Food Bank Garden in Winston-Salem, NC

Thanks January Volunteers!

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For the first time, two groups volunteered to help the garden in January. With a high of 55 degrees and frost on the ground, the Winston-Salem State University women's softball team removed brush from the field, harvested collards for Samaritan Inn and pruned shrubbery. In the afternoon Boy Scout Troop from Sharon United Methodist Church in Lewisville came with a group led by Matthew Smitherman. They dug trenches and set the new raised beds in place. The fields are now ready to be prepared and the raised beds ready to be planted. Thanks folks!

Welcome to the Food Bank Community Garden, Winston-Salem, NC

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We love our crops! This year we grew over 9,000 lbs including 18 different varieties of vegetables and melons

Thank you for visiting our blog. We will try to give you updates on what is happening. Our mission is to grow fresh, local food for our regional food bank, Second Harvest of Northwestern NC (from Burlington to Boone). With increasing poverty in our area due to the economy and severe loss of jobs, the food bank's needs have more than doubled in the past two years.

We know that fresh produce is the healthiest food there is. We want to make it available to people in need. We are an all volunteer operation. Through this blog we want to inform volunteers and interested persons about what we do. Please join us! The directions to our garden are in the left column. See next post for 2012 schedule. Tell us if you have questions or ideas. We'd love to hear from you.

Coordinating Team:

Gaylen Bolz, Harry Corpening,Lila Cruikshank, Don Dwiggins, Patsy Dwiggins, Janette Griffin, Libit Glenn, Ellen Kirby, Mike Lawless, Sandee Lawless, Richard McGavern, Jennifer Pierce

2012 Schedule

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January - Women's Softball Team
                Winston-Salem State (17 students)
                Boy Scout Troop, Sharon United Methodist Church, Lewisville

Removing plastic bed covers- Feb. 11

Plowing and preparing fields-Feb.-March

Planting on Saturdays in April and May

April 28 - Wake Forest University Schools of Business

May 5- United Way Volunteers (25 max.)

June-August   Harvesting and planting as needed

If you are interested in having a group sign up to volunteer, contact harvest.tomatoes@gmail.com or call (336)922-7195.

Growing Community AND Food in 2011

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Children from 4H come to help with the harvesting of beans

Our community garden grows relationships and food. In 2011, we found an amazing upsurge of people who want to volunteer. From churches and the local synagogue, schools (colleges and universities as well as elementary and high school), Boy Scouts, families, etc. we have had over 28 groups who have come to the garden so far this year. Our recent survey of volunteers indicates that the main reasons people want to volunteer are to combat hunger and to volunteer in a service opportunity with outdoor, "hands on" activities.

PRODUCE

The total amount for 2011 has now exceeded 9000 lbs as of October 31.

Crop List:

Cucumbers
Squash
Green beans
Okra
Onions
Tomatoes
Peppers (Bell and Chili)
Jalapeno
Pumpkins and Acorn Squash
Corn
Watermelons
Canalopes
Turnips
Sweet potatoes
Collards and all greens
Cabbage
Eggplant
Potatoes
Herbs

Thanks to every single person and organization for their tireless efforts this year.

Top 10 Benefits of Leaves - Vegetable Gardener

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Food Gardener's Information

One of our sustainable practices at the Food Bank Garden is to incorporate leaves into the fields we are using. From Wake Forest University we get many loads of leaves and from the City of Winston-Salem we get free leaf mulch. FYI what you can do in your garden:

Top 10 Benefits of Leaves - Vegetable Gardener

Volunteering

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Volunteers can include a group or individuals/families/etc. If you would like to sign up as a group for 2012 contact us at harvest.tomatoes@gmail.com or by calling (336)922-7195.

Thanks to everyone who has worked to prepare the fields and grounds and plant all the crops and harvest them in 2011.

