Monday, January 6th, 2025

Happy New Year everyone! We are done with our winter break and anxious to get started back on the garden.  Last Saturday we had a Potluck and Planning meeting at Milton and Clara’s place. We had a good turnout. Many new ideas for the garden came up to help the  ministry reach its goals and help us be more efficient and effective for the Kingdom of God. We want to be a thriving ministry for our church that enhances the larger church community. We discussed the following:

1. Reviewed 2024 accomplishments

2. Discussed how has the ministry helped our members grow?

3. Reviewed of 2024 Spring Workshop Survey Answers

4. Discussed the calendar and events such as Workshop and Mocktail gatherings

5. We discussed goals, ministry expansion and volunteering

6. Projects - bed cages, shed, hydroponics, fountain/bird bath

7. Did a survey and reviewed the answers.

A meeting recap was prepared and will be sent to the members of the group.

What’s the status of the garden? Well due to the winter break we have not done any cleaning or repairs. The front gate door has a broken picket which needs repair. Squash plants are dead from the cold. Many plants not protected have been damaged by rabbits and squirrels.

Tip! Sustainability gardening is conserving an ecological balance by the avoiding the depletion of natural resources. We should all try to strive to be sustainable gardeners and discover how God designed nature to be.

Task for this Saturday:

1. Review Planning Meeting Recap

2. Rake up leaves

3. Cut down all dead plants, especially all squash

4. Fertilize the beds

5. Fix front gate picket

6. Install critter fencing on gates

7. Turnover the compost piles

What to bring: Drinking water, gloves, sun lotion

Provided Supplies: Rakes

Friday, November 8th

Last Saturday, we accomplished a lot of work, including a bountiful final harvest for the season. We trimmed many leaves off the squash, as they were infested with powdery mildew as well. On Sunday, we distributed the fresh produce to the congregation. We had a great variety of items to share—squash, eggplant, cucumbers, strawberries, and peppers. Everyone appreciated the free fruits and veggies!

As the holiday season is coming, we will take a break from the garden after November 9th through the beginning of January. We will be still meeting on Saturdays, unofficially, for those who can make it and tend to the garden.

Tip! Anaerobic soil is severally compacted or water logged soil. It causes diseases like root rot. Mulch is the best way to create the opposite, aerobic soil.

Task for this Saturday:

1. Review list of task and assign activities

2. Up-pot seedling from mini greenhouse to 3 inch pots

3. Spray all squash leaves with neem oil

4. Harvest veggies and fruit

5. Trellis vining plants

6. Sow seeds

7. Plant seedlings

What to bring: Drinking water, gloves, sun lotion, two week old mini greenhouses and trays

Provided Supplies: 3 in pots (10-12), grow trays (3), hand spades

Thursday, October 31, 2024

Happy All Hallows Eve everyone! Hope everyone stays safe and enjoys the festivities. Last Saturday we had a great time at the Harvest Festival. We had many visit the petting zoo and some curious folks went to visit the garden beds. It would have been good to advertise the garden more, but maybe next time we can at least put up posters with QR code and have handouts about the garden.

The squash plants continue to grow up and out of their beds. We harvested some squash, a bit early, but they will ripen on the counter. The colder weather tells us we need to start focusing on cool crops. Some great cool-weather vegetables to grow in the fall and winter include kale, brussels sprouts, carrots, spinach, turnips, and radishes, all of which thrive in cooler temperatures and can add vibrant flavors to our winter meals.

Tip! In the soil food web, insects and microbes, such as arthropods, nematodes or protozoa, eat bacteria. Their waste becomes soil nutrients that plants can uptake.

Task for this Saturday:

1. Review list of task and assign activities

2. Up-pot seedling from mini greenhouse to 3 inch pots

3. Trellis vining plants

4. Sow seeds

5. Plant seedlings

What to bring: Drinking water, gloves, sun lotion, two week old mini greenhouses and trays

Provided Supplies: 3 in pots (10-12), grow trays (3), hand spades

Thursday, October 24, 2024

We are preparing for the Harvest Festival, November 26th. Garden is looking better everyday.

