The Harvest Has Begun

We are getting to enjoy the produce of our hard work in the Spring. There is an abundance of yellow squash, beans, onions, cabbage and much more. I want to thank our gardening team this year for all their hard work in preparing the garden. We have not had to weed all that much because of it. The kids are having a blast collecting the produce they helped to plant. They always run to check out how big our 500 pound pumpkins are coming along. We don't have one that large but every week it is amazing how large it is getting. I could go on and on about the garden, but the pictures show more than I can convey with words. Thanks to all who have contributed to the success of the SouthPaw Unity garden. I also was to bless God for providing the perfect weather and plentiful rain making this year's garden the best ever.

 Our Work is Paying Off

It was a lot of work at the beginning to plant, to lay down tons of cardboard and mulch, but all that work is paying off! The garden is beautiful this year. I was working last night tying up tomatoes to stakes and looked around an almost weed-free garden. I almost cried when I saw the squash and other vines looking so pretty in the middle of the patch, blooming and putting forth fruit. The grapes vines are covered with grapes this year. The herbs are overflowing their containers and the corn is already tasseling. Broccoli is coming along nicely and the cabbage plants are beautiful. I think all the potatoes we planted this year will feed the whole neighborhood. Everywhere I look, there is a potato coming up.



The strawberries are done except for an occasional berry tucked under the leaves. But, I picked green beans, squash and an onion to cook for supper. Thanks to the dedication and all the hard work from our gardeners, this year is the best garden ever. And thanks to God for all the rain we have had this year so far. We have not had to spend a day watering the plants like last year at this time. Gardening is enjoyable and rewarding when the harvest starts coming in.

SPRING GARDENING

Big dark clouds didn’t stop our dedicated gardeners. They trickled in one by one, no one empty handed. Some brought cardboard and kneeling pads, others brought plants and fertilizer. Within a few minutes of our starting time everyone was there and eager to get to work. We dug trenches, cut and laid cardboard, covered the cardboard with straw, weeded the raised beds, and planted over one hundred broccoli, Brussels sprout and cabbage plants. In less than two hours, we were done. Everything was cleaned up, put away and our gardeners left one by one. Again, no one was empty handed. We left with bags full of parsley, rhubarb, thyme and chives.

But most importantly, we left with feelings of accomplishment, hope and excitement for what this gardening season holds.

Chives in blossom.

Sweet corn popping through the soil.

Below is a recipe recommended by Dianna for the rhubarb in the garden.

Rhubarb Meringue Squares

Crust
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling
3 cups fresh rhubarb
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Topping
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flaked coconut

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 8x8-inch square baking pan.

Crust: Beat butter and sugar in a bowl until smooth;beat in egg and vanilla. Sift flour, baking powder and salt and mix into butter/sugar mixture until a stiff dough forms; press into bottom and 1/2-inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake until firm, about 15 minutes.
Filling: While crust is baking, in a saucepan over medium heat, mix rhubarb, sugar cinnamon and 2 tbsp water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and cook until rhubarb is soft, about 10 minutes. In a cup mix 2 tbsp of water with cornstarch, add to saucepan, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens. Spread over baked crust.
Topping: In a medium bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually beat in sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over rhubarb layer. Sprinkle with coconut. Bake 10 minutes or until meringue is golden brown. Cool completely. Cut into squares.

The Frost is Over!

Even the little ones enjoy planting!

We had to put off planting the rest of the garden this past weekend since the last frost of the season was last night! Now we can get the tomatoes, peppers cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower in. Not much else to report on the garden except that I think it will be our best ever! Thanks so much to all who have put in time and energy into making this season a success.

The Garden is Almost In!

Teaching the next generation how to plant potatoes.

We have spent the last week putting in all the seeds. There was no reason to think that it would really frost another time when the weather has been so warm and nice. But it is suppose to dip below freezing Saturday and Sunday so we held off on planting the tender plants like tomatoes and peppers and some flowers.

The garden before planting. Thanks to Jay and Dave it looks great.

The good news is that we got the potatoes, squash, melon, corn, and beans planted so that when the weather turns warmer next week they will grow quickly. Planting wasn't just a matter of putting seeds into the ground. No, no, no. It was laying out boxes around the plantings and then piling on straw and compost to hold the boxes down and give the weeds no room to grow at all. That is why it took just a little longer to plant the garden this year, but we hope that it will save many hours in pulling weeds later. Even though we have worked hard, it has been good to spend time talking and getting to know each other.

The strawberry patch with flowers already coming on.

Apple trees in blossom.

The Garden is Growing!

Asparagus pushing up thru the ground.

The main part of garden is plowed up and looking good, ready for planting thanks to our friend Farmer Dave Reed. Yesterday we had a chance to plant sweet potatoes, melons, and squash. Since there isn't a chance of frost anymore, the next thing to do is spend a day planting all the vegetables and cover every inch of ground with straw or leaves before the weeds start growing. Right now it is perfect planting weather and the ground is perfect to plant in too.

Rhubarb ready for picking.

Everything we planted last week is coming up right on schedule. I love to visit the garden to see all the new sprouts! Every time I go to the garden it looks different. The asparagus bed is producing this year but we have to wait one more season before we can sample to goods. Several people picked the rhubarb yesterday. It looks like it's going to be a good year for the garden this year.

The sweet potato patch planted by a very sweet lady.

