2009 Garden

click here for 2010 garden information

NORTH STRIPS (toward church)
Row N1 (east)	Herbs (north end), Garlic, Onion, Carrot, Radish, Beet, Spinach (south end)
Row N2	Hot Peppers (cayenne, jalapeno, red chili), Bell Peppers (yellow, green, red), Head & Leaf Lettuce, Mesculum
Row N3	Cabbage (red, green), Broccoli, Spinach (broadcast)
Row N4 (west)	Tomato (slicing, cherry, roma, yellow)
SOUTH STRIPS (toward Voss Hiatt Road)
Row S1 (east)	Asparagus (north end) Summer Squash: Cucumber, Zucchini, Yellow Winter Squash: Butternut, Spaghetti, Acorn
Row S2	Strawberries (north end) Rhubarb; Celery; Melons: cantelope, honeydew, watermelon
Row S3	Peas (snow, sugar, snap), Sweet Potato, Red Potato, Yellow Potato, Brussel Sprout
Row S4 (west)	Beans (pole, bush, lima, heirloom), Eggplant, Sunflower (south end)
Sweet Corn (parallel Voss Hiatt Road)
1/2 Acre	Sweet Corn, Pumpkin
Brandywine tomato plants, at their "birth" home with Gary & Pam VanHook, are awaiting their relocation to the garden!

Table of Contents click on the date to go to the detailed message click for 2009 team members click for 2009 aerial view click for Plant Adoption List click for Supply List & Receipts click for Plot Plan, Supply List Form, Donation Letter, Donation Contacts
10/20/2009	put to bed!
9/28/2009	clean-up instructions
8/3/2009	how to pick sweet corn
7/17/2009	grant results in CONNECT event July 22
7/7/2009	misc. garden jobs to do grant results delayed
5/29/2009	tools are moving sweet corn planted marketing grant results June 15
5/22/2009	we have a garden!
5/14/2009	Come & Plant - 9 flats ready! Trellis Projects Grant Request completed People in action
5/12/2009	Ground conditions: wet!
5/8/2009	Bike Tire Trellis Project Irrigation, Signage, and plant updates
5/6/2009	Let the Planting Begin Irrigation Update Supplies/Plants in Green House Plants on Order
4/28/2009	Strip Garden Tilling Update Weed Barrier Down (mostly!) Irrigation Update Donation Crate location Plant Placement Map Plant Donation & Seeds Bicycle Tire Rims Needed Cemetary / Compost Bin Bring Your Own Tools Excess Dirt & Rocks Insect Control Spread the Word
4/20/2009	ADOPT A PLANT - Updated Second Tilling List of Donations
4/14/2009	Donations Received Plants Started Plant Adoption List
4/3/2009	Donation letter ready Donation Supply List posted
4/1/2009	No foolin', trenches dug!
3/31/2009	Irrigation Installation Corn plot staked Donation Requests start! Strip Layout Assignments
3/27/2009	First Ground Tilled Spending (or not!) Money Who Ya Gonna Call? Immediate Needs
3/25/2009	Launch Team Meeting Notes Plant Choices Aerial Plan of Garden
3/9/2009	Invitation to Launch Meeting Initial Thoughts

2009 Garden Plan

Updated 4/2 to reflect irrigation path as dug, and identify strip sections, and locate position of garden storage shed.

click here to see larger version

Messages To Team Members

10/20/2009

Trees Planted

Thanks to several volunteers, including The Way participants, thirteen fruit trees have been planted. We now have the start of an orchard with peach, apple, pear and cherry trees.

Put to Bed

Thanks to Dan Conder, Bruce Lockwood (and an assistant), Tom Ping, Pam and Gary VanHook, and the Kindergarten class, the following has occurred to put the garden to sleep for the winter:

• the trellising supplies have been removed and prepared for storage
• the ground cover and stakes have been pulled up
• hoses drained and removed
• irrigation drained and pump and pressure tank stored
• existing 8 strips tilled, with decomposed mulch from large playground moved and recycled in the garden strips
• two additional strips tilled and mulched to expand by 500 square feet in 2009
• half acre of sweet corn plot tilled

9/28/2009

Fall Garden Clean-Up

On Thursday, October 1, Mephibosheth Ministries day program, The Way, will be planting fruit trees in our community garden!

On Friday, October 2, Tom Ping will take our pump system out for the winter storage. If you need water, you will have to string hoses from the church.

We need a team ministry coach for this garden. If you are interested, see Beth Roberts or Tim Lueking. As you can see by this web page, everything from 2009 has been documented and you won't have to start from scratch.

We've been waiting for the first frost, as people are still gathering a few things left in the garden, to begin clean up, but if you have some time on your hands, you don't have to wait! 

IF YOU WANT TO HELP OUT NOW:

All needed supplies are in the white pod storage unit behind the green house, including: twine, bucket for pin stakes, dumping cart, white markers, weed killer, gloves, clippers, planting plans. All supplies should be returned to this storage shed.

All removed materials should be stacked in front of the playground fence near entrance 9 (between the ark and the parking lot). Materials will be stored offsite for the spring due to limited storage space.

• cut down dead plants (excluding corn) and put into compost bin. There is a brown dumping wagon in the white pod storage shed behind the green house.
  • DO NOT CUT DOWN herbs, asparagus, or strawberries!
  • DO NOT bother the herb section unless you are the Fishers!
  • Sweet Corn will be bush-hogged, but you may take stalks for decorating.
• remove trellis supplies (fencing, fence poles, tomato cages), stack/roll/tie up for storage. Place by playground fence. Wooden orange and yellow plant markers can be tossed
• remove all U-shaped metal staking pins from black weed barriers and hoses place in gray 5-gallon bucket marked box in the white pod storage unit behind the green house. These pins will be reused until they rust apart. If any break, throw them away.
• remove hoses: Drain hoses. Remove nozzles. Detach hoses from spigot manifolds. Neatly roll up and tie up each individual section of hose. Remove manifolds from spigots. Pull up fence post with hose hangers. If it hasn't been done, remove stakes from soaker hose and place in gray 5-gallon bucket. Pull up soaker hoses and detach from each other. Neatly roll up and tie each individual section of soaker hose. Stack all supplies by playground fence.
• roll up black weed barriers. Tie each section into a roll with twine, then MARK EACH SECTION as to where it was for REUSE in the spring with WHITE SHARPIE. This is 75-year material and has great value. Stack in same place as trellis materials by playground. Label them by plant(s) they covered. If you can't identify the plants, refer to the planting plan in the pod, or click here to go to the strip plot plan.
• weed Killer. Once the plants, hoses, and ground cover have been removed, weed killer needs to be applied to the appropriate strips.
  • DO NOT SPRAY herbs, strawberries, or asparagus.
• Once steps 1-6 are done, we will transport the pile of decomposed mulch on the edge of the parking lot to the strips. The decomposed mulch will be tilled in with the strips this fall. We will also be marking off at least two additional strips for 2010 and till the soil.
• Starting in about February, we will begin seedlings for 2010.
• By the way, Preen works! We'll likely use it more in the spring. One drawback to the cold spring and the seasoned fertilizer that we used was that the grass seed in the manure didn't get warm enough to kill them off. That produced an abundance of grassy weeds coming up where our ground barrier was breached to place our plants. We'll prepare for that next year!

