Gallery of Givers - July 2011

So much has been happening since last we posted. This is the time of year when the gardens begin to grow in leaps and bounds! Though this has been the coolest and wettest spring that we've had for a long time, we're finally starting to get some real summer weather. Here is a gallery which will show you some highlights of the people and projects in the garden.

Kaitlyn helps Chris harvest garlic. That's celery in "sleeves" in the foreground.

Kaitlyn with garlic harvest

Larry and Germaine harvesting and weeding beets. Our tomatoes (in A-frame cages) are getting nice and bushy and starting to ripen steadily now.

Weeding and harvesting.

Renee and Johan pull the last of the broccoli plants. Time to soak the compost pile and tarp it so it will start to decompose. Renee has been a big help this spring as she comes weekly to help and harvest food to take to the bi-weekly Senior Lunch program in Monroe at the Legion Hall.

Danielle sifting compost. Rich with worm castings and eggs it makes a great top-dressing or tilled into the beds. This is the end product of our hay-bale compost piles.

Jan has been one of our steadiest volunteers this year. Here she is spreading straw in the garden paths.

Ken helps build tomato cages.

Jennifer, Llyn and Dawn transplant Shag Bark Hickory tree seedlings.

Larry helps Chris plant and mulch potatoes. Curtis, at the Food Bank gave us fifty pounds (!) of sprouting potatoes. I think we're going to have a fine harvest this year.

Fun at the gardens. John, Chris, Jennifer and Llyn (Sorry, Dawn, I cut off your face holding up the camera like I did.)

Herman and Liz brought us a full truck load of grass clippings from behind their church. "Mulch" thanks!

Our kale harvest has been abundant this year. We were having a hard time giving it all away each week till we added this sign at the Food Bank. "Tastes like broccoli...Cook it like spinach..." Sometimes people need help in trying unfamiliar foods.

Mike Hall adds onions to 'what's cookin' at a recent community dinner hosted by Monroe's Methodist Church...

...and Phyllis Derr helps with the dishes. She's been donating her grass clippings for garden-mulch all spring. Thanks!

We sold our dear little 1947 Farmall Cub to a young couple getting their own organic farm started near Albany, Oregon. Glad to see the Cub's going to a working home and won't just be a museum piece. These tractors were designed for small-scale vegetable farming and 1947 was the first year they were built. Their website is http://pitchforkandcrow.com/

Ken, a happy helper! Job well done.

Aside from the volunteers, pictured and "behind the scenes", we'd also like to thank these people for their contributions to the garden's success:
Tina - ice cream buckets with lids
Renee and Johan Ferrer - T-post driver
Judy Todd - cash donation
Jo Ellen Watts - gardening boots and plant tags
Phyllis Derr - grass clippings
Chuck and Betty Conway - cash donation
Liz and Herman Koontz - grass clippings from Church of Christ mowings
The Tribune News who continue to publish our articles and wish-lists.
Tom Goracke - 30 bales of nicely rotting grass-straw, complete with pigeon poop "frosting" on the top bales. Keep 'em coming!

We've been receiving regular anonymous donations of pots/flats and hoses. Much thanks for these. Whatever we can't use goes to good homes. Apologies if we haven't specifically acknowledged someone. You are appreciated!

We Can Use Your Spoiled Hay and Straw!

We've harvested over 250 heads of lettuce in the last three weeks at the Sharing Gardens (as well as smaller quantities of broccoli, peas and kale). The first zucchinis are ripening and the tomatoes are setting fruit. With continued sun we'll be feeding people prolific quantities of these and other summer beauties. The garden's bounty is shared amongst volunteers, the Monroe Food Bank, Monroe's Senior Nutrition Program, the Harrisburg Gleaners, the Linn/Benton Food Share Program and other people in need. No one is ever charged money for the food that is grown.

Our primary need in the gardens at this time is for a large infusion of straw or hay for mulch (spoiled is OK if the bales are still dry enough to move easily).  Straw is preferable as it flakes more evenly but grass-hay will work too. If you are cleaning out your barn to make room for new hay, we can provide an alternative to burning, or piling it to slowly rot.

The straw adds organic matter to the gardens, improving  fertility. Volunteers love the dry comfort of weeding from straw paths and the worms, snakes and other garden-friendly wildlife appreciate the food and shelter it provides.

We've already used the 55 bales of straw donated by Mark Frystak, of Monroe but we can still use much more and will continue to have need all through the season. We used about 10 tons last year and had about a third less garden in cultivation. If you have bales to donate, we can probably arrange for pick-up but delivery is preferred.

