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!

The Garden is Put to Bed for the Winter

Well, summer is past and so is the garden at SouthPaw Farm. The strawberries have been transplanted into the raised beds so they won't be plowed under, all the tomatoes have been picked and the ground cleared of most of the fruit, the potatoes have been dug up and everyone involved has gotten their fill of produce for the season. Pepper plants are still standing because they just won't stop producing! There were even 4 boxes full of tomatoes and potatoes donated to The Salvation Army food pantry for others to enjoy!

It's been a great second season for our garden. We are already thinking about how to improve the garden in the spring so we can cut down the work. We are thinking of mulching more, mowing the weeds down instead of tilling so much and inviting everyone to donate leaves and grass clippings to the effort.

Much thanks goes to Dennis for organizing the garden this year. Also thanks goes to all the volunteers who donated time to make our community garden a success.