8/3/2009

How to choose ripe sweet corn

There are two varieties of sweet corn in our garden. The first to become ripe, August 5 and after, is the 16 rows on the south side (closest to Voss Hiatt Road). The second type will come ripe about 10 days later, August 15, and is the 10 rows on the north side, closest to the strip garden. They are marked with signs at the end of the rows.

1) Silk will be brown and dry.
2) Ear in husk feels firm, plump and full when you squeeze it, not spongy.
3) The tip should feel blunt, not pointy or thin.
4) If still unsure, pull back the husk a little bit and puncture a kernel. If the juice is milky, not clear, then it is ready. When you peel back the husk, the ear is open to insect infiltration, so avoid doing so if you can.
5) If ear is ready, snap it toward ground and pull off stalk.
6) Heat causes sugar to turn to starch, so keep picked corn cool until eaten. Best when picked early in day and eaten or frozen within a few days.

7/17/2009

Grant Update

We received news from Gardenburger about our grant application. Our application was not chosen. I had high hopes, but the Lord has been good and we've been able to do what we've done with gifts from our congregation. We will try again next year.

Bugs

Don't miss our CONNECT event this coming Wednesday, July 22. We'll share a meal at 5:30pm, then have a presentation on good bugs, bad bugs from a Hamilton County Master Gardener, Ron Huff.

Speaking of bugs, the japanese beetles have taken up a home in our green beans. They were sprayed with liquid sevin on July 17.

7/7/2009

Gardening Needs

I've had a couple of people with good intentions be unable to complete some tasks, and what good is a team if you can't pitch in and help out! Please email beth[at]reachteachserve.org if you can help - each job on it's own is not much time, but we don't want to double up (especially with the chemicals). Supplies are available for all in the white storage pod behind the greenhouse except where noted:

1) spraying miracle grow on the majority of the garden (we have liquid feeder you attach to hose in the red tub)

2) completing bicycle trellis for cucumbers (stringing twine, need five sets, two poles will need to be gathered from storage room in church, twine in storage pod, bicycle tire rims near dumpster and in garden; [3 sets are currently in the garden but only one is in the right spot]; tying up existing cucumber vines)

3) some weeding - crabgrass and other weeds are appearing in some places and needs pulled - most ground is covered with a weed barrier, but their are some weeds coming up where the holes are cut. Also, pulling weeds in areas where seed was broadcast, like mesculun lettuce and spinach. Hand tools in red tub in storage pod)

4) spraying Liquid Sevin on a few strips (tomato, melons, squash - this will need to be mixed up in the empty spray bottle in the storage pod, chemical is in Beth's office). Powdered Sevin was applied last week to several areas - see/email Beth for detail. - DONE

5) pulling up plants going to seed and putting in compost pile (dumping wagon in the storage pod).

6) starting seeds for a fall crop of broccoli DONE, spinach, and lettuce - planting seeds in trays for greenhouse - see Beth Roberts - spinach and lettuce are ready to start, broccoli seeds are on order. Since our spring crop was a dissappointment with the late start and the wet ground, we're going to try for a fall crop!

7) Thinning the carrots, beets, radishes

8) pulling and replanting peas. I'm not sure what the problem with the peas has been, but we're going to start all over! We need to pull all the peas and replant. I've got seeds on order.

COME AND HARVEST:

Broccoli - small heads; lettuce, kohlrabi, swiss chard, cucumbers (I picked three big ones today!), the lettuce mix is weedy and somewhat seedy, but it's going to waste - come and pick and eat!

Come and look at what is growing

watermelons (they are so cute), spaghetti squash, zucchini, yellow squash, canteloupe, peppers, cabbage, tomatoes, eggplant, herbs and brussel sprouts are all showing small sprouts! Radishes are starting to be harvested - but are hot! Several varieties of beans are starting to take off. The strawberries are spreading out, and the asparagus is off to a good start.

Grant Update

The Gardenburger Grant announcement has been delayed from the original June 15 target to July 4 and then to August. Keep it in your prayers that our garden is still in the running for the grant.

5/29/2009

Supplies Moved (or will be moving) from Greenhouse

After I get the remainder of the plants in the ground this weekend, I'll be moving all the community garden supplies into the "pod" that is located between the church building and the greenhouse. There will be a four wheel dumping cart with our supplies in the pod. Mephibosheth Ministries needs the room for their perennials, which they are selling for a fundraiser for the day program. I really appreciate being able to use the space, and welcome the opportunity to share space when we plant seeds in the late winter for next year.

Sweet Corn Planted

On Monday, May 25, the sweet corn was planted. Two varieties were planted, one will mature on August 8 (first 16 rows closest to the road) and the second batch should mature August 18 (8 rows on north side). Thank you to Ron McGill, Dan Conder, and Bev Stewart for equipment and expertise!

Advertising

Three signs have been ordered to post on our property - one at the garden, one near the walking path, and one across from the exit at Wareham's pond.

We will have bulletin inserts and a stack of informational cards available on Sunday, June 8. Take a stack and pass them around.

We really only have a few short weeks and we'll have to begin getting people into the garden to take stuff!

The goal is to canvas the homes near our church, as well as inform our congregation, with post cards. We will also post some posters around town.

GardenBurger Grant

The results of the grant will be available around June 15. Continue to pray for this option.

5/22/2009

We have a garden!

The watering system is working very well now, and multiple spigots can be used at once. There are still four 50' soaker hoses that can be used - I'll probably place them along the green beans and the peas.

We've got the essentials to keep the garden going - hoses and nozzles! I sprayed nearly everything that was in the ground with miracle gro liquifeed today.

We had many people getting their hands dirty this week: Gina Maddy, Pam and Gary VanHook, Sherry Strauss, Devon Radant, Bruce Lockwood, Deb Meiring, Jean Medonic, and many of the friends with The Way Day program, who planted 3 varieties of red peppers, celery and cabbage. Sorry if I missed someone!

