Hot Day in the FPC Corral: City-County Community Garden Grant Awards Cause Fainting

Yesterday was an exciting day for the Stoddart Avenue Community Garden. First, Bexley electrician Mitch Stewart fixed the grouchy Garden Manager’s 25-year old air-conditioner in less than ten minutes – a new personal record – and a godsend on a day that reached 90 degrees. (Thanks Mitch!) Then, over 100 bags of mulch, top soil, garden soil, and hummus donated to the SACG by Scotts Miracle-Gro was delivered by Justin and Juan (as promised by CEO John and scheduled by Jimmy) from CleanTurn International LLC. Picking up, transporting, unloading and stacking all of those bags would have been very difficult for the SACG team on the tight schedule provided by FPC (i.e., only Thursday afternoon or Saturday morning), so we are extremely appreciative that CleanTurn volunteered to pick up and deliver the Scotts Miracle-Gro donation for any community garden that asked. We are also appreciative of the fact that FPC permitted CleanTurn to start their deliveries in the morning because there were so many gardens who received similar donations. (In fact, my orange-clad Juan and Justin CleanTurn team had been working since 8 a.m. and had been to the American Addition community garden off Joyce Avenue before coming to the SACG). As hot as it was when Justin and Juan arrived at 11:40, I’m sure it was much hotter later in the afternoon when the rest of the gardens received their materials. We were also blessed that new guy, Frances, was strolling around Build the Bridge of Ohio next door and jumped in to help Justin and Juan unload the truck.

As a personal observation, that Justin is one strong dude. On Monday, I had built a 4x6 platform raised garden bed out of cedar. However, it was still upside down and I did not have the strength to turn it over without damaging it so that I could finish the last side and add the bench seats. Barb and Cathy both stopped by the SACG on Wednesday and offered to help me, but I didn’t think we could do it even together. I figured the CleanTurn guys would be strong enough and suggested to Justin that this garden damsel in distress needed some help. Instead of waiting for Juan to come back with the truck, Justin pretty much lifted the entire bed with one arm, twirled it over his head and then set it down on all four legs facing the correct direction. Ok. I’m exaggerating a bit. But he flipped it all by himself without breaking it. I have been reduced to an all new level of puniness.

Then, it was off to beautiful Franklin Park Conservatory for the award ceremony of the community garden grants collectively awarded by the City of Columbus, Franklin County, 5/3 Bank, the Columbus Foundation and Franklin Park Conservatory. There were approximately 200 community gardeners and other officials (like Dr. Teresa Long, Ms. Seckler, etc.). According to the official press release, there were 76 applicants (all of whom generously received requested product from Scotts Miracle-Gro) and 43 of the applicants received funding.   I walked in with some teachers from Lincoln Park Elementary School who had received a grant to upgrade their school garden. There were a lot of other school teachers there, too, from Whetstone and folks from Otterbein College and Southside Settlement. There was a long line to check in (because, if you did not arrange for CleanTurn to deliver your product, you received your donated Scotts Miracle-Gro materials in the order you checked in).  It quickly became apparent that this would be a hot and sunny day, so I put on my garden hat to hide the fact I was melting into a very bad hair day. Peggy was graciously shuttling between the refreshment line and the check-in line to make sure we were all hydrated. (Thanks Peggy!). Bill Dawson was also on hand to personally greet every garden leader and ask detailed questions to show-off his memory of all things personal.

The SACG received a grant to build platform raised garden beds, start a fruit orchard, support the Block Watch garden across the street and replenish our neighbor plots. I’ve attached a picture of the very pretty Certificate of Honor and Recognition for the SACG signed by Columbus Mayor Coleman and City Council President Ginther. Of course, all of the gardens in attendance received one. I ran into the Growing Hearts and Hands Community Garden leaders en masse (i.e., Pepper, KT and Richard) and heard about all of the different groups and organizations that send them volunteers to help with their program. The Rebuilding Together Tool Library team also has an impressive produce garden in front of their warehouse and was in attendance (having shut down for the afternoon to pick up their donated materials). I also picked up a snazzy water bottle from the Columbus Health Department and an apron and useful fan from 5/3 Bank.

Speaking of 5/3 Bank, they had dozens and dozens of volunteers on hand to handle check-in and keep things moving. The ceremony was scheduled for May 3 because it was, after all, 5/3 Day.

Then, there was a very formal ceremony. The podium was in the hot sun and there were small tents for the VIPs (in suits and ties). The rest of us (in much more casual and comfortable clothing) struggled with finding a shady spot that was close enough to the podium to hear the speakers.  I stayed close to the Epworth Methodist gardening goddess.   The 5/3 volunteers were clearly not used to working in such heat and stayed up front and close to the podium while we hardened gardeners flocked to the back (and the shade). FPC’s Bruce kicked things off. He announced that the American Public Garden Association conference would be in Columbus in June and explained that the American Community Garden Association had relocated its headquarters to FPC because of the wide community support for community gardens in Central Ohio.

Franklin County Commissioner John O’Grady credited the public-private partnerships in Central Ohio for making the grant awards possible for so many local community gardens. He was particularly excited about the partnerships which include UWCO, Franklinton Community Garden and others for making fresh produce available in local food deserts. He said “good things grow together.” Catchy.

