The End

Sadly, I am no longer associated with the meals on Wheels Program.  And this includes the Garden, I do hope someone comes in and takes care of what I have started, I believe it could be a great thing.

Happy gardening, Beth

We got a banner

Planted a row of watermelons, we'll see how that goes, then theres a box top of harvesting, and our new banner... Happy Gardening, Beth

Garden Progress... as of this morning

We have Okra, and the Melons are growing so I planted a row of Watermelons... I know its late in the year but if I water them enough they might grow.

                       Happy Gardening, Beth

Our Garden progress as of today...

We have some large peppers and tomatos... the squash is coming along too... The new sprinkler is helping alot with the morning watering, I can sure tell the difference since I started using it.

I'm takin off for the weekend, so someone please come by and water the garden.  I'll give it a good watering Friday morning, but won't be back to water again till Tuesday AM.  So if you could stop by Sat-Sun-Mon and water I know the veggies would appreciate it!

Also, I planted a row of Authentic Italian Mlon Seeds in the square Mr Roden has been tillin and preparing for us.  So if you are able to come water don't forget that and the fruit trees.  I staked a pink string above the row of melons.

Happy Gardening All, Beth

Bounce This Along

My mail carrier told me that the U.S. Postal service sent out a message to all letter carriers to put a sheet of Bounce in their uniform pockets to keep yellow-jackets away.

Use them all the time when playing baseball and soccer. I use it when I am working outside. It really works. The insects just veer around you.

All this time you've just been putting Bounce in the dryer!

1. It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them. It also repels mice.

2. Spread sheets around foundation areas, or in trailers, or cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering your vehicle.

3. It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.

4. It repels mosquitoes. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season.

5. Eliminate static electricity from your television (or computer) screen.

6. Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling..

7. Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.

8. To freshen the air in your home - Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.

9. Put Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner.

10. Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.

11. Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.

12. To freshen the air in your car - Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.

13. Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food and the pan..

14. Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.

15. Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the lose hairs.

16. Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds.. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.

17. Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.

18. Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.

19. Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight.

20. Golfers put a Bounce sheet in their back pocket to keep the bees away.

21. Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. It will keep them smelling fresh.

22. Wet a Bounce sheet, hose down your car, and wipe lovebugs off easily with the wet Bounce.

Grant Contest Needing Votes

I've entered our Community Garden in a $50,000 Grant contest.  The winnder is determined by Votes so please visit http://www.justmeans.com/contestidea?ideaid=NzM5 and VOTE VOTE VOTE... then VOTE some more.  It's all in your hands now!!!!

Happy Gardening, Beth

Meals on Wheels Palo Pinto County Community Garden

Planting by the Farmers Almanac

May 2010


24th-25th Excellent Time For Planting Corn, Beans, Peppers, And Other Above Ground Crops. Favorable For Sowing Hay, Fodder Crops, And Grains. Plant Flowers.

26th-27th First Day Excellent For Planting Above Ground Crops. Second Day Favorable For Carrots, Beets, Onions, Turnips, And Other Root Crops. Both Days Good For Planting Cabbage, Lettuce And Other Leafy Vegetables, And For Planting Seedbeds.

28th-30th Do No Planting.

31st. Plant Late Beets, Potatoes, Onions, Carrots, And Other Root Crops.

June 2010

1st. Plant Late Beets, Potatoes, Onions, Carrots, And Other Root Crops.

2nd-4th Poor Days For Planting. Kill Plant Pests, Spray, Fertilize, Do General Farm Work.

5th-6th Favorable Time For Planting Late Root Crops. Also Good For Vine Crops. Set Strawberry Plants.

7th-9th Cut Hay Or Do Plowing On These Barren Days.

10th-11th Good Days For Planting Root Crops.

12th-13th Seeds Planted Now Tend To Rot In Ground.

14th-15th Plant Tomatoes, Beans, Peppers, Corn, Cotton, And Other Above Ground Crops On These Most Fruitful Days. Plant Seedbeds And Flower Gardens

16th-19th Poor Period For Planting. Kill Plant Pests, Clear Fence Rows, Clear Land.

20th-21st Favorable For Planting Peas, Beans, Tomatoes, And Other Fall Crops Bearing Yield Above Ground. Sow Grains And Forage Crops. Plant Flowers.

22nd-24th Extra Good For Planting Fall Lettuce, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Collards, And Other Leafy Vegetables. All Above Ground Crops Planted Now Will Do Well. Plant Seedbeds.

