Three Season Gardening?

It is official.  There will be no Spring in 2018.  We have gone straight from winter to summer at the Stoddart Avenue Community Garden.   Our berries are forming, despite the late start, but we have not had bees to pollinate our cherries or strawberries, so I am not seeing many.  The raspberry branches have not had time to grow taller than my waist, but they are already forming berries because of the heat.   My beans sprouted and formed seed leaves in mere days.   Meanwhile, our volunteers are wilting by lunchtime.    Nonetheless, this is the busiest time of the year and this week was no exception.

Late Sunday night, Cathy texted me about the Big Tulip Dig at Franklin Park Conservatory being the next morning.  We went two years ago, but last year it was cold and rainy.  Although I had real work to do, I love digging up and replanting beautiful tulips.  So, we went over Monday morning and dug up tulips for an hour.  Actually, Cathy dug and I pulled and bagged.  We should have stayed another hour (as Cathy wanted to do)  because there wasn’t much of a crowd and there were many more tulips left to dig.  I planted a few at home, but most of my share went to the SACG.  Amy helped me to plant them in our front and south flower beds.  I planted a few more in the center flower bed.  I think the pink tulips will look exceptionally pretty in front of our new, grey picket fence.

On Wednesday, I started planting in my plot with tomatoes.  Sabrina came and was able to snag a few extras (like Brandywines, celebrities, beefstake, Ohio Belgian, etc.  On Saturday, I also put in my eggplant and some peppers and a few more tomatoes, as well as my cucumbers, zucchini and winter squash.  Tomorrow night, I plan to finish with 3 more tomatoes and peppers and pole beans.   My earlier plantings are not doing well.  That is probably because I cannot remember where the rows are . . . . .   Former gardeners Stan and Jeannie both stopped by to say hello, but I could not twist their arms to stay and garden  . . . . 

Amy came for a while on Saturday and helped weed the center flower bed.  I then got to mulch it and the south bed.    I should have worn sun screen because I got a sunburned farmer’s tan after being at the SACG for 10 hours on Saturday.  Ron at Ohio Mulch even mocked me about it on Sunday.  Gee whiz.  One neighbor stopped by and asked about taking some wood chips for his house.  We got him shovels and offered to help him. He wanted to get his wheelbarrow tire pumped and to do it when it got cooler.    Another neighbor came by and asked to have flowers for her mother for the holiday.  I was exhausted and loading up the car, but what’s a girl to do . . . .  She got her flowers.  I was too dirty and hot for a hug.

Our four Community Service volunteers arrived with bells on.  One lady was psyched to pick up litter in the blocks around the SACG.  She brought back four or five bags.  She commented that it was one of the cleaner neighborhoods that she had been in and she found everyone – including Pastor Brown next door – to be very nice.   One gentleman mowed our lawn and the Block Watch lots, helped me with the fence straightening project, and trimmed around the flower beds and blueberry bushes, etc.  One lady (who also volunteered with us last week) weeded one of the neighbor beds and a pantry plot.   And, she said that she wanted to come and help me again so that she can learn even more.  (She used to work at Strader's last year).  Another girl weeded and weeded and watered our new trees.    It’s been a dry month at the SACG.  As in the past, most of the storms that hit Franklin County pass us by.  (This excited our sole gentleman because he HATES rain).    I wanted to get the Garden tidied up because a professional photographer was coming by to take pictures for the Old Towne East Home and Garden tour brochures. 

Sabrina came by on Sunday and used the debris that Hillary and Jake dug up to plug holes in chain link fence in case that groundhog returns.  She also tidied up the path edging so that it does not look like we just threw rocks around.    Amy returned on Monday to carry out the lawn waste bags to the curb.  They are always over-filled and often break (requiring us to get another bag and re-fill it).   She wasn’t really dressed for that at the time.

Today, I drove to Bethel Road for the annual Half-Price Books children’s book drive give-away.  A few years ago, the cars were lined up for over a mile to get two large boxes of free books for our Free Little Library.  The last couple of years, however, I have not had to wait even one minute.   There was no line at all.  You have to pay attention to the HPB emailed ads for when they announce the give away and to register in advance.  Any non-profit and school is eligible for the free books.  The Half-Pint Library give away is usually at their warehouse in Hilliard, but this year it was at the Bethel Road store in a strip mall.  We are extremely appreciative.

We received lots of good news this week, but I cannot share it all at this time.  Right now, I am enjoying a rare extended rain storm.  Whoo hoo.  I had just called Seth at the Land Bank this afternoon inquiring about getting a free refill of our rain cistern because we are out of water!  That’s why it’s raining now;-)   We have 10 volunteers coming on Thursday from the United Methodist Women’s day of service.  We plan on planting the food pantry and neighbor plots with tomatoes, peppers, root crops (like carrots, beets, and turnips), beans, melons, and squash, to assemble and tidy up our herb garden, hopefully divide some overgrown lilies that are growing into a rose bush, maybe plant some corn and possibly weed the strawberry patch.   There is always a lot to do and I’m glad that Sabrina is coming to help, too.  

The Columbus Landmarks Foundation identified one of favorite photography subjects as one of the 10 most endangered sites in Columbus:  the former Holy Rosary Church and school, now known as Rock of Faith Baptist Church across the street from the SACG.  The Rectory was an 1840's farmhouse that was part of the Underground Railroad.