Bexley Area Gardens Clean Up For ACGA Convention.

On Saturday, at least two of the Bexley area community gardens cleaned up in anticipation of the annual national convention of the American Community Garden Association. Three Bexley area Community Gardens (Stoddart Avenue, Bexley and Christ The King Church) will be visited during the convention as well as the new garden at the Govenor’s Mansion. (You can read more about the Christ The King Garden in the April 22, 2009 posting here at Christ The King Church Has Community Garden on Livingston Avenue near Bexley ).

At Stoddart Avenue, Alysha, Beth & Mike and I weeded the paths and pulled weeds from some of the plots (as well as our own) beginning at 9 a.m.. Mari weeded the fence rows and I weeded the alley (and better organized the stone curb). Mitch will be planting a Rose of Sharon bush. I brought donuts and Alysha brought coffee.

As reflected in the picture, a significant number of the Bexley gardeners -- including Alysha, Ginny, Barb, Amy, Lisette, Rebecca and Don (and their minions) -- helped clean up the Bexley Garden starting at 10 a.m. They refreshed many of the mulch paths and pulled weeds out of the abandoned plots. (In fact – for those of you who did not show up -- we reassigned the abandoned plots to gardeners who were there). Don used Alysha’s gas-powered weed-wacker and cleaned up the fence rows. Since I had already refreshed the mulch paths around my plot last week, I created a new map of the Garden reflecting the assignment of plots (to the extent that this information could be re-created). I’ll post the map soon on the Garden’s Message Board. Everyone should contact me to fill in any blanks and first names, identify ASW, and to identify the mysterious DAL who has abandoned his/her tomatoes and peppers to weeds.

While we weeded the Garden, our aspiring Eagle Scout was building our benches. The Bexley Garden will receive its first four benches later today. Anthony Murdock built and financed them as part of his Eagle Scout Project. We will have a seating area in the shade on the west side of the Garden (which will make a good place to hold meetings) and one on the east side of the Garden.

For Bexley gardeners who missed the clean up party, there is still work to do. You still need to replenish the mulch around your plot. (There is a shovel and wheel barrow in the Garden for you to use and the mulch pile is on the northeast side of the Garden). You should weed your plot (and the paths around your plot). If you have bare spots, consider planting beans in your plot. Beans sprout quickly and will put needed nitrogen into the soil. Free seeds are under one of the containers at the east gate.