If Life Gives You Lemons, Grow Tomatoes

After receiving a great batch of lemons (thanks Jenn, Mike and your neighbors), Brenna and Colin hosted a Lemonade stand with Karen and MeMe on April 6th.  With the money they raised, they wanted to give back to the Center Avenue Community Garden, so they stopped by Navlet's Garden Center, purchased  a few Cherry Tomato starts, and planted them in the new Tomato Patch. Here are some pics of the teamwork they displayed!

Lemons from Jenn and Mike's neighbor.

Karen, Brenna, and Colin selling their first cup on April 9th.

We headed down to Navlet's, and they each picked out a cherry tomato plant on April 29th. Here....

....and here.

Colin transported the plants to the counter, with money in hand.

And Brenna made the transaction.

Brenna dropped the plants into the new tomato patch....

.....and Colin gave them a good soak.

Freshly planted cherry tomato plants surrounded by Winter's kale and fava bean ground cover - now that's some permaculture teamwork!

Update on the Hugelkultur Bed

We arrived to the garden late on Saturday afternoon, and Terry and Bob were busy with the tractor, putting together the new Hugelkultur bed.

Here are some pictures of the work getting done:

The Broccoli Seed

Based on the book, "The Carrot Seed" by Ruth Krauss.

A little boy planted a broccoli seed.

But everyone said it wouldn't come up.

So everyday the little boy pulled the weeds around the seed...

...and sprinkled the ground with water.

But nothing came up.

And nothing came up.

Everyone kept saying it wouldn't come up. But he still pulled the weeds around the seed, and sprinkled the ground with water.

And then, one day,

....some broccoli came up.  

Just as the little boy had known it would.

Colors in the Garden

The walk along Center Avenue shows off a variety of orange, yellow, white and purple.

The blackberries in the foreground and raspberries in the background are taking shape.

Grape Update at the White Arch

Tyler, Angelina, and Renee help plant two grape varieties on each side of the garden's white arch in February of 2012, and both have survived, giving the entrance a vibrant look.

Here's a picture of the planting last year, and what the entrance looks like now:

Tyler, Angelina, and Renee shown here with the bare root seedless grape, February 2012

April 2013,  this is the black monukka grape on the left side of the entrance, with the seedless grape in the background. Notice the addition of the brick walkway, which has also been completed since last year.

Planting and Digging at the CACG

The regular volunteers were out in full-force on Saturday at the Center Avenue Community Garden, and we had a very productive day of planting new crops, and trenching for the irrigation line near the parking lot.

The seeds and starts we planted in various locations include corn, beans, squash, cucumbers, beets, sunflowers, red and yellow tomatoes, sweet peas, lettuce, carrots, cilantro, sage, parlsey, and chives.

Here are some pictures of what we accomplished:

After Mike had thinned out more kale and fava beans, Jenn and Kiel started planting our first batch of tomatoes in the center bed.

More sunflowers were planted, this time in the Optimism bed, along with a variety of carrots, cucumbers, and runner beans.

Terry, Bob, Mike, and David worked hard on this trench, and were able to add irrigation parts as well, which will enable us to use a drip system on the fruit hedge, trees, and 'Three-Sisters' section. 

Here's the new seed box that Doug made from recycled wood and a Burlap sack handle!

Doug brought these corn starts from home, that were grown using one of his aquaponic systems.

Mike and Terry working on the trench.

Jenn preparing the tomato section.

We painted this sign last year, and it's back out again, this time along the Center Avenue fence line....

......where Ben planted the corn, beans, and squash in four rows. The hay signifies where he planted.

Bob planting carrots, sunflowers, beans, and carrots in the foreground. Doug planting corn in the background.

Doug and his extensive seed collection.

David sizing up the irrigation trench.

Doug planting the sweet peas he started from home. Bob suggested using this four legged set-up to allow the beans to grow up.

Cilantro, sage, parsley, and chives were planted in the Kindness herb bed.

Does Anyone Know What Type Of Mushroom This Is?

These mushrooms are located in the lounge area of the CACG. Can anyone identify them?

Saturday Workday Re-Cap: Lemonade, Sunflowers, and a Raspberry Hedge

We had an excellent day at the Center Avenue Community Garden, which included Brenna and Colin's first Lemonade stand, harvesting, planting, transplanting, and visits from a variety of friends.

We arrived at 10am, and worked hard throughout the day.  A special thanks to all those who stopped by, including Terry and his grandsons, Mike and Jenn, Jan and Harry, Donna, new volunteer Lisa, Jamal, long-time garden friend Kiel, Ben, Doug, and the Lawson Family, Lindgren Family, and Tennant Family.

Here are a few pictures from the day:

Jenn and Mike provided local lemons from their neighbor's yard, and Brenna, Karen, Jan and Colin worked on the recipe.

Setting up the stand.

The kids first customer was appropriately, Garden Mike.

Lemonade cups and lemon bars sold for 0.25 each. Best deal in town!

Colin and Sullivan enjoying some of the goodies.

Lisa, a first-time volunteer, plucked sunflowers from last year's crop....

.....and planted them in the 'Thanks' garden bed with carrots, beets, and turnips. Jan and Harry worked hard on this bed as well, clearing away the calendula, and planting the seeds.

Kiel stopped by later in the day with his jam-packed seed box, and planted in the near bed. I can't wait to see how this takes shape. He planted black corn, peas, beans, peruvian ground cherries, red cabbage, catnip, red amaranth, and onions. Wow....

Mike, Harry, and Terry worked hard removing compost from the first bin (which is now empty!!)......

and spreading it around the center patch, preparing it for the coming tomatoes.

Jonah, Barrett, Colin and Brenna examine bugs in the kid's area.

Massive onions, along with kale, chard, and calendula.

As I raked around in this bed, I unearthed some mystery potatoes that I didn't know were there.....

Ben took them home to cook up at his brother's 29th birthday party!

Onion harvest.

Lisa, Karen, and Jan transplanted raspberries to this new hedge near the church parking lot.

Final Note on the day: After all of the volunteers and guests had left, I was in the garden alone, watering some of the newly planted beds.  As I stood their in the breezy late afternoon, a local man walked along the sidewalk nearby with a cane.  He moved slowly, studying the various plants and vegetables.

He stopped briefly, and looked up as I continued to water.

"I remember when this was just an empty lot," the man called out. "Now it looks great, and it's growing so much!"

I said thanks as the man walked slowly down the street, and the thought struck me: this, I believe, this is why we all come down to this place - work graciously, and give back to the community that gives us so much.

PS - we put one final lemon to good use, as we settled into a rewarding evening at home.....cheers!