Garden Report for 2023:
We put in some seeds (radishes, kale) in early April, but most of the planting waited until . . . the new fence was installed! Funded by ECCT’s Community Gardens Ministry Network, St. John’s, and some individual parishioners, this is a fence specifically designed (by Jim Hutton, expert fence designer) to keep out marauding critters like woodchucks and deer. The fencing is buried deep and stretches high, with extra reinforcements at critical places and a beautifully sturdy door. The installation was performed by our Men’s Ministry, ably supported by the Cub Scouts, and marked one of our first collaborative activities with folks from St. Mary’s.
Once the fence was up, we planted the peas and lettuce and broccoli in the upper (enclosed) beds. As the weather warmed, we added beans and squash and peppers (hot and sweet). Then Dwight brought over many tomato (beefsteak, paste, cherry) and squash seedlings, which we added to the upper beds and also filled the lower beds. Remember how it was dry in May? John and Dave watered faithfully during the week, and Letty, Marsha and Debbie started our weekly Saturday workdays. For which we were joined in June by experienced gardeners from St. Mary’s, Edith and Carolyn and Loretta!
Then I began to realize that the theme of our summer gardening was going to be ABUNDANCE!
The rain became abundant—lasting through the fall.
The radishes and peas produced abundantly, as did the broccoli! And guess what—no losses to the critters! The fence proved its worth by late June.
The asparagus sent up abundant spears, which we harvested for a month and then allowed them to grow and become beautifully ferny for the rest of the summer.
We removed the pea vines so that the peppers could grow and produce, which they did—abundantly.
Then the beans ripened—abundantly, both first and second crops.
The lettuce and kale provided abundant bags of greens all summer.
A first for us this year was abundant blueberries—maybe because we covered them to keep the birds off—with a yield of around 8 pints!
And how abundant were the raspberries??!! We harvested 4 to 8 QUARTS/week for 7 or 8 WEEKS!!
Our squash was both varied (hubbard, butternut, spaghetti) and abundant, growing up (and hanging from) the fence, as well as under the leaves. And we harvested cucumbers galore!
We added herbs to the lower beds, and harvested aromatic basil, oregano, and dill for weeks . . . until they were shaded by the abundant giant zinnias and sunflowers, which added color and beauty and attracted pollinators. The marigolds in the upper beds also helped with attracting bees and repelling aphids.
(The carrots and the tomatoes were not so abundant this year, but hey, we still got some!)
What else was abundant? Our marvelous gardening team, our dedication, and camaraderie! Loretta weeded as needed! Marsha starred as the best bean-picker ever. Deb was the queen of the raspberry patch . . . sometimes spending an entire morning down there harvesting! Carolyn focused on the kale, the cucumbers hiding in the corner, and every last cherry tomato. Edith always knew when (and which) peppers and squash were ready to harvest, and documented what was planted when, and was our photographer who made sure to highlight what we harvested each week! Letty was happy to keep harvesting broccoli all summer (a good broccoli year is a good gardening year). And finally—our abundant couriers, bringing all this produce to the Cornerstone, included Lois, Susie, Sue, and Letty (lnaigles@yahoo.com)
Glory be to God for God’s abundance!
