Master Gardener Workdays

 

 

 

 

It's been a busy few weeks for the Master Gardeners in town,

and we've been taking advantage of the glorious weather.

The first of many projects took place at the Jonas Library in downtown Lincolnton.

This used to be a rose garden, 

but because of the many mature trees on this site,

it is being converted to a shade garden.

Over a series of several weeks,

we hope to create a relaxing place of respite.

 

The beautiful brick pathway is lined with liriope on the left,

and will soon be planted with ferns and a butterfly house on the right.

 

Shade loving plants were added along the walkway,

and will soon fill out this bed.

 

With many hands sharing the work,

we made good progress in just a few hours.

Several azaleas were added to the site

and other shade lovers were planted beneath trees.

 

This gorgeous rose bush will remain

as a focal point in the garden.

 

This quiet seating area gives library patrons a place to read or simply sit and reflect.

 We also worked on getting some additional color

in a few of the downtown boxes that are on the shadier side of Main Street.

It's so rewarding to have time to give back,

and sharing it with others who have the same intention

is the best part of all.

What volunteer opportunities does your town offer?

Master Gardener Workday

 

 

Last year, in downtown Lincolnton,

the local Master Gardeners installed several flower boxes on either side of the street

where the bridge spans the Rail Trail.

It's a little bit of greenery to soften the concrete all around.

We take time every few months

to maintain them as needed.

 

In the fall, hearty plants were installed to

 add some color to the dreary winter days.

These ornamental cabbages were a wonderful addition.

They were in need of replacing

and a few of us got together to do some work on the boxes.

 

It felt good to get out there and work on a team project again.

Due to Covid, we have not been able to get together

for workdays and meetings.

I've missed spending time with other folks

who love gardening as much as I do.

A fellow MG and I stopped by our local ACE hardware last week

and selected some new planting material.

It's always so exciting to see what is offered with the onset of spring!

 

We planted out the boxes, leaving space for future spread,

and I can't wait to check them out in the next few weeks

as they fill in.

There will be a new burst of color for downtown shoppers to enjoy.

 

The second project of the day was to work on the library garden.

This used to be a rose garden,

but because the mature trees are casting so much shade here,

the roses were not doing well.

It was decided to transform it into a shade garden.

We began by removing some of the border plants,

replacing some of the soil,

and tilling the area to be planted.

 

One of the replacement plants was this "lemon ball sedum",

which will spread quickly and fill in the area

next to the walkway.

The vibrant neon green will surely be noticed by passersby.

 It's a start. 

We will continue to add materials to this garden

as the season continues.

It feels so good to help adorn our town

with beautiful plant life.

Do you participate in any volunteer community projects?

Community Garden Workday for February (2020)

It was a bit nippy out there on Saturday,
when we got together for our monthly workday
at the Community Garden at Sally's Y in Denver.
Jackets donned, a handful of hearty souls 
got us closer to our goals for the upcoming spring season.

Before getting started with the tasks at hand,
I took a moment to check on our garlic bed
and a few more things growing through the winter.
The garlic was planted in fall
and will be donated to the local food bank.
Lookin' good!

Some of the beds contained winter crops like this gorgeous curly kale,

as well as cabbages.
There are over 30 beds for "rent" by folks
who, for some reason or another, can't grow elsewhere.
Some may have limited space or
live in a restrictive community.
These raised beds are theirs for the season
for a nominal fee.
This fundraiser supplies the garden with a revenue
for maintaining the garden and purchasing supplies.

This red kale was sampled and found to be quite sweet!
The colder temperatures have that affect on greens such as these.

It was good to see someone growing greens out there,
considering that I had very little success 
growing my own food at home this winter.

One of the main tasks on this workday
was to clear the walkways of mulch.
We will be replacing this bark mulch
with a gravel-like material,
with the goal being weed prevention.

Last week the first crew got a great start,
with the center aisle being nearly cleared
from one end of the garden to the other
and several interior rows.

