Stoddart Avenue Community Garden

A vacant lot on Stoddart Avenue provides a place to grow flowers, fruits and vegetables of the gardener's own choice. (The garden is 4 blocks west of Alum Creek Drive/Bexley and 1/4 block north of E. Main St.). All gardeners are encouraged to donate a portion of their produce to a local food pantry. (See 7/7/11 Post: Plant a Row to Feed the Hungry By Donating Garden Produce to Food Pantries). To participate, contact the Garden Manager. Also see the FAQ at the bottom of this site.

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Cookie’s OK, but Watermelon is Good too on a Hot Day

As we round into mid-September at the Stoddart Avenue Community Garden, we’re slowing it down a gear this year. A couple of gardeners are already cleaning out their plots. A few of us have planted crops for our third season. I’m taking a cue from the St. Vincent de Paul pantry garden (after the August heat fried my spinach and lettuce) and invested in some row covers to protect my greens and lettuce from the sun and bugs. We harvested a nice-sized watermelon from the kids patch and the beans we planted in July are finally starting to produce. And, Ms. D’s cat, Cookie, has been pampered at her new foster home.

We usually have a melon patch for the kids in the corner of the Garden. Last year, the pumpkins

took over, so I banned pumpkins this year. We planted cantaloupe and watermelon, but only the watermelons took off. One sneaky bugger got really big without our noticing. However, it’s taken me weeks to get the kids together to share it. I finally threatened to donate it to the food pantry and that brought a gaggle of kids over to eat it last Wednesday.

My niece also sent me a picture of Cookie, who has put on several pounds since we last saw her. She has made a new friend at her foster family. When she lived with Rose, she was friends with her dog, Brandy. Now, she has a new canine friend to keep her company.

On Saturday, we have almost a dozen Capital University students coming to help us weed, harvest and start cleaning up. South came by to see if I’ll have any big strong work for him to do, too. We need to plant our grape vines, but I doubt that I’ll have time to pick them up before then . . . .

In the meantime, I've been putting my new dehydrator to use drying serrano, jalapeno, ghost and cayenne peppers so that I can grind my own chili powder.

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Thanks To SACG's Supporters

Scotts Miracle-Gro Community Garden Fund of The Columbus Foundation -- The Cougar Group -- The Columbus Public Health Department's Institute for Active Living -- Thrivent for Lutherans -- Oakland Nursery -- Members of Christ Lutheran Church -- Wrights Tree Service -- Bill Griffith -- Rain Brothers -- Kurtz Bros. -- Girl Scout Troop #1661 -- Build The Bridge of Ohio, Org. -- Trudeau's Fence Company -- Bowden Fence Company -- Home Depot at US 33 and Gender Rd. in Canal Winchester -- Jim Zeier -- Livingston Seeds -- Homeless Families Foundation -- Christopher Hogan, Esq. -- U-Haul on East Main Street -- Barb & Frank Carter -- Potsabilities -- Alexander Family -- Growing to Green -- community garden program of Franklin Park Conservatory -- Crimson Cup -- Dwain Penny -- The City of Columbus -- Urban Connections -- Highland Youth Community Garden -- GreenScapes Landscaping Company -- Tree King Services -- Davey Tree Services -- Bexley Pizza Plus -- Lowe's Home Improvement store on East Broad Street -- Artist John Sunami -- McClellan Family -- Kroger's on East Main Street -- Half-Price Books in Upper Arlington -- Barb Neubig -- Penny Miller -- Whole Foods on Lane Avenue -- Emily Spector's Read to Succeed Foundation -- Donley Complete Tree Care -- Joelle Khouzam -- Neal Barkan -- Cathy & Jason Alexander -- Kim Yee -- Keep Columbus Beautiful -- Kennco Properties -- Amy Thompson -- Mid-Ohio Food Bank Urban Agriculture Grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service's People’s Garden Initiative -- First Congregational Church

Food Pantry Donations

For 2019, SACG gardeners collectively donated over 605 pounds pounds of fresh produce. Since breaking ground, we have collectively donated over 5460 pounds of produce -- mostly this year to Faith Mission as well as to the Salvation Army, and Victory Ministries off East Main Street. (This does not include produce provided upon request to people stopping by the SACG). A list identifying the names, addresses and donation hours of some shelters, soup kitchens and food pantries in Central Ohio which accept garden produce for their clients is included on the June 18, 2014, June 27, 2013, June 26, 2012, July 7, 2011, March 2, 2010 and March 20, 2009 postings on this blog. Nearby organizations seeking fresh produce for charitable donations on Saturdays should contact the Garden Manager.

Wish List

If you have extra and wish to help out a good cause, SACG could put your generosity to good use. The SACG is a non-profit corporation organized under Ohio law and is exempt from income tax as a public charity under § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations, gifts and contributions to the SACG are tax deductible.

Trowels, hand pruners and watering cans. We never seem to have enough when more than two gardeners are here.

A cordless weed wacker (to keep those edges sharp).

Yard Waste bags We never have enough.

Patio Umbrella to replace the one destroyed by the 2018 tornado.

Bench because our ancient bench donated in 2009 has broken slats and tired & hot gardeners need a place to sit.

Books for our Free Little Library, including children's, chapter books, young adult, cook books, DIY and home improvement, novels, etc.

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Cookie’s OK, but Watermelon is Good too on a Hot Day

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