Working Together to Build Community
(and Grow a Garden in the Process)

Yesterday didn't start off as such a nice day to be outside, but it ended up being a perfect day to build a garden plot as well as to grow a community of people. We were just strangers to each other just a month ago. Where else could you get a high school student, a couple of grandmothers, a mother of 4, and kids of all ages together and have fun on a rainy day? Well, it's at the SouthPaw Unity Garden where we tend relationships as well as plants.

As far as the garden is concerned, we made a bed for red raspberries, repurposed old tires into planters for flowers, planted Brussels sprouts, and uncovered the strawberry bed to find more than just strawberry plants! We found a nest of new-born bunnies. How cute they were. Well, we have to think about what they will be like when they grow up and want to eat all of our lettuce and cabbage in the garden. It's a dilemma about what to do with them. We left them for now and hoped their mother would move them outside the garden. What would you do with them?

We are still waiting for a couple of dry days so Farmer Dave can plow our main garden plot. We are getting anxious to plant the rest of the garden. It's kind of funny the way we think. We pray for dry weather now and pray for rain in July. We are never satisfied are we? It's a life of faith. A person must put their trust in the One who made the universe and who orders all things. It is an exciting life but a life where we are not the ones in control.

More Spring Cleaning!

Rhubarb coming up nicely.

What a lovely afternoon spent with new friends cleaning up the Unity Garden at The Oaks. I want to thank all the people who helped today. Welcome to Lisa, Patience, Christian, Olivia and Dad as our first-time gardeners. We hope to see more of you throughout the summer.

As the smaller kids made forts in the woods and played in the stream, the rest of us finished spring cleaning the garden. We filled the new raised bed, planted it with onions and kale, spread TONS of bark chips on walkway areas, pulled weeds and generally had a great time getting to know each other. The seeds we planted last week are coming up nicely as well as the rhubarb and some asparagus! It's so fun to see new life springing forth. God has been good to us in that every Sunday afternoon this month has been sunny and warm enough to work. We are just waiting for the ground to dry enough to get it tilled, but all in good time. We can't wait to get the rest of the garden planted but we'll have to wait for the frost to stop.

The gardeners after an afternoon of work.

Sunday Afternoon was Beautiful.

What looked like another gray, rainy day in Northern Indiana, turned out to be a wonderfully sunny and beautiful day to work in the garden. Several of us went to the garden to clean the fence rows, prune the grapes, build a new raised bed and burn the huge wood pile in the middle of the garden. We are ready to plant starts as soon as the last frost leaves our area.

The kids ran to play in the woods and make a fort, then off to the playground to play in the sunshine. There is no better life for a kid than to play in the woods and discover new life in the Spring. If you are getting spring fever and want to join us in the garden, come on out. Someone is usually there Sunday afternoon.

Spring is Here!

Kids learning the importance of growing their own food.

We may be jumping the gun a little, but when the weather warms up we go to the garden. We spent the afternoon cleaning raised beds, transplanting asparagus, planting spinach, onions, beets, lettuce and radishes. We are ready for the spring garden to start growing. I know, I know, there may still be a frost so the strawberries are still covered up with straw. I want to give a big thanks to Farmer Dave for spreading manure on the main garden and plowing it under. What a blessing it is to have him do that for us. If it isn't raining this weekend we'll be back out there planting peas and brussel sprouts and other cool weather vegetables.

The kids who came to the garden, planted bulbs, seeds and did general cleaning. But mostly they liked to run and play in the woods outside the garden. It is great to see them having fun outside in the fresh air. There is no better way to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon than with friends and family working together. If there is anyone who would like to be part of our unity garden, feel free to contact me at claidig@oaksatsouthpaw.com.

JOIN US AT THE GARDEN! The Unity Garden preplanning meeting is set for Tuesday, March 5 at 7PM at SouthPaw Farm. That is located on the corner of 331 South and Roosevelt Road. The address is 16323 Roosevelt Rd. Mishawaka. It is about 2 ½ miles south of Meijer and the 20 bypass. We will meet in the house at the end of the long lane. 

Since this is a unity garden, we want everyone to have an input in the planning. Bring ideas of what you would like to accomplish in the garden and what you would like to see grown there. If you are unable to attend, please email your ideas to claidig@oaksatsouthpaw.com and we will discuss the desires of all our members to make sure everyone is happy with the results at the end of the growing season. 

If you are willing and able, we are asking everyone to contribute at least $30 to the pot to purchase seeds, fertilizer, compost, and tilling. This is YOUR garden! Let’s make it the best ever.

Is it spring already? I know it is just the middle of February, but I have flocks of fat robins pecking around in my yard. Who is confused? I'm not really ready to plant the garden yet, but I'm finding seed catalogs in my mailbox and in my email-box every day. Ok, Ok, I know the catalogs are the same ones as I perused last year, but they get me excited to try to make the garden better this year than last. And by the way, it is time to think about growing starts.

Thanks so much to the students in the horticulture class at Penn High School, we will have our starts ready for us when the weather really gets warm. They will plant, water and tend the seeds so that our garden will be full of healthy plants! Hopefully, a few of the students will stick with us throughout the growing season.

If you are a gardener or a wannabe gardener and would like to join our group at the SouthPaw Unity Garden, just contact us at SouthPaw Farm and we'd be glad to answer any of your questions. Now is a good time to start planning!