Hurray and Hallelujah, Harvest is here

Thanks to the dozens of workers spending hundreds of hours and providing essential resources provided including;
• Donation of land.
• “Round Upping”
• Ground preparation
• Developing and maintaining a blog
• Providing the use of sprinkler pipes, fence posts and panels for pole beans and cucumbers.
• Providing soil amendments, fertilizer and insecticides.
• Planting parties
• Regular roto tilling
• Tedious hand weeding between rows
• Managing irrigation
• Providing canning supplies
It is conservatively estimated that approaching seventy different individuals have contributed to the success of the garden in some way

Now we approach harvest including picking, processing and distribution. The first planting of corn at Lyman’s has ears with brown tassel and the second planting at Lyman’s and the first planting of corn at Chris Bailey’s is forming ears. The Bishop and Relief Society along with the garden site coordinators met and have suggested the following priority for distribution.
• Number one priority: to the families identified by the Bishop and ward council as having he most needs.
• Number two would be the produce the Relief Society would use in processing the harvested crop.
• Priority three availability for those who were workers or who provided resources. If you would like to share in the bounty now is your chance, get out there and weed!!!!!!
• Last priority after everyone who has needs and has contributed has taken what the need, The YW/YM will harvest the remaining and the Relief Society will provide hands on training with processing.

A reminder: the weeding, watering and insect control season is not over by a long shot. Word has it that morning glory a.k.a field bind weed is invading the tomatoes. Immediate delicate hand weeding pulling the weed away from the plant will ensure a full harvest. There is still between row weeding in some of the corn rows. We still need to hand pull weeds in the potato patch. Hand weeding is still needed for the onions and squash.

Sister Peck will keep you notified of scheduled processing parties. We will also notify you by e-mail and/or blog when produce is available for the workers.

Family Home weeding and share the harvest taster's delight

We are in the crucial maintenance portion of the gardening season. Everything is up and growing nicely, including the weeds. We are pleased to say that we have reached the fifty person participation level. We must not let up now. When you are coasting you are going downhill.

Some one suggested that it would be a wonderful thing if every family dedicated one family home evening a month to helping in the ward garden. It has even been suggested that we call this the monthly family home weeding. What a wonderful way to teach service and enjoy the fruits of your labors. This garden is a special garden. It is the Lord's garden. It is the ward's garden. It is your garden. We have already heard faith promoting stories from those who have contributing in any of a number of ways. Some great friendships have been made. It is exciting to see nature unfold from a weedy patch, to a scruffy dirt pile, to faithfully putting in seeds, watching them emerge and grow under your watchful care.

Families, farmers, couples, young men and women and others have given of their time and resources. Due to Brother Hebdon's travel and work schedule we have asked the Derricott's to coordinate the Family Home weeding project. Let them know which Mondays you would like to assist and they can make sure that we have even coverage and also let you know what tasks are needed that week.

And the best is yet to come. Wait until the Relief Society gets involved and shares with us how to process, serve and store our harvest. It has been suggested that we consider a Taster's Delight, and Share the Harvest event at the end of the season and invite individuals to pot luck with the rest of us their favorite dishes using the ward garden produce. Think of it!! corn on the corn, mashed, fried, and baked spuds, green bean casserole, stuffed peppers, chili, salsa, pickles, baked squash. and the recipes are almost limitless.. If the weather is good, the Gills would love to host such a gala event. We would probably want to have an indoor or covered back up. I get goose bumps thinking about the potential good that can come from this project.

If the produce continues as we hope it well, we will need to make sure that we get the produce to those who can use it. Home teachers and visiting teachers could surely share with those that they teach. There can be processing parties where the Relief Society helps "put up" the stuff we grow. All those who work should put up some produce to remember long after the season is over what it was all about. Feel free to suggest anyone in need who could benefit from our produce.
I am thinking we may need a special committee to help with the distribution. I would like to see if we could have representatives from the Bishopric and Relief Society and other auxiliaries help us with this.

If you haven't seen the garden yet, get out this week and see it. There are two sites. One is next to Lyman Jensen's home and has pole beans, cucumbers, squash, onions, potatoes, corn, peppers, tomatoes and onions. The other is a corn patch behind Chris Bailey's home.

Extra plants available...

Molly Maughan has about 40 or more tomato plants and about 35 green pepper plants for anyone who would like to have them. They can call Molly or comment on this post and I will let her know. Thanks for your help.

