Bleak Midwinter in the Garden

February, the midst of a miserable winter. There has been little snow and less sun. Lots of clouds and rainy weather. We have also suffered the injury of a vandalized building. The garden looks like it may never produce. But looks can be very deceiving.

February has been a banner month for our fledgling garden. On the 17th of February we received word from the ELCA we have been awarded a grant for 2016 in the amount of $3000. Along with the $3500 that had been pledged by the congregation we are well on our way to seeing growth (yes, pun intended) in our Memorial Garden in 2016.

On February 24 I received word from the Alaska Synod that I will be able to sell bowls at Synod Assembly made from the trees that were taken down on the plot. I will be very busy finishing bowls during the next couple of months so I will have wares to sell. My goal is to sell $500 worth of bowls. They will be priced from $10 to maybe as high as $50 depending on size. It’s difficult to say right now as I don’t have any of the finished product yet. The bowls will also be available at the Lutheran Church of Hope if the church council will permit me to display and sell them there as well.

I will need some assistance at assembly so if anyone has some free time April 22-24 please let me know. Assembly will be at St. Mark Lutheran Church on Lake Otis Blvd. You can call the church office or send an email to leave a message for me. The church phone number and email  can be found at HopeAK.org on the web. There is also a link to this blog there as well. I will get some pictures posted of the bowl turning process as soon as I get started on them.

Be sure to check out the wish list that is on right side this page. The wish list does change so be sure to check back often. There are many things that can be ordered from Amazon, Inc. If you have Amazon Prime there is often no shipping charged even to Alaska.

If you have any pictures available of people we can put on our picture gallery of those memorialized in the garden please send them to me or the church office so I can incorporate them into the blog’s picture gallery. Digital pictures are the best but I can scan photos as well.

Thanks for reading and there will be another post soon so keep coming back.

Peace be with you all.
 

Winter in the Garden

Happy New Year to one and all. I know January should be way too early to be talking about gardening. However, last week I placed the first order for materials to start seeds in last March. Seems to be jumping the gun but I need to make sure that all of the materials are on hand when it is time to begin. I have begun to study vegetable varieties that will be planted. I have started to plan the layout. Hoping there will be some precipitation this winter so the garden won't be so dry when we need to get going. Today looks like a late March day. The wish list has changed some. A few items like a compost thermometer and min/max thermometer have shown up. In March and April the construction of the boxes for the raised beds will begin so they are ready to be placed as soon as things are leveled and soil is ready to move. May will be a busy time and it is best to begin preparation now so it is less hectic than it might be.

In the bleak midwinter it is difficult to think of gardening. But at the same time it brings hope to all that spring is just over the horizon and will be here before you know it. Most gardeners start to itch when January rolls around and I am no different than the rest.

Peace be with you all.

Does Santa Come to the Garden?

December is a busy time for us all. As the holidays approach there is much to do to prepare for the festivities of the end of the year. Moving closer to solstice means the days will soon be getting longer and the sun will once again warm our days and the nights will be shorter. It's the time of year when all gardeners begin to get itchy for the new season to start. The new season for our garden will really be the first. 2015 was the trial run and much more will happen in 2016. There is still no word on the grant application from the ELCA Hunger Team but that will come in due time.

If you are traveling this winter and can bring some items back to Alaska on your journeys for the garden, please let me know. I can order supplies and have them sent to you in the lower 48 and you could bring them back as baggage or in your baggage. Shipping cost for most items to Alaska are prohibitive as you know and any little assistance can help a lot. Please call me directly (my number is in the church directory) or call the church office and they will relay a message to me.

As you can see at the right of this publication I have put together a wish list for the garden. This will change from time-to-time as items are received. As you look down the list you will see items that are priced as little as $5. There are items on the list to fit all budgets. If you have a question about an item please contact me.

Mark you calendars for December 21. We will be having a recreational fire and a pot luck at Lutheran Church of Hope at 6 PM to celebrate the solstice. We will try to remove some of the stump material stacked up over the summer that will need to be hauled away if we can't burn it. We will also be having some seed tape making parties at the end of February and into March. Be sure to watch this space for more information.

May the love of God be with you all during this joyous season.
 

November in the Garden

It’s quite cold outside as most of you know. What could possibly be happening in the garden when it’s nearly 0 F? In truth there a many things happening in the garden. The stumps and roots that were pulled in October are drying out. Those that are left in the ground have begun the process of decay. I wish they would all finish that process this winter but, alas they will not. For the roots and stumps that are drying I am looking at have a fire on the winter solstice to celebrate the days beginning to get longer. (Yes, I know the first few are only seconds. But that’s longer just the same.)

