Corporate Community Gardens Can Improve Morale, Health and Reputations

The Society of Human Resources Management website contains an interesting article about how employer-sponsored community gardens can benefit a workplace in a number of ways. First, it creates teamwork as the employees volunteer to work together on the garden (which is generally less stressful than regular work projects). Second, it exposes employees to healthy food (which could reduce employer health costs in the long run when the employees learn to eat healthier food). Some employers harvest food from their gardens, bring it into the employee break rooms and let employees take home as much of the produce as they want for free. The thought is that they will eat fresher and healthier food and appreciate a break on their food bill. Preference is usually given to employees who worked in the garden, but not always. Finally, the garden can contribute to the greater community when produce is donated to area homeless shelters, soup kitchins and food banks (like through the Plant a Row program).

The article highlighted that start-up costs were reasonable and decreased after the first year. Some employers actually hire and pay part-time Garden Managers to maintain the garden when the employees lose interest (like during the hot summer months). Another alternative could be to partner with another community garden to develop a win-win solution. The non-profit community garden could help with the employer's garden in return for financial support from the employer.

[Editor's Note: The May 5, 2011 edition of Columbus Alive highlighted a new local business which will help any company create a gardening program (even in containers) and coach your employees into helping. Check out Green Thumb Revolution if you want more information.

You can read the article for yourself at SHRM's website.

Corporate Community Gardens Can Improve Morale, Health and Reputations

The Society of Human Resources Management website contains an interesting article about how employer-sponsored community gardens can benefit a workplace in a number of ways. First, it creates teamwork as the employees volunteer to work together on the garden (which is generally less stressful than regular work projects). Second, it exposes employees to healthy food (which could reduce employer health costs in the long run when the employees learn to eat healthier food). Some employers harvest food from their gardens, bring it into the employee break rooms and let employees take home as much of the produce as they want for free. The thought is that they will eat fresher and healthier food and appreciate a break on their food bill. Preference is usually given to employees who worked in the garden, but not always. Finally, the garden can contribute to the greater community when produce is donated to area homeless shelters, soup kitchins and food banks (like through the Plant a Row program).

The article highlighted that start-up costs were reasonable and decreased after the first year. Some employers actually hire and pay part-time Garden Managers to maintain the garden when the employees lose interest (like during the hot summer months). Another alternative could be to partner with another community garden to develop a win-win solution. The non-profit community garden could help with the employer's garden in return for financial support from the employer.

[Editor's Note: The May 5, 2011 edition of Columbus Alive highlighted a new local business which will help any company create a gardening program (even in containers) and coach your employees into helping. Check out Green Thumb Revolution if you want more information.

You can read the article for yourself at SHRM's website.

Another Sunny Day: Packed Up for the Season

This morning, the Stoddart Avenue Community Garden volunteers cleaned up and packed up for the season. Mitch, Rayna, Beth, Betty, Dwain, Jeannie, Maxine & her daughter, Barb and Frank came and we got a lot done:

• Cleaned the remaining folliage out of the plots;
• Picked up the litter;
• Planted tulips and daffodils;
• Spread 11 cubic yards of compost over the plots, the flower beds and the raspberry bushes;
• Leveled out two of the compost bins;
• Stacked up the stakes;
• Packed up the scarecrows;
• Dug out even more construction debris;
• Took down the signs and gates; and
• Emptied and stored the rain barrels.

We started at 9 a.m. wearing sweatshirts and jackets and were pretty much done by 1:30 p.m. in shirt sleeves. We never would have gotten so much done so quickly without so many dedicated volunteers. We would have finished an hour earlier if we had another wheelbarrow and garden rake.

I brought some donuts, apple cider, apples, water and tea and Rayna brought some walnuts to keep our blood sugar up. We all chuckled when Florida-boy Mitch admitted that he had never tasted apple cider before. (Welcome to Ohio!) :) We loaded up Frank's truck and Mitch's car and transported our items to winter storage. Hopefully, the fence will survive in place.

We all marvelled at Rayna's beautiful lettuce and rosemary. We thought we might make a salad to celebrate the end of the season, but we were a little tired and dirty to be cooking at that moment. (We're also a little curious how much longer the lettuce will thrive in November). Maxcine and her daughter harvested bags and bags of mustard greens to serve on Thanksgiving in a few weeks. (Greens can be frozen in bags after you have fried them up). Another elderly neighbor stopped by with her dog as we started our work to share in our final gleaning of the year and, surprisingly, asked for the extra chili and jalapeno peppers.

Registration for next season will begin next February or March and we plan to break ground again for early planting the weekend after Easter in April (weather permitting). We discussed trying to get some blueberry bushes donated this Fall to plant along the north fence so that we and the neighbor children might have blueberries to harvest each Spring.

Another Sunny Day: Packed Up for the Season

This morning, the Stoddart Avenue Community Garden volunteers cleaned up and packed up for the season. Mitch, Rayna, Beth, Betty, Dwain, Jeannie, Maxine & her daughter, Barb and Frank came and we got a lot done:

• Cleaned the remaining folliage out of the plots;
• Picked up the litter;
• Planted tulips and daffodils;
• Spread 11 cubic yards of compost over the plots, the flower beds and the raspberry bushes;
• Leveled out two of the compost bins;
• Stacked up the stakes;
• Packed up the scarecrows;
• Dug out even more construction debris;
• Took down the signs and gates; and
• Emptied and stored the rain barrels.

We started at 9 a.m. wearing sweatshirts and jackets and were pretty much done by 1:30 p.m. in shirt sleeves. We never would have gotten so much done so quickly without so many dedicated volunteers. We would have finished an hour earlier if we had another wheelbarrow and garden rake.

I brought some donuts, apple cider, apples, water and tea and Rayna brought some walnuts to keep our blood sugar up. We all chuckled when Florida-boy Mitch admitted that he had never tasted apple cider before. (Welcome to Ohio!) :) We loaded up Frank's truck and Mitch's car and transported our items to winter storage. Hopefully, the fence will survive in place.

We all marvelled at Rayna's beautiful lettuce and rosemary. We thought we might make a salad to celebrate the end of the season, but we were a little tired and dirty to be cooking at that moment. (We're also a little curious how much longer the lettuce will thrive in November). Maxcine and her daughter harvested bags and bags of mustard greens to serve on Thanksgiving in a few weeks. (Greens can be frozen in bags after you have fried them up). Another elderly neighbor stopped by with her dog as we started our work to share in our final gleaning of the year and, surprisingly, asked for the extra chili and jalapeno peppers.

Registration for next season will begin next February or March and we plan to break ground again for early planting the weekend after Easter in April (weather permitting). We discussed trying to get some blueberry bushes donated this Fall to plant along the north fence so that we and the neighbor children might have blueberries to harvest each Spring.