City Councilperson Priscilla Tyson then spoke. I have to admit that I could not hear much of what she said. She talked about the beginnings of the community garden grant program and began thanking supporters by name. There were some people in the back (and I knew each and every one of them) who were conversing loudly because they assumed that if they could not hear from back there, they wouldn’t be disturbing anyone. Of course, that wasn’t true and those of us ten feet closer to the action had to shush them. Really people. However, the real excitement of the afternoon came when one of the 5/3 volunteers – bless her heart – fainted soon after Mrs. Tyson stood up. She was quickly helped to her feet, but I had to practically pull her back into the shade b/c she didn’t want to be any trouble. (People suffering from heat stroke cannot be expected to exercise good judgment). Other 5/3 volunteers found a shady place for her to sit, formed a fan brigade around her to create a cool breeze and others brought her water to drink. Not to be outdone, Peggy found really cold water for her. After the ceremony ended, Dr. Long sauntered back to check on her, too. I bet she never forgets this 5/3 day:)

There were some boys who looked like the Jonas Brothers talking about their garden. Then, Bill Dawson closed the ceremony by making all of us come up for a giant group picture and the gardening O-H cheer: O-H-I-Grow. He also explained how the distribution of the materials would work for those organizations that did not arrange for CleanTurn to deliver their donations. There was some grumbling from some of the gardens about not knowing about CleanTurn’s offer (to which I explained that they should have attended the GCGC meeting at the Columbus Foundation explaining the process and CleanTurn’s offer and then told them when and where the next GCGC meeting would be). There were a lot of organizations who were then going to have to spend that hot afternoon loading and unloading heavy bags. They were very lucky to have lots of 5/3 volunteers on hand to help them because the groups picking up their materials on Saturday were not going to have any help. I, on the other hand, sauntered back to my car and my air-conditioned house to prepare for the next phase of the day.

I picked up additional supplies at Lowe’s and then returned to the SACG to finish the first platform raised bed (built entirely with seriously expensive cedar lumber that was donated by Lowe’s Home Improvement Store on East Broad Street). Gardener Mike had cut notches into two of the boards to make room for the legs. Two neighbor girls stopped by while I was applying glue around the joints, stapling garden fabric in as a lining (with a stapler borrowed for free from Rebuilding Together) and then emptying five bags of top soil into it to stabilize it. (Did you know that the Scotts top soil also has peat in it? No wonder it’s more expensive than generic). Again, I am so puny. A second grader can carry and empty a bag of top soil all by herself and even I find that to be an effort. Oh well.

On Saturday morning, we will be building two more of these raised platform beds: One with cedar lumber donated again by Lowe’s and one with lumber purchased with our new grant and all filled with donated Scotts Miracle-Grow products.   We will also be building some regular raised beds for the kids in our fledgling 4-H program and maybe a compost bin (built with cedar lumber donated by Trudeau Fence Company in Hilliard).   We could always use more volunteers to help make these projects go faster:) The work is not that difficult, as evidenced by the fact that I could do it by myself with the help of a second-grader and kindergartener.  But many hands make light work.

Hot Day in the FPC Corral: City-County Community Garden Grant Awards Cause Fainting

Yesterday was an exciting day for the Stoddart Avenue Community Garden. First, Bexley electrician Mitch Stewart fixed the grouchy Garden Manager’s 25-year old air-conditioner in less than ten minutes – a new personal record – and a godsend on a day that reached 90 degrees. (Thanks Mitch!) Then, over 100 bags of mulch, top soil, garden soil, and hummus donated to the SACG by Scotts Miracle-Gro was delivered by Justin and Juan (as promised by CEO John and scheduled by Jimmy) from CleanTurn International LLC. Picking up, transporting, unloading and stacking all of those bags would have been very difficult for the SACG team on the tight schedule provided by FPC (i.e., only Thursday afternoon or Saturday morning), so we are extremely appreciative that CleanTurn volunteered to pick up and deliver the Scotts Miracle-Gro donation for any community garden that asked. We are also appreciative of the fact that FPC permitted CleanTurn to start their deliveries in the morning because there were so many gardens who received similar donations. (In fact, my orange-clad Juan and Justin CleanTurn team had been working since 8 a.m. and had been to the American Addition community garden off Joyce Avenue before coming to the SACG). As hot as it was when Justin and Juan arrived at 11:40, I’m sure it was much hotter later in the afternoon when the rest of the gardens received their materials. We were also blessed that new guy, Frances, was strolling around Build the Bridge of Ohio next door and jumped in to help Justin and Juan unload the truck.

As a personal observation, that Justin is one strong dude. On Monday, I had built a 4x6 platform raised garden bed out of cedar. However, it was still upside down and I did not have the strength to turn it over without damaging it so that I could finish the last side and add the bench seats. Barb and Cathy both stopped by the SACG on Wednesday and offered to help me, but I didn’t think we could do it even together. I figured the CleanTurn guys would be strong enough and suggested to Justin that this garden damsel in distress needed some help. Instead of waiting for Juan to come back with the truck, Justin pretty much lifted the entire bed with one arm, twirled it over his head and then set it down on all four legs facing the correct direction. Ok. I’m exaggerating a bit. But he flipped it all by himself without breaking it. I have been reduced to an all new level of puniness.