Some people have asked, “Why do we need a 7 foot fence around the garden?. I have a picture here of the reason thanks to Phyllis Rude. The moose love gardens. They contain some of their favorite foods. I don’t object to feeding them after we have gotten everything we can from the garden. But I don’t want them in it before harvest. I have also talked with a bee keeper about putting a hive near the garden to ensure some cross pollination.

So even though the days are very short, the air temperature is very cold, and the ground is frozen there is still activity taking place.

Over the winter I will be looking at what to plant. Will order the necessary equipment and seeds and begin the process well before the snow is gone. A wheel barrow was donated last month as well as some smaller equipment. All is progressing quite well.

Another Kind of Harvest

On October 31 Bonnie and I celebrated our 45th anniversary. On Friday evening we went to a movie and had a bite to eat while we were there. It was very pleasant. On Saturday, our actual anniversary, we kind of sat around at home and handed out candy to trick-or-treaters that came to the door. Sunday we were supposed to dine with some close friends at an early Thanksgiving dinner since both couples would be out of state for Thanksgiving.

We were late for dinner but as we pulled into the drive I commented on all of the cars that were parked on the street. Went into the house and all was pretty quiet for a dinner party but just thought everyone was running late. As we walked into the family room there were a host of people all saying surprise! Indeed we were surprised. Our daughters had changed the Thanksgiving dinner into a surprise anniversary party for Bonnie and I. It was a marvelous surprise. We had a wonderful time and thank all of our dear friends for honoring us with their time and their friendship.

So why is this entry on the Harvest of Hope Memorial Garden blog? Well, as part of the entertainment our daughters had a money dance for the bride and groom. That would be Bonnie and I. Money collected for Bonnie would be donated to the Listening Post. Bonnie volunteers there on a regular basis. Money collected for dancing with me would be donated to the Hope Memorial Garden. Thanks to my daughters and the generosity of our friends the garden collected $272.

The money will be put toward seed starting equipment and seeds for the coming year. I had just started researching the equipment that would be required and the total came to just over $200 for the trays, six and four packs, and the label sticks. Haven’t even begun to look at the cost of seed and soil that will be necessary. We are off to a good start for next springs planting.

I have also been researching rototillers. If you have any suggestions, knowledge, or expertise in the area help is always appreciated. Prices for a good rear tine tiller start at about $850 and go up from there. Contributions are also welcome any time.

One Giant Step Forward

First of all I wish to send a huge thank you to Rick Oldford. Until a month ago I didn’t know he owned a backhoe. When I found out I asked if I might be able to use it for a few days to pull the stumps and loosen things up in the garden. (It’s the not quite yet a garden but getting closer.) He not only let me use is for a few days, he actually ran it and got the job completed for me. I was there “helping” as best as I could. I did operate it for about an hour on Thursday morning. He called and said he wasn’t busy and wanted to know if I could use some help. He came over to church and proceeded to complete the job.


There is still much to be done. The stumps need to be hauled away or burned, maybe some of both. Roots need to be pulled. The land needs to be leveled but I had no idea things would be this far along in October. It looks like a mess out there but things will be much easier to deal with in April because of the work done by Rick. If you happen to know him be sure to thank him on my behalf for all of his work.

Once again in points out that all we have to do is ask and the Lord will provide for our every need.

Thanks again to Rick Oldford.

Yes, The Garden is Still Working

 
I have been very neglectful of writing since our trip to Wisconsin and the United Kingdom. Our harvest this year was rather meager. We got a very late start. Planting 4th of July weekend is not conducive to a bountiful harvest. However were were able to provide a small amount of lettuce, broccoli, kale, and radishes to the food pantry. I will be much better about writing over the winter.

The rest of the trees were removed the first part of September. October 9 and 10 will be stump removal days for at least a portion of the garden. I have been able to secure a backhoe for a very reasonable cost. Hope to get most of them removed so we can begin work in April, weather permitting. There is much to do to get things ready for planting in late May.

There will be planning the layout. Planning the initial crops. Making seed tape. Seed tape making will hopefully be scheduled at church so many can participate. Seed tape will make planting in the spring to much faster. Will need to purchase seed starting materials. Will have to find volunteers to start seeds in their homes for transplants in May. We will need to purchase topsoil for the raised beds and gravel for between the beds.

The long nights of the winter will be prime time for planning and designing. I look forward to the tasks and working with you to bring the garden to life.