So This Is What 10 Cubic Yards Looks Like

In anticipation of the winter, we are preparing to add some more compost to the Garden so that we will still have super soil next Spring. This morning, Shane Yokum of Grove City delivered 10 cubic yards of Com-Til Plus compost from the City's facility on Jackson Pike. The City gave us this compost for free and Yokum Trucking gave us a 33% discount off his normal delivery fee.

This afternoon, Build the Bridge of Ohio, Org generously gave me a check to cover the morning's delivery fee. Isn't life grand? (I'll be helping BTBO with a pilot gardening project for its new Moms on the Move program (for single mothers and their children) next Spring).

Now, this is what 10 cubic yards of compost looks like. And we get the joy of spreading this on Saturday morning, beginning at 9:00 a.m. We will need as many wheelbarrows, shovels and garden rakes as can be mustered. Unlike last Spring, we will not also be spreading mulch and only have half as much compost to distribute.

I will also have lots of apple cider, hot tea, donuts and apples to keep up the blood sugar level of our volunteers. We will have lots of sun and -- unlike last April -- it will NOT be hot and we won't get sunburned. Everyone should feel free to come and pitch in.

So This Is What 10 Cubic Yards Looks Like

In anticipation of the winter, we are preparing to add some more compost to the Garden so that we will still have super soil next Spring. This morning, Shane Yokum of Grove City delivered 10 cubic yards of Com-Til Plus compost from the City's facility on Jackson Pike. The City gave us this compost for free and Yokum Trucking gave us a 33% discount off his normal delivery fee.

This afternoon, Build the Bridge of Ohio, Org generously gave me a check to cover the morning's delivery fee. Isn't life grand? (I'll be helping BTBO with a pilot gardening project for its new Moms on the Move program (for single mothers and their children) next Spring).

Now, this is what 10 cubic yards of compost looks like. And we get the joy of spreading this on Saturday morning, beginning at 9:00 a.m. We will need as many wheelbarrows, shovels and garden rakes as can be mustered. Unlike last Spring, we will not also be spreading mulch and only have half as much compost to distribute.

I will also have lots of apple cider, hot tea, donuts and apples to keep up the blood sugar level of our volunteers. We will have lots of sun and -- unlike last April -- it will NOT be hot and we won't get sunburned. Everyone should feel free to come and pitch in.

SACG Winter Clean Up Is Saturday, November 14.

SACG Gardeners should be completing the process of cleaning out our plots. On Saturday, November 14, 2009, we will be tearing down the Garden and storing everything for winter (including scarecrows, benches, gates, signs and possibly the fence). We will begin at 9 a.m. so that we will be done in time for the OSU-Iowa game. Of course, there will be refreshments and I will have gifts for my champion volunteers (which I hope raises your curiosity). I'd also like to hear from our SACG gardeners about what bulk seeds I should try to get for us for next year (so that we can share . . . . . . ).

It has been highly recommended that we spread compost on top of the Garden to further improve the soil further over winter. The City of Columbus agreed to give us 10 free cubic yards -- or 1-1/2 inches) of Com-Til Plus, but I have been unable to find anyone to pick it up and deliver it for us and we don't have anything in our budget to pay for the delivery. (Remember, we are a free garden:) It would cost us $80-$100 to pay for the delivery -- so if everyone chipped in, I could arrange to have it deliverered this week in time for us to spread it on Saturday.

Plant a Row. I've added another food pantry (i.e., NNEMAP in the Short North) to our March 20, 2009 Plant a Row a Row list.

Composting. I've also added some good composting sites to this website. The City of Columbus is no longer picking up yard waste (although the City of Bexley still does this for us). Our Stoddart Avenue neighbors could see this as an opportunity to begin their own backyard composting of leaves and kitchen scraps. Next year, they could have fabulous compost for their own gardens or to donate to the SACG. While it's tidier to compost inside a bin, my father has inadvertently composted for years by simply raking leaves into a corner of his backyard. Whatever you do, please do not put them in the gutter or they will wash down the storm drains into Alum Creek and kill our nice fish . . . . . .

The OSU composting site also contains information about the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of composting items. You want a good mix of nitrogen, carbon and potassium. Wood ash from a fireplace are a good source of potassium, but will raise the pH of the compost. Grass clippings, food waste and manure are a good source for nitrogen. Straw, sawdust and leaves are a good source of carbon. To get an ideal compost, you want to mix all of these ingredients (or as many of them as possible).

Speaking of nitrogen-rich manure, you can get free horse manure in Franklin County at the following locations (although you will have to haul it away yourself): Bentwood Equestrian Center on Litholopolis Road in Canal Winchester ((614) 832-8042 or e-mail at equine4000@aol.com); Grove City ( sale-bcugj-1428273934@craigslist.org); Old Oak Farm in Marysville (Denise at oldoakfarm@earthlink.net or http://www.oldoakfarm.net/) or another horse stable in Westerville (call Shelly at 614.598.1868 or email at shelley@guilfoos.com). I got my manure compost from the Westerville farm last Spring and it was nicely composted, but had to be dug out of the ground where it had been dumped 6-8 months earlier (and had some weeds, etc.) However, I just added it to my compost bin. Today, I drove about 15 miles to Canal Winchester where I picked up lots of fresh manure (mixed with enriched sawdust) kept in a very nice and clean shed. If you bring a truck, they will load it for you with their earthmover.

If manure makes you quesy, coffee grounds are also an excellent source of nitrogen and pose less risk of smell and pathogens. Here's a really good article about composting coffee grounds: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707171641.htm. Also, Starbucks gives away its coffee grounds to community gardens across the United States. http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/compost.asp. (Hint: in case anyone wants to pick up some coffee grounds for the SACG and add them to any of our three compost bins):)

Field Trip. For my nice trip to the country this afternoon, I stopped by Faler's Feed Store at the corner of Lithopolis and Cedar Hill Roads and picked up some wild bird seed on sale. Even better, they gave me a baggy of free curled mustard green seeds (for us to use next year at the SACG). I then stopped by Smith's Market on Winchester Pike to get some more fire wood (and free chocolate fudge). Sale Alert: they are selling large winter squash for $1/each. They will store well for many weeks. Coincidentally, I'm making stuffed squash tonight (from an untested recipe). If I like it, I'll share the recipe tomorrow.

Cleaning Up. I'm a little concerned about the number of rotting tomatoes I've seen in the SACG. While I'm grateful most of us have not been throwing them in the compst bins, leaving those tomatoes in place over the winter guarantees that we will have volunteer tomatoes by the boatloads coming up next summer and, more importantly, rotting tomatoes are a good place for bad insects and diseases to spend the winter and infect our garden next year. Please scoop them up into plastic bags and pitch them in the trash.