Then, it was off to beautiful Franklin Park Conservatory for the award ceremony of the community garden grants collectively awarded by the City of Columbus, Franklin County, 5/3 Bank, the Columbus Foundation and Franklin Park Conservatory. There were approximately 200 community gardeners and other officials (like Dr. Teresa Long, Ms. Seckler, etc.). According to the official press release, there were 76 applicants (all of whom generously received requested product from Scotts Miracle-Gro) and 43 of the applicants received funding.   I walked in with some teachers from Lincoln Park Elementary School who had received a grant to upgrade their school garden. There were a lot of other school teachers there, too, from Whetstone and folks from Otterbein College and Southside Settlement. There was a long line to check in (because, if you did not arrange for CleanTurn to deliver your product, you received your donated Scotts Miracle-Gro materials in the order you checked in).  It quickly became apparent that this would be a hot and sunny day, so I put on my garden hat to hide the fact I was melting into a very bad hair day. Peggy was graciously shuttling between the refreshment line and the check-in line to make sure we were all hydrated. (Thanks Peggy!). Bill Dawson was also on hand to personally greet every garden leader and ask detailed questions to show-off his memory of all things personal.

The SACG received a grant to build platform raised garden beds, start a fruit orchard, support the Block Watch garden across the street and replenish our neighbor plots. I’ve attached a picture of the very pretty Certificate of Honor and Recognition for the SACG signed by Columbus Mayor Coleman and City Council President Ginther. Of course, all of the gardens in attendance received one. I ran into the Growing Hearts and Hands Community Garden leaders en masse (i.e., Pepper, KT and Richard) and heard about all of the different groups and organizations that send them volunteers to help with their program. The Rebuilding Together Tool Library team also has an impressive produce garden in front of their warehouse and was in attendance (having shut down for the afternoon to pick up their donated materials). I also picked up a snazzy water bottle from the Columbus Health Department and an apron and useful fan from 5/3 Bank.

Speaking of 5/3 Bank, they had dozens and dozens of volunteers on hand to handle check-in and keep things moving. The ceremony was scheduled for May 3 because it was, after all, 5/3 Day.

Then, there was a very formal ceremony. The podium was in the hot sun and there were small tents for the VIPs (in suits and ties). The rest of us (in much more casual and comfortable clothing) struggled with finding a shady spot that was close enough to the podium to hear the speakers.  I stayed close to the Epworth Methodist gardening goddess.   The 5/3 volunteers were clearly not used to working in such heat and stayed up front and close to the podium while we hardened gardeners flocked to the back (and the shade). FPC’s Bruce kicked things off. He announced that the American Public Garden Association conference would be in Columbus in June and explained that the American Community Garden Association had relocated its headquarters to FPC because of the wide community support for community gardens in Central Ohio.

Franklin County Commissioner John O’Grady credited the public-private partnerships in Central Ohio for making the grant awards possible for so many local community gardens. He was particularly excited about the partnerships which include UWCO, Franklinton Community Garden and others for making fresh produce available in local food deserts. He said “good things grow together.” Catchy.

City Councilperson Priscilla Tyson then spoke. I have to admit that I could not hear much of what she said. She talked about the beginnings of the community garden grant program and began thanking supporters by name. There were some people in the back (and I knew each and every one of them) who were conversing loudly because they assumed that if they could not hear from back there, they wouldn’t be disturbing anyone. Of course, that wasn’t true and those of us ten feet closer to the action had to shush them. Really people. However, the real excitement of the afternoon came when one of the 5/3 volunteers – bless her heart – fainted soon after Mrs. Tyson stood up. She was quickly helped to her feet, but I had to practically pull her back into the shade b/c she didn’t want to be any trouble. (People suffering from heat stroke cannot be expected to exercise good judgment). Other 5/3 volunteers found a shady place for her to sit, formed a fan brigade around her to create a cool breeze and others brought her water to drink. Not to be outdone, Peggy found really cold water for her. After the ceremony ended, Dr. Long sauntered back to check on her, too. I bet she never forgets this 5/3 day:)

There were some boys who looked like the Jonas Brothers talking about their garden. Then, Bill Dawson closed the ceremony by making all of us come up for a giant group picture and the gardening O-H cheer: O-H-I-Grow. He also explained how the distribution of the materials would work for those organizations that did not arrange for CleanTurn to deliver their donations. There was some grumbling from some of the gardens about not knowing about CleanTurn’s offer (to which I explained that they should have attended the GCGC meeting at the Columbus Foundation explaining the process and CleanTurn’s offer and then told them when and where the next GCGC meeting would be). There were a lot of organizations who were then going to have to spend that hot afternoon loading and unloading heavy bags. They were very lucky to have lots of 5/3 volunteers on hand to help them because the groups picking up their materials on Saturday were not going to have any help. I, on the other hand, sauntered back to my car and my air-conditioned house to prepare for the next phase of the day.

I picked up additional supplies at Lowe’s and then returned to the SACG to finish the first platform raised bed (built entirely with seriously expensive cedar lumber that was donated by Lowe’s Home Improvement Store on East Broad Street). Gardener Mike had cut notches into two of the boards to make room for the legs. Two neighbor girls stopped by while I was applying glue around the joints, stapling garden fabric in as a lining (with a stapler borrowed for free from Rebuilding Together) and then emptying five bags of top soil into it to stabilize it. (Did you know that the Scotts top soil also has peat in it? No wonder it’s more expensive than generic). Again, I am so puny. A second grader can carry and empty a bag of top soil all by herself and even I find that to be an effort. Oh well.

On Saturday morning, we will be building two more of these raised platform beds: One with cedar lumber donated again by Lowe’s and one with lumber purchased with our new grant and all filled with donated Scotts Miracle-Grow products.   We will also be building some regular raised beds for the kids in our fledgling 4-H program and maybe a compost bin (built with cedar lumber donated by Trudeau Fence Company in Hilliard).   We could always use more volunteers to help make these projects go faster:) The work is not that difficult, as evidenced by the fact that I could do it by myself with the help of a second-grader and kindergartener.  But many hands make light work.

