Alpine and Monroe's "Sharing Gardens"

Broadening Our Horizons

2012-01-26T20:28:00.000-08:00

Many people have expressed curiosity about Chris' and my living situation. How do we afford to have the time to dedicate the many hours a week we devote to the "Sharing Gardens"? Why do we so rarely invite anyone over to visit us in our home? Are we independently wealthy or just very frugal?

About three years ago, at the same time we were getting the Alpine "Sharing Gardens" started, Chris and I decided to seriously downsize. We were spending about $800/month on rent and utilities (not to mention all the other costs of running a household). Our house was way too big for our needs and we felt disheartened at seeing all that rent money being spent for nothing tangible that could grow in any meaningful way. We put up some posters around town advertising for a new place to live. The first people to respond had the perfect situation: An 8' x 40' travel trailer - hooked up to plumbing, sewer, and electricity, in a little grove of trees overlooking 400 acres of farmland. It was a place we could rent for a small fee and several hours a month of work-trade. Free from the stress of meeting such a big monthly financial obligation we could slow down our pace of living and devote our energies to the "Sharing Gardens" and other service projects.

We live a simple life. We rise early and spend time with our spiritual studies; acknowledging all we have to be grateful for, getting quiet inside so we can listen for guidance, then we do some yoga on the floor. Most mornings we choose a simple project, preferring to get one or two things accomplished without haste or pressure, rather than facing a huge list of tasks that can never all get done in the time allotted. On any given day, we may not get much done but, like the Tortoise, we find that - "Slow and steady wins the race." Reflecting back I can see just how much we have accomplished unaccompanied by the sense of hurry and pressure that so many people experience, engaged in the usual busy, modern lifestyle. Afternoons usually include a nap, or at least a rest-time; a pause before taking on an afternoon project, going for a walk, computer-time or other household maintenance tasks.

Tomato sauce - 2009

We are ovo-lacto vegetarians, eating plant-foods, eggs and dairy products. This is not a religion for us but we notice we feel better eating this way and know it helps us live lighter on the planet (and easier on the pocket-book!) Through the "Sharing Gardens" we are able to grow a high percentage of our food. Mid-August through Thanksgiving are the busiest times for us as we convert the harvest into stored goods that will see us through to next year's garden-season. In Autumn we also fill our pantry with gleaned fruits and nuts and wild mushrooms foraged in the woods near our home. We keep our two food-dehydrators going almost non-stop during this time and 'can' a variety of foods and juices.

Loft-bed with root cellar below.

Living in such a small space can be a challenge at times, especially in the wet, cold, winter months when we spend more time inside. A few months back, we removed our dining room table and chairs and began eating "Japanese-style", sitting on the floor to make room for morning Yoga. We have a plastic table-cloth we pull out to sort seeds, do craft projects or other things we used to do on the table. The side-benefit of this arrangement is that all the "ups" and "downs", several times a day, for meals etc has also increased our fitness and flexibility. But it has also limited who we can have over for extended visits, as not everyone is up for these forced calisthenics!

We appreciate as well, the blessings of this lifestyle. It has prevented us from accumulating excess possessions (as a friend put it, who also lives in a travel trailer, "You empty your pockets and its time to clean house!"). It has encouraged us to be more organized as well. For example, we have many of our shoes hanging from a peg-board, we hang plastic bags we've washed for re-use from cup hooks using clothes-pins and our bed is built up on a loft which provides a "root cellar" and cool storage space below! Such a small space encourages us to get outside often for walks and find projects that can be done in the shop-space we have in the barn.

We can dream, can't we?

However, as much as we love our little home, lately we have begun to feel urges to move to a new situation. We would like a place with 3-4 bedrooms so we would have room to invite guests to stay; host some interns to learn about the "Sharing Gardens" - to transplant this model to other towns and cities. Ideally our expenses wouldn't rise too steeply. A fixer-upper farmhouse, or care-taking situation where we could do work-trade for part of our rent could be a real win-win. We'd like a place we could really grow into--developing a garden site on the property, managing a greenhouse; having a shop-space for projects and a big enough living room to host song-circles, other community-building gatherings and classes in rural-arts skills as we've outlined in our Mission Statement.