Left to get into the ground: strawberries (ground has been pretty mucky), asparagus, onions (starts in the greenhouse), garlic, sweet peppers (red, yellow, green - starts in the greenhouse), the remainder of the eggplant, and two varieties of hot peppers still not quite ready to be planted. I'll be planting some seeds in the mounds with the melons and the gourds.

The sweet corn patch was plowed on Thursday and this morning by Ron McGill and Dan Conder, with hopes of planting this morning, but he ground is still very wet and clumpy, so they'll probably plant next week. When they're done, we can put in pumpkins!

Trellis Projects

Anyone have an old swingset to donate the frame? If not, I'm buying fencing for this year and we can look for one over the fall and winter for next year. We still need frames made from bicycle rims. If you can help, let Beth Roberts know.

Next Year

I'm already thinking about next year! We'll be expanding for sure, and we can add at least another 8 strips. We'll be able to start from seed in the greenhouse that Mephibosheth has so graciously shared with us. Be in prayer about the GardenBurger Grant application!

Spread the Word

The measure of success of this project is if we can get rid of the free produce! Spread the word - something for nothing - we want to serve our community. I will be working on signage over the next week or two to advertise, and we sent home postcards with all the Heights Primary school, daycare, preschool and kindergarten students. We'll need to pass out cards to Wareham's pond, the houses across Stringtown Pike, and south of the church as well.

5/14/2009

Come and Plant!

We have nine trays of plant starts that should get in the ground over the next week or so. All are located in the greenhouse on the south side of the building. Instructions and tools are available in the greenhouse in the red bucket. You may want to bring your own cutting utensil and hand spade. Please following the planting plan so we can reuse the weed barrier.

Water is working at the spigots. There are three soaker hoses in the greenhouse that you can install in your section if you want them. You can call the church and ask us to go turn them on for you during the work day.

There is a starter kit for MiracleGro LiquiFeed if you want to use it.

You don't have to adopt a section to plant it! Be a "secret one-time gardener" and help us get stuff in the ground!

Trellis Projects

Do you have an old kids backyard swingset you want to get rid of? We can use it to trellis greenbeans (see photo above) and it is a good recycled solution.

I also need someone handy to take on the trellis construction. Scroll down a bit to see the sample of the bicycle tire trellis (10 of them) to be constructed for cucumber, and some pole beans. I have already located 12 bike rims and have calls in to local bike shops for 10 more rims. I think we have room for 2 old swingset trellises for pole beans.

For peas, which the kindergartners have been planting, we will use two fifty foot sections of fencing with fence poles.

All of our trellis projects will be reusable, and disability friendly!

Grant Request has been mailed!

Well, my first grant project from Gardenburger took a lot of time and effort, but I am thankful for the opportunity. It made me think A LOT and plan for the future. The final request was for $8,002. If you have an interest in what we asked for, click here for the statement of purpose and here for the request allocation. Please be in prayer that God will grant us favor with the public relations firm that is handling the grant requests.

People in Action!

Mephibosheth Ministries had a sunflower planting session on Tuesday, May 5. They also prayed over our garden. I invite you to do the same whenever you are on site, or it enters your mind. On May 12 they also planted some of the cabbage that was on hand!

The Crosslight Christian Montessori Kindergarten students are planting their second batch of pea seeds. Extra credit for using the planting plot map! Thanks, Mrs. Rutan, for partnering with us. We have a trellis project to complete here for anyone willing to help out!

5/12/2009

Ground Conditions: Wet!

The ground is still very wet - too much so to till up into finer soil the herb, asparagus, and strawberry patches for planting, so we'll just wait.

It is also wet because the pump and pressure tank are installed and are working! I watered everything on Tuesday. Simply turn on the green knob at the spigot and the on/off switch on the connector. Make sure that you pile up the hose in a way that it won't be in the way of the mowing team.

I have attached three 100 foot hoses to spigots. One of them has a variable nozzle - move it around as you need to. I also attached two fifty-foot soaker hoses to the tomato plants. As you can see by the picture, we used empty milk jugs to make tiny greenhouses to protect the plants for a couple of days as they get acclaimated. Don't notice that I broke a healthy one installing the hoses.

In the greenhouse ready to plant from plant starts: spinach, brussel sprouts, lettuce, small section of green cabbage, two rhubarb. I planted the broccoli in the same type of conditions, so they should be fine to put in now. Don't forget to refer to the planting plan and follow it as closely as possible. (Hot peppers still need a couple of weeks to get stronger.) Still to come: plant starts from L&M Gardens.

I also have some potato starts in my office.

Ron McGill fertilized the ground for the sweet corn today as well.

5/8/2009

Bike Rim Trellis Project

Thanks to Larry Driver at the Recycle Shop at Cumberland and 206th Street, we have 12 bike rims to make 6 trellises for the cucumbers. I'll stop by again and see if I can get more, because if these work well, we can use them with beans, too.

Which brings me to my point...I'm looking for someone who wants to tinker and create the frame for the rims that can be unassembled for storage. The Way Adult Day Program with Mephibosheth will likely be able to help us string them together after the frames are assembled. They need to be about 5' tall or more, but the height is flexible. Do you have an idea? Or perhaps some time and spare "parts" sitting around to tinker with? The bike rims are on the south side of the church in the fenced in area with the dumpsters. Contact Beth if you're interested. See the graphic to the right for the inspiration.

Irrigation Update

Our hose count now stands at three 100' sections of regular hose, and five 50' sections of soaker hose. When the irrigation system is complete, I'll hook them up. We're still in need of additional sections of 50' soaker hose and regular hose. We have one Miracle Grow spraying wand (liquid feed) and one other variable spraying nozzle.

Tom Ping was a good planner - he only had 6' of irrigation tubing left from the 600' used on the project. It was dry enough for him to work on the pump again today, but he needs a couple more days. Soon, you'll turn the spigot at your strip and the water will just magically appear.

Signage

I ordered some "pond water-do not drink" stickers for the spigots and am working on some "community garden" signs and postcards to advertise our project.

Plant Updates

Thanks to the Amy and David Morris family for adopting carrots, radish and beets. Left to adopt: asparagus, celery, cucumber, garlic, hot peppers, and onions.

The broadcast seed for mesculun lettuce and spinach has also been sown. Thanks, Gina Maddy!

We're unable to get organic insecticide. I purchased a small container of Sevin powder today and placed it in the red bucket. We also have two containers of liquid miracle grow that you apply with the hose.

I don't expect the plants from L&M Gardens until next week (see the list from 5/6). This is a busy week for them with Mother's Day this Sunday.