There’s Nothing About a Chilly and Cloudy Day That Can’t Be Fixed by Speedy Bean Soup

After tricking us into believing an early summer had arrived, Spring has returned with a vengeance this weekend and forced my seedlings back inside. Chilly, cloudy, damp and brrrrr. However, I put ¾ bag of dried white beans in my mini slow cooker last night before I went to bed. And when I returned from church, I heated up some olive oil with 2 cloves of chopped garlic in a sauce pan, added 12 ounces of cooked beans, topped it with chopped rosemary and freshly ground pepper, added a cup of chicken stock (that I made in December), brought it to a boil, simmered for 10 minutes and then pureed the soup with my magic wand. Oh nirvana. Just what the doctor ordered. Fast and hot. Makes 2 servings of 200 calories, 6 grams of dietary fiber and 16 grams of protein (but 19 grams of total carbohydrates).

I’ll marinate the rest of the beans in a Dijon vinaigrette and mix with artichoke hearts, black and green olives, and roasted red peppers and then add it to a lunch salad (of romaine and spinach) later in the week. Who can notice the clouds with cheerful and versatile beans on hand?

Of course, I’ll be planting beans like these in another week to 10 days just to ensure my continued happiness when winter returns next year.

There’s Nothing About a Chilly and Cloudy Day That Can’t Be Fixed by Speedy Bean Soup

After tricking us into believing an early summer had arrived, Spring has returned with a vengeance this weekend and forced my seedlings back inside. Chilly, cloudy, damp and brrrrr. However, I put ¾ bag of dried white beans in my mini slow cooker last night before I went to bed. And when I returned from church, I heated up some olive oil with 2 cloves of chopped garlic in a sauce pan, added 12 ounces of cooked beans, topped it with chopped rosemary and freshly ground pepper, added a cup of chicken stock (that I made in December), brought it to a boil, simmered for 10 minutes and then pureed the soup with my magic wand. Oh nirvana. Just what the doctor ordered. Fast and hot. Makes 2 servings of 200 calories, 6 grams of dietary fiber and 16 grams of protein (but 19 grams of total carbohydrates).

I’ll marinate the rest of the beans in a Dijon vinaigrette and mix with artichoke hearts, black and green olives, and roasted red peppers and then add it to a lunch salad (of romaine and spinach) later in the week. Who can notice the clouds with cheerful and versatile beans on hand?

Of course, I’ll be planting beans like these in another week to 10 days just to ensure my continued happiness when winter returns next year.

Separating the Wheat from the Chaff: SACG Expansion Proceeds

For the second year in a row, Central Ohio has had a gloomy and damp Earth Day work experience. Last year, we picked up litter in the neighborhood for 90 minutes before we were flooded out in a deluge. This year, while Bexleyites were picking up litter, etc., we planned to expand the Garden to accommodate some new raised garden beds. Although Friday was beautiful and tomorrow is predicted to be so as well, the weather forecasters were predicting doom and gloom with intermittent showers for Saturday. They understated the matter.

But first thing is first. We have been blessed over the years to have the support of the Home Depot store in Canal Winchester. It was Home Depot which made it possible for us to have such a fabulous fence around the Garden to keep out rascals and to support our raspberries, peas, tomatoes and pole beans. So, when earlier this Spring, we had gardeners for all of our plots, we had a waiting list, I was thinking about assigning our food pantry plot to a gardener, and we realized that we needed to expand to accommodate raised garden beds, I again turned to Home Depot to help us out and it did not disappoint. Yesterday, I picked up 50 feet of fence and enough fence stakes to permit us to push out the Garden another 575 square feet.

Also, we are very fortunate to be located so close to the Rebuilding Together Tool Library (at Fourth and Morris). On Thursday, I headed over there to borrow – for free -- a 10 pound sledge hammer and fence cutters. We’ve had trouble in the past with driving the fence posts into the ground and I wanted to improve our chances.

However, as the weather forecast became increasingly pessimistic, I started to hedge my bets. I let everyone know we would proceed with the work day unless it was raining hard. A little mist or sprinkle wouldn’t hurt anyone who dressed appropriately. We weren’t going to plant, so there was no chance of hurting our plants or soil. Nonetheless, even though I stocked up on refreshments for the volunteers, I decided not to bake brownies like I always do because I did not want to get stuck with all of those calories if there were leftovers. I also decided that I would wait to see how far we got on the fence project before bringing over the lumber to build one of the raised garden beds that I and Mike had sawed on Friday.

When I got up on Saturday, I did not know whether anyone would show up to help me with the fence. Two new gardeners had told me that they would be coming, but then one of them emailed me in the middle of the night about a change of heart (or, rather, a change in priorities). Two of the gardeners from last year missed our opening work day and only one of them – a grandmother -- had told me she would be coming. Several of the gardeners who had already put in hours and hours of work over the last two weekends said they could not come, but then another told me on Friday afternoon to my surprise that I would see him. When I arrived to an empty garden and a grey sky, I started to plant cabbage seedlings in my plot.

But then, Tom arrived. Yea! We started to attack the gigantic wood chip pile in order to clear the way to move the southwest fence. Then, Betty came and joined us. Although it rained for about 15 minutes at 10:10, it quickly stopped and we continued working. However, Tom needed to leave and I did not think that Betty and I could alone move the old fence (i.e., pull out the fence posts, dig up the raspberry roots, drag the old fence 90 degrees to the west, re-install fence posts and bury the roots of the bushes). I was thinking about maybe planting flowers instead when Mr. Reliable himself, Charlie, arrived to save the day.

