Revised September Garden Calendar

New: The Garden Open EVERY DAY!

The Community Crops Garden is now open EVERY DAY during ALL DAYLIGHT HOURS!

To make sure that everyone has the opportunity to garden, we decided to open the garden to the public.

If you need to use tools from the tool shed, you still need to come during scheduled times, because only the garden leaders have access to the tool shed. See the calender below for this official schedule.

However, remember: you can garden any day - not just the days listed on the schedule.



Don't forget to stop by to get some produce; there's a ton, and we don't want it to go to waste. Right now, there are: beets, swiss chard, lettuce, carrots, herbs, onions, and squash. Take some for yourself, and some for a neighbor! Or, pick some for the Mt. Morris Food Pantry.

Pictures

There is so much growing in the garden! Don't forget to check out the calender link at the top of the blog to see when you can share in the harvest.

Pound-for-Pound Challenge

June 30th is the LAST DAY to pledge pounds for the Pound-for-Pound Challenge.

For every pound you pledge to lose through June 30, 2010, the Pound For Pound Challenge will donate 14¢ to Rochester Foodlink — enough to deliver one pound of groceries to a local food bank.

Foodlink awarded us a $1,000 grant for the garden, to promote health and wellness in conjunction with this challenge. Help support Foodlink, the garden, and your health by pledging today!

Basil Blight

Check out this article on basil blight:














Let's hope that our basil says healthy!

July Schedule

Ready for harvest

RADISHES












LETTUCE











FRESH HERBS





We've been having a shortage of gardeners lately, just when produce has been arriving. Check out the calendar at the top of the page to view upcoming work sessions. It's never too late to start!

Rain

It looks like rain for today's session, and for Sunday's session as well.

Rather than send out cancellations each time it rains, you can assume that the session is cancelled if it is raining. If it is only drizzling, however, please stop by!

Changes

Last week, a garden leader resigned due to medical reasons. Luckily, Gary stepped up and will now be leading two evening work sessions.

The updated June schedule:

Planted and Growing

Thanks to the help of 16 adults 22 children, and about 106 hours volunteered, most of the garden beds are now planted. In the ground, we have: carrots, radishes, beets, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, swiss chard, lettuce, onions, corn, and various herbs!



The Garden Board met yesterday afternoon, and we discussed scheduling. How has scheduling worked out for YOU? Have you missed garden sessions because they were not convenient for you? What times would you like to see on the schedule? Please feel free to give Molly feedback at MKerker@dor.org or (585) 658-4466 ext/24.

Celebration Success!

Thanks to everyone who came out to the opening celebration on Sunday. It couldn't have gone better -- beautiful weather, music, crafts, and conversation among neighbors. Many new people were introduced to the garden, and it was an awesome opportunity to reflect on all that we've accomplished.

Thank you to Josh Netsky and John Barrington for providing music, the Child Care Counsil for providing a craft table, Mt. Morris Kiwanis for the use of their tent, and Cole Party Rental for the use of their bounce house.

Next work sessions --

Wednesday, 5/26: 4:00pm - 5:30pm
Saturday, 5/29: 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Sunday, 5/30: 11:00am-1:00pm

Moving Right Along

Thanks to everyone who came out to our last work sessions! We were able to stake out the beds, do a little mulching in the pathways, and plant some carrot, lettuce, and radish seeds.


Planting seeds in raised beds


Adding mulch to the pathways


The next work sessions are --

Thursday May 18: 5:00-6:00pm
Friday May 19: 10:00am-Noon

Opening Celebration!

Work Sessions

The next garden work sessions are:

Sunday, May 16th from 11:00am - 1:00pm
Monday, May 10 from 2:00pm - 4:00pm.

See you then!

Work Session Cancelled

The weather report shows that it'll probably start raining around 3:00pm today.

The 10-day forecast reports that Saturday, Sunday, and Monday will be the only sunny days for quite a while.

E-mail Molly (MKerker@dor.org) with your availability, so that we can reschedule our meeting.

Work Sessions

Today was our first work session! Thank you to the gardeners who came out in the chilly weather.

What we accomplished:

1. Prepared the ground for raised beds
2. Set up the raised beds and table-top gardens (thanks to Skeeter from the Arc of Livingston Wyoming)
3. Started to mark out where the in-ground beds will go.