Groups who helped in 2011:

Triad Mommies
Mt. Tabor UMC, Adults and youth
4 H Trailblazers, Children and youth
Mt. Pleasant UMC (King, NC) Children and adults
Centenary UMC, Adult Sunday School Class and families
Boys and Girls Club Children's Garden of Winston-Salem
Centenary UMC Children's Mission Project
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Wake Forest Univ. School of Medicine: Project for youth in health careers (2 visits)
Pleasant Grove Baptist Church Youth, Fuqua Varina, NC
Winston-Salem Junior Jaycees
Montessori School Teachers and Administrators
Temple Emanuel's Mitzvah Day
"Weeds and Seeds" Garden Club
Forsyth Country Day School
Wake Forest Sociology Class
Wake Forest MBA Students
Piney Grove Baptist Church
Ardmore United Methodist Church
Centenary United Methodist Church
The Children's Home Farm staff
Forsyth County Extension Service
Paisley Middle School
Crosby Scholars program
Second Harvest Food Bank of NW NC
Wake Forest Univ. School of Medicine-Project for youth in health careers
Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church
Mt. Tabor United Methodist Church

AND, of course, all of the REGULAR VOLUNTEERS at the garden. These are the people who come often and are the backbone of the garden. Many more REGULAR volunteers are needed.

Wake Forest Business School Brings Students to Volunteer

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Check out this neat video with the MBA students from Wake Foreset University. This is the third time the students have come to help and that made SO much difference.

http://vimeo.com/29756840

Featured Crop

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Horticulture: Sweet Potatoes

We harvested our first sweet potatoes this week. Sweet Potatoes have been off and on as a crop at the garden. This year our sweet potatoes are planted in the top row near the road. They were planted in late spring . Ours are started from “slips” or a small transplant which we get from Eastern NC. We planted over 500 slips this year and have already harvested about 200 lbs. Many more will be harvested this month.

Sweet potatoes extremely nutrition’s and also have other advantages: besides simple starches, sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, beta carotene (a vitamin A equivalent nutrient), vitamin C, and vitamin B6. Pink, yellow and green varieties are high in carotene, the precursor of vitamin A.

In 1992, the Center for Science in the Public Interest compared the nutritional value of sweet potatoes to other vegetables. Considering fiber content, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium, the sweet potato ranked highest in nutritional value. According to these criteria, sweet potatoes earned 184 points, 100 points over the next on the list, the common potato.

Sweet potato varieties with dark orange flesh have more beta carotene than those with light-colored flesh, and their increased cultivation is being encouraged in Africa, where vitamin A deficiency is a serious health problem. Despite the name "sweet", it may be a beneficial food for diabetics, as preliminary studies on animals have revealed it helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and to lower insulin resistance.[24]

China produces 80 per cent of the world’s sweet potatoes and NC is the chief producer of sweet potatoes in the USA (over 30 per cent). They originate in Latin and Central America.

Gallery of 2011 Photos

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This free photo slideshow personalized with Smilebox

Scenes from the Garden... Spring at Last!

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Volunteer happiness...UNC-G student having a good time and working hard!

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Crosby Scholars plant broccoli

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Mike Lawless leveling the paths between the rows. After the paths are leveled, we plant a cover crop of annual rye grass, which keeps weeds, mud and erosion under control. Once it gets about 6" high we will mow it down and let it dry out, again preventing weeds to grow. It dies back during the summer and enriches the soil with organic matter.

NEWS FROM THE GARDEN, July 17, 2011

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Volunteers joined in a celebration of the life of Jim Holmes, Jr. the founder of our garden at Centenary United Methodist Church on Friday after his passing away last Tuesday.

Jim's son, Jim Holmes III, spoke eloquently of his father and his approach to life. Included in his father's many experiences was the food bank community garden which he started in 1994 after his retirement. Many people who knew Jim were struck by his total commitment to a vision of a garden and to know how to make it work. He had to learn to plow, plant and harvest. As a member of the boards of The Children's Home, Centenary United Methodist Church and Second Harvest, he worked with other leaders to attain their participation in the garden project. His goal was to gain volunteers who would plant and harvest the produce but also become more aware of the needs of the people struggling to put food on their tables. The garden was not only a service project but also an educational program.