25th-26th Poor Planting Days. Cut Hay Or Do General Farm Work.

27th-29th Plant Late Beets, Potatoes, Onions, Carrots, And Other Root Crops.

30th. Poor Day For Planting. Kill Plant Pests, Spray, Fertilize, Do General Farm Work.


                                      Happy Gardening, Beth

Upside down planting

Something else I'd like to try out... (parts of an article on yahoo) planters out of five-gallon plastic buckets. Cut a two-inch hole in the bottom of each bucket and thread a tomato seedling down through the opening, packing strips of newspaper around the root ball to keep it in place and to prevent dirt from falling out. Then fill the buckets with soil mixed with compost and hang them. 

Upside-down gardening, primarily of leggy crops like tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, is more common partly because of the ubiquity of Topsy Turvy planters, which are breathlessly advertised on television and have prominent placement at retailers like Wal-Mart, Walgreens and Bed Bath & Beyond.

The advantages of upside-down gardening are many: it saves space; there is no need for stakes or cages; it foils pests and fungus; there are fewer, if any, weeds; there is efficient delivery of water and nutrients thanks to gravity; and it allows for greater air circulation and sunlight exposure.

Happy Gardening, Beth

The Pergola is done... the fun begins now

Thanx in large to David & Linda Kessler, the pergola for the toddler area is done. Every muscle in my body is hurting but I'm incredibly happy with the day.  It just plain feels good!!

We got BEETS !!!

Thanx Willie Mae Hubbard for bring us buckets of red and yellow beets... now I have to learn to pickle them

Idea for outside Toddler Area

Looks like fun, huh?!?

Aleesa's Birthday party ends at the Garden

Aleesa Morgan added to her Birthday sleepover bash a trip to the Garden for her and her friends to plant potatoes in hay and tires.  They talked about how they are recycling, and growing things for the Meals on Wheels people to eat.  Was a good couple of hours

Kids in the Garden

1. Kid gardens must be kid-based. This means that kids help generate the ideas for what will be there, help with construction and planting, and are responsible for maintenance. Grown-up’s need to facilitate and show how, but not do everything. Focus on the process of involving them, and they will then take ownership.



2. Develop the garden to be appropriate for the site and regional conditions. Involve the kids in the site analysis process so they understand how important the light, soil, drainage and other environmental factors are to having a garden. Develop the garden so the features and plant choices are adapted to local conditions, so you are not “working against nature.”


3. Focus on functional garden design, not how it will look. Start the design process by determining what the children want to be doing and learning in the garden. Base the features on the practical functions they will serve, and don’t worry too much about aesthetics. Gardens that serve as hands-on learning laboratories for kids will be beautiful because they are well-used and well-loved spaces. Also remember that the children’s sense of what is pretty may not be yours; that’s ok because the garden is their space.


4. Be comfortable with dirt. All kids are washable, so as long as parents have been notified about the gardening activity in advance and haven’t sent them in fancy clothing, let them get dirty. If mud is a concern once the kids are going back inside the building, try plastic grocery sacks over their shoes, or set up and hand-washing and shoe-scraping station before they go back inside.


5. Bugs and crawly critters are cool. Children aren’t inherently afraid of things that crawl and creep. They learn that these things are bad or scary or icky from adults. When you pass on an aversion to something because of how it looks, that’s called “prejudice.” Worms, caterpillars, grubs, insects, spiders and all sorts of wondrous creatures are out in your garden as part of the ecosystem. Please see them as integral parts of the system, and the kids will be amazed and curious, not afraid. Check out Worms Eat My Garbage and other great teaching resources on garden critters.


6. No chemicals. Given that you are gardening with children, this really should not need any explanation. Also in urban areas, it is advisable to have a basic soil assessment for lead and other urban contaminants to make sure your site is safe for children before the garden is developed.


7. Grow some things to eat. Children are much more willing to try and consume fresh fruits and vegetables that they have grown. In fact, they likely will try things they never have eaten before because they have tended the plants through harvest. Since 60% of kids today don’t eat enough fruits and veggies, learn more through the There’s a Rainbow on My Plate from the USDA and other kids nutrition resources. Have a harvest celebration and encourage the kids to share their bounty with others, whether informally or through national programs like “Plant a Row.”


