The Photo Diary
June 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday,
June 29, 2009
The youth serving in the garden today hailed from Alabama and Georgia and elsewhere. They weeded and tilled the soil, then watered the dry soil. And they sweat and worked hard. And all this was familiar. Several said their mothers or fathers had grown up on farms. They had grown up hearing every story in the book about how hard farming is. And perhaps the day left them not only with dirt under their fingernails, but more understanding of their parents' stories.
One of the tasks that Monday's crew took on was to pull up the failed radish crop. The radish seeds were put in the ground in April, too late to mature properly. A photo of one blooming specimen is below. The luscious red radish root should be on the left side of the picture. Instead, there is barely a hint of what might have been. Ah, well, that's why we called this a demonstration garden. As in: It pays to follow directions!
Sunday,
June 28, 2009
The Candy + Potter Volunteer Army from 107.9 The Link invaded the Friendship Trays garden this morning.
They conquered the vines and the weeds and left in their wake manicured paths between the raised beds and new raised beds and more composters.
Their names included Candy, Potter, Mark, Jeff, Michelle, Lynn, Hannah and Katie.
There are lots more pictures on the The Link's webpage.
Thanks to the whole crew.
Friday, June 26, 2009
When Kathy (upper picture, left) and Lucy returned from an inspection of the demonstration garden this morning, they brought to the kitchen some more couldn't-be-fresher produce, above right. The volumes aren't yet sufficient to have an impact on a 700-meal-a-day meals-on-wheels program, but the diesel transportation costs are just right – zero.
8:34 a.m.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Trinity Episcopal School kindergartners brought an explosion of color to the demonstration garden June 9. On Tuesday, the high schoolers and high school grads from the Charlotte Coalition for Social Justice added important words – not just signs identifying the plants, but words identifying how to cultivate community for all.
Tuesday,
June 23, 2009
Young people participating this summer in a Charlotte Coalition for Social Justice program were in the demonstration garden yesterday and again today, cleaning up, moving dirt and leaving a bevy of signs to mark the plants that are thriving in the garden.
Monday, June 22, 2009
A bird takes wing after sitting awhile on the warehouse overlooking the demonstration garden, where the peppers (above) are hard at work producing blooms and fruit.
Wednesday,
June 17, 2009
The rainwater collection tanks appear full after yesterday's shower. And the vegetables are growing.
Tuesday,
June 16, 2009
So when the luscious watermelon is being carved up in August, let those who enjoy the fruits of the garden remember that their treat began this way, above, on a vine headed for who-knows-where across the raised bed.
At right, the bamboo rescued from a roadside (Diary, June 12) has found a new use, holding up tomato plants.
Monday, June 15, 2009
There were no big movements in the garden this morning. Just the tiny ones that make all the difference.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Lucy found some bamboo waiting at the curb for the yard waste trucks, so she pounced before the trucks arrived and had Carter bring it to the garden. For recycling? Perhaps not. We'll see what the Garden Angels can make of it.
Thursday,
June 11, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Early morning has the demonstration garden in calming light and shadow. The weekend has brought new growth, and a supply of leaves for the compost. At a volume ratio of 20 bits of leaves or hay to 1 bit of kitchen scraps, there will be a real market at Distribution Street for donors of clean, unadulterated leaves beginning soon, as the culinarians get in gear with their scrap deposits.
Thursday,
June 4, 2009
Harold harvested the first vegetable from the demonstration garden.
Photo by Jacquie Morges.
.
June
3, 2009
There's nothing visible going on in the sweet potato bed this morning – and that's just fine with planter Henry Owen. He's looking for payoff later in the mounds of earth below the healthy green vines. Farmers knew about "delayed gratification" eons before the term entered the lexicon.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Clockwise from top: Mister Watermelon is taking off in all directions; a robin visits; a pepper emerges; and the zucchini squash flowers. It was a hot day, and morning and afternoon waterings seemed indicated.
Monday, June 1, 2009
The first .of the yellow cherry tomatoes turned yellow over the weekend. And Garden Angels were busy filling tall raised beds with dirt and new plants. And the tires with marigolds. Meanwhile, the plants were growing growing growing.