Jim's kind, gentle and generous spirit will always be in the garden and a legacy to all who continue on the path he set. We extend our love and gratitude to Betty Holmes and all the Holmes family.

Kiosk Information Board is completed

Our new communications center is finished and looks great. Thanks to Mike Lawless, Trevor and Cooper Erickson and Richard McGavern, we have a first class structure modeled on a plan from kiosks at Montana State Parks. Our guys had to alter the plan quite a lot and work in 100 degree heat, but they did it. It will make a huge difference in enabling volunteers to feel more connected to what is going on. It will include general information plus in depth coverage of our efforts to become sustainable by improving our soil, planting cover crops, attracting pollinators, etc.

The structure was made possible by a grant from the Sustainable Action Resources Group of North Carolina. The grant, which we shared with The Children's Home, was facilitated by the Forsyth County NC Cooperative Extension Service.

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Thank you to groups who came last week:

Wake Forest Scholl of Medicine, Youth health careers programs (2nd visit)
Mt. Tabor United Methodist Church, youth and adults
Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church, children and adults
4 H Trailblazers, Children, youth and adults

We need more groups! With bigger harvests rolling in, do you know a group who would like to help? Just call 922 7195 to let us know you are coming with a group.

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Horticulture

How do we select our crops?

First, every year we meet with Second Harvest Food Bank to see what crops are most popular and needed. They also suggest new crops, for example, we are growing jalapeno peppers and more melons this year at their request. This year we are growing about 30 different vegetables, fruits, herbs and cover crops.

Several crops are "standards" such as the obvious ones like tomatoes, squash and cucumbers. However, every year we evaluate what did well and what did not do so well. We will try a new variety where needed or if someone makes a suggestion.

Most of our seeds come from one of the local hardware stores which sells seeds in bulk. We also order some specialty seeds from Johnny's Seed Company, Renee's Garden or Seed Saver's Exchange.

New crops this year

Zephyr Squash: a new variety, yellow with a green stripe, more disease resistant
Big Beef Tomato and Rutgers Tomato: chosen for flavor and portability; both tomatoes are known to "travel well". Big Beef is an award winning variety.
Sugar Baby watermelon: Chosen as a smaller watermelon but so far it looks like a very big melon. We still grow Crimson Sweet (regular big melon)
Eggplant "Oriental Express". Fairly small, this eggplant is growing very well. We've never grown eggplant before but thought we would try it.
Beans: Several new varieties including Contenda, Mountaineer White Half Runner. We've been growing Tenderette, a bush bean that does well.
Cover crops: Sudan grass, cow peas and soybeans

There is a copy of our Garden Plan posted on the information kiosk. If you want a list of specific varieties or the full plan, just email us at harvest.tomatoes@gmail.com and request garden plan.

Don't Forget: JULY is our biggest harvesting month. Lots of "heavy" crops are coming in and need picking three times a week (or more).

See you at the garden!

Coordinating Committee:

Mike and Sandee Lawless, Harry Corpening, Gaylen Bolz, Janette Griffin, Libit Glenn, Lila Cruikshank, Don and Patsy Dwiggins, Jennifer Pierce, Richard McGavern, Ellen Kirby

Questions? Information? Call 336-922-7195

The garden in March....just plowed and resting

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Opening Day April 16

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Our first planting day will be Saturay April 16. Watch here for more details.

Our Soil Test

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Soil is deposited into the box, labeled and sent to the NC Dept. of Agriculture for testing

Soil Test January 23

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What's in our soil? As far as we know, a soil test had not been done in a few years so we took samples yesterday. The results will guide us as we begin the 2011 plans for planting the Food Bank Community Garden. Nothing is more important than the soil....its minerals, structure, organic matter and more. As we try to become a more sustainable garden the main key is "what's in the soil". Healthy plants can resist pests and disease better. Healthy plants need less synthetic fertilizer. The soil can make the difference.