The green house can get VERY HOT on these sunny days if vents are closed. There is no fan, and there is some concern that the vents can't be left open when we're not here because a heavy wind could damage them. I'll keep my eye on them and move them if need be. So, please come and plant what is waiting in the greenhouse as soon as possible, weather permitting (see list from 5/6).

Points for Prayer

Grant application is due May 15. I'm finishing it up over the next several days.

We need 72 days of growing for sweet corn to be ready for our July 22 CONNECT Summer Event with special guest Ron Hof from the Hamilton County Master Growers. We need the ground to dry out enough to plant in the next week.

Keep Susan & Jan Hoch in your prayers as they consult with her oncologist regarding her cancer treatment.

5/6/2009

Let's Plant!

In the couple of days that we didn't have rain, the final sections of weed barrier were installed, and the following has been PLANTED: broccoli, sunflowers, some peas, and part of the eggplant!

Thanks to Ace Hardware in Noblesville, who donated $100 of plants and hose, we have some plant starts! More are on order (see list below).

The ground is VERY wet. Be prepared to get dirty.

NEEDS ADOPTED: Onions; Root Veggies: Carrots, Radish, Beets; Garlic (prepare for 2010), Cabbage, Asparagus (prepare for 2010), Celery

Irrigation Update

Tom Ping was installing the pump and pressure tank for the irrigation system on Wednesday. For now, you have to cart water from the spigots by door 8 or door 9, or the spigot by the north side of the gazebo. We should be up and running soon!

We have purchased the Y connections for the individual spigots, and have 6 soaker hoses. If you have hose to donate, please bring it in.

Use the Planting Plan

PLEASE be sure to refer to the planting plan. Use the tools available (knives, scissors, ruler) with the gardening supplies to cut the pattern shown on the planting plan for your particular plant. We will REUSE the weed cover, so be accurate (see broccoli as an example). The planting plan lists the recommended plant growth radius, and note that because they are staggered for the most part, the centers can be closer together than the diameter. I will leave a laminated copy with the garden supplies, and you can get it through the website, as a matter of fact, just click here! The example graphic shows in more detail how you would cut holes in the barrier (black circles) for a plant with 12" growth area. Your hole only needs to be big enough to get the hand shovel and the plant in place.

So, Where Are the Gardening Supplies?

Available supplies needed for planting have been placed them in the Mephibosheth Green House, in the back of the structure on the right hand side. The green house is on the south side of the building. If you have more to donate, please put them in the white container in the hallway at exit 8.

We need old bike tire rims for trellis. Do you know where we can get some?

There is a large red container that you can carry out to the garden that contains the following shared tools. Make sure that you return the tools to the contain and return the container to the green house.

• hand shovels
• hand cultivator
• knee pads
• fiscars utility knive/scissor
• utility knives (2)
• orange handled scissors
• garden anchor pins
• kneeling pad
• 48" ruler

Available Plants & Seeds

All the seeds that I have are in a box in the green house. Take what you need. The following plants are available to plant in the garden and are located in the greenhouse:

• romaine lettuce - 24 plants (Maddy)
• red lettuce - 18 plants (Maddy)
• swiss chard - 9 plants (extra space will be planted with Kolrobi, see below) (Maddy)
• spinach (note that there are two sections for spinach - one that is not covered by weed barrier is for seed, one with weed barrier is for started plants) - 24 plants (Maddy)
• strawberries - 5 plants (Hoch)
• rhubarb - 2 plants, Beth will bring in at least one more from home (Medonic)
• green cabbage - 9 plants (needs adopted)
• brussel sprouts - 18 plants (Roberts)

The following have been started by The Way Day Program and will be ready to plant in another week or so. Becky Moore will move those plants into the green house as well.

• Hot Peppers - Jalepeno (Messenger)
• Hot Peppers - Cayenne (Messenger)

The following plants are on order from L&M Gardens and I should have by next week at the latest. Although many of these can be grown from seed, we're taking advantage of the started plants at the discounted prices. I have not heard if they are all still available yet. I'll let you know when I find out. When they arrive, they will be in the green house.

• Cabbage Green (Early) - 20 plants (needs adopted)
• Cabbage Red - 16 plants (needs adopted)
• Onions Jumbo Spanish Yellow - 16 plants (needs adopted)
• Onions Jumbo Spanish White - 16 plants (needs adopted)
• Onions Jumbo Spanish Red - 16 plants (needs adopted)
• Peppers Sweet Green (Bell) - 24 plants (Messenger)
• Peppers Sweet Red (Bell) - 16 plants (Messenger)
• Peppers Sweet Yellow (Bell) - 16 plants (Messenger)
• Peppers Sweet Banana - 8 plants (Messenger)
• Peppers Red Chili - 16 plants (Messenger)
• Celery - 32 plants (needs adopted)
• Head Lettuce - 20 plants (Maddy)
• Kolorobi - 8 plants (Maddy)
• Egg Plant - 8 plants (Moore)
• Summer Squash Zucchini - 12 plants - (Strauss)
• Winter Squash ButterNut - 12 plants (Radant)
• Winter Squash Acorn - 4 plants (Radant)
• Winter Squash Spaghetti - 12 plants (Radant)
• Summer Squash Yellow - 12 plants (Strauss)
• Cucumber - 12 plants (needs adopted)
• Cucumber Burpless - 18 plants (needs adopted)
• Canteloupe - 12 plants (Meier)
• Watermelon - 12 plants (Meier)

Trash & Dirt

Please take your trash from the garden and dispose of it properly (the dumpster is located near the green house). Put any excess dirt on the small square of weed barrier between section N4 and S4.

4/28/2009

Busy week! God is Good! Our tomato plants spent thier first night out on the VanHook's back porch last night!

Strip Garden Tilling Complete

Mark and Suzi Fisher spent their Sunday afternoon and evening spreading a total of about 8 tons of composted horse manure, lime and 12-0-12 fertilizer on the 8 strips of garden. They tilled an additional 3 times, but the soil is still pretty chunky. THANK YOU! They donated their time, and their fertilizer as well as the use of their tractor and tiller. They also brought in a great harvesting basket, some hand tools and additional ground cover.

I've asked Mike Jenkins to come in and till up a bit finer a few of the areas that will not be covered by the weed barrier for broadcast planting: spinach, lettuce, strawberries, sunflowers, herbs... When things get a bit dryer, this will happen. The Hoch's are going to work on the section for strawberries.

Ground is still to wet to till for the sweet corn, but things are lining up well. We have the seed, fertilizer and herbicide lined up!

Porous Weed Barrier

My daughter, Grace, and I put down the majority of the ground cover on Monday. She helped until she found a four-leaf clover, then got a bit distracted looking for more. I have a few more sections to lay, but will get that done this week.

