounds a couple of times per week (mid morning after breakfast rush or early afternoon after lunch rush) for composting
*  Old bird feeders
*  Bat house / Robin nest platforms/Bird bath
*  Meal worms for bluebirds

Garden Maintenance To Do List:

* Set aside pine needle mulch on zinnia beds, fill with promix, and top back with the pine needles
* Pull comfrey seedlings around beets in plot 1
* Weed in cinderblock beds and wooden raised beds, plot 3 along fence line

Last week's Work Progress:

On Thursday, Arlene, Teresa, and Stephanie harvested 25 lbs of mustard greens, turnips, collard greens, napa cabbage and radishes. Stephanie delivered to the Food Pantry.

On Saturday, despite the muddy conditions, Twila, Arlene, Carl, and Stephanie assisted 11 hard-working Schilling Farms Middle School Beta Club students while they weeded in the wooden raised beds of plots 1 and 4, moved compost from the barrel composters to plot 5, added promix to some cinderblock holes in plots 2 and 5, added promix to plot 4 wooden raised beds, planted garlic in plot 4, started new compost in the barrels with oak leaves and comfrey leaves, moved about half of the freshly delivered promix pile (Thanks Jim Gafford!!) from the parking lot into the garden, and donated lots of toiletries that will be delivered to the Salvation Army this week. Kathy continued weeding the plot 4.

Nov 24 - Nov 30, 2014 CVG Progress and Upcoming Opportunities

Last week's 51 lbs of harvest donations:
to the Salvation Army = 51 lbs
Total YTD harvest donation = 3148 lbs

This Week's Organized Work Opportunities:

Thursday Dec 4:  8:30 am - 10:30 am -- Harvest for Food pantry, prepare for Saturday's Junior Beta Club visit

Saturday Dec 6:  8:30 am - 10:30 am (rain delay time 2:30pm-4:30pm)-- Work with Schilling Farms Middle School Junior Beta Club students to:

-Fill empty plot 4 raised bed with available promix and plant garlic and/or
-Begin topping off empty cinderblock holes with available promix
-Weed plots 1 and 4 wooden raised beds and plot 3.
-Empty barrel composters into garden then begin refilling them with remaining comfrey and donated leaves
-Add sand beneath Plants for Habitat plot containers, where needed
-Maybe colorfully paint some donated windows (weather dependent) for future cold frame use.

* Looking for any hotel sized toiletries, toothbrushes, kid's jackets and socks, new kid's underwear (all kid sizes, gender). We'll send on anything we receive with our produce donation to the Salvation Army on an ongoing basis.... So clear your shelves/drawers/closets!

Wish List for the Garden/Opportunities easily done on your own time:
*  Yard bags of pine needles for the cinderblock walkways
*  Clean, sharpen, and oil the garden tools located in the shed in the compost area
*  Pick up Starbucks (on Poplar) coffee grounds a couple of times per week (mid morning after breakfast rush or early afternoon after lunch rush) for composting
*  Old bird feeders
*  Bat house / Robin nest platforms/Bird bath
*  Meal worms for bluebirds

Garden Maintenance To Do List:

* Set aside pine needle mulch on zinnia beds, fill with promix, and top back with the pine needles
* Pull comfrey seedlings around beets in plot 1
* Split uprooted comfrey plants and maybe re-plant elsewhere
* Weed in cinderblock beds and wooden raised beds, plot 3 along fence line

Last week's Work Progress:

On Monday, Twila, Patree, and Stephanie harvested 51 lbs of mustard greens, turnips, and cabbage. Patree delivered the produce and some donated hotel toiletries and kid's sized jackets and clothing to the Salvation Army. Eric Olson delivered 5+ donated hay bales to the garden. (Thank you!!) Carl weeded the empty plot 4 wooden raised bed. Teresa and Stephanie moved promix into the plot 4 bed and moved some donated windows to the compost area for storage. 3.5 hours.

On Tuesday, Carl repaired the wheelbarrow wheel and donated suet cake/holder and a goldfinch sock/feed (thank you!!). Twila cleaned out the plot 5 "corner" cinderblock beds. Stephanie sprayed a little BT on the growing cabbages. Twila and Stephanie planted more elephant and some unknown variety garlic in the prepared plot 4 bed. 1.5 hrs.