Lowes came Tuesday and donated garden tools and plants. They also volunteered to help plant them and help around the church. They planted ornamental plants in the church courtyard which they donated. They planted broccoli, cabbage, peppers, basil and tomato plants which they also donated.

Tip! When starting a new garden it’s best to put several layers of newspaper and followed by 2 to 3 inches of compost, 4-6 inches of wood chips and a generous amount of manure. These days newspaper might be hard to come by so you can use brown cardboard with out shiny labels or tape.

Thursday, October 17, 2024

Major vining activity in the Garden. Cucumbers are climbing the arch trellises. Kuri and Butternut squash climbing the open lean trellis. Cucuzza, what can I say, it’s taken over and going up and also through the wire mesh. Lot’s of greenery in time for the Harvest Festival.

Gate for the festival has been installed to block petting zoo from the rest of the garden.

Tip! Fungi feed on decomposing material like wood chips and release nutrients in the soil. If you see a white web fungi, that’s Mycelium (mycorrhizal), one of the best things to have in your mulch.

Task for this Saturday:

1. Review list of task and assign activities

2. Up-pot seedling from mini greenhouse to 3 inch pots

3. Trellis vining plants

4. Rake leaves. Prepare for Harvest Festival.

5. Finish by 9:30am to help with All Church Campus Work Day (9–11am)

What to bring: Drinking water, gloves, sun lotion, two week old mini greenhouses

Provided Supplies: 3 in pots (10-12), grow trays (3), hand spades

Thursday, October 10, 2024

Cucumbers are growing well in bed 1. The arch trellis with mesh made of twine jute is working well so far. If the cucumbers thrive and grow long vines we may need to think about a larger trellis, like what is holding up the squash in bed 6.

We continued to up pot seedlings from the mini greenhouse jugs. Afterwards we fill them up again and planted different seeds.

The picnic tables were all covered with a coat of linseed oil. That should help the tables last.

Bed 1 received the cleats to further stabilize the pvc cages. We need to figure out what to do with cages that are not pvc. They should be cut to smaller cylinders and perhaps held together by clamps for easy design changes.

Sweet potato, red cabbage and other seedlings were planted.

Tip! The Back to Eden gardening method is a natural approach to gardening that uses mulch to build healthy soil, conserve water, and minimize weeds.

Task for this Saturday:

Men’s breakfast, so we won’t be meeting as a group

Thursday, October 03, 2024

The squash plants in bed 6 and the children’s ministry is still going strong. The overhanging trellis in bed 6 is quickly being covered by vines. The intense sun and hot weather doesn’t seem to be bothering the squash and might be actually helping it grow faster. Hopefully the critters are unable to climb the trellis, at least that’s the hope.

Still need to add cleats to the bottom of bed 1 to better fasten the pvc cage.

Tip! Always add mulch in your garden. All animals have skin for protecting their bodies. Soil needs the same protection!

Task for this Saturday:

1. Review list of task and assign activities

2. Up-pot seedling from mini greenhouse to 3 inch pots

3. Coat benches with linseed oil

4. Plant seedlings, including sweet potatoes.

5. Harvest as needed.

6. Add pvc cage cleats to bed 1

7. Add wood chips to all bed walk ways

What to bring: Drinking water, gloves, sun lotion, two week old mini greenhouses

Provided Supplies: Painting brushes , paint trays, linseed oil, pitch fork, wheel barrow, 3 in pots (5-6), grow trays (5-6), auger drill, drills, hand spades

Thursday, September 26, 2024

The canopies were removed from all the beds. The group continues to bring young new members. Attendance was at 7 last week and remains strong and steady. The extra hands are making the garden better and greener.

Some unfortunate news for the watermelons. All the seedlings died. Possibly this was due to a combination of transplant shock and hot weather. It would have been best to cover the seedlings directly with shade. Shade was put on top of the cage but it possibly did not protect the seedlings enough. There is a chance that a critter might have eaten the seedlings as well, but the cage should have prevented that. Yet another reason putting shade cloth on top would have saved the seedlings.

All the pvc cages are done. Only thing remaining is to place cleats at the bottom for bed 1.