These times we're living in are calling for people to return to having many basic skills our grandparents took for granted: growing and storing food, repairing things instead of just getting new ones, making and mending clothes and taking care of each other in a spirit of family, "neighborhood" and community. We would like to create a welcoming home/school where people could teach and learn these kinds of skills and develop friendships based on the meaningful exchange of information and service. Do you happen to know of such a place? We'd like to hear from you.

Planting trees.

In an effort to increase our cash-flow and prepare the ground for this next step in the "Sharing Gardens" ministry, Chris and I would like to offer our services to the people in Alpine, Monroe, Junction City and Harrisburg on a sliding scale basis. Both of us bring skills and experience in a variety of trades, from gardening and landscape maintenance, to painting and handyman work. We can also do cleaning, hauling and organizing. Your support in hiring us will go directly towards keeping the "Sharing Gardens", and all they stand for, thriving and blossoming in South Benton County and beyond!

We can be reached by phone or email:

Llyn and Chris - (541) 847-8797
Click here to send an email

Sharing Gardens, Winter Projects Galore!

2011-12-13T21:11:00.000-08:00

By Chris Burns

It’s been some time since we’ve written, and that might lead some of you to believe thatthere’s nothing going on in the Sharing Gardens at this time of theyear. Some people have commented that “It must be great to have abreak from all that garden work.”, or something to that effect. Wecan assure you all that although we are ‘chomping at the bit’ tostart planting next Spring’s garden, we are enjoying a variety ofprojects that are keeping us happily busy through these colder andshorter winter days. We really DO enjoy what we do! We love to getout and rake leaves to use for soil-building, for example. It’s anactivity that keeps us from turning flabby and depressed, We call it “Rakey Therapy.”

Thanks to some additional contributions ofleaves from our local community, we now have almost 3/4‘s of theMonroe garden covered with leaves and have tilled them into the topfew inches where they will provide a rich supply of nutrients forsoil organisms and create a condition of high fertility for nextyear’s crops. Leaves need to be worked in during the Fall so thatthey have enough time to decompose. Otherwise, if they are put intothe soil just before planting, it is very likely that they will pulltoo much nitrogen from the soil and result in withered and yellowlooking starts.

Leaves need to be worked in during the Fall so thatthey have enough time to decompose. Chris, tilling in donated leaves, in between cover-crops.

Another project that we’ve taken onis the building of a 12 x 40 greenhouse in the Monroe Sharing Garden. (Please see our wishlist below.) We have two design ideas for its construction. Our first option would be to usetwo of those portable, tarp-covered parking structures like the onesthat people buy at Costco. We often see them on people’s property,frames only, since the tarp coverings seem to deteriorate in a fewyears (see picture). We came up with another idea tobuild a greenhouse using bamboo, of all things, and it just sohappens that Betty Briggs of the Harrisburg Gleaners contacted afriend of hers, John Sundquist who has a farm with bamboo “jungles”that are in serious need of management and selective thinning. Llynand I have become great friends with John and have been givenpermission to harvest as much as we need.

Carport-cover used as greenhouse frame.

Aside from the Plan ‘B’to build a greenhouse with some of the larger material, it can beused in a variety of ways in the garden such as bean and peatrellises, A-frames and trellises for tomatoes, garden stakes,teepees for climbing beans, garden gates, shade houses, you name it. Since the first seeds are ready to start in mid-February, (onions andpeas) that doesn’t give us much time to ‘get ‘er done’ asthey say. Having a greenhouse in the garden will afford us theopportunity to offer classes and workshops that I’m sure manypeople will enjoy while learning a lot of valuable methods that can beapplied in their own home gardens. And of course, we plan to haveextra starts to give out, as well as enough to offer ‘by donation’to those who can afford to contribute financially as a way to help the project.