8. Reinforce the lessons from the garden while indoors. Prepare the kids for their gardening experience by asking questions like, “What will we see today?” or “How much do you think things have grown since last week?” Engage kids in keeping journals and/or scrapbooks of their garden to monitor its progress through the season and over the years. If working with a school garden, integrate the garden across disciplines beyond science.


9. Keep it fun. Have enough equipment, whether trowels or watering cans, to allow small teams of 4-8 kids to work together on a task. Many children do better in small group situations, and it’s also easier to guide the kids when each team has a specific assignment. Try partnering older (grades 5-8 or HS) and younger children to provide younger kids with a helper, and help older children be more responsible. Have a plan for how the kids’ time in the garden will be organized so they aren’t left idle for long, but also be open to the “teachable moments” that come along.


10. Gardening is a powerful experience for children. Children have fewer and fewer chances to interact with the natural world, and the connection to nature is important for their development. Children who develop regard and concern for the natural world come to be good stewards of the land and its resources. Being responsible for tending a garden also fosters their sense of “nurturing” and helps them learn to care for other living things. Kids don’t often hear much positive feedback from adults, and creating and tending a garden also empowers kids because they hear that they have “done a good job” from other adults.

                         Happy Gardening, Beth

Building our Wooden Pergola Sat, May 15th

Step 1: Select Site, Set Posts

Select the site for the pergola and mark the placement of the four posts. Use a post-hole digger or two-person auger to dig holes to a depth of 24 inches and width of 9 inches. Add a few inches of gravel to the bottom of the holes for drainage. Insert 4x4 posts into the holes. Ensure the posts are level and plumb. Attach temporary 2x4 bracing to hold in place. Mix fast-drying cement according to manufacturer's directions and pour in holes. Let cure for 24 hours.

Step 2: Attach Joist Beams

Cut joist beams from 2x10 boards to span the pergola posts. To create a decorative look on the end of the joist beams, draw a straight or curved design on the wood and cut along the line with a jigsaw. Temporarily clamp in place while holes are drilled through the beams and posts. Attach the beams to the posts using 3-inch lag bolts.

Step 3: Attach Stringers

Cut the stringers from 2x6 boards to span and overhang the joist beams. To create a decorative look on the end of the stringers, draw a straight or curved design on the wood and cut along the line with a jigsaw. Evenly space the stringers perpendicular to the beams and toenail in place using 3-inch galvanized deck screws.

Growing Tomatoes in hanging baskets

If garden space is limited, don't rule out growing tomatoes. Instead put them in hanging baskets:


1. Line a wire basket with sphagnum moss that's been soaked in water.

2. Amend sterilized potting soil with a slow-release fertilizer as well as some polymer pellets to increase the soil's water-holding capacity.

3. Fill the bottom of the moss-lined basket with a 1" layer of amended potting soil.

4. Choose a small-fruiting variety of tomato such as 'Sweet One-Hundred'.

5. Set the plant in the wire basket, and fill in around the root ball with soil.

6. Water the plant and cover the surface of the soil with more moss to help keep the soil moist.

Tomatoes grown in hanging baskets may need water every day in warm weather. Make sure you hang them in an area where watering won't be a problem.


            Happy Gardening, Beth

Garden Work Day Sat, May 15th

The Garden needs you.... Saturday, May 15th, bring your construction tools, muscle and lets get Plant-it Elijah built. 

Furr's Lumber donated a load of lumber so we can begin building this toddler area. 

We'll be building a pergola like this one... approx 8x8 to 10x10 depending on the lumber we have

and a dirt box, small storage bin and 2-3 simple benches. 

We will still need nails/screws, water seal of some kind, mulch, kids size garden tools, hooks to hand baskets from pergola, colorful flags or windmills or decor

Looking forward to working with you all

Happy Gardening, Beth

Garden Needs for May

Hello neighbor:


Just imagine if we could get fresh food to people in need right here at home.

Meals on Wheels of Palo Pinto County has started a Community Garden. We have 3 acres, and have planted 5 fruit trees and 8 garden squares of vegetables so far. Yet we have a long way to go and cannot do this without the help of the community. That is where you come in.

The benefits of community gardens are priceless:

 improves the quality of life for people in the garden;

 provides a catalyst for neighborhood and community development;

 encourages self-reliance;

 reduces family food budgets;

 conserves resources;

By helping The Garden at Meals on Wheels, you are not just helping those on the Meals on Wheels program, but you are also investing in the long-term future health of your (our) community. A healthy community is the most valuable asset, and by helping The Garden, you will be planting seeds for current as well as future citizens.

