Trying to End on a Positive Note

As October and my time on Stoddart Avenue wind down, I am hoping to end on a positive note.   One of our gardeners ended up donating over 75 pounds (of mostly tomatoes) and that has helped us to exceed the number of pounds of fresh produce we collectively donated last year and we still have two more weeks to go with radishes, herbs, beets and turnips left to harvest.   Despite the forecasted cold weather coming on Friday, I am hopeful that we will get the Garden cleaned up by the end of the season, although only three of us have cleaned out our plots so far.   The City is removing the water meter today (so I do not have to worry about it freezing over the winter and we won't be charged for having it every month).   I emptied the tall rain cistern yesterday and turned off the downspout diverter to the big tank. 

A Capital University sorority was supposed to volunteer on Saturday to make up for their earlier

volunteer date which was rained out, but they cancelled on Thursday.  It was just as well, because they would have gotten rained out again.  (Note to self; invite Capital students during the next drought because they apparently make it rain).   I ended up declining our Environmental Court Community Service volunteers because of the weather as well.   But, the kids from across the street came over yesterday while I was there to hold the bags while I harvested lettuce and dill weed.   They received a bag of fresh leaf lettuce for their troubles.  

As reflected on our charts, I have taken most of our produce donations to Faith Mission's homeless shelter this year.  It is the only place in Central Ohio that serves at least two free meals every day 365 days each year.  It is also the only place open to accepting fresh produce donations on Saturday afternoons when I am able to make the deliveries.  They take produce donations until 5 p.m. every day.   I have the court volunteers until at least noon every day and sometimes until 2 or 3 p.m., so I cannot make the deliveries before then, but I get criticized nonetheless for not accommodating other food pantries that have only weekday hours, and/or close before noon on Saturdays.  Last year, I tried to organize our gardeners to supervise the volunteers earlier in the day so that I could make the donations before noon, but they did nothing but whine about it and it became more trouble than it was worth.   

I have joined another community garden and they do not have an organized produce donation
system.  The coordinator (who is retired) tends several food pantry plots, makes the donations when it suits her schedule and does not attempt to organize the other gardeners so that she can also deliver their donations on a set schedule.  They still donated over 1000 pounds this year, but it has exhausted her and she plans to cut back by at least half next year.    She even asked me to take over from her in 2021.  Ha ha.  There is no perfect system and we community gardeners simply do not have enough experienced hands to help us.  This is particularly true of those of us who work during the week and can only garden on the evenings and weekends.  

I told our Board of Trustees in August that this will be my last year managing the Stoddart Avenue Community Garden.  It has been 11 seasons and it is time for new blood.  We have been trying to find someone else to manage the Garden since 2013 or to expand and reorganize the Board, but we are not having much success.  Too many of the new neighbors look to me to be providing a service to them (as though I get paid for any of this), instead of joining to provide a service to their community.  Lots of people stop by every month asking about joining and getting a plot, but no one wants to be tied to a set schedule or to manage the Garden.   Unless someone else or a team steps up, the SACG will close for good in two weeks and there will be no more produce grown or donated for ourselves, the community or the hungry.  While this makes me sad, I am exhausted and burned out.  I hate to see our orchard of 5 peach trees, 4 apple trees, 2 plum trees, 4 tart cherry trees, 3 bing cherry trees, 2 grape vines and 350 feet of black raspberry bushes go to waste, not to mention the blueberry bushes and strawberry patch.  The neighborhood kids and many others have enjoyed them over the years and I'd like to think that we have improved the quality of life for some people, even if only temporarily.  

An downtown retiree contacted me recently about donating his coffee grounds.  He used to garden at the Franklin County Community Garden downtown (on Town Street), but it closed.   He liked our platform raised garden beds.  I invited him to manage the Garden and he's considering it as long as there isn't any heavy lifting.    But I have not heard from him in the past week.    We have reached out to the OSU Master Gardeners, the Conservatory and just anyone we know who has ever grown their own food.   If enough people got together and divided up the responsibilities, it would be more manageable because many hands make light work.  But, like at most community gardens, most of the work tends to fall on one or two people.   I still have a few ideas, but if anyone reading this wants to see the Garden continue, NOW is the time to step up.