Bamboo has many versatile uses

And just a reminder, anyone can make tax-deductible donations to theSharing Gardens. We can always use operating capital, so if you arein need of a “write-off’ and want to help support a great causethat helps local folks in need, please go to our website, and click on the‘Donate” button in the upper right-hand corner; or send contributions through regular mail to theaddress given, and we will be sure to mail you a receipt, with ourdeepest appreciation. Any other donations of materials, tools and soon, are also eligible for tax receipts.


Having fun and learning in the greenhouse. Germaine and Larry Hammon with Llyn Peabody

However you choose to celebrate the‘Holy-days’ Llyn and I want to wish you all the very best of timesspent with friends and family, and thank all of you who have helpedus to help others. Keep up the good work and together we canalleviate food insecurity and restore a sense of caring andsharing amongst those who we call ‘Neighbors and Friends.’ Bewell!!!

Wish List:

Other Greenhouse Materials we need:

Aluminum-framed, slider windows with screens. 4' x 4' is optimal but anything that size or smaller could work.
Pressure-treated lumber: (4 x 4's), (2 x 4's), (2 x 6's), (4 x 6's) - all sizes. We can salvage materials that have nails in them.
Plywood: full or partial pieces
Food-grade, 50-gallon plastic barrels (preferable) or metal drums. We paint them a dark color (if they aren't already), fill them with water and use them to support potting tables. They provide thermal-mass by warming up on sunny days and releasing their heat through the night. Very helpful in the spring (for germinating seedlings) and the fall, for extending the growing season.

Other Garden Needs:

Raked leaves for garden mulch. Please bring them to either garden. LOCATIONS Let us know if you need any leaf bags. We re-use them if they're not too torn. It helps if you don't tie them too tight (the ones you're dropping off). Please no trash, dog-doo or walnut leaves (they're toxic to plant growth.)

Spoiled Hay or Straw- We use literally tons of hay to mulch and feed the gardens. If you're cleaning out your barn and need some place for the old stuff to go, we'd welcome it! We can even give you a tax-write-off for your donation.

Mechanic who's good with small-engine repair: Our roto-tillers and lawn mowers get quite a work-out! The gardens would really benefit from someone who likes to tinker and tune up small engines to keep them running well. We'll keep you supplied with lots of fresh, organic produce!

Garden cart or two-wheeled wheel barrow
Leaf rakes and other garden tools
Trash cans
Plastic tubs, 5-gallon buckets, kitty-litter tubs etc. (please no broken ones)
T-posts (slightly bent, OK). All lengths helpful.
Cedar fence boards - we use them to build bird houses and compost bins (among other things).
Mud boots: some of our volunteers are low-income and can't afford mud boots. We will keep them on-hand for use in the garden. All sizes welcome.
Straw hats: We keep a supply of them at the gardens for volunteers to use.
Accurate grocer's scale (to weigh the harvest at the Alpine Garden)
Clean plastic/paper sacks
Canning jars - all sizes, brought to either site
Seeds - heirloom varieties, not hybrid (so we can save seeds)

All Donations are Tax-deductible - ask us for a receipt.

       To contact us, please call or email:
       (541) 847-8797 (call from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm)
     ShareInJoy@gmail.com

Cash donations - make checks out to the "Sharing Gardens" and mail to
       Sharing Gardens
        PO Box 11
        Monroe, OR 97456

Or use your credit card to make a donation through PayPal (click the button below).

Congratulations! Sharing Garden Wins Awards!

2011-11-16T14:42:00.001-08:00

Renee Forrer and Chris Burns. Renee showed up every Monday to harvest for the South Benton Nutrition Program, a twice-weekly lunch for local Seniors. Thanks to her nomination, we received this year's Distinguished Service Award from the Tri-Counties Chamber of Commerce. What an honor!

This year, the Sharing Garden has received two "Distinguished Service Awards". One from the Tri-Counties Chamber of Commerce and the second from Benton County's Extension Service (the agency that oversees the 4-H program). What follows is the acceptance speech we read at the Chamber of Commerce Banquet.