The removed mulch was added to beds that were in need of topping off.
In this way, nothing goes to waste
and it should add some nutrients to the beds.
Here, one of our members added almost a full 2 inches to the planting area.

Most beds have irrigation intact,
so we merely placed the mulch underneath.
The drip irrigation has been in place a short time,
and we think we have finally worked out the kinks.

There will be plenty of mulch to add to other areas
on the outside of the fence.
Repurposing the materials will save the community garden money
and assist in sprucing it right up.

With upcoming planting for spring looming,

we look forward to having this huge task behind us.

The installation of the gravel will be a considerable project

and we will once again be asking for volunteers.

The end result will be worth all of our hard work,

and hopefully give us far fewer weeds to pull!

"What is a weed?
A plant whose virtues 
have never been discovered."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Community Garden Workday for October (2019)

The morning was cool and cloudy

as we began our efforts at our monthly workday

for the Community Garden in Denver, NC.

There were still a number of beds with goodies yet to harvest.

broccoli

kale

sweet peppers

tomatoes

Doesn't this lettuce look scrumptious?

It looks as if a lot of the okra went unpicked,

but it will still get used.

One of our volunteers is using these mutant pods

to fashion holiday ornaments!

The loofah took its time producing fruit,

(it did the same in my garden),

but it's growing gangbusters now!

Soon they will be harvested so that we

can work on our fundraising project.

Our group creates soap scrubbies with them

and sells them to the public to raise money for the Community Garden.

One of our main focuses on this workday 

was to rebuild a few of our boxes that had deteriorated over time.

A handful of volunteers used saws, rebar and some wood

to save a few of our boxes from disrepair.

The rotted wood was removed,

and using these cement corner pieces,

replaced with new lumber.

The wood boards slide right into the side slots

on these corner blocks.

(I use these in my own garden.)

Hopefully, they will last a good, long time.

Aside from the usual weeding,

we also set out to plant a bed of garlic,

which will be donated to the local food bank.

The cloves were planted 2 inches deep,

about 6 inches apart,

then covered with straw for winter insulation.

We amended the bed with some worm castings

we found in the shed.

It'll be curious to see if it makes a difference.

Our chores are winding down in this garden,
but we look forward to any time spent here.
A dynamic work crew helps the job get done faster.

"Everyone is trying to accomplish something big,
not realizing that life is made up of little things."
~Frank A. Clark

Community Garden Workday for August (2019)

It was foggy on Saturday,

but that didn't keep a handful of volunteers

from working in the Community Garden in Denver.

It's always so fun to see the changes each month,

from season to season.

Here, towards the end of summer,

there is a lotta green goin' on!

This year, the loofah was grown on the perimeter fence,

as well as in its designated bed.

It seems that the gourds are not as prolific as in previous years,

but there is still time left for them to develop.

The blooms attract so many pollinators,

which in turn benefit the crops in each bed.

This okra is a little far gone,

as it must be checked twice a day,

it grows so quickly.

This cucumber might have gotten missed as well.

We have a large compost pile,

so any unusable produce goes back into soil making.

Here's a healthy bed full of beginning crops.

Looks like they will get plenty of water

with the drip irrigation system.

A nearby bed hosts Japanese eggplant.

Many were picked on this day to be shared with others.

In a private bed,

someone will be enjoying ripe, juicy melon.

There's nothing like homegrown.

Lettuces are just getting started here

and should fare well as cooler temperatures draw near.

One of our volunteers offered up these milkweed seeds.

Several of us took some home to add to our pollinator beds next spring.

Until then, they are best kept refrigerated.

These cactus zinnias are some of my absolute favorite blooms.

I need to look for seeds so that I can plant some next spring in my own garden..

This blossom caught my eye,

and when I was uploading pictures,

I noticed the stowaway aboard.

See him?

A bountiful basket was taken to the local food bank.
It's wonderful being a part of such a generous group of gardeners.
Knowing that our small steps are aiding in others eating well
is the only motivation needed.