By contributing to the Garden you can help our community immeasurably, and feel good about it all! Any size Garden Square you’re willing to adopt or any size donation will be greatly appreciated! Please check the garden blog (linked below) for the most up to date progress and needs.

Here are a few of the current needs:

 Donations for fencing, have one bid for $2500

 Donations for irrigation, no bids as of today

 garden soil, by the truck load or by the bag

 Garden borders, lumber, bricks, rubber borders, etc.

 lawn mower

 tiller

 volunteers to help with daily watering with hoses till irrigation is in place

 volunteers to help with weeding and pruning of veggies and fruit trees

 someone to make us a sign

 someone to help with various construction

Please contact Beth LaFata, Garden Manager, at (281) 508-3040 cell (or this email) or Patty Clark, Meals on Wheel Executive Director, at (940) 327-9434 to find out how we can work together to give our community the best garden possible.

We hope to hear from you soon and thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Beth LaFata

Garden Manager



PS: In lieu of planting a Garden Square or fruit tree, we’d be happy to accept any financial donation. Please specify any monetary donation as “For the Garden”



Please note: The Garden is a program of Meals on Wheels of Palo Pinto County, 501(c)(3) non-profit status, which means that donations are fully tax-deductible.

End of April Garden Progress

Well, a big ole thanx to Furr's for donating a load of lumber.  Thanx to James Jackson for volunteering to come help me load it, and Furr's employee Robert, great job guys!!  Now I can build benches, dirt box and pergola for Plant-it Elijah's toddler area.  

And thanx again to James for giving me a hand in the garden, planted blueberry and grapes, and put together a square for Callie Evans and her friends to come plant something.

We have a long way to go, and getting there pretty slowly. 

Still need fencing, supplies and laborers, or $2000 to have it fenced.

Dave at Allstate Discount Lumber, south on 281 from MW, has offered us a 8x8 storage shed delivered for $400... someone want to donate funds for that?

Happy Gardening all, Beth

We're still planting...

Hello fellow Gardeners... with all the Chili Cookoff planning I've not been so vocal with the Garden, but don't think for a minute I've forgotten.  Hoping Mr Ramsey will be able to plow this weekend, since it rained him out last weekend, but then the weatherman is callin for weekend rain again, so we'll see. 

We have things to get in the ground tho... so if your able now to come till or plow please do.

I've found a 8x8 storage shed for $400, so I'm out to raise that much by Monday.  So get out your checkbooks.. I have tools in the back of my truck that need a home at the Garden.

I've sent in a few small grant request forms, haven't heard anything yet.  I've also sent off more free seeds.... need to get the ground tilled or plowed for those.

Plant-it Elijah's toddler area is planned, we've rec'd alittle $$ for that.  Need more tho... come on people you know the drill.

Got a fencing bid, over $2000... I know we can get the supplies and do it ourselves for less... but again need $$$$$

So over all we need labor... $$$$... then more labor

Working on fundraisers...

   Family Movie Nite at The Garden & Thursday Sack Lunches

If you'd like more do drop me a line

Happy Gardening, Beth

Fig Trees

Sorry I haven't written much lately, gotten busy with MOW asessments, and now the 2nd Annual Chili Cook Off... but not to worry, the Garden is not neglected... Mary, the boys (Jeremy (3) and Jacob (5)) and I are planting 2 fig trees today. 

The veggies are looking good and with all this rain I bet they will get better n better. 

Ya'll come by when you can and check it out!!!

Happy Gardening, Beth

Our first meal from the garden

Well we've done it!!!!!!!!!!  Made sandwiches out of the England Cress planted in the Garden...

Theres more if anyone wants any, just come and get it!!!!

Garden Memorials & Donations

Garden Friends Memberships... Your membership helps provide opportunitites for so many people in our community, underprivileged children, the disabled, our senior citizens and others. Membership also assists in long-term planning and supports improvements of our Communbity Garden System.  You decide what your monthly membership dues will be... $10, $20, $50, $100  Your membership begins with your first donation.

There are many ways to remember those we've lost, the gift that keeps on giving is always something special.  Currently The Garden offers fruit trees with memorial plaques.  You may provide the tree & plaque, plant it yourself, or for your $200 donation, we will take care of this for you. 