Bruce Lockwood donated black fiberglass cloth (which is used under road construction! THANK YOU BRUCE!). This fabric can be stored from year-to-year and reused, so I want to make sure that we follow a specific plan for cutting into the fabric for plant placement. I've gone to a silly level of detail to plan out how much of each plant we can get in a section and maintain weed control and accessibility.

The BFC (Black Fiberglass Cloth) is porous. When we cut holes or X slits for the plant placement, the holes don't have to be very large. When you water, you'll be able to do so through the cloth.

Irrigation Update

We are continuing to explore the right (and economical) solution for the pump and pressure tank for the irrigation system. In the meantime, Tom Ping has hooked up the spigots at the strip garden to the existing spigot which is just north of the gazebo. To use that water system, you have to turn on the timer attached to the memorial garden, then wait for it to feed the system. I haven't tried this yet. We don't have any hoses hooked up yet. If you plant this week, bring a bucket to haul water to your plants, or a 3/4" hose to attach to the spigot at your strip. This will be vastly improved. I'll try to get some hoses and shutoff nozzles at each spigot before next week.

We need soaker hoses. If you have one sitting around, drop them in the white crate at entrance 8 near the office.

Don't drink the water.

Donation Crate

A white box is located between the office and the gym at south entrance 8. Place all donations for the Community Garden in the crate. If you are bringing live plants, sent them on the top of the crate, and we'll get them where they need to go.

If you want tax credit for your donations, I need to know about them. Please see Beth in the office. A copy of a receipt is always helpful.

Plant Placement

Please refer to the Community Garden Plot Plan which was altered on 4/28, and now includes a second page in the pdf document showing the plant placement. Black = black fiberglass cloth weed barrier, green is no current weed barrier (and the sections which will be tilled finer). Please follow this plan. If you have suggestions for improvement, I'm open!

Thanks to Gina Maddy who came and marked up stakes for identification. Orange markers will be placed at measured intervals in the next few days, and yellow markers will be "subsets" within the Orange area - for example: CABBAGE would be orange, with a yellow marker for RED CABBAGE. Thanks to the Maddy family for the marking stakes. Gina was prepared to do some planting, but it was much too windy.

CHECK OUT THE PLANT PLAN - make sure the barrier is down before you plant if it is suppose to be.

Plant Donations & Seeds

Lloyd Long, who owns L&M Gardens (click here for their website), is donating several plants for our garden. Lloyd is a member of White River Christian Church. Please visit his garden center for your home flower and vegetable needs - it is located in the parking lot of the Noblesville Bowling Alley (along with some other locations.) I still have some seeds in my office, and will need to buy several other seeds. Check with me before you buy anything, 'cause I probably already have it!

Bicycle Tire Rims Needed

As part of the trellis of some plants, I'm going to experiment with using bicycle tire rims on poles with twine between the holes. If you have used bicycle tire rims, bring them to the church and place them in the white crate near entrance 8. Tie them together so they can stay as a pair. We will also use other trellis systems, such as wire fencing and fence posts, and teepee structures. Let me know your ideas.

"Cemetery"

Tom Ping and Twain Moore built the compost bin on Monday. It was remarked that it looked like a tiny cemetary, which is fitting, as it will be full of dead organic materials.

BYOT - Bring Your Own Tools

If you want to donate tools for use, put them in the white crate at entrance 8. For now, however, come prepared with your own shovels, knives, scissors, gloves, hand tools, wheelbarrow, and buckets.

Take out your trash from the garden and put it in the dumpster. If you see white tape or green pencils, throw them away - it was used to stake out the plan.

We are looking for a new or used garden shed. If you have one cheap or free, or know of a good connection, let me know. When I get done working on the grant application, I'll find a location to store our tools.

Excess Dirt & Rocks

Please place your excess dirt that is not used around the planted items on the 5'x5' section of black fiberglass cloth that I will locate between the two sections of strip garden. If you need dirt, take it from that pile (say, if you need to make mounds for something.)

Start a pile of large rocks on that cloth as well.

Spread the Word

Tell your friends and neighbors, and anyone in our community, about the free food that will be available to them this summer. Invite your garden loving friends to join you in keeping up your adopted area. If you haven't adopted yet, what are you waiting for??!! We can give you all the info that you need, and God's blessing has been prayed for on this project to reach, teach and serve our community.

Katherine Lueking is exploring ways to get the word out for some free publicity on the project, and is developing a press release. Who wants to be on TV (not me!). Who wants to be the face of the Community Garden? Perhaps we should put a corn stalk in KIP's hand and let him do the talking!

Insect Control

Ah, the most exciting topic is held to last! Preparing a grant application sure does make you think about what you want. The grant we're applying for requires us to list all supplies with pricing. So, I've been doing my homework, and part of that involves insecticides. I'd narrowed it down to three insecticides, based on Purdue recommendations (report available here) but have added at least a fourth, an organic substance that Bruce Maddy has offered. Which is awesome, because it is organic, has shorter wait periods before harvest, and an alternative to sevin in several instances).

• Carbaryl (Sevin) is a widely used insecticide with several trade names. It is effective on beetles and some caterpillars but does not kill aphids. Carbaryl is persistent on plants for 3-4 days, but may cause outbreaks of aphids and spider mites by killing natural enemies. All produce should be washed thoroughly. I will purchase the powder version of Sevin. Not an organic product.
  • Wait Before Harvest
    • 1 day: Asparagus
    • 3 days: Beans, Broccoli, Cabbage, Canteloupe, Cauliflower, Cucumber, Eggplant, Peas, Peppers, Squash, Tomato
    • 7 days: tubers (beet, carrot, potato, radish)
    • 14 days: leafy (lettuce, spinach)
  • Do Not Apply to green onion (which we are currently not planting) - it is not legal to use this insecticide.
  • Pests Effected: Beetles (asparagus, bean leaf, blister, cucumber, flea, japanese, mexican bean), earworm, grasshopper, squash bug, tomato hornworm
  • Pests Not Harmed: Aphids, cabbage looper, potato beetle, cabbageworm, slugs, spidermite, whitefly
• Neem - The active ingredient in Neem, azadirachtin, is derived from leaves or seeds of neem trees. It has activity against a variety of insect pests. For many pests, neem acts as a repellent, rather than a toxicant. Therefore, it is important to apply neem before a serious infestation is present. Current choise is Safer Brand BioNEEM Concentrate.
  • Wait Before Harvest - 0 days
  • Do Not Apply - not applicable, safe for all plants.
  • Pests Effected: cabbageworm, japanese beetle, bean/potato leafhopper, whitefly
  • Pests Not Harmed: too many to name! - check the chart in the Purdue article.
• Liquid Soap & Water - 5 tablespoons of liquid soap, like Ivory dish soap, to one gallon of water.
  • Wait Before Harvest - 0 days
  • Do Not Apply - not applicable, safe for all plants.
  • Pests Effected: aphids
  • Pests Not Harmed: too many to name! - check the chart in the Purdue article.
• Spinosad (Naturalyte, from Dow AgroScience) - organic, usable on many of the plants and trees in our garden
• Wait Before Harvest - 1-3 days
• Do Not Apply - not applicable, safe for all plants.
• Pests Effected: earworm, cabbage looper, bean beetles, vine borer, hornworm, whiteflies

Based on what Insecticide is used, we'll need to post signage when it is applied telling people not to harvest for "x" number of days.