All Donations are Tax-deductible. Please call if you can help (541) 847-8797. www.AlpineGarden.blogspot.com

Local Wisdom - Eugene's Potato Leaf Project

Here is a re-posting of an article which appeared in the Eugene Weekly about a nearby project that is very much in the spirit of the Sharing Gardens - using autumn leaf "waste" to grow food to share amongst volunteers and those in need.

Potatoes often volunteer to grow in your compost pile.

The Potato Leaf Project, a clever way to use waste leaves and grow food at the same time, is a great example of a home-grown idea gone viral. The idea, which was first featured in a local story in the Eugene Weekly, is now making its way around the world.

The Potato Leaf Project came about by a group of participants in one of the "Sustainable Eugene" meetings held at the University Longhouse in November 2010.  The idea was initially suggested by David Hazen, creator of The City of Peace, as a way to help those in need of jobs, income and food.  

The initial goals of the project were to:

1. Keep the leaves in neighborhoods by finding a place to use them in a planting project.
2. Bring individuals in communities together in a food sharing mode, similar to
   the Neighborhood Gardens which are developing around town. (see Common Ground Garden and the Edgewood Garden)
3. Use potatoes because they are so easy to grow.
4. Encourage
   the potential for business possibilities for the low-income and
   jobless.  For example, starting a Mission Garden where homeless
   community members could tend to the growing.  Additionally, the potatoes
   could be sold to local stores or simply prepared in storable food
   products and then sold.  They could also be donated to Food for Lane County.

Leaves piled in a Eugene alley for potato planting.

    In November, leaves were ordered from the City of Eugene's Leaf Collection Program.
 When they were delivered, they were piled up in a neighborhood easement, which is the back alley of a street owned by the neighbors.  The leaves were laid in a 100 foot long row about 2 feet high to sit and begin to decompose. In the Spring, they were planted with seed potatoes (using many varieties for testing).  As the spuds grew out of the pile, they were covered with more leaves to form mounds, which
covered the new green growth under the leaves to promote more tuber growth.  In August or September the potatoes will be harvested by the neighbors for use.   


As of today, the testing goes on around the world. People in Guam, France, Spain, Texas, Arizona and Eugene have been inspired by this process and are building their own potato patches.  It is an ongoing event and any other suggestions and participation are welcomed.

Please address any questions to Ginny at ginny@efn.org.

Illinois Sharing Garden

We recently received this enthusiastic email from someone who feels inspired to start a Sharing Garden in Illinois. Our response follows: Hello :0) My Name is Angelica T.  I live in Illinois. I just saw your video on youtube with Peakmoment. My Boyfriend and I have grown most of our own veggies for 3 years now. I work at a school in the Cafe so I have the summers off, unless I find a summer job. We are always talking about the unused land just sitting there with grass and lots if sun. I LOVE the Garden Sharing idea. I have Lots of spots in mind and would LOVE your help. Please tell me how to go about it. I think it might be to late this year but I could get the ground ready and fences up for next year. I have no idea on how I would go about applying for a grant or any of it. Oh Please help me. When I was young I wanted to change the world, if you were to help I think we might. Thanks for reading Angie :0)

Hi Angie - So great to hear from you! Your enthusiasm is like wind in our sails! The need for local communities to become empowered to grow their own food and save seed is becoming more important than ever. It is also imperative that we move beyond the profit motive when it comes to feeding the people of the world. "Sharing Gardens" give people a non-threatening way to build a sense of community, learn important skills, eat healthier, live lighter on the planet and have fun doing it!

We will help you as much as we are able.

Chris and I started small: the first year we did about 95% of the gardening, fence-building etc. ourselves. The second year is when we began bringing in more volunteer help. Don't know if your project will follow the same pattern but don't be discouraged if you have a small group involved at first. If everyone is aligned and committed you will probably get more done than if you have a large, loose group of people who aren't fully on-board.

You will want to find a local non-profit agency to be your "fiscal agent". This means you can apply for grants through them. They will then distribute the grant monies to you as you provide receipts for your spending. If you write a grant that includes a stipend for you and other coordinators, it is possible to be compensated somewhat for your time.

I would encourage you to find a site to begin developing (as you said...). Then you'll be ready for planting next spring. You might also wish to start a Blog or Facebook fan page so you can document your experience and keep others informed.

Be of good cheer! Keep us posted on your progress.

Llyn (and Chris)