It turned out that moving the fence was relatively simple. Charlie removed the fence posts and I dug up raspberry bushes. Then I pulled the fence over and Charlie banged the posts in with the handy sledge hammer. I pulled our new fence out of my car and unrolled it. Betty held up the fence up while I held the post and Charlie banged the fence post in. After about six of these, I finally remembered a viewer trick I saw on This Old House: Use the handle of a shovel to steady the post while the other person bangs it in with a sledge hammer so that you don’t risk getting hurt if the hammer misses the post. You just put the shovel handle over the post and slide it down. (Imagine the handle is the needle and the post is the thread).

At some point, a neighbor (who helped us pick up litter this weekend last year) came over to ask advice about starting a flower bed and unclogging a gutter downspout. Then, it started to rain in earnest. This was no scattered shower; it rained steadily for most of the rest of the day, which is a blessing. Then Betty had to go and I moved to bury the roots of the raspberry bushes and check on the rain barrels. Charlie went through seeds and came over to show me something new. We returned to the tools to the shed and called it a day just before 1 p.m.

Of course, since some of our new gardeners did not show up for either work day, we now have two plots available. (No work; no plot; no excuses about how much busier you are than the rest of us). One is 10 x 10 and the other is 6x8. A new neighbor indicated that she might be interested in one and Charlie would like me to turn the other into a shared plot (particularly for corn) that the rest of us could share. Nothing is set in stone yet, so interested gardeners should contact me as soon as possible if they want to join. I’ll find something positively gruesome for you to do to make up for missing all of the hard work we’ve put in so far this year.

We have several big projects coming up the first week in May. Scotts has generously donated over a hundred bags of mulch and soil that we need to pick up from Franklin Park Conservatory on May 3 or 5 and get back to the Garden. We also will be building and then filling some raised garden beds in our new annex on May 5. I have a couple of volunteers for the second project. Barb and I are still working out the details for the first project. Stay tuned.

Separating the Wheat from the Chaff: SACG Expansion Proceeds

For the second year in a row, Central Ohio has had a gloomy and damp Earth Day work experience. Last year, we picked up litter in the neighborhood for 90 minutes before we were flooded out in a deluge. This year, while Bexleyites were picking up litter, etc., we planned to expand the Garden to accommodate some new raised garden beds. Although Friday was beautiful and tomorrow is predicted to be so as well, the weather forecasters were predicting doom and gloom with intermittent showers for Saturday. They understated the matter.

But first thing is first. We have been blessed over the years to have the support of the Home Depot store in Canal Winchester. It was Home Depot which made it possible for us to have such a fabulous fence around the Garden to keep out rascals and to support our raspberries, peas, tomatoes and pole beans. So, when earlier this Spring, we had gardeners for all of our plots, we had a waiting list, I was thinking about assigning our food pantry plot to a gardener, and we realized that we needed to expand to accommodate raised garden beds, I again turned to Home Depot to help us out and it did not disappoint. Yesterday, I picked up 50 feet of fence and enough fence stakes to permit us to push out the Garden another 575 square feet.

Also, we are very fortunate to be located so close to the Rebuilding Together Tool Library (at Fourth and Morris). On Thursday, I headed over there to borrow – for free -- a 10 pound sledge hammer and fence cutters. We’ve had trouble in the past with driving the fence posts into the ground and I wanted to improve our chances.

However, as the weather forecast became increasingly pessimistic, I started to hedge my bets. I let everyone know we would proceed with the work day unless it was raining hard. A little mist or sprinkle wouldn’t hurt anyone who dressed appropriately. We weren’t going to plant, so there was no chance of hurting our plants or soil. Nonetheless, even though I stocked up on refreshments for the volunteers, I decided not to bake brownies like I always do because I did not want to get stuck with all of those calories if there were leftovers. I also decided that I would wait to see how far we got on the fence project before bringing over the lumber to build one of the raised garden beds that I and Mike had sawed on Friday.

When I got up on Saturday, I did not know whether anyone would show up to help me with the fence. Two new gardeners had told me that they would be coming, but then one of them emailed me in the middle of the night about a change of heart (or, rather, a change in priorities). Two of the gardeners from last year missed our opening work day and only one of them – a grandmother -- had told me she would be coming. Several of the gardeners who had already put in hours and hours of work over the last two weekends said they could not come, but then another told me on Friday afternoon to my surprise that I would see him. When I arrived to an empty garden and a grey sky, I started to plant cabbage seedlings in my plot.

But then, Tom arrived. Yea! We started to attack the gigantic wood chip pile in order to clear the way to move the southwest fence. Then, Betty came and joined us. Although it rained for about 15 minutes at 10:10, it quickly stopped and we continued working. However, Tom needed to leave and I did not think that Betty and I could alone move the old fence (i.e., pull out the fence posts, dig up the raspberry roots, drag the old fence 90 degrees to the west, re-install fence posts and bury the roots of the bushes). I was thinking about maybe planting flowers instead when Mr. Reliable himself, Charlie, arrived to save the day.

It turned out that moving the fence was relatively simple. Charlie removed the fence posts and I dug up raspberry bushes. Then I pulled the fence over and Charlie banged the posts in with the handy sledge hammer. I pulled our new fence out of my car and unrolled it. Betty held up the fence up while I held the post and Charlie banged the fence post in. After about six of these, I finally remembered a viewer trick I saw on This Old House: Use the handle of a shovel to steady the post while the other person bangs it in with a sledge hammer so that you don’t risk getting hurt if the hammer misses the post. You just put the shovel handle over the post and slide it down. (Imagine the handle is the needle and the post is the thread).