Anyway, the OSU Exension Office has a nice article on steps for winterizing a garden and I include it here so that our gardeners can see what they should be doing for their own plots for the winter. You can read it for yourself at http://bygl.osu.edu/ :

GARDENING IN THE LAND OF NOD. No, this article isn't about gardening in your sleep, although many of us continue to dream about ways we can improve our gardening methods. Now that a hard freeze has officially ended the 2009 growing season across Ohio, it is time to begin the task of putting your flower and vegetable gardens to bed. Dave Goerig and his fellow BYGLers would like to mention a few things you may want to do if you haven't managed them already.

First things first, harvest any vegetables left in the garden like onions, radishes, potatoes, or squash. In the flower garden, dig up any tender bulbs, rhizomes, corms and tuberous root flowers left such as dahlia, gladiolus, and cannas. Store these items in a cool, dark environment such as the basement. Keep an eye on them throughout the winter months to insure they are not drying out. If you are a seed collector, collect any seed that has been produced in your garden. Seeds from plants like sunflowers, cosmos, zinnias, and marigolds to name a few flowers, as well as heirloom vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and squash can all be sprouted next spring. Remove the seed heads or fruit from these plants and bring them into the garage for processing.

Next, remove all the hardgoods that were installed and used throughout the season that helped support your growing efforts. Remove stakes, cages, sections of wire fencing, rain gauges, twine, plant labels, watering devices, scarecrows, slug bars, and stepping stones. These items came in handy earlier in the season and no doubt they will be needed next year. Gather them up and store in the garden shed or garage. Continue closing your garden by using hand pruners or a hedge shear to cut off all dead foliage of any perennial plants. This task is garden specific as some people prefer to leave certain herbaceous ornamentals such as stonecrop,and tall grasses uncut to enjoy their winter look. Vegetable gardens may also have varieties of hardy plants that should not be cut off either, such as horseradish, and garlic.

Once this is done you are ready to remove all annual plant debris left in the planting bed. Do this by pulling these plants out of the ground with the roots included. Once out of the ground shake the soil off of the roots and inspect for disease symptoms. Some insects and many diseases overwinter in the host plant debris. Cleaning your garden of plant residue is the first and most important step in disease and insect pest management. Bury, burn, or compost this debris in sites away from the garden. If composting is the method you use to process dead garden plants, be sure your compost pile heats up sufficiently to destroy the pathogens that may be on the dead plant tissue. If this material is not properly composted before it is reintroduced in the garden you may be spreading the disease and insect problems back onto your soil.

Putting your garden to bed in this manner is just as important as any other growing chore you perform throughout the season. Other end-of-the-season activities you could consider in a vegetable bed would be fall tilling, sowing a cover crop and straw mulching. In ornamental beds, you may want to divide certain perennials now, mulch in new perennial introductions, and work on that edging. In any event the little things you do now will pay big dividends next season.

SACG Winter Clean Up Is Saturday, November 14.

SACG Gardeners should be completing the process of cleaning out our plots. On Saturday, November 14, 2009, we will be tearing down the Garden and storing everything for winter (including scarecrows, benches, gates, signs and possibly the fence). We will begin at 9 a.m. so that we will be done in time for the OSU-Iowa game. Of course, there will be refreshments and I will have gifts for my champion volunteers (which I hope raises your curiosity). I'd also like to hear from our SACG gardeners about what bulk seeds I should try to get for us for next year (so that we can share . . . . . . ).

It has been highly recommended that we spread compost on top of the Garden to further improve the soil further over winter. The City of Columbus agreed to give us 10 free cubic yards -- or 1-1/2 inches) of Com-Til Plus, but I have been unable to find anyone to pick it up and deliver it for us and we don't have anything in our budget to pay for the delivery. (Remember, we are a free garden:) It would cost us $80-$100 to pay for the delivery -- so if everyone chipped in, I could arrange to have it deliverered this week in time for us to spread it on Saturday.

Plant a Row. I've added another food pantry (i.e., NNEMAP in the Short North) to our March 20, 2009 Plant a Row a Row list.

Composting. I've also added some good composting sites to this website. The City of Columbus is no longer picking up yard waste (although the City of Bexley still does this for us). Our Stoddart Avenue neighbors could see this as an opportunity to begin their own backyard composting of leaves and kitchen scraps. Next year, they could have fabulous compost for their own gardens or to donate to the SACG. While it's tidier to compost inside a bin, my father has inadvertently composted for years by simply raking leaves into a corner of his backyard. Whatever you do, please do not put them in the gutter or they will wash down the storm drains into Alum Creek and kill our nice fish . . . . . .

The OSU composting site also contains information about the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of composting items. You want a good mix of nitrogen, carbon and potassium. Wood ash from a fireplace are a good source of potassium, but will raise the pH of the compost. Grass clippings, food waste and manure are a good source for nitrogen. Straw, sawdust and leaves are a good source of carbon. To get an ideal compost, you want to mix all of these ingredients (or as many of them as possible).

Speaking of nitrogen-rich manure, you can get free horse manure in Franklin County at the following locations (although you will have to haul it away yourself): Bentwood Equestrian Center on Litholopolis Road in Canal Winchester ((614) 832-8042 or e-mail at equine4000@aol.com); Grove City ( sale-bcugj-1428273934@craigslist.org); Old Oak Farm in Marysville (Denise at oldoakfarm@earthlink.net or http://www.oldoakfarm.net/) or another horse stable in Westerville (call Shelly at 614.598.1868 or email at shelley@guilfoos.com). I got my manure compost from the Westerville farm last Spring and it was nicely composted, but had to be dug out of the ground where it had been dumped 6-8 months earlier (and had some weeds, etc.) However, I just added it to my compost bin. Today, I drove about 15 miles to Canal Winchester where I picked up lots of fresh manure (mixed with enriched sawdust) kept in a very nice and clean shed. If you bring a truck, they will load it for you with their earthmover.

If manure makes you quesy, coffee grounds are also an excellent source of nitrogen and pose less risk of smell and pathogens. Here's a really good article about composting coffee grounds: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707171641.htm. Also, Starbucks gives away its coffee grounds to community gardens across the United States. http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/compost.asp. (Hint: in case anyone wants to pick up some coffee grounds for the SACG and add them to any of our three compost bins):)

Field Trip. For my nice trip to the country this afternoon, I stopped by Faler's Feed Store at the corner of Lithopolis and Cedar Hill Roads and picked up some wild bird seed on sale. Even better, they gave me a baggy of free curled mustard green seeds (for us to use next year at the SACG). I then stopped by Smith's Market on Winchester Pike to get some more fire wood (and free chocolate fudge). Sale Alert: they are selling large winter squash for $1/each. They will store well for many weeks. Coincidentally, I'm making stuffed squash tonight (from an untested recipe). If I like it, I'll share the recipe tomorrow.