Distinguished Service Award Acceptance Speech

"Anyone who has beenfollowing the news over the past 6 months knows that food securityhas become a global issue. Food-crops such as wheat, corn and ricehave failed due to both droughts and flooding. Last week it wasreported that more Americans are on Food Stamps than ever before andright here in our own communities we've seen the recent crises of two local Food Banks. God's Store-House inHarrisburg recently had to temporarily close their doors and JunctionCity's Local Aid also was facing the empty-shelf syndrome. Happily, both communities were able to rally and get the shelves re-stocked with donations.

We think it says a lotabout the Tri-Counties area that you have seen enough value in the Sharing Gardens to honor us with this Distinguished Service Award.The 4-H group of Monroe, and the Benton County Extension Service havealso presented us with a Distinguished Service Award this year so, wemust be doing something right! Though Chris and I are standing hereto receive the Award, the Sharing Gardens would not be possiblewithout all the contributions made through donors and volunteers. Thegardens thrive because they have become a hub for peopleto contribute and connect; each from the level and ability that feelsright to them.

The land and water for thetwo sites have been provided free-of-charge. The tools, fencing,seeds, manure, spoiled hay, and everything else that we use to growfood, was all donated directly, or purchased with money receivedthrough gifts and grants. From mid-Spring through mid-Autumnvolunteers have come to the gardens as often as three times a week toshare in the joys and challenges of organic gardening. This awardtruly goes to everyone who has been a part of the gardens' success.

As many of you know, thefood is grown collectively. There are no separate plots. This createsease for watering, pest management and seed-saving. The harvest isshared with the volunteers and those who have contributed in some wayand the surplus is distributed through local food banks andcharities. We believe that no-one should ever go hungry, regardless of their circumstances, and so no oneis ever charged money for the food that is grown.

2011, in spite of thecool, wet start, has been a very successful year. Our overall harvestincreased by about 30 percent. The total amount grown was over 4,600 pounds!
In one week alone weharvested 583 pounds of tomatoes!
And our overall lettuce harvest wasclose to 900 heads!
If the people being fedfrom the gardens had been able to afford to buy this organic produceat the market it would have cost them at least: $14,500 dollars! As Chris and I lived off our savings this year, and did not draw a stipend, the season's budget was only about $2,000 dollars. (A pretty good return on the investment!) (For a full report on amount of produce grown or our operating expenses, send us an email.)

In the interests of localfood-security, part of our mission has been to grow-out and save seedfrom heirloom varieties of plants that thrive in our region. This hasbeen a great year for seed-saving. Our seed-bank now contains overthree, five-gallon buckets of vigorous, pure, Heirloom seedsespecially adapted to local growing conditions.

So, what's next? We have a10-point Mission Statement aimed towards local food self-reliance To read it, click here. Much of it isalready in motion. In coming seasons we would like to:

Build a greenhouse– to extend our growing season and have the capacity to provide“starts” to other Sharing-type gardens in the region.
Create small localcanneries – where people can learn and practice the art of foodpreservation.
Expand the seed-savingprogram to create a network of local gardeners and farmers.
Mentor other groups tostart Sharing Gardens in Junction City, Harrisburg and thesurrounding areas or beyond.

Ultimately we'd like tostart a “rural-arts” school – a place where people couldcome to share their knowledge and experience of living close to theland through offering hands-on workshops, and where people couldlearn and transplant this knowledge back into the community.

The Sharing Gardens is anon-profit charitable program and we can issue tax-receipts for anydonations. We can always put funds and materials to good use and we'dalso love to find a land-base for the school and gardens. Please bein touch if you'd like to partner with us in this meaningful,pioneering adventure.

We'd like to close thispresentation with a short story:

Once upon a time, there was a groupof people who found themselves in Hell. Now at first it didn't seemlike Hell. They sat together around a large table that was coveredwith a sumptuous feast. Every favorite kind of food they could thinkof was there. Gorgeous salads and cheeses, soups, nuts, casserolesand pies. All the bounty of the Earth. The smells were intoxicating;the colors – a true work of art. What made this Hell was that theonly utensils to eat the food were each three-feet long. No matterhow long they stretched their arms and craned back their necks, theycould get none of the food into their mouths and feed. They remainedstarving in the midst of a feast.