Here's how we did it. After getting the small cardboard sample containers from the Forsyth County Extension Service, we dug up cores of soil from the various fields and poured them in boxes for each specific area. Once the forms for each box were completed (indicating what will be grown in the soil) we mailed all the samples (eight in all) to NC State in Raleigh.

NC is unusual in offering this as a free service for NC gardeners and farmers.
Our report will come back via Internet and in writing. It will tell whether we need to add lime, other fertilizers, what the pH is, and what the organic content is. Before we add anything to our soil, this test will guide us.. If you are thinking of doing this for your own garden, now is a good time to do it before everyone starts sending in their samples. The results will come more quickly.

Sample boxes

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Samples from eight different areas of the garden. Our community garden has nearly three acres total, of which about half is under cultivation (1.5 acres).

Using Leaves to Remediate the Soil

2011-01-22T13:32:00.000-08:00

Wake Forest University supplied the garden with several tons of leaves to improve our soil in two areas where the soil had very little organic material. These areas will continue improvedment over the next year. The plan will be to plant in them in 2012. We will also use cover crops such as rye grass, red clover, field peas, etc.

HARVEST FEST SEPTEMBER 28

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HarvestFest Scheduled for Wednesday, September 28, 5:15 pm until sunset.... YOU ARE INVITED !

JOIN US FOR THIS FUN EVENT AS PART OF HUNGER ACTION MONTH

SECOND HARVEST OF NW NORTH CAROLINA IS SPONSORING THIS EVENT IN COOPERATION WITH THE GARDEN.

FOR DIRECTIONS TO THE GARDEN, SEE LEFT COLUMN OF THIS BLOG.

THERE WILL BE FOOD PREPARED FROM THE GARDEN BY THE TRIAD COMMUNITY KITCHEN ALONG WITH KIDS ACTIVITIES, TOURS OF THE GARDENS, ETC.

Come to HarvestFest, Wednesday, September 28

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Please Announce:

The Public Is Invited to:

HARVEST FEST

AT THE FOOD BANK GARDEN

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

5:30 UNTIL 7:30 PM

Sponsored by Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwestern NC in the garden. The event is FREE (bring garden tools or gloves if you can) but it would be most helpful if you can let us know you are coming by Tuesday 9AM to

harvest.tomatoes@gmail.com or 922-7195

ACTIVITIES:

HAYRIDES FOR KIDS (5:30-6 PM) Meet at top of the hill near parking

Food prepared by Second Harvest's own Triad Community Kitchen (local, NC grown food)

Art activity to build two towers of empty bowls made by local children

Information about the garden and sale of new garden t shirts; all profits will go for next year's seed fund. Free seed giveaway from flowers in the garden. See what the garden is doing to become more sustainable. Meet volunteers

Music

Mayor's Proclamation (6:15PM) honoring our garden founders, Betty and James Holmes, Jr.

WXII weather forecaster Lanie Pope will be there for the news from the garden

Please come and spread the word! Celebrate the garden and what WE can do to combat hunger in our area.

Directions to the Garden:

Enter at The Children's Home, 1001 Reynolda Road (near Northwest Blvd.); bear left at the first intersection; continue all the way to the farm area; the garden is beyond the barns in the field on the left. Park at the entrance to the garden or on the side of the road at the top of the field.

SEPTEMBER CALENDAR

26 Monday 6PM (Harvest okra, etc. and prepare for HarvestFest)

28 Wednesday HarvestFest 5:30-7:30 PM

October Calendar To Be Announced

See you at the garden!

Church Community Gardens

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There is a tremendous outgrown of church related community gardens. In a quick survey of Google using "church community gardens" there were more than 20 pages (with about tne per page) of examples from various states including Oklahoma, Kentucky, California, North Carolina, Michigin, Wyoming
Washington, Nebraska, Alabama, Texas, New York....Most were on church grounds but many were more "missional" locating their gardens in the neighborhood. Most were growing food but many included ornamentals (sitting gardens, meditation gardens, etc.).