Also with your $1,000 donation toward a park bench with a memorial plaque, you can honor someone special while benefiting park-visitors.

(bench design may vary)

COMING SOON...

For a donation of $??? you can purchase an engraved brick that will be placed in the area in and around the Plant-it Elijah toddler area, or the walkway surrounding the garden. Brick Sizes Vary.

 
 
 
(these are only samples)
 
 
 
 
 
 
All donations are to go to Meals on Wheels, The Garden, 1410 MArtin Luther King Jr Street, Mineral Wells TX 76067. 

I thank you all for your continued support, and look forward to seeing you wonder thru our garden.
 
                 Happy Gardening, Beth

FIFTEEN WAYS TO CONSERVE NUTRIENTS, PREVENT POLLUTION

1. Add at least an inch of humus (finished compost) to your soil every year. Better yet, add two inches twice a year, in the spring and fall. Also use compost during the growing season as mulch.

2. Recycle nutrients back to the soil instead of wasting them in the landfill. Compost all your plant and food residues. Grow green manure and compost crops. Save all your vegetable kitchen scraps, coffee grinds and eggshells for the compost pile.

3. Keep stored manures and compost covered with straw, cardboard or plastic to prevent the rain from leaching nutrients into the soil.

4. Never leave your soil bare, even between plants or rows. Keep it covered with mulch or plant a compost/cover crop or ground cover. Plant your vegetables in wide rows to provide shade mulch.

5. Keep soil in raised beds framed with solid sides. If you use wood to frame your garden beds, DON'T use pressure treated wood. Pressure treated wood has been treated with copper, cadmium, and arsenic, which are toxic metals that will get into your soil or onto your skin. Avoid compacting your soil by keeping your feet out of the bed area.

6. Use a rototiller as little as possible; only once or twice a year is best. Better yet, double dig your garden beds initially and then continue to loosen the soil as needed with a garden or hand fork.

7. Avoid cultivating soils on steep slopes; construct terraces where appropriate.

8. Fertilize only according to professional soil test recommendations. The home kits are very unreliable. Never overapply fertilizers or exceed label directions.

9. Substitute slow-release organic fertilizers for highly soluble chemical fertilizers. Use locally available fertilizer sources like composted stable manure and composted leaves.

10. Put a small amount of fertilizer directly into your planting hole or furrow rather than broadcast it over the whole garden. This will save money and prevent nutrient run-off.

11. Don't apply fertilizers to hard, compacted soil or allow them to wash onto streets and driveways. Cultivate and loosen your soil before applying fertilizer.

12. Don't fertilize your lawn in the spring, unless it's a new lawn. The spring rains will wash away most of your investment while polluting nearby waterways.

13. Leave grass clippings on your lawn ("grass-cycling"); they are an excellent, non-polluting, free source of nitrogen for your lawn.

14. Grow ground covers in place of grass to hold the soil in deep shade.

15. Use only calcium magnesium acetate (CMA), potassium chloride (KCI), or calcium chloride (CaCI2) to melt winter ice. Urea, potassium nitrate (KN03), table salt and baking soda run off with spring rains, killing grass and other plants.

Plant-it Elijah

Meals on Wheels of Palo Pinto County Community Garden will be dedicating a Toddler's Garden Section to honor Elijah. In the tradition of Planet Hollywood, our garden section will be called Plant-it Elijah. Elijah left this world on his 16 month old birthday and it was way too early. We wanted a way to let Elijah live on by doing something we thought he would love to do, and that would be digging and playing in a garden made special just for him.

Elijah did a lot of living in his short time. He went through much more than most of us go through in 50 years, but because of this amazing little boy, joy was brought to many. Most of us never got to meet Elijah, but we felt like we knew him and we went on this short journey with him. Because God was so good to us by allowing us to share in Elijah's life, we wanted to do something that would allow others to know of this amazing little boy.

We wanted something that would not fade, but live on as a constant reminder that where one door closes, another opens. Elijah's door may have closed here on his earthly home, but we know a much bigger and better door opened for him in God's loving kingdom. By creating Plant-it Elijah, it is our hope that children will come to our garden and laugh, play, and learn about God's creations and His love for all His children. And though many may leave this world way too early, there is a place to come and remember them.

Details will be released to the family as soon as we can make arrangements for a dedication, but work has already begun to create Plant-It Elijah. Please join us in remembering and celebrating the life of Elijah.
 
