ISO Volunteers to Plan Harvest Block Party

Is it too early to begin planning a harvest party (seeing as how we have not yet broken ground yet)? I don’t think so and want to hear from volunteers interested in planning a harvest block party for sometime in August or September. Maybe I’m showing my sorority roots (or my Covey-ish desire to begin with the end in mind), but there are a lot of details involved in planning a block party (like permits, petitions, games, activities, menus, etc.). Just email or call me if you’re interested in helping out.

ISO Volunteers to Plan Harvest Block Party

Is it too early to begin planning a harvest party (seeing as how we have not yet broken ground yet)? I don’t think so and want to hear from volunteers interested in planning a harvest block party for sometime in August or September. Maybe I’m showing my sorority roots (or my Covey-ish desire to begin with the end in mind), but there are a lot of details involved in planning a block party (like permits, petitions, games, activities, menus, etc.). Just email or call me if you’re interested in helping out.

Grow Your Own Ratatouille In This Year’s Vegetable Garden

Last year, I made ratatouille for the first time. You can guess that I was inspired by Disney’s Ratatouille- making rat. Not only was I surprised how good it was, but it was the first time that my young nieces and nephew begged to eat a purely vegetarian meal. They were shocked that I could make something supposedly so complicated that they really wanted to try it. Best of all, this is a meal that will keep months in the freezer and taste as good when it is reheated as it did on the day I first made it. I combined three different recipes to make my version (which I will post on this site during the harvest season), but if you want to grow your own ratatouille for your family (and freezer), you should plan on growing the following (all of which Stoddart Gardeners will be able to obtain from me – in seedling or seed form -- upon request at no charge): onions, garlic, eggplants, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, parsley, basil and oregano.

Sorry, I don’t think that we’ll be able to grow and make our own olive oil, salt or black pepper this year – so you’ll have to buy those ingredients on your own.

Grow Your Own Ratatouille In This Year’s Vegetable Garden

Last year, I made ratatouille for the first time. You can guess that I was inspired by Disney’s Ratatouille- making rat. Not only was I surprised how good it was, but it was the first time that my young nieces and nephew begged to eat a purely vegetarian meal. They were shocked that I could make something supposedly so complicated that they really wanted to try it. Best of all, this is a meal that will keep months in the freezer and taste as good when it is reheated as it did on the day I first made it. I combined three different recipes to make my version (which I will post on this site during the harvest season), but if you want to grow your own ratatouille for your family (and freezer), you should plan on growing the following (all of which Stoddart Gardeners will be able to obtain from me – in seedling or seed form -- upon request at no charge): onions, garlic, eggplants, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, parsley, basil and oregano.

Sorry, I don’t think that we’ll be able to grow and make our own olive oil, salt or black pepper this year – so you’ll have to buy those ingredients on your own.

Free Class at Dill's on Starting a Vegetable Garden on April 4

FYI. While I was cruising the internet and contemplating planting some spinach, lettuce, onions and garlic this weekend in my tiny backyard garden, I discovered that Dill's Greenhouse in Canal Winchester (or Groveport) is offering a free class on starting a vegetable garden on April 4, 2009 from 9-10 a.m. Dill’s Greenhouse is located down Route 33 at 5800 Rager Rd. Groveport, Ohio 43125. (I say Canal Winchester because the next exit is Canal Winchester). Their telephone is 614-836-3700. You can get more details from their website at http://www.dillsgreenhouse.net/index_files/Page2360.htm.

Of course, once you're finished with the class, you will rush (no faster than the speed limit) back to the Garden to help us tidy up before the tilling begins:)

Free Class at Dill's on Starting a Vegetable Garden on April 4

FYI. While I was cruising the internet and contemplating planting some spinach, lettuce, onions and garlic this weekend in my tiny backyard garden, I discovered that Dill's Greenhouse in Canal Winchester (or Groveport) is offering a free class on starting a vegetable garden on April 4, 2009 from 9-10 a.m. Dill’s Greenhouse is located down Route 33 at 5800 Rager Rd. Groveport, Ohio 43125. (I say Canal Winchester because the next exit is Canal Winchester). Their telephone is 614-836-3700. You can get more details from their website at http://www.dillsgreenhouse.net/index_files/Page2360.htm.