To learn more about church related gardens, see the video here about Cedar Grove UMC in North Carolina:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UcI-gL8Z

Please Answer Our Survey

2010-09-19T12:20:00.000-07:00

Whether you participate or not, we would really like to hear from you. Just go to the link. It takes less than five minutes to answer. And, you will help us plan for the future. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7CDLPXB Thanks!

News Detail | WFU Schools of Business

2010-09-15T13:27:00.000-07:00

News Detail WFU Schools of Business

4-H Group Comes to Volunteer

2010-09-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

Carla Arrowood, a regular volutneer, brought her children and 12 others from their 4 H Trailblazers group. They were energetic and enthusiastic in harvesting, weeding and taking care of the garden.

More Volunteers in Action

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Guilford College Students, Bonner Program, August 18, 2010

Seed planting starts again this week

Volunteers prepare the Trial Crop bed

Produce Collections

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Bulletin....Our garden is in the news!

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Here's a story on JournalNow that I thought you might like to read. You can paste this into your browser to read it:

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2010/jul/28/272045/well-tended-garden-benefits-second-harvest/living/

Second Report on Harvest (as of July 1)

2010-06-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

We now have our second report on pounds of produce we sent to the warehouse of the Second Harvest Food Bank. We will continue to report on this. This harvest is from seeds planted April 15 and April 22.

Green Beans 43 lbs.
Yellow Squash, Zucchini and Pumpkins 430 lbs.
Cucumbers 468 lbs.
Okra 25 lbs.
Beans 43
Onions 13

Total 979

Way to go volunteers!

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What's in the Trial Garden?

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Why don't you grow.....? Our reply is that we grow what will produce the crops requested by the food bank, crops that people enjoy eating for taste and nutrition. There are the regulars, such as tomatoes, peppers, squash, corn, etc. This year we are adding five different types of chili peppers as requested by the food bank. We are also growing sweet potatoes again due to increased need and the high nutritional value of the produce.
We choose seed varieties that are available in bulk at the local Seed and Hardware Stores like Webster Brothers in Walkertown. We start everything we can from seeds.

Sometimes we want to grow a new variety or a new crop. Last year we tried okra and it did so well we are growing a row this year. The Trial Garden is where we can try new things and expand into the main garden if we determine that people like to eat it and it grows well. In the Trial Garden this year we are trying Tomatillos (see above) which are good for making green Salsa. We're also growing patty pan squash, Swiss chard and a few new varieties of cucumbers, Yukon gold potatoes and onions. So far with the onions, is that they probably take too much time and energy to be worthwhile for our purposes. We planted them in October and probably won't harvest until July. So, we learned.

We're also demonstrating some different growing methods. In the Trial Garden we do not plant under plastic bed covers. We raise the beds about 6 " and are recycling burlap coffee bags from Krankies as weed control between rows (please bring us some if you go to Krankie's). We are demonstrating the "Three Sisters" method of planting corn, cucumbers and pole beans together as the Native Americans did. The beans fix nitrogen in the soil and they grow up supported by the corn; the cucumber (or squash) grows at the bottom and keeps the ground cool.

Herbs will go at the shed end of the Trial bed. So far we have sage,oregano,thyme,basil, lemon balm and chives. The Triad Community Kitchen of the Food Bank requested we grow herbs for them.

So, next time you come to help with the harvest, check out what's going on in the Trial Garden. We hope to have labels up soon. Don't be surprised if you see some flowers too.

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Saturday, May 1

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Seedlings are coming up! Great to see the shoots of green ( beans, corn, etc.). Starting to get irrigation and fertilizing systems in place. Repaired some breaks in the water lines. We are creating a "Test Crop" garden to try out new varieties of the favored vegetables. Trying to see what we might want to introduce another year. Last year we tested Okra and it was extremely productive so this year we added a whole row. Also adding more herbs in the test garden, for use in the Triad Community Kitchen. Yesterday's planting included fennel, flax (from Bethabara), heirloom Swiss Chard and beans. Carrots and some potatoes are up. Pinched flowers off of onions (what a slow crop they are). Almost completed the lean to off the shed (Boy Scout Project). Finished putting in tomato stakes. Temperature, close to 85 but nice breeze (until 1 PM then time to leave)! Watered areas where there is no irrigation. Planted field peas in onion garden to improve soil.