At some point, a neighbor (who helped us pick up litter this weekend last year) came over to ask advice about starting a flower bed and unclogging a gutter downspout. Then, it started to rain in earnest. This was no scattered shower; it rained steadily for most of the rest of the day, which is a blessing. Then Betty had to go and I moved to bury the roots of the raspberry bushes and check on the rain barrels. Charlie went through seeds and came over to show me something new. We returned to the tools to the shed and called it a day just before 1 p.m.

Of course, since some of our new gardeners did not show up for either work day, we now have two plots available. (No work; no plot; no excuses about how much busier you are than the rest of us). One is 10 x 10 and the other is 6x8. A new neighbor indicated that she might be interested in one and Charlie would like me to turn the other into a shared plot (particularly for corn) that the rest of us could share. Nothing is set in stone yet, so interested gardeners should contact me as soon as possible if they want to join. I’ll find something positively gruesome for you to do to make up for missing all of the hard work we’ve put in so far this year.

We have several big projects coming up the first week in May. Scotts has generously donated over a hundred bags of mulch and soil that we need to pick up from Franklin Park Conservatory on May 3 or 5 and get back to the Garden. We also will be building and then filling some raised garden beds in our new annex on May 5. I have a couple of volunteers for the second project. Barb and I are still working out the details for the first project. Stay tuned.

GCGC Learning About Fixing and Creating Good Soil in April

Last night, the Greater Columbus Growing Coalition met at the New Harvest Café in Linden. Of course, I was late again. When I arrived Derek was making a presentation about the Helping Hands Community Garden on Medary Avenue. They regularly meet on Sunday afternoons in the summer. He was followed by a presentation from the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District about the Green Spot Green Spot program, which you’ve already read about here. The barrels are only for homeowners, not gardens or tenants. The Conservation District is looking for GCGC and/or a community garden to hold storm water training sessions (which would be financially supported by the District). Then, the Evergreen Gardening Ministries made a presentation about their six gardens (in three counties) with a sweet video of all the kids and produce they grow. They also shared lots of seeds with the rest of us. Then, the main event: Dr. Darragh from CLC Laboratories talked about how to test and improve soil. (As summarized here, you may recall Dr. Darraugh also spoke to GCGC last year. I sat closer this year so that I could read his charts).

Dr. Darraugh used to work for ChemLawn developing fertilizer and studying grass. CLC is located north of I-270 off Route 23, but tests soil samples from all over the world and right here in Central Ohio.

According to Dr. Darraugh, plants grown in soil with correct fertility will outgrow insects and diseases. Too little or too many nutrients will stress plants. When dropping off a soil sample, be sure to indicate what you plan to grow so that you will be provided with fertilizer recommendations. Different plants have different needs and recommendations cannot be made in a vacuum.

In general, Central Ohio soil has lots of lime because of all of the limestone left during the ice ages. Lime consists of calcium carbonate, which is alkaline (i.e., with a high pH). Eastern Ohio and Franklin County have more acidic soil than western Franklin County. Central Ohio soils are likely to be deficient in Phosphorus than Nitrogen or Potassium. Accordingly, he spent most of his time discussing Phosphorus (P), which is a controversial component of fertilizer and responsible for algae blooms in Ohio lakes.

Phosphorus is banned in many states unless you have a soil test showing that your land is phosphorus deficient. Phosphorus is critical for new plants to develop roots and for the plant’s metabolism (so that it can develop fruit, etc.) However, lawn grass does not need equal amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus, so low phosphorus fertilizers are perfectly sufficient. Excessive phosphorus runs off into storm water (see the tie-in with the Conservation District presentation?) and contaminates our creeks and lakes, so gardeners should be circumspect. Good sources of phosphorus include bone meal (6-12-2), turf seed fertilizer (20-27-5 OR 18-24-12), and the materials used in the infamous pink slime hamburger, etc. It can be difficult to effectively raise phosphorus level in soil, so it should be done gradually over a few years.

Dr. Darraugh explained that plants also need oxygen, which they absorb through their roots which are exposed to air in the spaces in dirt. Accordingly, water-logged soils fill those gaps with water instead of air and suffocate plants. That is why it is important to have good drainage and to not use too much compost (which holds onto water more than regular soil). Conversely, clay soils are too compact and don’t hold much oxygen, so it is important to mix it in with compost. Oxygen is needed to help the plant absorb nitrogen.

The amount of nitrogen (N) in the soil is constantly changing with rainfall. If you have too much nitrogen, you’ll have more plant than flowers or fruit with your tomatoes. Accordingly, start withholding nitrogen from your tomatoes when it starts to flower. In contrast, peppers and leafy vegetables can tolerate high amounts of nitrogen. Good sources of nitrogen include Ammonium sulfate (i.e., percentages of 20-0-0) is also a soil acidifier and can be found in packages that promote azaleas. Urea (46-0-0), and Blood meal (15-0-0) are also good sources. http://www.omri.org/ will tell you organic sources of fertilizers.

If your soil is deficient in Potassium (K), you can get some through muriate (0-0-60) or sulfate (0-0-50) of Potash, green sand (0-0-3) or sunflower seed ash (0-0-12).

Many plants (like red maples, oaks, holly, etc.) are deficient in manganese, not iron. You can improve the Mn level through Main Event Manganese (that is available locally at Advanced Turf Solutions or High Manganese Combo (which can be purchased through John Deere Landscape Stores). Apply the liquid to the soil and not the plant (which should be washed with clear water if you splash some on the plant).

