Thursday, September 16, 2010

Busy Busy!

We continue to be very busy in the St. francis Community Garden!

First, the garden storage unit has had a complete make-over! It is now very structured and organized to accommodate all of the tools and garden accessories we need to keep our garden looking beautiful and producing well. Additionally, there is a bulletin/dry erase board inside to help us with communication and keep track of all of the garden activity. Thanks to the Fall weather - it is now a nice place to retreat as well!


Next, we will be employing Hagin's landscaping company to help us manage the weeds around the garden. A band of mulch will be spread around the perimeter of the garden to keep the weeds at bay. They will also be developing a storage system to help us organize the piles of mulch and topsoil that have become such an eyesore. Many thanks to Dot Russell and her grandson for weed eating around the perimeter - it looks so much better!


The compost tumbler is working great and our first batch of compost should be ready in several weeks. We have filled up the right compartment and are now adding exclusively to the left. If you notice either pile dry, please add a bit of water. This will help the material we have added decompose properly. Additionally, please don't forget to add a mixture of greens and browns to the compost tumbler (used coffee grounds and filter are an easy addition for a "brown"). thanks to some herbs that were trimmed (mostly basil), the compost actually smells quite nice.

Most excitingly, please make sure November 6th is marked on your calendars. TreesGreenville will be planting trees around our garden! Between 10 and 20 trees (from Maple trees to persimmon trees) will be donated and planted around the perimeter of the garden that morning. TreesGreenville will help in planting the trees, as well as provide education and guidance on properly maintaining the trees (and the fruit that some will produce). November 6th happens to be a scheduled Sprouting Saturday as well. I’m extremely excited about this addition!

Finally, despite the rain, we had a wonderful and productive Sprouting Saturday over the weekend. See pictures below:)



Mary Duckett & Vicki Ashley showing off some basil

Vicki Ashley, Dr. Boota & Dot Russell in the newly organized storage unit!


Cheryl Baxley, Susan Hubbard, Dot Russell, Vicki Ashley and "Mantis," our compost tumbler