Great Day in the Garden

If you recall my last post I said the next two big projects are compost bins and weed control. I'm happy to report they have been completed.

May 14th Eagle Scout Alumni

The Eagle Scout Alumni built a four bin composting system for the garden. I was out of town that weekend so I don't have any photos of the Eagle Scouts at work but I do have a photo of the finished product. They are very sturdy and I can't wait to start making compost.

Click on the photo for a larger view.

They also installed hoops on the wooden beds. This will be great for extending the growing season and for keeping the critters out of the beds.

Thank you Eagle Scouts! You always do great work!

May 21st Symantec

The Weed Control Project. To give you a little background... A few months ago one of our volunteers (Sam) told me she mentioned the Haven Garden to a classmate (Debbie), telling her I was looking to put in a native walking garden. Debbie is the owner of Native Heart Landscapes and she volunteered her services to the Haven Garden. Debbie spent several hours with me in the garden listening to my idea's and wishes. From this conversation she created a wonderful design. As we talked about plants and the timing around installing the garden she pointed out we would need to do something about all the weeds. She suggested we use the cardboard and mulch method and so was born The Weed Control Project.

A group of volunteers from Symantec took on the project. They laid down lots and lots of cardboard and moved 15 yards of mulch. What a great group of people. I could hear them laughing and having fun while I was taking care of other things in that garden. They really worked hard! See for yourself...

Click on photos for a larger view

While most of the team was working on the weeds I had a few helpers plant tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, bush beans, hot pepper, sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, basil and marigolds.

This sweet young lady harvested sugar snap peas,
snow peas and spinach.

Not only did this team work hard but when Symantec heard what our wish was for this area of the garden they donated $5000.00 so we could install the native walking garden! I almost cried when I got the news.

Thank you Symantec!

 I hope to see you all in the garden again.

Symantec Volunteers

15 yards of mulch 6 inches deep on top of cardboard.

The beds are all planted....

 ...but one. This bed just two weeks ago was full of broccoli. Well not any more. Look at the photo and tell me why all the broccoli is gone...
 

Do you see it? If you guessed gofer you would be right.
When you garden you have to take the good with the bad. 

The fruit trees are full of fruit

It was a great day in the garden

Thank you again 

Eagle Scout Alumni and Symantec Volunteers

Next project

In the immortal words of Jean Paul Sartre,
 'Au revoir, gopher.'

Compost

April 16, 2011
Lyngso is so good to us here at Haven. They donated and delivered two yards of compost for the raised beds.

I've got my work cut out for me.

These beds have not had anything added to them in a good few years. So before we start planting in them this year I wanted to get some fresh compost added to the soil.

Eric a local high school student offered to help me for an hour after his meeting with Shelter Network's Volunteer coordinator. Thank you Eric you saved me an hour of work.

Each bed got four wheelbarrows full of compost.

This photo reminds me of the movie Holes

The strawberry bed also received a top
dressing of compost.

I planted three cucumber in each of these two beds.

The sugar snap peas are doing well and the lettuce is
just about ready to pick.

Planted three tomatoes and a cucumber in this bed.

This bed also got three tomatoes and two cucumbers.
You can never have too many cucumbers.

After 7 and half hours in the garden it's looking really nice.

Next big projects... compost bins and weed control.

Volunteers Part 2

Notre Dame High School

On April 2, 2011 two groups of Notre Dame High School students came out to the Haven garden to pick up some community service hours, The first group of young ladies worked from 9 to 11 pulling weeds from the orchard and one of the raised beds.

Pulling weeds around the plum trees

Nice job Ladies

Group 2 took over from 1 to 3. They pulled weeds out of the wood chips.

In the picnic area and...

...in one of the beds.

I hope to see you all in the garden again.

April 9th  Albert and a few of his friends stopped in for a few hours

That's one way to do it!

Cleaning out the rose beds and adding in some new mulch. 

Nice job guys. Thank you! See you again soon.