Click here for Purdue University Extension's report on Vegetable Insects: Managing Insects in the Vegetable Garden

4/20/2009

Someone (Mark Fisher?!) was able to till a second time on the eight strips over the weekend, and it looks like some fertilizer was mixed in.

We are meeting with an irrigation specialist this week to find out the best solution to pump water from the pond into the laid pipes.

We'll have enough fiberglass weed prevention by mid week. Don't buy any more plastic ground cover.

Be patient - I've got broccoli and brussel sprouts just about touching my grow light in the laundry room, but God isn't ready for us to plant yet! Don't worry, we've got time!

New plants adopted: Eggplant - Joanna Moore; Pumpkin - Jamie & Carrie Possman and kids; Broccoli & Brussel Sprouts - Beth Roberts.

PLEASE ADOPT A PLANT - see the list to right to see what is still not claimed!

DONATION DROP OFFS - I'm working with Tom Ping to get a large container so you can begin dropping off garden supplies - hoses

4/14/2009

The Roberts' family had a great spring break in Nashville, Indiana and Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and I have notice that the rest has done a lot to extend my patience. Wonder how long that will last??! But, back to the task at hand.

Many of you have been BUSY!! Please report in to Beth what you've got in the pipeline so I can track and report it [beth@reachteachserve.org] .

• Sweet Corn plot update:
  • Roundup was sprayed on the 1/2 acre plot for the sweet corn. Thank you Ron. Watch for the grass to die over the next week or so.
  • Twice as much sweet corn seed has been DONATED as we need for this year! From three different resources!
• Susan & Jan Hoch did the rounds seeking corporate donations from:
  • Home Depot ($50 in gift cards received)
  • Meijers/Noblesville - application to corporate
  • Lowes/Noblesville - application to corporate
  • WalMart/Noblesville - application to person in charge
  • Tractor Supply/Noblesville - lots of seeds donated
• Seeds available in Beth's office at church (from Tractor Supply in Noblesville who donated 89 packets) - come and get them when you need them:
  • peas
  • green beans (bush blue lake, royal burgundy)
  • sweet corn
  • watermelon
  • onion (hybrid Granex Yellow PRR, evergreen bunching)
  • herbs (cilantro/coriander, basil, parsley, oregano, tarragon)
  • cucumber (sumter, poinsett 76)
  • cantelope
  • tomato (slicing: Jet Star hybrid, Rutgers)
  • carrot (chantenay, danvers)
  • spinach
  • radish
  • peas (alaska, sugar snow)
  • donut (really!)
• From the bulletin insert on April 5, we've begun to get some supplies coming in:
  • empty milk jugs to cover tender plants
  • weed barrier:
    • newspaper to act as a weed barrier in certain areas
    • thick fiberglass black weed barrier - this is the good stuff that allows the water to go through and can be used over and over again - Bruce Lockwood has some to donate that sounds like it will be more than adequate for cover this year
    • metal stakes - Bruce Lockwood and Roberts
    • black plastic ground cover - VanHook, Roberts, Fishers
  • wheelbarrows (3)
  • wood to build the compost bins - Tom Ping is working on this project
  • hoses (various types, to come)
• Seeds have been started for the following plants (as reported to me, there are probably more!):
  • tomato - (VanHook's have 75 starts, 6 varieties)
  • strawberries from Hoch's and Roberts, rhubarb from Roberts
  • lettuce (romaine, head) - Mephibosheth
  • broccoli - Mephibosheth
  • peppers (jalepeno, cayenne) - Mephibosheth
• Plants newly adopted (I've updated the plot plan accessible with the link below):
  • Summer Squash (cucumber, zucchini, yellow) - Jared, Connie, Vincent and Hannah Leinart
  • Peas - Beth Rutan
  • Strawberries - Jan & Susan Hoch
• Grant Opportunity
  • Pam VanHook located a Gardenburger Community Garden Grant for up to $10,000! I'm working on the paperwork to file by May 15, but I need some help thinking of appropriate things for this requirement: "At least one, but no more than three (3), additional materials: Materials may include, but are not limited to: news articles or awards that demonstrate the Organization’s community involvement; a video highlighting various projects undertaken by the Organization; a letter of recommendation from a community leader or program coordinator." Anyone suggestions?

4/3/2009

	Donation Requests Have Been Made: Lowe's Noblesville Sunbelt Rental Homestead Growers (Sheridan) WalMart Noblesville Flight Tax (Cicero) Beck's Hybrids Hartley Funeral Homes Home Depot Tractor Supply (Noblesville) 5/3rd Bank Ace Hardware Meijer's Noblesville

The garden is moving forward, and I've finally caught up with the planning! Now, I'm going on vacation until Easter Sunday!

The donation letter that you can take to local vendors, big and small, is now available. It is at the information desk in the foyer, or you may print it from our website. The second page (or back side of printed piece) is the list of requested donations and plants. In addition, you can view or print (on 11x17 paper) the plot plan.

There will be a second blue barrel located closer to the office, near entrance 8 (south double doors) for drop off of items on the supply request list.

Do not drop off live plants at the church before April 20. First, Beth gets back from vacation on April 13 - that gives me a week to make sure that the garden is ready (we still have manure application, fine tilling, and ground cover to complete. If you live plant starts before April 20, keep them alive at home. If we are not ready until after April 20, we will work with Mephibosheth to have some short-term space in their greenhouse.

READ THROUGH ALL THREE DOCUMENT (available to the left) and know what is going on, then bring in your contributions, solicit help, and adopt a section!

You'll notice in the plot plan some plants that we didn't discuss at the launch meeting. There looks to be plenty of room, so I thought I'd float them out there and see if we have any takers (red potatoes, lettuce, celery, beet, turnip, garlic, eggplant, artichoke, sunflower, strawberries, rhubarb)! I do think we can pull off some early spring items that we thought would be too much (lettuce), considering we have nearly 30 volunteers at this point.