Cleaning Up. I'm a little concerned about the number of rotting tomatoes I've seen in the SACG. While I'm grateful most of us have not been throwing them in the compst bins, leaving those tomatoes in place over the winter guarantees that we will have volunteer tomatoes by the boatloads coming up next summer and, more importantly, rotting tomatoes are a good place for bad insects and diseases to spend the winter and infect our garden next year. Please scoop them up into plastic bags and pitch them in the trash.

Anyway, the OSU Exension Office has a nice article on steps for winterizing a garden and I include it here so that our gardeners can see what they should be doing for their own plots for the winter. You can read it for yourself at http://bygl.osu.edu/ :

GARDENING IN THE LAND OF NOD. No, this article isn't about gardening in your sleep, although many of us continue to dream about ways we can improve our gardening methods. Now that a hard freeze has officially ended the 2009 growing season across Ohio, it is time to begin the task of putting your flower and vegetable gardens to bed. Dave Goerig and his fellow BYGLers would like to mention a few things you may want to do if you haven't managed them already.

First things first, harvest any vegetables left in the garden like onions, radishes, potatoes, or squash. In the flower garden, dig up any tender bulbs, rhizomes, corms and tuberous root flowers left such as dahlia, gladiolus, and cannas. Store these items in a cool, dark environment such as the basement. Keep an eye on them throughout the winter months to insure they are not drying out. If you are a seed collector, collect any seed that has been produced in your garden. Seeds from plants like sunflowers, cosmos, zinnias, and marigolds to name a few flowers, as well as heirloom vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and squash can all be sprouted next spring. Remove the seed heads or fruit from these plants and bring them into the garage for processing.

Next, remove all the hardgoods that were installed and used throughout the season that helped support your growing efforts. Remove stakes, cages, sections of wire fencing, rain gauges, twine, plant labels, watering devices, scarecrows, slug bars, and stepping stones. These items came in handy earlier in the season and no doubt they will be needed next year. Gather them up and store in the garden shed or garage. Continue closing your garden by using hand pruners or a hedge shear to cut off all dead foliage of any perennial plants. This task is garden specific as some people prefer to leave certain herbaceous ornamentals such as stonecrop,and tall grasses uncut to enjoy their winter look. Vegetable gardens may also have varieties of hardy plants that should not be cut off either, such as horseradish, and garlic.

Once this is done you are ready to remove all annual plant debris left in the planting bed. Do this by pulling these plants out of the ground with the roots included. Once out of the ground shake the soil off of the roots and inspect for disease symptoms. Some insects and many diseases overwinter in the host plant debris. Cleaning your garden of plant residue is the first and most important step in disease and insect pest management. Bury, burn, or compost this debris in sites away from the garden. If composting is the method you use to process dead garden plants, be sure your compost pile heats up sufficiently to destroy the pathogens that may be on the dead plant tissue. If this material is not properly composted before it is reintroduced in the garden you may be spreading the disease and insect problems back onto your soil.

Putting your garden to bed in this manner is just as important as any other growing chore you perform throughout the season. Other end-of-the-season activities you could consider in a vegetable bed would be fall tilling, sowing a cover crop and straw mulching. In ornamental beds, you may want to divide certain perennials now, mulch in new perennial introductions, and work on that edging. In any event the little things you do now will pay big dividends next season.

Reminiscing Over the Past Summer

It's always one of the saddest days of the year when I have to harvest all of my basil before the bushes turn brown. It seems to have happened unusually early this year. I've also been packing up my 55 tomato vines (and their fruit) as well (to minimize the number of volunteers next year). My gardens are looking a little barren, so I thought it might be more cheerful to reflect on how nice the Garden looked in June, July and August.

Reminiscing Over the Past Summer

It's always one of the saddest days of the year when I have to harvest all of my basil before the bushes turn brown. It seems to have happened unusually early this year. I've also been packing up my 55 tomato vines (and their fruit) as well (to minimize the number of volunteers next year). My gardens are looking a little barren, so I thought it might be more cheerful to reflect on how nice the Garden looked in June, July and August.

Govenor's Green Halloween This Saturday

At the last FBCG meeting, Diane announced that the Heritage Garden at the Govenor's Residence on Parkview Avenue was having quite the Halloween Party on Saturday, October 17, 2009 and she wasn't kidding. I just received the brochure (which you can review for yourself at
http://www.governorsresidence.ohio.gov/GreenHalloweenPoster.pdf).

The Friends of the Governor's Residence and Heritage Garden are sponsoring a FREE shindig which includes:
* The Governor’s giant pumpkin patch (probably more successful than my pitiful patch at the SACG);
* Instruction about growing your own garden;
* Decorating (and keeping) your own pumpkin and/or gourd;
* Instruction on why ladybeetles, bats, worms and other earth creatures are so important to our environment;
* Demonstrations on composting and recycling;
* Guided tours (on-the-hour) of the Heritage Garden; and
* Yummy bison burgers and cider

For security purposes, reservations for the event are required. Please RSVP to paigebilotta@gmail.com or 614.644-7644 x5 to identify all that will be attending. Photo IDs and bags will be checked prior to grounds entry. Event takes place rain or shine.

Govenor's Green Halloween This Saturday

At the last FBCG meeting, Diane announced that the Heritage Garden at the Govenor's Residence on Parkview Avenue was having quite the Halloween Party on Saturday, October 17, 2009 and she wasn't kidding. I just received the brochure (which you can review for yourself at
http://www.governorsresidence.ohio.gov/GreenHalloweenPoster.pdf).

The Friends of the Governor's Residence and Heritage Garden are sponsoring a FREE shindig which includes:
* The Governor’s giant pumpkin patch (probably more successful than my pitiful patch at the SACG);
* Instruction about growing your own garden;
* Decorating (and keeping) your own pumpkin and/or gourd;
* Instruction on why ladybeetles, bats, worms and other earth creatures are so important to our environment;
* Demonstrations on composting and recycling;
* Guided tours (on-the-hour) of the Heritage Garden; and
* Yummy bison burgers and cider

For security purposes, reservations for the event are required. Please RSVP to paigebilotta@gmail.com or 614.644-7644 x5 to identify all that will be attending. Photo IDs and bags will be checked prior to grounds entry. Event takes place rain or shine.

Food for Thought: Are localvores really green?

I'm a big fan of eating local and prefer fresh food from my garden to food harvested last week being sold at the grocery. That being said, Newsweek and a few other publications have been publicizing a new book by James McWilliams, a Texas history professor (not an economist or agricultural expert), that points out that organic gardening does not always make sense and is not always energy efficient. For instance, we use gas to transport manure to our plots and there are simply not always effective organic solutions to viruses and blights, etc. He also points out that it takes more land (read: deforestation) to raise grass fed beef. (However, if you've seen King Corn and have done his research about feed yards, you'll become a vegetarian like Professor McWilliams).

