In the Beginning...

Working in the garden the other day, someone had a WONDERFUL idea.  Why don't we put together a community garden blog where we can keep track of everything that has happened in the garden, with pictures and written word as well as recipes on how to use the produce that we are harvesting!

What a GREAT IDEA!  Thanks to whoever had that idea.  So, today is my attempt to start the blog.  You are all welcome to add to the blog with your pictures and commentary or you can send to me via my email (susan_wheatley@comcast.net) and I would be happy to post for you.

However, one of the best reasons to have this blog is to keep you up-to-date on "notices" that I have been sending using email.  This will make these notices a little more appealing to the eye, so to speak.  This will replace the emails that I have been sending.  In other words, a notification will be sent to your email telling you that a new post has been added to the blog, with a link so that you can see what the message/post is... it will contain notices about weeding, harvesting, and the like, but ALSO pictures of our garden as it grows.  We would love to have you take pictures of your kids or other family members (but make sure they take some of you as well) while you are working in the garden.  This blog will be the garden's history.

Also, if you have recipes that you would like to share, WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE THEM!  So, to start with, if you have recipes for kale or potatoes or onions (or peas, if any of you still have some left), this is the place to do it!

I would also like to thank Kim and Cody Heward, who delayed their vacation by a day so that they could make sure that the garden was in good shape before they left for their much-earned vacay to Idaho for the 4th of July weekend.  I hope they get some good rest and that they come back to a well-weeded and bounteous garden.

So, to start this post, I wanted to show how your community garden began... the pictures taken below were the plants that you now see in the garden, but as they were first growing... in the basement of the Wheatley's home.  We planted over 200 tomato plants, about 200 pepper plants (both sweet and hot), broccoli, cabbage, kale, artichoke (and can you believe that we are actually getting artichokes -- thank you to the hot weather this year), and marigolds.  In the end, we had over 20 flats of veggies and flowers growing at various stages.



A littled overloaded!

The plants overtook all the downstair countertops!

About halfway through the growing of the seedlings process, the tomatoes started having some problems due to my overwatering (oops -- when will I ever learn).  One little known blessing that came our way was that I (Susan) went to Vineyard Gardens to ask what I could do to save these plants.  I was very nervous, as you can imagine, because I knew that we wouldn't have the money to purchase tomato and pepper plants, but wonderful "Farmer Grant" (owner of Vineyard Gardens -- a little old and sweet man) told me to bring them in for him to look at them.  We did that (ALL OF THEM) and bless his heart, he kept them in his greenhouses for 2 weeks and by the time we got them back, they were in danged good shape.  THANK YOU FARMER GRANT!  He did that out of the kindness of his heart and, as far as I am concerned, he has my business from now on.  He didn't want ANYTHING in return.  He just said, "Oh, I love community gardens!"  So, I am hoping to bring him a little momento of our community garden to thank him later this year.



"Under the lights"