Welcome, Ella, new volunteer.

NEXT PLANTING DAY....SATURDAY, MAY 15

14 volunteers. Thanks!

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2010-05-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

What Are We Harvesting Now?

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Currently we are harvesting tomatoes, okra, beans, cucumbers, zuchinni, yellow straight necked squash, watermelons, cantaloupes and chili peppers.

Planting Day April 24

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Volunteers completed planting seeds of yellow squash, butternut squash, carrots, turnip greens, and corn. We raised the beds for the Test Garden (for heirloom vegetables and flowers). We finished putting all the stakes in the ground for the tomatoes. We mowed most of the lawn.

About 14 people came for our second planting day.

On Sunday, April 25 a group of adults and children from Temple Emmanuel came to start planting a butterfly/pollinators garden at the top of the hill. This was part of their service day at various outreach programs in Winston-Salem. Thank you Temple Emmanuel!

April 17...First Planting Day

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From Cantaloupes to Corn....A Perfect Day for Planting

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15 people came out to plant on Saturday April 17. We reached our goal to plant zucchini, squash, beans, cantaloupe, watermelon, pumpkins, cucumbers, corn and potatoes.

Next Saturday (April 24) we will plant okra, more squash, winter squash, turnip greens and more corn.

Kathy and her kids made beautiful signs for the various crops and Kathy planted corn with several new volunteers. Robert put the signs up and he and Dr. Bob planted watermelons and cataloupe. Richard got all the irrigation going and Patti and Jane finished planting the herb garden. Nick mowed and helped Jane and Ellen plant potatoes and Dink planted cucumbers and mowed. Matthew and Andrew planted pumpkins with their dad Peter. Becky, Susie, Amy and several other new people helped to plant various crops. Janette kept our records and led the planting of zucchini (new!), beans and squash in the top field.

All in all it was a great day with beautiful, mild weather. We have a lot to be thankful for at the Food Bank Community Garden.

Thanks also to Harry Corpening for his continuing efforts to get the fields plowed for planting day. And finally, thanks to Stephen Greer, Forsyth County Agricultural Extension Agent for consulting with us on many areas of the garden work.

The Children's Home in 1001 Reynolda Rd Winston Salem, North Carolina | MapQuest

2010-04-16T05:07:00.000-07:00

The Children's Home in 1001 Reynolda Rd Winston Salem, North Carolina MapQuest

2010-03-31T21:22:00.000-07:00

Harry Corpening is our tireless plowing chief. He spends countless hours at the farm getting the fields ready for the planting in the spring, then again for the cleanup of the fields in the fall. This year he is also redistributing the truckloads of leaves that Wake Forest Univ. gave to us to add much needed organic material to the field we are leaving fallow. A big thank you to Harry for his dedication to the garden.

The fields are ready!

2010-03-26T17:45:00.000-07:00

GETTING READY FOR PLANTING DAY

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Wonder of wonders! Our fields are plowed, the plastic layers and irrigation laid and preparations begin. We're two weeks or more earlier than last year. Fortunately the rain let up for five days and Harry had time to plow for the plastic to be laid. Farming depends a lot on Mother Nature.

What's going on? We're repairing equipment and planting potatoes; onions are coming up strong (from planting last year) and James weeded the crop with Ellen. Richard tilled the little field for the potatoes (after fixing the tiller with James). Patti got a car load of herbs for our new herb garden which Second Harvest Kitchen program requested. Janette got the communcation system going. The Scouts from Mt. Tabor UMC, led by Marshall Montgomery are preparing for their construction project.....

It is so beautiful at the farm with the fields ready for planting.

Now we look forward to all the volunteers on Saturday, April 17 and 24, 9 am to noon.

Community Gardening...an introduction

2010-02-01T18:48:00.000-08:00

Community Gardening

a brief primer

What is a Community Garden?

