STATE OF THE GARDEN

LATE MAY

Plant Starts: There are a few plants left  from plant sale. They are in the wooden box by the bin. Help yourself to what you can use. A small donation would be appreciated. The red donation box is in the shed.

Vacant Plots: There are still plots that have not yet been rented for the season. Pass the word along to anyone you think might be interested. If you are interested in an additional plot or a flower strip, let me know by June 1.

A Proposal for Unrented Plots: If there are plots still open on June 1, rather than just cover cropping them, we would thought it would be fun to plant a whole plot in just one crop--something that takes up a lot of room that might not otherwise get planted, like  squash, melons, corn, etc. Here is how it would work:

• Each plot would have a "lead gardener".  Others who are interested, whether a current gardener or not, could help out on the crew.
•  Shortly after June 1 we will schedule a "planting day" to get these plots up and running.
• Those who do the work on the plots can decide what to do with the produce. A few ideas: keep it all for yourself; trade it with other one-crop-plot gardeners; donate it to the Food Shelf or other charitable organizations; at midnight leave it on your neighbor's porch. Or--at the end of this season, we could have a gathering and eat what has been grown.
• There are some seeds in the shed available to be used, or bring your own.
• Hours spent working on this plot would count as part of your volunteer hours.
• Besides being a fun project, this can be an opportunity to experiment with something  that you might not otherwise grow. 

If you would like to adopt a "one crop plot" either as a lead gardener or on the crew, let me know.
Also, give me an idea about what you are interested in growing.

Mulch: Straw is available again this year, but the price has gone up (And so has gas! We pay gas mileage to pick it up.) It will be $6 a bale. One bale is plenty for a large plot, a half bale for a small plot. If you want straw to mulch your plot (highly encouraged),  please let me know, so I know how many to order.

Wood chips: In past years one of you gardeners knew the landscaper who brought us the chips. Who was it?  Contact me.

Hunger garden: Every year we seem to use the Hunger Garden for a different purpose. This year Lea is planting it with veggies that can be eaten right out of the garden. After you have worked in the garden for a while and are tired and hungry, enjoy a little snack from this plot.