Things needed to make Plant-it Elijah a reality...
 
child's picnic table, or 4-2x6x8's to make one
 
child's garden tools, for little hands
 
smaller watering cans, for little hands
 
assorted pots, prefer clay
 
10 planter boxes 6"x12"
 
2 dirt boxes, approx. 2"Wx6"Lx6"deep
 
bin, approx 3'x4' to store childs garden tools
 
wagon
 
8'x10' pergola, or 4-4x4's, 4-2x6's and numbers 2x4's to make one (all treated lumber)
 
4 bags of concret to secure 4x4's of pergola
 
water seal for all wood
 
white paint for pergola
 
assorted bright color paints for dirt boxes and picnic tables
 
2 adult size benches
 
Please give me a ring or drop me a line if you can provide anything listed above.  Also if anyone is into wood burning, I'd like a piece of wood with "Plant-it Elijah" on it to hang on the pergola.
 
                                Happy Gardening, Beth
                                               281 508 3040  bethlafata@hotmail.com

How Can You Help?

As the The Garden Program grows, funding is needed to operate.  The Garden needs volunteers for field cleaning as well as new farmers and shed owners who wish to donate or supplies to build a shed and greenhouse.

How is the Food Bank funded?

Donations are received from local businesses, churches, foundations, corporations, government, civic groups and individuals. When you make a donation toward The Garden operating funds, your gift is used to acquire and distribute donated food, including the operation of our greenhouse (once built); utilities to run our huge freezers and coolers; and fuel and maintenance for our trucks to deliver our harvest. A donation to the The Garden will ensure the stability of the Meals on Wheels and Food Bank programs for years to come, at a time when the economy might not be strong and when the need for services is more in demand than ever before.

Seasonal Produce we will be Recovering by the The Garden Program

Beets

Broccoli

Cabbage

Cantaloupe

Carrots

Cauliflower

Collard Greens

Cucumbers

Green Beans

Jalapeno Peppers

Mustard Greens

Lettuce

Okra

Onions

Peas

Potatoes

Pumpkins

Radishes

Spinach

Squash

Sweet Corn

Sweet Peppers

Tomatoes

Turnip Greens

Turnips

Watermelons

Zucchini

Grant Requests

Hello all, moving along on The Garden, I'm writing for a grant and am in need of a few things from the community.  I need support letters.  These letters need to state your name of course, your legnth of time in Palo Pinto County, your business, and why you agree with the community Garden plan.

Please print, sign, and mail to me at Beth LaFata c/o MOWPPC 1410 Martin Luther King Jr Street, Mineral Wells TX 76067, or leave with Patty or Mary Jane to hold for me till I come in.

This grant I'm writing for now takes four months to see if we get or not, so please get on this quickly.  This will cover fencing, garden equipment, etc.

Happy Gardening, Beth

Saturdays Progress (4/10/2010)

Today was a GREAT day !!  I met with a fence guy, whom I gave my measurements to and he said he'd get back to me on a price.  Patty brought in a van full of soil...

Amy Pruitt & Rainey Orr brought in some veggies for me to plant...

And thanx to Ms Clark for giving us a Colonial Pecan Tree, and thanx to James Jackson for diggin the hole and planting it.  It will eventually be a nice shade tree as well as providing pecans.

We've gotten a few donations since we made the paper Friday... cedar post for a fence, tomato stands, bricks & we still have assorted lumber.  If you wish to bring anything and leave it, please be sure to not block the bumpster.

While the MOW Carwash was goin on I added 4 garden squares, Big Jim Peppers, Big Boy Tomatoes, Okra, and a mystery veggie (I'm hopin its a veggie).  I got some peach tree tips and later in the day I got a lesson on composting, hay in the garden and organic soil.

Apparently hay in the garden reduces weeds and hold moisture in the soil.  Neither of these things I knew before today.  James & I spread out hay that we received today after this lesson.

So the tractor tire is now a compost.  So bring in your peelings, tea/coffee, etc.  And thro 'em in the tire. 

So all in all it was a pretty good day.  I got a bit of a sunburn on my arms, face and neckline... now if only I could get my ghost white legs tanned... ;-}

Happy Gardening, still excited, Beth

Things we still need:

* someone to plow/till

* irrigation advice, plan & install

* bale of hay and/or straw

* soil

* donations for uncoming fence (please specify for garden fence)