1. A garden where people join together to garden…a shared green space that is planned and maintained by community members for the use and enjoyment of the entire community.
2. In some cases where there are restrictions or a focused population, e.g. prisons, mental health institutions, schools; a community garden may be limited to a focused constituency.
3. Due to our economic crisis in the USA, increasing numbers of people are interested in food gardens. The gardens are large and small; formal and informal; urban, suburban, and rural. They operate on municipal land, land trusts, and private land.”
4. Other?

History of Community Gardening

http://www.gardenmosaics.cornell.edu/pgs/science/english/history

Benefits of Community Gardening
1. Encourage community development
2. Support youth development
3. Produce healthy, safe food
4. Improve health
5. Create and preserve green spaces
6. Encourage environmental responsibility and sustainability
7. Promotes horticulture
8. Makes a neighborhood safer
9. Food security
10. Other?

Types of community gardens

1. Children and youth gardens
2. School gardens
3. Therapeutic gardens
4. Food gardens and markets, Food Bank Gardens
5. Street gardens (sidewalk, median strips, etc.)
6. Courtyard gardens within apartment complexes
7. Multi purpose

Steps in Organizing

1. Gather a group of interested people and form a planning committee; identify prospective sites
2. Determine who owns the property and acquire access
3. Perform a comprehensive site analysis
4. Determine your budget prior to design
5. Define you goals and start building community support
6. Set a schedule to get the garden started!
7. Other?

Resources (People and Places)

1. Master Gardeners and Master Composters
2. Books and public libraries
3. County Extension Agent
4. Other community gardeners
5. Teachers, school principals, and custodians
6. Websites and the Internet (blogs, etc.)
7. Therapeutic horticulture programs
8. Parks Departments
9. Public Gardens, local nurseries, hardware stores, garden designers
10. Recycling and Sanitation Depts.(compost)

Ecological Conservation Practices
1. Composting
2. Soil improvement
3. Going organic and avoiding use of pesticides
4. Attracting wildlife: birds, butterflies, pollinators
5. Rain water harvesting and irrigation

Possible Activities in the gardens
1. Workshops
2. Events
3. Tours in the garden
4. Mentoring
5. Welcome signs
6. Open hours
7. Newsletters
8. Other?

Current trends and why people want a community garden:
1. Food costs are going up
2. Concern about food safety mounts every day
3. People want to know where there food originates and increasingly want to buy local food
4. Neighborhood beautification
5. Community building

For further information, see

American Community Gardening Association
http://www.communitygarden.org/

Your county's Cooperative Extension Service

The study "Community Gardens and Farmers Markets for Forsyth County" (Wake Forest University Translational Science Institute) can viewed and downloaded from www.co.forsyth/nc.us.ces/community_gardening.aspx

This primer is written by Ellen Kirby (ellen.kirby@gmail.com).

It is based on the book COMMUNITY GARDENING, All-Region Guide series of Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 2008, edited by Elizabeth Peters and Ellen Kirby. Available from www.bbg.org and www.amazon.com, public libraries and some bookstores

Thank you Wake Forest!

2009-12-27T07:54:00.000-08:00

In October, Wake Forest University contacted Fosyth County extension agent Stephen Greer about locations which might need leaves to enrich their soil. Through our contact with Stephen and with The Children's Home, we arranged to get numerous truckloads of baled leaves. Volunteer Harry Corpening will use the tractors to spread them onto the garden so they can enrich our soil with much needed organic matter. This should make a huge difference in our crop production for next year.

Moreover, we got three truckloads of City of Winston-Salem leaf mulch (made from residential pick ups of leaves in the fall). Several garden volunteers arranged the pick up and delivery of this mulch to the garden.Some of it was already spread on the salad garden near the shed.

We look forward to a great season in 2010, thanks to all the help from various agencies. This is recycling and networking at its best.

Raising beds for seeding our lettuce crop

2009-08-10T18:34:00.000-07:00

Raising beds is a great way to plant. First you measure for plots either 4 x 8'

or 4x4'. You then shovel soil from paths into beds. Enrich the beds with compost, leaf mulch or manure (aged). Mix it up good. The beds should be about 12 " higher than the paths.Then water the beds and plant. We will plant lettuce before August 20 for harvest in September for the local food pantries, shelters, etc.