You can increase the amount of Magnesum (Mg) through Espsom Salt.

Dr. Darraugh believes you can have too much organic matter because it can lead to water-logged soils. He doesn’t recommend peat moss because it does not degrade and has no nutritional value. (I, however, like it because it inexpensively lowers pH). He pointed out that horse manure is high in potassium, weeds and salts.

CLC will also test for lead if asked for an extra fee. It normally costs $45, but he will charge a community garden only $28. Nutrient soil tests were $15 last year. CLC Labs is at 325 Venture Drive in Westerville. Dr. Darraugh can be reached at 888-1663.

GCGC Learning About Fixing and Creating Good Soil in April

Last night, the Greater Columbus Growing Coalition met at the New Harvest Café in Linden. Of course, I was late again. When I arrived Derek was making a presentation about the Helping Hands Community Garden on Medary Avenue. They regularly meet on Sunday afternoons in the summer. He was followed by a presentation from the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District about the Green Spot Green Spot program, which you’ve already read about here. The barrels are only for homeowners, not gardens or tenants. The Conservation District is looking for GCGC and/or a community garden to hold storm water training sessions (which would be financially supported by the District). Then, the Evergreen Gardening Ministries made a presentation about their six gardens (in three counties) with a sweet video of all the kids and produce they grow. They also shared lots of seeds with the rest of us. Then, the main event: Dr. Darragh from CLC Laboratories talked about how to test and improve soil. (As summarized here, you may recall Dr. Darraugh also spoke to GCGC last year. I sat closer this year so that I could read his charts).

Dr. Darraugh used to work for ChemLawn developing fertilizer and studying grass. CLC is located north of I-270 off Route 23, but tests soil samples from all over the world and right here in Central Ohio.

According to Dr. Darraugh, plants grown in soil with correct fertility will outgrow insects and diseases. Too little or too many nutrients will stress plants. When dropping off a soil sample, be sure to indicate what you plan to grow so that you will be provided with fertilizer recommendations. Different plants have different needs and recommendations cannot be made in a vacuum.

In general, Central Ohio soil has lots of lime because of all of the limestone left during the ice ages. Lime consists of calcium carbonate, which is alkaline (i.e., with a high pH). Eastern Ohio and Franklin County have more acidic soil than western Franklin County. Central Ohio soils are likely to be deficient in Phosphorus than Nitrogen or Potassium. Accordingly, he spent most of his time discussing Phosphorus (P), which is a controversial component of fertilizer and responsible for algae blooms in Ohio lakes.

Phosphorus is banned in many states unless you have a soil test showing that your land is phosphorus deficient. Phosphorus is critical for new plants to develop roots and for the plant’s metabolism (so that it can develop fruit, etc.) However, lawn grass does not need equal amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus, so low phosphorus fertilizers are perfectly sufficient. Excessive phosphorus runs off into storm water (see the tie-in with the Conservation District presentation?) and contaminates our creeks and lakes, so gardeners should be circumspect. Good sources of phosphorus include bone meal (6-12-2), turf seed fertilizer (20-27-5 OR 18-24-12), and the materials used in the infamous pink slime hamburger, etc. It can be difficult to effectively raise phosphorus level in soil, so it should be done gradually over a few years.

Dr. Darraugh explained that plants also need oxygen, which they absorb through their roots which are exposed to air in the spaces in dirt. Accordingly, water-logged soils fill those gaps with water instead of air and suffocate plants. That is why it is important to have good drainage and to not use too much compost (which holds onto water more than regular soil). Conversely, clay soils are too compact and don’t hold much oxygen, so it is important to mix it in with compost. Oxygen is needed to help the plant absorb nitrogen.

The amount of nitrogen (N) in the soil is constantly changing with rainfall. If you have too much nitrogen, you’ll have more plant than flowers or fruit with your tomatoes. Accordingly, start withholding nitrogen from your tomatoes when it starts to flower. In contrast, peppers and leafy vegetables can tolerate high amounts of nitrogen. Good sources of nitrogen include Ammonium sulfate (i.e., percentages of 20-0-0) is also a soil acidifier and can be found in packages that promote azaleas. Urea (46-0-0), and Blood meal (15-0-0) are also good sources. http://www.omri.org/ will tell you organic sources of fertilizers.

If your soil is deficient in Potassium (K), you can get some through muriate (0-0-60) or sulfate (0-0-50) of Potash, green sand (0-0-3) or sunflower seed ash (0-0-12).

Many plants (like red maples, oaks, holly, etc.) are deficient in manganese, not iron. You can improve the Mn level through Main Event Manganese (that is available locally at Advanced Turf Solutions or High Manganese Combo (which can be purchased through John Deere Landscape Stores). Apply the liquid to the soil and not the plant (which should be washed with clear water if you splash some on the plant).

You can increase the amount of Magnesum (Mg) through Espsom Salt.

Dr. Darraugh believes you can have too much organic matter because it can lead to water-logged soils. He doesn’t recommend peat moss because it does not degrade and has no nutritional value. (I, however, like it because it inexpensively lowers pH). He pointed out that horse manure is high in potassium, weeds and salts.

CLC will also test for lead if asked for an extra fee. It normally costs $45, but he will charge a community garden only $28. Nutrient soil tests were $15 last year. CLC Labs is at 325 Venture Drive in Westerville. Dr. Darraugh can be reached at 888-1663.

SACG Impromptu Work Marathon or Boys and Their Toys

We did not schedule a work day yesterday at the Stoddart Avenue Community Garden, but that doesn't mean that a whole lotta work did not get done. Much of that work involved power tools and was mostly a male-bonding kinda day.