PLEASE REPORT BACK:

1) what area you want to adopt

2) what local vendors you have contacted for donations, as I will update the list on this site so that people can avoid hitting up people or companies more than once

3) ideas for improvement, and updates to be made, and your thoughts.

In my Old Testament Bible Reading Challenge, a couple of days ago I read a passage that I pray will be something that happens to us. When the Israelites were told to bring a specific list of supplies to build the tent of meeting, this is what had to be done in Exodus 36:6-7. I've paraphrased it for us:

Then Moses [Pastor Tim] gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp [church]: "No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary [garden]." And so the people wer restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.

4/1/2009 ~ Trenches Dug

Tom Ping completed the trenching for the irrigation system from the pond and then looped around the strip beds before lunch today. He's on his way to see how Lowe's has responded to our request for donations, and will come back with at least some tubing for the trench.

The aerial plan was altered and posted to reflect the actual path of the irrigation system, the addition of a garden shed, and naming of the strips for identification purposes.

If you click on the graphic below, you can actually see there are little spigots on pipe as part of the irrigation system for free water from the pond.

3/31/2009 ~ Irrigation Installation

Did you know that it takes a village to put in a garden? There is much to do!

Irrigation Installation

Tom Ping, our property manager, has created a list of items needed from Lowe's and Sunbest Rental to install the irrigation pump from the pond up to the garden strips, and a loop under the strips, allowing for future expansion. The materials cost $764.90. In order to bury the irrigation system, we will need to rent a walk-behind trencher, quoted at $171. Tom Ping is willing to install the system starting on Wednesday, April 1. The memorial garden team coach has agreed to support with funds she has available the irrigation project.

Corn Plot

Ron McGill staked off 1/2 an acre next to Voss Hiatt road on the south side of the property to identify where the sweet corn will be. Roundup will be sprayed when it gets warm enough and not too windy. Then we're looking to get some fertilizer on the ground and it will be tilled before the end of May to plant the sweet corn.

Donation Requests

Beth Roberts contacted Lowe's and Sunbelt both and requested donations or discounts on the equipment and supplies to reduce our costs. Please be in prayer for these requests to be met with favor.

Donation Offers

A co-worker of Jean Medonic has offered to assist with the seed corn for our 1/2 acre. Mike House & Ron McGill will follow up with this resource to iron out the details.

God is good!

3/27/2009 ~ First Ground Breaking / Spending (or not!) Money / Who Ya Gonna Call?

First Ground Breaking

No turning back now, Dan Conder tilled up the lawn!

Thanks to Dan Conder, who is coordinating with Ron McGill and Mark Fisher to prepare the soil, our garden plans are underway. Buried utilities were identified on Wednesday, and the top soil for 8 strips were tilled Friday morning. Thanks to Tom and Mary Beth Ping for staking out the plots.

Many things are going on behind the scenes - I know you are anxious to start getting the plants in the ground, but just hold on for one more week while I prepare a comprehensive materials list, then we can begin to solicit for donations from local vendors to keep our costs at a minimum. This community garden is an idea that hadn't been "planted" when we prepared our budget for 2009, but God always finds a way to meet our needs.

Spending (or not!) Money

Donations will be very important to the success of this project. Start thinking now about whom we can approach (or avoid) for assistance on this project. I would be happy to place their logo on our website as a contributor, and list them on the bulletin as well.

The material list will be posted next week for all to see! I'll keep it updated at least weekly as things get added and crossed off.

A bit about how spending church money works:

At this point, we don't have any money set aside to spend - but never fear, we certainly will.

• First, if I can order it for you, please let me do so.
• Second, we are tax exempt, so stop by the office and get a copy of the tax exempt certificate and use it when you purchase on behalf of the church.
• Third, if you want to make purchases and get contribution credit for a donation, bring me a copy of your receipt and it will appear on your annual tax statement. Even if you want to use this method, be sure to report back what you've purchased so I can keep track and we don't duplicate efforts.
• Fourth, If you want to be reimbursed, don't spend any money without a purchase order number, which you can get from Sherry Strauss or me in the office. You'll need to have a good idea of how much money you'll need to spend. Then make sure to keep your receipts, and you'll need to turn those in to be reimbursed. Sherry writes checks on Thursday mornings.  Click here to see/print the purchase order form.

Who Ya Gonna Call?

Coordinating and Communicating 

Going through a central contact when we have a project this big with so many on board will hopefully eliminate confusion. You are stuck with me until I can let my control-freak nature get this organized and hand off some details to someone else on the team!

Simply send me an email or make a call to the church, 984-4653x11, I'll let you know if there is any information I'm aware of that would help you out.

I am planning a bulletin insert on April 5 to communicate the scope of the project to the church family. Prior to that, I should have a plot plan in place for the strip garden and will send out a list of plot areas that need "adopted."

Some of you have reported in some items you have obtained for the garden, interesting facts concerning successful gardening, and even a place to get free seeds. Thank you for that, and continue to do so! I'm keeping a list which I will post soon.

And while you're making some calls, how about putting in a few minutes on the prayer hot line? We've already dedicated this garden to God's glory. We requested a blessing over the garden when it was tilled today. Extend your thanks and intercession on behalf of a great bounty, and therefore a great glory for His Kingdom. Pray that God will send us to the correct places and give us the right words to have donations come pouring in. Pray for those who can, should, and will partake of this free gift of food.

Immediate Needs

We will likely need some lime for the garden strips and the 1/2 acre of corn. Do you know of anyone we can approach for free/discounted lime? We've got at least two resources for seasoned manure - thanks Fisher and Morris families' horses! (How many times have I used the word "manure" on this web page???)

We will need a steerable trencher to dig the irrigation ditches 2' deep next week. We would normally rent this from SunBelt in Noblesville unless you have a resource for free or discounted.

Signage / Marketing Coordinator - we will need lots of different type of signage for this project - from labeling the individual plant groups, to instructions on composting, announcing what is ready to harvest, and getting our logo (above) out to the community to advertise what we are doing...something for nothing! We want signs that will last the seasons, and reusable if possible, and free or discounted! Who has a cousin with a signage company???

(Kind of like Jesus, huh? - a free gift we're not worthy of?)

We also need to know how to avoid getting in trouble with the town of Cicero with any large or permanent signage. Someone mentioned creating metal "scarecrow" figures of our reach, teach and serve guys really large to post in the garden. That would be awesome!

3/25/2009 ~ Launch Meeting Notes

After a launch meeting on March 19 with 14 in attendance and many more showing interest and helping behind the scenes, we are quickly moving toward a garden for 2009!

Answers from the meeting:

can we accomplish this in 2009?

