How Our Garden Grows

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Aug. 9 — We’ve been watering the garden this week. We got an inch of rain last Monday, but it’s been dry since then and some of the plants are showing signs of stress, like the tomatoes. The kids from St. Therese who were on “Grow with KARE” stopped by to talk about how they saw themselves on TV (“And we saw you, too, Farmer Dan!”) and took a bite of some green and purple beans.

They took a cucumber back for lunch.

We picked 72 pounds yesterday. That makes 172 pounds this week and we’ll pick again on Saturday. On Monday, we had nine volunteers, including a gardener from Chicago who just moved here two weeks ago and misses her garden. Three kids loved pulling carrots. Did you know carrots make a popping sound when you pull them..outta the ground? Kids seem to love that. There’s an element of surprise.

kinda like opening up a cracker jacks box…to find the surprise inside.!!

We’re still having trouble with the deer. They’re here earlier than I am and according to people who’ve seen them, they just hop right over the fence and head straight to the beans. deer have to eat too…i guess.? so we will live with that for now. I’m interested in talking to other communities of faith who have extra land for gardens. Now is the time to plan for next year. A 100x100 plot of land…w/ committed volunteers…water and plenty of sun… can produce 4 thousand of pounds of vegetables in a 20wk Minnesota summer….so giddy up…I'm looking for 23 more locations!

learning and accomplishment is what da garden has to offer…the fresh veggies are just the product of that.  Let’s do well together!

Do you have a question or comment for Farmer Dan? Send to good2grow@hungerfreemn.org