The next work session is this Thursday, May 13th from 6:00-8:00pm.

We will:

1. Finish marking out the beds
2. Put soil in the raised beds

It is supposed to rain on Thursday. If it is raining hard, we will reschedule the meeting for next week.

Check back in for updates, and remember to visit the calender (link below the Community Crops logo at the top of the page).

Tilling and Donations

RV Lawncare was pleased to see that the ground has very few rocks. Moreover, they noticed many worms while digging. Looks good!



In addition, thank you to Town and Country Agway for your donation of deer netting!

We are currently still in need of:

1. 12 fence posts (approximate value: $60)
2. Topsoil for 3 3x10 raised beds (about 1 cubic yard)
3. Pots for the tabletop garden

Unfortunately, we did not get the grant that we applied for. So, we are still working with no budget; we are relying entirely on donations. Any leads? Give Molly at call at (585) 658-4466 x/24.

Garden Opening Celebration!

We're up and running again! R V Lawn Care is set to rototill tomorrow evening.

Our GARDEN OPENING CELEBRATION will be Sunday, May 23nd from 12:00-2:00pm! Stop by with your family and friends to celebrate the Community Crops garden.

As previously posted, here is a picture (from the Geneseo Community Garden website) of the garden open-house celebration in Geneseo. Over 80 people stopped by throughout the day.



And here is a picture of the Geneseo Community Garden in spring 2008, getting ready for the summer growing season:



Hope you're getting excited to start! Hope to see you on Sunday May 23nd for our Garden Opening Celebration!

Garden Opening

Important information has changed, so listen up!

In the previous (deleted) post, I announced that The Community Crops garden would have an opening celebration on Saturday, May 8th from 2:00-4:00pm. Unfortunately, we'll have to postone this event.

RV Lawn Care was scheduled to rototill the land today. However, the ground is far too saturated with water. We will have to wait until the rain ends to schedule a new rototilling date.

Once this date is established, we can reschedule the celebration event. Thanks to everyone for your patience!

Tilling the land, and other good news!

Good news:

1. After endless calls, we finally found someone to rototill the plot! Thank you to RV Lawncare - out of Hemlock, NY - for donating equipment and labor! They are scheduled to break ground on Monday, April 26th.

2. Nunda Lumber and Hardware Inc. is donating a wheelbarrow!

3. "Skeeter" at the Arc of Livingston-Wymoming is ready to begin our construction projects! He is building tables for either bag gardens or container gardens. These table top gardens will be ideal for gardeners with limited mobility.

In addition, Wood donated by Geneseo Lumber will be transformed into raised beds.

Do you know of anyone who could donate supplies? We are still seeking donations of garden tools, deer netting, and anything else related to gardening. Give Molly a call at (585) 658-4466 x/24.

At this rate, we should have everything set up and ready to go by May 1st. Look forward to information on a garden opening celebration!

A Brief Update

Thank you to Amanda Lonsberry, for writing an excellent article in the Livingston County News. Check it out: http://thelcn.com/blog/2010/04/grow-your-own-food-in-mount-morris/


In other news, our soil test results are in! It appears that the soil is nutrient-rich and does not require amending. Even better, lead levels are low. When taking the soil sample, I was pleased to see plenty of worms -- another good sign!

I'll be meeting with the Arc next week, to talk about the construction of raised beds and/or compost bins. I'll also be checking in with a community member next week to confirm whether or not he can break up our soil.

I'll post again next week, as soon as I find out more information.

Tentative Timeline

The success of this garden depends on a slew of factors: Will we find someone to plow and rototill the land? Will the soil be contaminated? Now that McDonalds is letting us use their water, is it possible to run a hose across their parking lot?

Over the next few weeks, Molly - the Americorps VISTA at Catholic Charities - will be working hard to answer these questions. For now, she has compiled a tentative timeline:






Week of March 29 -- Test soil, second general interest meeting











Week of April 5 -- Garden Board applications are due








Week of April 12 -- Bring manure and compost to garden site, rototill land








Week of April 19 -- Put up deer netting, raised beds, and compost bins








Week of April 26 -- Start planting!








Can you help?