Children from Centenary United Methodist Church came to the garden to spend the morning helping in the garden. They completed the first steps for five raised beds. We need five more. Now we need to find the leaf mulch! Paths will be covered with newspaper, then straw to control weeds and to prevent standing water if we have heavy rains. At the end of the season it will all be plowed under.

Keep posted.

2009-08-02T05:25:00.000-07:00

Boys from the local Salvation Army's Boys and Girls Club came to the food bank garden to help with the harvest. they have developed their own garden at the club. .. After this first visit they returned with a scarecrow they had made for our garden which was a project idea they developed after the first visit.

2009-08-01T05:26:00.000-07:00

The harvest grows

2009-07-20T17:28:00.000-07:00

A great afternoon at the garden

2009-07-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

Squash....First Harvest

2009-07-05T18:38:00.000-07:00

Our first squash was picked on June 10. Since that time around 900 lbs of squash have been picked. It's hard to believe and we've still got more coming. Cucumbers are close behind with about 900 lbs. as well.

By mid August, tomatoes took the lead with over almost 1000 pounds and lots more to come.

Of course, watermelons and cantaloupes could reach the tomatoes; watermelons weigh in close to ten lbs. each!

The Hungry Among Us

2009-07-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

Part of the Food Bank Harvest in 2008

"Many of us are all but numb to the stories about the effects of the recession. But one last week that noted a sharp increase in the need for food assistance in the region stood out. It should bs a call to action to support efforts to feed the hungry, as well as efforts to create better-paying jobs." (Source: Winston-Salem Journal, May 26, 2009).

With double digit increases in individuals requiring food assistance in 14 counties in the Triad, our work at the Food Bank Community Garden at Children's Home is needed now more than ever. The volunteers who work tirelessly at the farm are part of the immediate solution.

When representatives of the garden met with the staff at Second Harvest (which distributes all the food we harvest), we were told that the demand is expected to reach historic proportions this year. And, the Food Bank garden's harvest is the only source of fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables.

The Journal article headlines that "the rise in food-assistance claims is a call to action". The Food Bank Community Garden is a part of this crucial effort. Thanks to all the volunteers who make it possible.

Save the Butterflies!

2009-06-21T07:20:00.000-07:00

Polllinators are key to the production of all fruits and vegetables. To encourage pollinators in our food bank garden, we have set up a little exhibit with flowers that attract butterflies and other pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, an other insects. Planted by the shed, the garden includes cosmos, butterfly bushes, day lilies, lantana, portulaca and herbs such as basil. The flowers of these plants provide much need protein from their nectar. At the same time the butterflies and bees transfer pollen from one flower to the other and into the fields where the flowers on our vegetables and fruits have to be pollinated.

Without pollinators we would have no food supply. Pollinators are diminishing due to the overuse of pesticides and to increasing urbanization and development.

You can help encourage the pollinators by developing gardens wherever you can, using native plants and decreasing the use of pesticides. Try making a pollinator garden at your school, church, public gardens.

For more information and an informative video, go to www.pollinators.org

Oh...look for the flowers planted in the fields as well. Sunflowers and cosmos among others will appear here and there. Bring on the butterflies!

What a great day!

2009-05-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

The fields had been plowed and the landscape fabric laid down into 10 long rows. Tomatoes had been seeded into transplants at Reynolda Garden greenhouse. On May , we held the first planting day for 2009. During that day, volunteers planted tomatoes, squash, cucumbers (two kind), watermelons and the first section of corn.

The fields are ready for 2009 Season

2009-05-28T16:38:00.001-07:00

First planting day! 200 tomatoes are carefully transplanted

2009-05-28T16:07:00.000-07:00

Families working together

2009-05-28T16:04:00.001-07:00

Volunteers planting corn

2009-05-28T16:00:00.001-07:00