Just food for thought. You can read some comments about McWilliams' new book,
Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly (Little, Brown), at Newsweek, Forbes, and The New York Times.

Food for Thought: Are localvores really green?

I'm a big fan of eating local and prefer fresh food from my garden to food harvested last week being sold at the grocery. That being said, Newsweek and a few other publications have been publicizing a new book by James McWilliams, a Texas history professor (not an economist or agricultural expert), that points out that organic gardening does not always make sense and is not always energy efficient. For instance, we use gas to transport manure to our plots and there are simply not always effective organic solutions to viruses and blights, etc. He also points out that it takes more land (read: deforestation) to raise grass fed beef. (However, if you've seen King Corn and have done his research about feed yards, you'll become a vegetarian like Professor McWilliams).

Just food for thought. You can read some comments about McWilliams' new book,
Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly (Little, Brown), at Newsweek, Forbes, and The New York Times.

Peaches to Die For

Last year -- in August -- I discovered the peaches of Legend Hills Orchard at the Bexley Farmer's Market. http://www.legendhillsorchard.com/. Eating those peaches was as close to a religious experience you can have outside of a fox hole. My Louisville friend Mary agreed. We each bought our own pecks before heading to the B uckeye game. The next week, I drove all the way to Utica -- and did not stop for ice cream -- just to buy a peck of those peaches and can them. I even saved the pits and tried to grow my own tree this Spring. Why? I put them on my morning oatmeal (or when I'm feeling self-indulgent in the evenings) and ran out before New Year's.

Imagine my horror when I discovered in late July that the Licking County Peach crop had been wiped out with our early Spring and regular frost. I had planned a mid-August peach picking trip for the Stoddart Avenue Gardeners, had invited the youth group from nearby St. Luke's Baptist Church to join us (and planned to invite the lady knitwits from my church) and had to cancel because there were no reasonably local peaches to pick (at $19/bushel -- a bargain). However, Jacquamin Farms -- also at the Bexley Farmer's Market - bought peaches from a farm in Chillecothe that did not lose their peach crop. Beth and I drove down in July, bought a peck and a half and made jam and fuzzy-naval marmalade and canned them. However, although I felt good about buying local, these peaches were not the religious experience I had come to expect. We were also deprived of the whole u-pick experience.

Well, pardon my ignorance, but there are a lot of varieties of peaches. I couldn't even begin to list them all.

On Friday, in my monthly study, the ladies began discussing the peaches and apples they had bought a week earlier at Lynds. http://www.lyndfruitfarm.com/. I've lived in Central Ohio for almost 15 years and have never been to Lynds. It's hard to believe, but true. I was told these peaches were so good, Joy's husband ate them before she could can them. (Yes, I'm still getting over the shock of the thought of Joy in the kitchen;) These were peaches I simply must have. They assured me that Lynds also sold seconds (i.e., flawed, bruised and older peaches).

On Saturday, I drove and bought a peck of seconds (for $7) and a 1/2 peck (for $8) of their best yellow freestone peaches (as well as a few of those freakishly expensive honeycrisp apples since the girls had been raving about those as well). Oh nirvana. These are amazing peaches. It should be criminal to sell peaches other than these. They cannot be bought at a mere grocery store. They are juicy to a fault and will prompt you to forget every other peach you've ever eaten.

I canned 11 pints of peaches on Saturday and Sunday, froze 1-1/2 quarts of peaches (to use in smooties) and still have 8 peaches left. Oh joy. What to do with them in the brief time I have in the evenings . . . eat them . . . can them . . . freeze them . . . . stare at them . . . . more fuzzy naval marmalade . . . . give two of them to Beth and Mike who are too busy starting at 8-day old Lucy Grace to go to Lynds for themselves? Maybe IcedTea Latte would like one . . . .

Now, unlike other canners, I do not make a sugar syrup for my peaches. I freeze them straight on cookie sheets and put them in freezer bags. For my mason jars, I squeeze a tablespoon of honey into each jar (before filling the nooks and crannies with scalding water from my tea kettle). Processing peaches is a lot like processing tomatoes, except that you have to cut them in half, remove the pits, and then drop them in a bowl of water (where I have previously dissolved a large vitamin C tablet (also known as asorbic acid) which keeps the peaches from turning brown before you eat them).

Unlike last year and even this July, I managed to avoid turning my kitchen into a haven for fruit flies. I left the peck of seconds outside on the patio table (because it was not too hot). I also tossed the pits in my trash can and the skins into my compost pile as soon as the jars began boiling.

As for my hopes of starting a peach orchard at the SACG, my peach pits never sprouted (even if my lease permitted it). Bummer. I guess I could try again with this new batch. Mary, however, had more luck. She won a raffle at a church bazaar in Louisville. The prize was from an urban farming group which plants fruit trees in people's yards and then lets them keep a portion of the fruit ( -- nice of them --) while the rest goes to sustain their urban farms and food pantries. Last I heard, she was considering a peach tree. Note to Mary: make sure it's a yellow freestone peach tree.

Peaches to Die For

Last year -- in August -- I discovered the peaches of Legend Hills Orchard at the Bexley Farmer's Market. http://www.legendhillsorchard.com/. Eating those peaches was as close to a religious experience you can have outside of a fox hole. My Louisville friend Mary agreed. We each bought our own pecks before heading to the B uckeye game. The next week, I drove all the way to Utica -- and did not stop for ice cream -- just to buy a peck of those peaches and can them. I even saved the pits and tried to grow my own tree this Spring. Why? I put them on my morning oatmeal (or when I'm feeling self-indulgent in the evenings) and ran out before New Year's.

Imagine my horror when I discovered in late July that the Licking County Peach crop had been wiped out with our early Spring and regular frost. I had planned a mid-August peach picking trip for the Stoddart Avenue Gardeners, had invited the youth group from nearby St. Luke's Baptist Church to join us (and planned to invite the lady knitwits from my church) and had to cancel because there were no reasonably local peaches to pick (at $19/bushel -- a bargain). However, Jacquamin Farms -- also at the Bexley Farmer's Market - bought peaches from a farm in Chillecothe that did not lose their peach crop. Beth and I drove down in July, bought a peck and a half and made jam and fuzzy-naval marmalade and canned them. However, although I felt good about buying local, these peaches were not the religious experience I had come to expect. We were also deprived of the whole u-pick experience.

Well, pardon my ignorance, but there are a lot of varieties of peaches. I couldn't even begin to list them all.

On Friday, in my monthly study, the ladies began discussing the peaches and apples they had bought a week earlier at Lynds. http://www.lyndfruitfarm.com/. I've lived in Central Ohio for almost 15 years and have never been to Lynds. It's hard to believe, but true. I was told these peaches were so good, Joy's husband ate them before she could can them. (Yes, I'm still getting over the shock of the thought of Joy in the kitchen;) These were peaches I simply must have. They assured me that Lynds also sold seconds (i.e., flawed, bruised and older peaches).

