Gardening Activity on 4/13/10

This information comes to us from Brother D. B.  Please be at his home on Tuesday at 6:45.  We express our thanks to him and the others who are preparing to make this an outstanding event.  Don't forget to bring an empty container to plant your herbs in!

Sisters should bring a warm jacket because we will be outside until dark AND wear walking shoes because we will be tromping in the dirt. There should not be any mud unless it rains that day. In that event we will have to stand on the wet grass and just look. You may also want to bring garden gloves for when we plant our herbs.

6:45 to 7:20 Transplanting of herbs as people arrive.

We'll have the sprouting table set up for show and tell.  Sister B. will also have herb information available.


7:20 to 7:45 Garden Tour

Location of garden -sun, water, soil

Two types of raised beds

Four examples of trellises or plant supports

Four examples of watering methods

Soils discussion - Types, texture, testing, fertility

Four types of "mulch" - black plastic, mulch, pine needles, bark

Dig carrots and parsnips (winter harvest/storage)

Tools discussion - display

See square foot gardening grow boxes


7:45 to 7:55 Soils test and Demonstration

a) Five numbered soil samples - four categories A fill in the blanks test

b) "Carrot preparation race" - two people - Shows difference between store bought and home grown.  This will be an eye opener.


8:00 to 8:05 Handouts and gardening book ordering sheet

8:05 to 8:15 Why garden? Presentation/Discussion

I believe this will be the most important 10 minutes of the evening. (Please take a couple of minutes before you come and ponder why you want to garden.)



8:15 to 8:30 Q & A and desert - Strawberry and rhubarb crisp - Small sample.  Hopefully the rhubarb will be from the garden. Maybe to early.  It's already up about six inches.  I hope the first asparagus spears will be showing. Again,  pretty early.



Messages

1. Time - 15 minutes a day. 10-15 minutes every day is better than 2 hours, 1 day/wk..

2. Can start small - just dig a hole and plant something.

3. Objective is not to feed the family but to learn, to experience the law of the harvest.

4. Eventual goal - To learn to love the earth and appreciate the wonder of creation.