Earlier this week, a slew of neighborhood kids came by, helped me water new flower seedlings and to pull winter crops out of the ground.

On Friday, Frank and a friend worked on stabilizing our front and back gates. The Box Family worked on moving wood chips and flipping compost. Then, Fred and Frank planned to till the Garden yesterday.

On Saturday, I got there first and began weeding the front flower bed. Then Fred and Frank got there and got to work. Tilling the Garden takes about two hours and is positively exhausting. No one has wanted to do it two years in a row. (Just ask Bill, Ted and Charlie). I wish they'd each just till an hour. When the Garden is freshly tilled, the soil is all fluffy and it's like walking on a sandy beach.

Rayna came to dig her winter crops (i.e., leeks, garlic, onions, oregano, etc.) out of the way. I then moved to saving more raspberry seedlings to transplant along our north fence. Rayna and I then began transplanting raspberry seedlings. Adam came and took over my job weeding the front flower bed. When Fred was done tilling the Garden, I watered in seedlings and began measuring and marking off the plots. That's when I realized that my blood sugar was too low to be rational and I went home to eat something. (Rayna beat me to this decision by an hour). Fred moved on to till the backyard garden of Mrs. D who was at the time trying to use her hand cultivator to break the hard ground.

Frank came back and was joined by two non-gardening friends who helped him rebuild the front and back gates. (Last year, some "creative" produce thieves unscrewed the latch out of the back gate when they couldn't unlock it. Yet Frank is more clever, removed the latch, and fixed it so that the sliding mechanism now goes straight into the wood support beams).

Mari and Charlie came by (and Fred returned) to go through our newly donated seeds. Rayna went through them as well. Mari and John then bagged up some of our excess wood chips for their house. They had help from some neighborhood boys who love shoveling so much that they routinely create excuses to shovel the chips – even just to move them from pile to pile. I was also able to convince John (and artist) to repair our lovely, yet flaking front sign. Sadly, the original artist, Dwain, has moved back to the East Coast along with his beloved dog. Then, I lined the path around my plot with bricks.

Rayna and I then moved to replant items (like cilantro) that we had moved out of the way during the tilling process. Gladys stopped by after church. When I showed her where her plot would be, she seemed overwhelmed. So, I told her about the new platform raised beds we would be building. She was so excited. I then showed her what work she and her grandsons could do before our next work day.

Rayna and I discussed building some raised beds for the kids and the 4-H club and making the small bed near the front gate an herb garden.

Barb came by before and after the Block Watch meeting to add moral support. Frank and his crew had just finished the back gate and were breaking for "lunch" when I left around 4.

Whew.

SACG Impromptu Work Marathon or Boys and Their Toys

We did not schedule a work day yesterday at the Stoddart Avenue Community Garden, but that doesn't mean that a whole lotta work did not get done. Much of that work involved power tools and was mostly a male-bonding kinda day.

Earlier this week, a slew of neighborhood kids came by, helped me water new flower seedlings and to pull winter crops out of the ground.

On Friday, Frank and a friend worked on stabilizing our front and back gates. The Box Family worked on moving wood chips and flipping compost. Then, Fred and Frank planned to till the Garden yesterday.

On Saturday, I got there first and began weeding the front flower bed. Then Fred and Frank got there and got to work. Tilling the Garden takes about two hours and is positively exhausting. No one has wanted to do it two years in a row. (Just ask Bill, Ted and Charlie). I wish they'd each just till an hour. When the Garden is freshly tilled, the soil is all fluffy and it's like walking on a sandy beach.

Rayna came to dig her winter crops (i.e., leeks, garlic, onions, oregano, etc.) out of the way. I then moved to saving more raspberry seedlings to transplant along our north fence. Rayna and I then began transplanting raspberry seedlings. Adam came and took over my job weeding the front flower bed. When Fred was done tilling the Garden, I watered in seedlings and began measuring and marking off the plots. That's when I realized that my blood sugar was too low to be rational and I went home to eat something. (Rayna beat me to this decision by an hour). Fred moved on to till the backyard garden of Mrs. D who was at the time trying to use her hand cultivator to break the hard ground.

Frank came back and was joined by two non-gardening friends who helped him rebuild the front and back gates. (Last year, some "creative" produce thieves unscrewed the latch out of the back gate when they couldn't unlock it. Yet Frank is more clever, removed the latch, and fixed it so that the sliding mechanism now goes straight into the wood support beams).

Mari and Charlie came by (and Fred returned) to go through our newly donated seeds. Rayna went through them as well. Mari and John then bagged up some of our excess wood chips for their house. They had help from some neighborhood boys who love shoveling so much that they routinely create excuses to shovel the chips – even just to move them from pile to pile. I was also able to convince John (and artist) to repair our lovely, yet flaking front sign. Sadly, the original artist, Dwain, has moved back to the East Coast along with his beloved dog. Then, I lined the path around my plot with bricks.

Rayna and I then moved to replant items (like cilantro) that we had moved out of the way during the tilling process. Gladys stopped by after church. When I showed her where her plot would be, she seemed overwhelmed. So, I told her about the new platform raised beds we would be building. She was so excited. I then showed her what work she and her grandsons could do before our next work day.

Rayna and I discussed building some raised beds for the kids and the 4-H club and making the small bed near the front gate an herb garden.

Barb came by before and after the Block Watch meeting to add moral support. Frank and his crew had just finished the back gate and were breaking for "lunch" when I left around 4.

Whew.