On Saturday, I drove and bought a peck of seconds (for $7) and a 1/2 peck (for $8) of their best yellow freestone peaches (as well as a few of those freakishly expensive honeycrisp apples since the girls had been raving about those as well). Oh nirvana. These are amazing peaches. It should be criminal to sell peaches other than these. They cannot be bought at a mere grocery store. They are juicy to a fault and will prompt you to forget every other peach you've ever eaten.

I canned 11 pints of peaches on Saturday and Sunday, froze 1-1/2 quarts of peaches (to use in smooties) and still have 8 peaches left. Oh joy. What to do with them in the brief time I have in the evenings . . . eat them . . . can them . . . freeze them . . . . stare at them . . . . more fuzzy naval marmalade . . . . give two of them to Beth and Mike who are too busy starting at 8-day old Lucy Grace to go to Lynds for themselves? Maybe IcedTea Latte would like one . . . .

Now, unlike other canners, I do not make a sugar syrup for my peaches. I freeze them straight on cookie sheets and put them in freezer bags. For my mason jars, I squeeze a tablespoon of honey into each jar (before filling the nooks and crannies with scalding water from my tea kettle). Processing peaches is a lot like processing tomatoes, except that you have to cut them in half, remove the pits, and then drop them in a bowl of water (where I have previously dissolved a large vitamin C tablet (also known as asorbic acid) which keeps the peaches from turning brown before you eat them).

Unlike last year and even this July, I managed to avoid turning my kitchen into a haven for fruit flies. I left the peck of seconds outside on the patio table (because it was not too hot). I also tossed the pits in my trash can and the skins into my compost pile as soon as the jars began boiling.

As for my hopes of starting a peach orchard at the SACG, my peach pits never sprouted (even if my lease permitted it). Bummer. I guess I could try again with this new batch. Mary, however, had more luck. She won a raffle at a church bazaar in Louisville. The prize was from an urban farming group which plants fruit trees in people's yards and then lets them keep a portion of the fruit ( -- nice of them --) while the rest goes to sustain their urban farms and food pantries. Last I heard, she was considering a peach tree. Note to Mary: make sure it's a yellow freestone peach tree.

SACG and Bexley Gardeners Attended GTG Awards Ceremony and Harvest Festival.

Last week, Barb, Barb’s sister, Betty, Joe and I attended the Growing to Green Awards Ceremony and Harvest Celebration at Franklin Park Conservatory. We were joined at our table by Betsy Johnson from the ACGA and a FPC volunteer. Barb has attended in past years and explained to us in advance the importance of bringing a substantial side dish since there would be a lot of people there who forgot to bring food. City BBQ catered and all of the food was delicious.

Before the ceremony began, Joe, Betty and I toured the new community garden campus that had opened the prior evening.

Bless his heart, the Mayor wanted us to nominate the Bexley Garden. I nominated the SACG for an award (because I need the money to build more raised beds along Cherry Street and to convert the SACG to a non-profit and won’t qualify for any grants since I am not a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization). Of course, I had no realistic expectations that the SACG would win an award because I’m not blind to the fact that when I make our weekly 12 or so pound produce donations to the LSS Choice Food Pantry and/or Faith Mission I often follow a 90 pound donation from the Four Seasons Farm. I figured that one of the Four Season Farm gardens or one of the twelve new gardens in the University District (which has been working with youth groups to establish urban farmers’ markets) would be prohibitive favorites.

Jim King from the Scotts Miracle Gro Company was the keynote speaker for the evening. He talked about his gardening experience from his youth and how Scotts was the market leader in every country in which they conducted business.

The awards:

Neighborhood Improvement Project of the Year. This $250 award (sponsored by GreenScapes Landscape Company) was to be awarded to the park, gateway, streetscape, school, or other community beautification project which did the most to benefit the surrounding community. It was awarded to Family Life St. Vincent de Paul Pantry Garden on Livingston Avenue. Most of us know this as the community garden at Christ the King Church – which received the Outstanding Community Garden of the Year last year in 2008. Its representative (probably Marjorie) explained how unexpected it was to receive another award in only the Garden’s third year of existence. She explained that the Garden had received a ten cubic yard mountain of top soil last year and it had become an eyesore because it was so tall and they did not know what to do with it. In the Spring, they decided to create flower beds surrounding the Garden and as they began to plant, neighbors spontaneously brought them seedlings and divided plants from their own gardens. See Christ The King Church Has Community Garden on Livingston Avenue near Bexley.

Education Garden of the Year. This $500 award (sponsored by the Hinson Family Trust) was to be awarded to the top garden at a school or other organization that utilizes garden projects for educational purposes. It was awarded to theYWCA Family Center Growing Home Community Garden on Harvey Court. Some people may know this as the successor to the Interfaith Hospitality Network. The representative explained that she had been hired to coordinate the gardening program even though she had no prior experience in gardening. She created five different edible gardens with a theme based on different geographic cultures. There was an asian garden, hispanic garden, african garden, etc. She would work with the children to explain about different foods grown and eaten in various parts of the world. The children – a different group of which circulates every 90 days – helped her plant, harvest and cook the food. Earlier in 2009, Scotts had awarded $2500 to the YWCA to establish this garden.

Paul B. Redman Youth Leadership Award. This $250 award (sponsored by the FPC Women’s Board) was given to an outstanding youth gardener (18 years or younger) to further his/her education and interest in gardening, or to make improvements in his/her community garden. It was awarded to Sedrick Dessin of the Highland Community Garden. His nomination explained that he helped a lot with planting and making zucchini bread. He was very, very cute.

Community Garden of the Year. This $500 award (sponsored by The Scotts-Miracle Gro Company) was to be awarded to the top neighborhood gardening project for beautification and/or food production. It was awarded to the Hilltop Highland Community Garden (at the intersection of Highland Avenue and Floral Avenue). Dan Downing (the Garden's leader) explained that this had been a true grass roots movement that began in response to the City closing the area recreational center. Like the SACG, they are located on an abandonned lot, but unlike the SACG, Dan rented heavy equipment to dig out the endless supply of construction debris. They hope to put a similar garden on every block in the Hilltop area. As mentioned below, Jim King spontaneously jumped up and increased the amount of the award by $2500 in product and funds from Scotts Miracle-Gro. (Scotts had earlier in 2009 awarded $2800 to Friends of the Hilltop to support community gardens through the Columbus Foundation grant application process which began in October 2008). They brought a large and joyful contingent with them to the awards ceremony.