Of course, once you're finished with the class, you will rush (no faster than the speed limit) back to the Garden to help us tidy up before the tilling begins:)

Contemplation of Seeds and Water

Oh Joy! Today the mailman brought me two parcels which contained seeds for this year's garden. I also have lots of seeds leftover from last year. I don't think that I could use all of these seeds even if I planted the entire Garden plot all by myself, so I hope that other people will want to take many of these seeds off my hands (like zucchini, pimento peppers, silver queen sweet corn and green beans). No charge (but feel free to share with me any extra seeds that you have). I also received a lot of tomato seeds in the mail last week. Gardener Alysha is doing her level best to keep me from starting my indoor seeds too early. She doesn't plan to start hers until April 1, but I'll probably start mine a week or so before that. I am also trying to resist the temptation to buy a portable greenhouse from Lowes.

A number of people have expressed concern about gardening with us when they might have to bring their own water from home. As I mention at the bottom of this website, I pretty much did this last year and it was not as inconvenient as it sounds. In any event, we have received a small grant, so we will be able to have FOUR rain barrels on the Garden site. If we get even luckier, one of the neighbors might let us hook the barrels up to their downspout and fill up with the roof rain water which would otherwise drain into a storm sewer. I also have yet another rain barrel for my own plot (which I will fill throughout the Spring and Summer with rain water that I will collect from the three rain barrels already connected to my own house and garage downspouts), so these barrels should go a long way to satisfying our water needs and cut down on any need to bring water from home. However, once the barrels are emptied, you'll have to bring water from home until it rains enough again to fill them back up:)

Contemplation of Seeds and Water

Oh Joy! Today the mailman brought me two parcels which contained seeds for this year's garden. I also have lots of seeds leftover from last year. I don't think that I could use all of these seeds even if I planted the entire Garden plot all by myself, so I hope that other people will want to take many of these seeds off my hands (like zucchini, pimento peppers, silver queen sweet corn and green beans). No charge (but feel free to share with me any extra seeds that you have). I also received a lot of tomato seeds in the mail last week. Gardener Alysha is doing her level best to keep me from starting my indoor seeds too early. She doesn't plan to start hers until April 1, but I'll probably start mine a week or so before that. I am also trying to resist the temptation to buy a portable greenhouse from Lowes.

A number of people have expressed concern about gardening with us when they might have to bring their own water from home. As I mention at the bottom of this website, I pretty much did this last year and it was not as inconvenient as it sounds. In any event, we have received a small grant, so we will be able to have FOUR rain barrels on the Garden site. If we get even luckier, one of the neighbors might let us hook the barrels up to their downspout and fill up with the roof rain water which would otherwise drain into a storm sewer. I also have yet another rain barrel for my own plot (which I will fill throughout the Spring and Summer with rain water that I will collect from the three rain barrels already connected to my own house and garage downspouts), so these barrels should go a long way to satisfying our water needs and cut down on any need to bring water from home. However, once the barrels are emptied, you'll have to bring water from home until it rains enough again to fill them back up:)

ISO Garden Plot Sharing Family

We have a Christ Church family who would like to garden with us this summer, but will be gone for a few weeks on vacation and visiting family. As a result, they would like to share a plot (and the planting, weeding, watering, and harvesting duties) with another family. If this sounds like a plan to you, contact the Garden Manager to put you in touch.

ISO Garden Plot Sharing Family

We have a Christ Church family who would like to garden with us this summer, but will be gone for a few weeks on vacation and visiting family. As a result, they would like to share a plot (and the planting, weeding, watering, and harvesting duties) with another family. If this sounds like a plan to you, contact the Garden Manager to put you in touch.