Community Garden Workday for March (2019)

With temperatures finally breaking 50

and no rain in the forecast,

we had a productive day at the monthly Community Garden workday.

The beds have been sitting mostly untended,

and with the amount of rain over the winter,

there was plenty of weed-pulling to be had.

This Community Garden occupies space at the Y in Denver, NC.

(You can see it off in the distance.)

The garlic we planted in the fall is doing well,

regardless of irrigation issues.

Thankfully, the rainy winter took care of our watering.

A few of the other beds had some yummies growing.

These beds are sponsored by individuals

who pay $50 a season for the chance to grow their own food.

The cost covers soil and water,

they just need to add their veggies of choice!

There are several "community" beds as well,

and the food grown in these beds is used to support

the local food bank here in Denver.

Some folks end up renting a bed here

because they just don't have space

or the right growing conditions where they live.

This hardy lettuce has made it through the winter

and is still going strong.

In my garden at home,

I have watched the lettuce sit dormant for months,

and have just now been able to harvest greens.

It was a strange winter for gardeners.

For the most part,
we were all on weed duty.
The beds are tended by the renters,
so they clean up their own soil.
The walkways and community beds
were our target,
and there was plenty for us to do.

What a beautiful day to work together
making something better.
I feel truly blessed to be a part of this benevolent group.

It seems to be the season for shed cleaning.

One of the projects that several of us worked on last week

was cleaning and reorganizing the tool shed at the Community Garden.

Currently, it is shared by two separate groups,

but it will soon be solely the garden's storage unit.

We took out every single item in the shed,

and swept the shelves and floor thoroughly.

The right side of the shed is where we've been storing the garden supplies.

It's nice to see that we have room to spare on the shelves.

The left side is currently housing materials for a summer camp program.

The Y is making another area available for these supplies,

so the garden will have more space for our equipment.

The space under this shelf was ideal for the wheelbarrows,

and they can be safely tucked underneath and out of the way.

Once the camp materials are rehoused,

we will be able to use the entire shed for our purposes.

One of the most important components when organizing,
is to use as much of your vertical space as possible.
The hanging racks for the tools is the perfect example
of an efficient use of space.

Here are the befores (left) and afters (right).
I'd say it'll be a bit easier to find what we need from now on.

Another good day's work done.
Looking forward to next month's planting time.
It's an exciting time in the garden!

"Giving back creates a virtuous cycle
that makes everyone more successful."
~Ron Conway