Community Gardener of the Year. This $250 award for the community gardening project (sponsored by Chase Bank) was to be awarded on account of a person who is exceptionally dedicated to his/her neighborhood garden and/or the movement of community gardening in central Ohio. It was awarded to Kelly Hern of the Upper Arlington Lutheran Church Community Garden, which is on Mill Run Drive in Hilliard. The nomination explained that the Upper Arlington Lutheran Church Garden had donated approximately 1700 pounds of produce to area food banks. That’s a lot of zucchini and a lot of trips to the pantry. I figured that was probably 150 pounds of produce donated each week. Jim Smith was so moved that he jumped up and offered her $25 in product and funds from Scotts Miracle-Gro. (We know he meant more than that and he got up later and clarified that he meant $2500). Scotts had earlier in 2009 awarded the Upper Arlington Lutheran Church $2500 to establish its community garden to support the Hilliard Free Summer Lunch program and provide hunger relief programs for the Hilltop area.

Of course, I’m sinfully envious of the enormous Upper Arlington Lutheran Church, and its three campuses, large tract of vacant land on Mill Run in Hilliard, their large number of volunteers, their insurance coverage and how they did not have to constantly dig out an endless amount of construction debris. (Of course, I don't have to worry about deer, either). It’s hard for a suburban garden to win one of these awards.

The program had been scheduled to run from 6-9, but really only lasted from 6:30 until 8:30. We left behind a produce donation for the Plant a Row Program and took an herb seed packet donated by Foertmeyer and Sons Greenhouses.

SACG and Bexley Gardeners Attended GTG Awards Ceremony and Harvest Festival.

Last week, Barb, Barb’s sister, Betty, Joe and I attended the Growing to Green Awards Ceremony and Harvest Celebration at Franklin Park Conservatory. We were joined at our table by Betsy Johnson from the ACGA and a FPC volunteer. Barb has attended in past years and explained to us in advance the importance of bringing a substantial side dish since there would be a lot of people there who forgot to bring food. City BBQ catered and all of the food was delicious.

Before the ceremony began, Joe, Betty and I toured the new community garden campus that had opened the prior evening.

Bless his heart, the Mayor wanted us to nominate the Bexley Garden. I nominated the SACG for an award (because I need the money to build more raised beds along Cherry Street and to convert the SACG to a non-profit and won’t qualify for any grants since I am not a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization). Of course, I had no realistic expectations that the SACG would win an award because I’m not blind to the fact that when I make our weekly 12 or so pound produce donations to the LSS Choice Food Pantry and/or Faith Mission I often follow a 90 pound donation from the Four Seasons Farm. I figured that one of the Four Season Farm gardens or one of the twelve new gardens in the University District (which has been working with youth groups to establish urban farmers’ markets) would be prohibitive favorites.

Jim King from the Scotts Miracle Gro Company was the keynote speaker for the evening. He talked about his gardening experience from his youth and how Scotts was the market leader in every country in which they conducted business.

The awards:

Neighborhood Improvement Project of the Year. This $250 award (sponsored by GreenScapes Landscape Company) was to be awarded to the park, gateway, streetscape, school, or other community beautification project which did the most to benefit the surrounding community. It was awarded to Family Life St. Vincent de Paul Pantry Garden on Livingston Avenue. Most of us know this as the community garden at Christ the King Church – which received the Outstanding Community Garden of the Year last year in 2008. Its representative (probably Marjorie) explained how unexpected it was to receive another award in only the Garden’s third year of existence. She explained that the Garden had received a ten cubic yard mountain of top soil last year and it had become an eyesore because it was so tall and they did not know what to do with it. In the Spring, they decided to create flower beds surrounding the Garden and as they began to plant, neighbors spontaneously brought them seedlings and divided plants from their own gardens. See Christ The King Church Has Community Garden on Livingston Avenue near Bexley.

Education Garden of the Year. This $500 award (sponsored by the Hinson Family Trust) was to be awarded to the top garden at a school or other organization that utilizes garden projects for educational purposes. It was awarded to theYWCA Family Center Growing Home Community Garden on Harvey Court. Some people may know this as the successor to the Interfaith Hospitality Network. The representative explained that she had been hired to coordinate the gardening program even though she had no prior experience in gardening. She created five different edible gardens with a theme based on different geographic cultures. There was an asian garden, hispanic garden, african garden, etc. She would work with the children to explain about different foods grown and eaten in various parts of the world. The children – a different group of which circulates every 90 days – helped her plant, harvest and cook the food. Earlier in 2009, Scotts had awarded $2500 to the YWCA to establish this garden.

Paul B. Redman Youth Leadership Award. This $250 award (sponsored by the FPC Women’s Board) was given to an outstanding youth gardener (18 years or younger) to further his/her education and interest in gardening, or to make improvements in his/her community garden. It was awarded to Sedrick Dessin of the Highland Community Garden. His nomination explained that he helped a lot with planting and making zucchini bread. He was very, very cute.

Community Garden of the Year. This $500 award (sponsored by The Scotts-Miracle Gro Company) was to be awarded to the top neighborhood gardening project for beautification and/or food production. It was awarded to the Hilltop Highland Community Garden (at the intersection of Highland Avenue and Floral Avenue). Dan Downing (the Garden's leader) explained that this had been a true grass roots movement that began in response to the City closing the area recreational center. Like the SACG, they are located on an abandonned lot, but unlike the SACG, Dan rented heavy equipment to dig out the endless supply of construction debris. They hope to put a similar garden on every block in the Hilltop area. As mentioned below, Jim King spontaneously jumped up and increased the amount of the award by $2500 in product and funds from Scotts Miracle-Gro. (Scotts had earlier in 2009 awarded $2800 to Friends of the Hilltop to support community gardens through the Columbus Foundation grant application process which began in October 2008). They brought a large and joyful contingent with them to the awards ceremony.

Community Gardener of the Year. This $250 award for the community gardening project (sponsored by Chase Bank) was to be awarded on account of a person who is exceptionally dedicated to his/her neighborhood garden and/or the movement of community gardening in central Ohio. It was awarded to Kelly Hern of the Upper Arlington Lutheran Church Community Garden, which is on Mill Run Drive in Hilliard. The nomination explained that the Upper Arlington Lutheran Church Garden had donated approximately 1700 pounds of produce to area food banks. That’s a lot of zucchini and a lot of trips to the pantry. I figured that was probably 150 pounds of produce donated each week. Jim Smith was so moved that he jumped up and offered her $25 in product and funds from Scotts Miracle-Gro. (We know he meant more than that and he got up later and clarified that he meant $2500). Scotts had earlier in 2009 awarded the Upper Arlington Lutheran Church $2500 to establish its community garden to support the Hilliard Free Summer Lunch program and provide hunger relief programs for the Hilltop area.

Of course, I’m sinfully envious of the enormous Upper Arlington Lutheran Church, and its three campuses, large tract of vacant land on Mill Run in Hilliard, their large number of volunteers, their insurance coverage and how they did not have to constantly dig out an endless amount of construction debris. (Of course, I don't have to worry about deer, either). It’s hard for a suburban garden to win one of these awards.