Yes! Here is our preliminary list of what we'll plant. It is too late in the season to get starts on some of the early spring plants, so to ensure the most success, we'll plan for those for next year.

location

• The garden will be located to the south of the church and to the west of the Memorial Garden.
• Options included reserving a portion of the field to the south of our pond, or to the west of the memorial garden.
• Crop to be planted this year in our tillable land south of Voss Hiatt is not appropriate for sharing with our crop list.
• Buried utilities will be marked by end of day 3/26.
• A buried water line with a pump will be installed from our pond to the the south of the memorial garden, then beneath the two columns of strip garden extending past the land that will be prepared for future expansion. Spigots will be installed at the middle edge on the east side of each of the strips.

Basic plan of garden is available by clicking here (larger format) or viewing below.

funding

• we're in a budget crunch - this project must be as cost effective as possible
• We don't want to pay for water - all supplemental watering should come from the spigot attached to our pond. The memorial garden team ministry is donating the funds for the pump.
• We want to solicit for the appropriate seeds, ground preparation, poles and fence, stakes, weed barrier and such from nearby vendors and our congregation at a free or discounted price. A letter explaining our goals will be available soon for use when soliciting from local vendors - to discuss.
• there are likely grants or partnerships we can pursue - to discuss.
• we will need signage to advertise the garden, as well as label plants and help identify when the crops are ready to harvest. - to discuss.

planning for success

• Weed Control - we will use plastic to cover most if not all of the strip garden. The sweet corn will be treated with appropriate chemicals.
• Preparing the soil correctly - we will test the soil within the next week and mix in additional soil and fertilizer as necessary.
• Solicit help from Purdue, the County extension board, and master gardeners. Two of our volunteers have taken the Master Gardener's course. Hamilton County has agreed to assist us with a special Wednesday night event on July 22.
• Adequate insect control - to discuss.
• Adequate water - pump system to be installed.
• layout of the garden (what plants work/don't work with other plants), and staggering plantings for multiple harvests. Basic plan calls for six 50' x 5' strips, and we'll plan for 8 strips. Layout to come.
• Putting the garden to bed, storing reusable items for next season - to discuss.
• Season wrap up and discussion of 2010 improvements - to discuss.
• geese (and other varmit) control - this may be a big issue - we'll have to be creative - to discuss.

distribution

• We want the community to feel free to come and gather the goods from the garden even though they may not have helped with the tending. Yes, something for nothing.
• We want little waste, which means we'll need to organize distribution during the height of harvesting
  • using our bounty in Soup, Salad and Scripture and Wednesday night meals
  • giving away as bonus with Angel Food Distribution
  • canning and freezing
  • other ways to distribute for free
• Ways to inform our community of this free service - to discuss.
• Staggered planting - to discuss.

3/9/2009 - invitation to launch meeting

Cicero Christian Church would like to begin a Community Garden to reach, teach and serve our church family and local community with free fresh garden produce.

As the idea of this project has quickly developed, there are many things to discuss and plan, and spring is rapidly approaching.

You have shown interest or have been supplied as a name of someone who may be interested in this project. 

I invite you to join us for a meeting on Thursday, March 19, at 6:30pm in the multipurpose room 107.

As part of the summer programming, we are planning to invite a Master Gardener for a special one-evening program for the family on Wednesday, July 22. We will grill out a meal and hopefully eat sweet corn (and possibly other stuff, see below) from our garden.

Thanks for your interest in this exciting new ministry project!

Beth Roberts

********

Here are a few of the thoughts / ideas which have come to my attention as I have discussed this idea with several interested parties:

1) Can we accomplish this in 2009?

--should we concentrate on planning and preparing the ground this year?

--we can at least plant sweet corn in the south field - we are planning now for this as a minimum.

--how many people and what type of plan will we need to be successful?

2) Where shall we place the garden?

--options include reserving a portion of the field to the south of our pond

     -we would need to work with the current contracted farmer

     -although we recently had drains installed, this portion of the field tends to flood, we would need to work around that

     -the soil is more suitable

--to the west of the memorial garden

     -utilities are buried and would need to be worked around

     -the soil is poor and would need to be tested (we have a resources for this) and improved

3) funding

--we're in a budget crunch - this project must be as cost effective as possible

--we don't want to pay for water - all supplemental watering should come from the spigot attached to our pond.

--we want to solicit for the appropriate seeds, ground preparation, poles and fence, stakes, weed barrier and such from nearby vendors and our congregation at a free or discounted price

--there are likely grants or partnerships we can pursue

4) planning for success

--weed control (this is my number one!) - we do NOT want to have to plan for weekly weeding parties, 'cause no one wants to accept that invitation! We will need to make sure we use some type of physical barrier (I personally use plastic) for weeds that all but eliminates the need to weed.

--preparing the soil correctly

--explore alternate layouts (I personally do strip gardens 50' x 3' with plastic weed barrier, and grass inbetween wide enough for my husband to mow around - this makes it easy to pick, no weeding, and would be disability friendly). It is unlikely from a budgeting standpoint to do any raised beds, but with special funding this could happen.

--solicit help from Purdue, the County extension board, and master gardeners. Someone has to have done something like this before, let's not repeat their mistakes.

--adequate insect control

--adequate water

--layout of the garden (what plants work/don't work with other plants), and staggering plantings for multiple harvests

--putting the garden to bed, storing reusable items for next season

--deciding what we think we can pull off as a team - let's not go too big

--season wrap up and discussion of 2010 improvements

--geese (and other varmit) control - this may be a big issue - we'll have to be creative.

5) distribution

-- we want the community to feel free to come and gather the goods from the garden even though they may not have helped with the tending. Yes, something for nothing.

-- we want little waste, which means we'll need to organize distribution during the height of harvesting

    -- using our bounty in Soup, Salad and Scripture and Wednesday night meals

    -- giving away as bonus with Angel Food Distribution

    -- canning and freezing

    -- other ways to distribute for free

    -- ways to inform our community of this free service

    -- staggered planting

6) inclusion - incorporate as many ministries as possible

-- the daycare, preschool and kindergarten may want to be involved in the process of how a garden works

-- this would be a great community service project for someone needing to fill some hours

-- see how Mephibosheth may be incorporated, and possibility of sharing space in the greenhouse preparing seedlings for the next season

-- bring people to a relationship with Christ through this act of kindness

7) What this garden is not:

-- it will not be chemical free. Simply using the free water source from our pond will introduce run-off chemicals from nearby plantings.

-- it will not be set up with individual plots for people to grow what they want - as a group we will layout the garden and determine the content

-- a flower garden - we want to eat what we harvest. There may be some flowers planted around certain plants for insect control, and perhaps a planned patch for the communion table decor.