Do you know of anyone near the garden site who has the equipment to plow/rototill? The Department of Social Services can provide the manpower to prepare the land, but they do not have the necessary equipment. We have left several messages for BOCES regarding their agriculture equipment, but have not recieved a response. Any leads? E-mail Molly at: MKerker@dor.org

Second General Interest Meeting

Thanks to all who came to the first general interest meeting!

We'll be holding another meeting, this time to accommodate those that work during the day. It will be Wednesday, March 31 at 7:00pm, at 20 Chapel Street in Mt. Morris.

Hope to see y'all there!

Also, here's a picture of our garden space. It's right across from the Catholic Charities office at 34 East State Street, to the left of McDonalds. This space gets full sun, and I hear the soil is excellent!



And, here's a tentative map of the garden:



Do you have a favorite vegetable or herb you'd like to see grown in the garden? If so, let Molly know: MKerker@dor.org

General Interest Meeting

Do you want to…

Cut down on your grocery bills?

Get free fresh vegetables and herbs?

Beautify your community?

If so, join Catholic Charities and the Arc of Livingston-Wyoming in starting the Community Crops Initiative -- a community garden in Mt. Morris, NY!

General interest meeting (all are welcome!):

Monday, March 22nd at 1pm at the Mt. Morris Food Pantry (20 Chapel Street, Mt. Morris)

If you can’t come to the meeting but want to participate, contact Molly:
(585) 658-4466 x/24
MKerker@dor.org

How You Can Help

Are you interested in getting involved?

We are in need of donations such as:

- Wood (preferably cedar, cypress or redwood) to build 4 12’x’5 x 2’ raised beds
- Components for raised beds (corner braces, nails, etc.)
- Garden tools (wheelbarrows, hand tools, shovels, etc.)
- Deer netting or other fencing
- A tool shed (kit or pre-constructed)
- Monetary donations of any size

If you're interested in becoming a community gardener, contact Molly:

E-mail: MKerker@dor.org
Phone: (585) 658-4466 x/24
Mail: 34 East State Street Mt. Morris, NY 14510

There will be an interest meeting in the near future. The date will be posted soon.

Why Have a Community Garden in Livingston County?

Community gardens serve many functions. They have been shown to strengthen community bonds, decrease crime, beautify neighborhoods, develop food security and improve physical and psychological health. Community gardens are generally associated with urban areas, where green space is otherwise limited. So why should we communally garden in rural Livingston County?

Mt. Morris is a prime example of why we should garden. In Mt. Morris, there is no supermarket. Public transportation is limited, and many residents do not own their own vehicle. As a result, low-income residents are relegated to shopping at local drug stores and gas stations, where food is often unhealthy and expensive. Low-income community members rely on the Mt. Morris Food Pantry (of Catholic Charities of Livingston County) to supplement their monthly groceries with healthy food. However, the Pantry has no reliable resource to keep fresh produce on its shelves.

It is no wonder that a 2003 New York State Department of Health study reported that only 29.3% of Livingston County residents were reported to eat at least 5 servings of fruits or vegetables a day. Catholic Charities of Livingston County performed its own one-month survey through the Mt. Morris Food Pantry. Only 22.2% of those surveyed reported to eat at least 5 servings of fruits or vegetables a day. The reasons given for poor eating included the high expense of healthy food, a lack of transportation to the supermarket, and a lack of preparation/cooking knowledge.

The Community Crops garden will help alleviate these burdens of price, proximity, and unfamiliarity. Half of the garden’s harvest will be distributed to our low-income neighbors through the Mt. Morris Food Pantry. The remaining crops will be available for community gardeners. The garden will be located at 96 Main Street, within walking distance of the Pantry. Cooking demonstrations, performed by Pantry volunteers and utilizing food from the garden, will help demystify otherwise unfamiliar produce.

All food-related benefits aside, it is important to remember that the most important word in the phrase “community garden” is community. The Community Crops garden will bring together our diverse population to work towards a common goal. The ARC of Livingston County will bring children and adults with disabilities to work in the garden, through its KidStart and day rehab programs. A series of culturally-appropriate plots will grow food for our Hispanic/Latino population. And, the garden will provide a safe space for our low-income and affluent neighbors to work together. Across all levels of ability, ages, cultures, and income levels, the Community Crops garden will help our community grow.