The program had been scheduled to run from 6-9, but really only lasted from 6:30 until 8:30. We left behind a produce donation for the Plant a Row Program and took an herb seed packet donated by Foertmeyer and Sons Greenhouses.

Franklin Park Conservatory Opens Its New Community Garden Campus

The Dispatch reported this morning that the Franklin Park Conservatory opened its new community garden campus last night and has activities planned all weekend. Tonight is the Growing to Green Harvest Celebration and Awards Ceremony. Tomorrow is a field-to-table fundraising dinner (which is sold out). There will be classes and seminars, etc. on Saturday and Sunday as listed in the Dispatch.

Be sure to check out those water spickets in my pictures. We can only dream of those in Bexley:)

Franklin Park Conservatory Opens Its New Community Garden Campus

The Dispatch reported this morning that the Franklin Park Conservatory opened its new community garden campus last night and has activities planned all weekend. Tonight is the Growing to Green Harvest Celebration and Awards Ceremony. Tomorrow is a field-to-table fundraising dinner (which is sold out). There will be classes and seminars, etc. on Saturday and Sunday as listed in the Dispatch.

Be sure to check out those water spickets in my pictures. We can only dream of those in Bexley:)

Community Garden Soil Testing by OSU Chem Student

Rebecca mentioned to me about ten days ago that the Bexley Garden could get a free soil test from someone in the OSU Chemistry Department. We will definitely need this as we expand the Garden eastward. (We've had some soil testing already as reflected in a June posting here). Today, the Columbus Community Garden blog featured free soil testing for Columbus community gardens by an OSU Chemistry student. A coincidence? I don't know. But, here's more information about this student's great project. (I hope that she's getting classroom credit for this): OSU student garden soil testing website.

Soil testing is extremely important. Lead in particular can infect root crops (like my onions and potatoes) as well as herbs, spinach and lettuce. Fruit crops (like beans, tomatoes, watermelon, strawberries, etc.) are less at risk. A community garden in Buffalo, NY which had been in operation for more than 20 years discovered to its horror this summer that its soil had unhealthy levels of lead.

The City of Bexley had the Bexley Garden soil tested in April and May. I also sent soil samples from the Bexley and Stoddart Gardens to the University of Amherst in Massachusetts in June. See Garden Soil Test Results. However, that test did not test for arsenic.

Community Garden Soil Testing by OSU Chem Student

Rebecca mentioned to me about ten days ago that the Bexley Garden could get a free soil test from someone in the OSU Chemistry Department. We will definitely need this as we expand the Garden eastward. (We've had some soil testing already as reflected in a June posting here). Today, the Columbus Community Garden blog featured free soil testing for Columbus community gardens by an OSU Chemistry student. A coincidence? I don't know. But, here's more information about this student's great project. (I hope that she's getting classroom credit for this): OSU student garden soil testing website.

Soil testing is extremely important. Lead in particular can infect root crops (like my onions and potatoes) as well as herbs, spinach and lettuce. Fruit crops (like beans, tomatoes, watermelon, strawberries, etc.) are less at risk. A community garden in Buffalo, NY which had been in operation for more than 20 years discovered to its horror this summer that its soil had unhealthy levels of lead.

The City of Bexley had the Bexley Garden soil tested in April and May. I also sent soil samples from the Bexley and Stoddart Gardens to the University of Amherst in Massachusetts in June. See Garden Soil Test Results. However, that test did not test for arsenic.

Vegetable Frittata: A Weekend Harvest Breakfast

Since it’s a holiday, I decided to make something special for breakfast which incorporated a lot of the harvest sitting in my refrigerator (and some herbs from the garden and onions from the onion cellar):

Ingredients:

2 eggs
A few sprinkles of salt
½ cup milk
4 sliced mushrooms
½ cup diced zucchini
1 diced small red bell pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
A few sprigs of stripped thyme
1 chopped scallion (or half of a tiny white onion)
1 chopped small potato
A few generous squirts of lemon juice
¼ cup of shredded parmesan cheese (on sale this week at Kroger)

1. In a personal omelet pan, sauté over medium high heat the mushrooms, zucchini, potato, garlic, thyme, garlic, and onion in the lemon juice until the vegetables are tender and the liquid has been absorbed or evaporated.

2. While the vegees are sautéing, mix the eggs, milk and salt in a large cereal bowl. Set aside. Preheat the broiler on your oven. (You can step away from the kitchen for a few seconds).

3. Scrape the vegees into the egg mixture and stir in the parmesan cheese.

4. Spray the omelet pan with nonstick vegetable coating. Pour the egg/vege mixture into the pan and turn the heat down to medium. Cook for about two minutes (i.e., until the m mixture begins to separate from the side of the pan. The top will still be uncooked and runny.).

5. Remove the pan from the stove and put it in the oven under the broiler. (Not too close unless you’re in a hurry and plan to watch it like a hawk). Cook until evenly brown.

6. Remove from the broiler and slide a rubber spatula around the underside of the frittata to loosen. I cut mine into four pieces, but then ate two of them. I save the second half for tomorrow’s breakfast (or you can serve it to the rest of your household).

Vegetable Frittata: A Weekend Harvest Breakfast

Since it’s a holiday, I decided to make something special for breakfast which incorporated a lot of the harvest sitting in my refrigerator (and some herbs from the garden and onions from the onion cellar):

Ingredients:

2 eggs
A few sprinkles of salt
½ cup milk
4 sliced mushrooms
½ cup diced zucchini
1 diced small red bell pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
A few sprigs of stripped thyme
1 chopped scallion (or half of a tiny white onion)
1 chopped small potato
A few generous squirts of lemon juice
¼ cup of shredded parmesan cheese (on sale this week at Kroger)

1. In a personal omelet pan, sauté over medium high heat the mushrooms, zucchini, potato, garlic, thyme, garlic, and onion in the lemon juice until the vegetables are tender and the liquid has been absorbed or evaporated.

2. While the vegees are sautéing, mix the eggs, milk and salt in a large cereal bowl. Set aside. Preheat the broiler on your oven. (You can step away from the kitchen for a few seconds).

3. Scrape the vegees into the egg mixture and stir in the parmesan cheese.

4. Spray the omelet pan with nonstick vegetable coating. Pour the egg/vege mixture into the pan and turn the heat down to medium. Cook for about two minutes (i.e., until the m mixture begins to separate from the side of the pan. The top will still be uncooked and runny.).

5. Remove the pan from the stove and put it in the oven under the broiler. (Not too close unless you’re in a hurry and plan to watch it like a hawk). Cook until evenly brown.

6. Remove from the broiler and slide a rubber spatula around the underside of the frittata to loosen. I cut mine into four pieces, but then ate two of them. I save the second half for tomorrow’s breakfast (or you can serve it to the rest of your household).