Garden Update June 20, 2009

Undaunted by predicted rain later I the after noon, a few brave souls took to the garden to get work done before the storm.
Chris Bailey’s plot now has all the corn planted. There has also been roto tilling between the rows.
On Lyman’s plot, the remaining corn has been planted and the corn that was up has been side dressed with nitrogen and some within row weeding has begun. The pole beans and cucumbers have been hand weeded and the peppers and squash have been weeded and fertilizer worked in around the plants.
Byron Rawlins will fertilize the pole beans and cucumbers this week. Alan Ohweiler will instruct us on weeding, hilling and fertilizing the onions. The potatoes are flourishing, and Steve Woolfe will let us know if we need to begin hilling the plants up.
Brother Faucette feels the tomatoes have enough nutrients on board from planting to last another couple of weeks. He will let us know when and what to use when it comes time to fertilize again.
The corn that is growing in Chris Bailey’s place needs side dressing and within row weeding. The Wengreens have learned the system and can be used as resources. It is recommended that the YM/YW take on this responsibility and try to get this assignment done this week. It should be able to be done in an hour or so if there are six or more workers.
Brother Gill will try to roto till Lyman’s site later this week. Brother Hebdon and others are keeping on top of things at Chris Bailey’s place.
The Derricotts will be maintaining the weeding of the squash patch. Please join in for weeding and maintenance, as we want this project to represent the ward and the Lord. Again contact Brother Hebdon or scheduling
Thanks for all you do, Noel

Big Challenge

This Saturday is a big challenge to see how we tackle the ward garden project. Because of scheduling of the Ward camp out next week and the need to get the garden caught up we have a need for a good turnout this Saturday.

Among other things we plan to plant the pole beans, cucumbers, squash and peppers in the front section of the garden.We also need to plant the second section of corn. And we have a big tomato planting also needed. All of this will be done at Lyman's place.

We hope to have the sprinkler pipe in place so we can give the garden a good watering when we finish. I have been told that there is a Primary function that morning at 10:00 I am encouraging folks who need to attend that meeting to join us at 8:00 or 8:30. You may need to bring hoes, shovels and rakes. I have found that those bulb planters that pull out a plug of dirt about 21/2 inches wide and about three inches deep are handy for transplanting small plants. Shovels also work. We will have the plants, seeds and panels available.
An update: Onions are in and thriving. Potatoes are in and not up yet. The first planting of corn is surfacing. The poles for the pole beans are in and the panel material is on site. Oh and by the way, weeds are starting to surface and we will soon need to be addressing that as well. I expect we will need at least a weekly weeding project.

This should be a great experience. Hope to see you.

Remember to be saving your one gallon empty milk cartons and nursery pots in the case we have a late frost to protect the plants.

Ward Campout...

I know that this doesn't have anything to do with the garden, but I just thought that I would share...

Here is some information I just received about the ward camp out coming soon:

The 4th Ward Camp-out is coming fast. We will be camping with first ward in the "Lehi site" at Cinnamon Creek on JUNE 5th & 6th. Kids games will start about 5 p.m. (or you can bring your own toys) and go til they are done. Dinner will be provided and served from 6:30 to 7:30, please bring your own dishes for eating. At 7:30 we will have a special inspirational speaker for about a half hour. A fire will be lit at dark with visiting til you are tired. If you like you may bring a dessert to the dinner. The camp ground will be available to us from Thursday after noon until 3 p.m. on Saturday so come and make it a weekend of fun! See you there!!

Sorry...here is the latest update

Because of the Aaronic Priesthood commemoration, slow seed germination and scheduling conflicts, we will not be having a general planting project on Sat May 23rd . Weather permitting we should be ready on the 30th for some major work which would include planting of tomatoes, peppers, successive corn plantings. at both sites, winter squash, pole beans and cucumbers..
There will be some opportunities for individualized smaller projects during the week for those who have time and would like to contribute. Noel will try to get the climbing panels for the pole beans and cucumbers set up. Some of our onions will need to be replanted because they didn't get enough ,moisture during the recent dry period. If you would like to help contact Dave Hebdon who can direct you to those needing help.
We still will need protective covering for frost sensitive plants by May 30th. Please contact the Derricotts if you have empty gallon milk jugs with the bottom cut out or gallon or bigger plant containers from nurseries.
Schedule in some time this summer to help with roto tilling, weeding, fertilizing, pest control, harvesting and processing. Those who have helped so far report that simply working together on such a good cause has been a blessing in their lives. The Lord has given us this opportunity for a number of reasons including producing food for consumption and storage, learning gardening skills, assisting those in need, fellowshipping and friendshipping. I promise you that you will be blessed in ways that you may not be aware of if you support this force for good. Thanks for all you do. Noel