Bed 6 squash bed now has an overhanging trellis. Let’s hope the vines cover the trellis and provide lots of hanging squash to pick.

Tip! Mini greenhouse jugs are a great way to germinate seeds and start growing seedlings. Join us to learn more.

Task for this Saturday:

1. Review list of task and assign activities

2. Up-pot seedling from mini greenhouse to 3 inch pots

3. Coat benches with linseed oil

4. Plant Calima beans seedlings in children’s ministry box

5. Transplant pepper plants

6. Harvest as needed.

7. Add pvc cage cleats to bed 1

8. Add wood chips to all bed walk ways

Supplies: Water for drinking, gloves, sun lotion, painting brushes and trays, linseed oil, pitch fork, wheel barrow, 3 in pots (5-6), grow trays (5-6), auger drill, drills, hand spades

Friday, September 20, 2024

We did a lesson on mini jug greenhouses. Our members planted Marigolds, Cantaloupe, spinach and onions in the jugs. We lightly watered and taped the jugs. Next week they will be ready for up potting.

We temporarily removed the cage in bed 6. Some work to trellis squash was completed. Old and damaged squash leaves were pruned, along with some weeding. The squash is doing well, however, the lower temperatures slowed the growth. Baby squash is starting to develop.

There was a small harvest of basil, peppers and mint. The garden is slowing becoming productive again. We still have lots of planting to do..

Tip! Want to see what you can grow this fall? See the Planting Chart

Task for this Saturday:

1. Review list of task and assign activities.

2. Planning Fall and Winter

3. Group project mini greenhouse for our next seedings*

4. Remove shade canopies

5. Trim pvc cage in bed 2.

6. Check if bed 6 the squash needs more trellis training.

7. Harvest as needed.

* Red Acre Cabbage (15c), Mammoth Red Rock Cabbage (15c). Spinach (30c), Zucchini (10c) – cold weather, w – warm weather.

Friday, September 13, 2024

Last week we accomplished all goals we had set for ourselves and we received help from some young adult teens. Of course we also couldn’t have done it without our regular group members. We have been working with squash seedlings for the last months. The Butternut and Red Kuri squash is growing well in bed 6 and the teens helped us add more wiring lines to trellis the squash. After that the teens helped with planting Sicilian Cuzuzza squash seedlings in the children’s ministry box. This plant predates the Zucchini in Italy. After planting the seedlings and covering with woodchips they helped with placing a round cage over the squash and covering the cage it with shade cloth. After checking throughout the week the squash in bed 6 and children’s box are doing well. (26 out of 30 are doing well).

Meanwhile, progress is being made with additional pvc cages. These cages are working better than the round plain cages we made. Part of why bed 6 is doing so well is the pvc cage (cage 1) that we started using recently. Work is being done to complete pvc cages 2 and 3. We are experimenting with cleats at the bottom of the cages to help with stability. They also are to prevent gaps between the bed boarder and the cage. The cleats are still too wide apart so some rework is needed to make it grab the caging better. Last weekend we were installing the mesh for the cages using zip ties, but we ran out so we couldn’t finish cage 2.

During the week we worked on cage 1 to remove excess meshing that was interfering with the bungy cords. Also, the cages pvc connections were becoming undone so screws were inserted at the connections for greater structural soundness. Cage 3 was also assembled.

Tip! When planting seedlings during hot weather, it's best to plant in the evenings. Also, it's a good idea to cover plants, especially new seedlings with shade cloths until cooler weather arrives. See the Planting Chart for what you can plant right now in our climate zone.

Task for this Saturday:

1. Review list of task and assign activities.

2. Provide a lesson and have group members complete mini greenhouse for our next seedlings*

3. Finish mesh on pvc cage 2 and start mesh on pvc 3.

4. Check if bed 6 the squash needs more trellis training.

5. Harvest peppers, basil, tomatoes….

* Bunching onions (60c), Marigolds (36w), Chives (60c), Spinach (60c), Broccoli (25c), Cantaloupe (15w), Cucumber (25w) Red Acre Cabbage (25c), Mammoth Red Rock Cabbage (25c). c – cold weather, w – warm weather.