There was another groupwho found themselves in Heaven. Everything was the same: thebeautifully laid banquet, the exquisite choices, the sights andaromas. Here too, the only utensils for eating were all three-feetlong. The only difference was, that instead of trying to feed onlythemselves, the Heaven-crowd picked up the spoons and forks and beganfeeding each other. And in this way, they all were able to share inthe feast. Thank you."

Christy Warden (left) nominated us for the Benton County's OSU Extension Service/4-H "Distinguished Service Award". She was the recipient of the Chamber of Commerce's "Citizen of the Year Award" for her dedication to our town's 4-H group. We are excited about our deepening collaboration. (Llyn Peabody on the right).

Harvest Totals, Updates and Wishlist

2011-11-08T08:19:00.000-08:00

This post covers the harvest totals for 2011- with some great harvest photos (be sure to scroll to the bottom for the gallery), an update on the Great Monroe Leaf Drive, and a link to our ever-evolving wish-list.

Striped German - an Heirloom tomato - one of our favorites.

Harvest Totals and new distribution partners:
Each week we had three volunteer sessions. On harvest days, people would gather the ripe produce and bring it to be washed, weighed and boxed for distribution. Volunteers would take a break shortly before the Food Bank opened and do their "shopping", taking home all they could use. The rest was wheel-barrowed over to the Food Bank - 50 yards away.


Harvest on display for volunteers to "shop". No one is ever charged money for the food that is grown.

First the totals from 2010 to give some perspective:

Our big producers in 2010 were:
Beans: 225 pounds
Cucumbers: 653 pounds
Tomatoes: 1,285 pounds
Total pounds: 3,533
Market value of total harvest: $9,950

In 2011, we expanded into using the full Monroe/Crowson garden plot (last year we only used about half of it). Even though we didn't plant the back half, Steve Rose had tilled it in the Spring of 2010 and we mulched it quite deeply with hay/straw. The garden was very fertile.

Here are the highlights of the 2011 harvests:

Lettuce: 877 heads
Potatoes: 910 pounds
Winter Squash: 291 pounds
Tomatoes: 2101 pounds
Market value of total harvest: $14,504

Genny with lettuce harvest.

We have made some new partnerships this year in distributing the surplus food. In 2010, we often found ourselves at the end of the Food Bank time, running around and trying to get people to take home more produce. We just didn't want to see any of it go to waste. This year we added a second harvest day in Monroe (the bigger of the two gardens). That mid-week harvest mostly went to the South Benton Nutrition Program - for their bi-weekly lunch for Seniors. When there was enough, we sent along vegetables for the Seniors themselves to take home.

We've made a great connection with Betty Briggs who, with her husband, Pat, oversees the Harrisburg Gleaners. The Gleaners group has many able-bodied members who glean fruits and vegetables from local farmers and share the harvest with "adopted" families and people in need in the Harrisburg area. Betty's group has many people who still "can" and store food so they were able to distribute our surplus to those who would make good use of it. Towards the end of the season, Betty began to come help in the gardens as well. We anticipate deepening the connection between our two groups next Spring - either they will come volunteer more in the Monroe garden and/or we'll help them get a Sharing Garden started closer to where they live. (If anyone has a lead on some land we could use to start a Harrisburg garden, let us know).

Peppers from 2010

Linn/Benton Food Share has also helped us with our surplus. They deliver food to the Monroe Food Bank every other week. Often we just boxed up what wasn't taken by Food Bank customers and they would transport it to a soup-kitchen/food bank in Corvallis to be distributed.

Chris and I also had fun playing "Santa" some weeks and drove around Monroe to friends and local businesses passing out beans, tomatoes, lettuce, and whatever else was ripe, off the tailgate of our trusty 1968 GMC pick-up truck!

The Great Monroe Leaf Drive

Well, it was supposed to happen on November the 5th but the weather was lousy and frankly, there aren't that many leaves that have fallen yet. We've postponed it till further notice but we still welcome any leaves brought to either garden. LOCATIONS

Please no trash, dog-doo or walnut leaves (they're toxic to plant growth.)

Our Ever-Evolving Wish-list: Mostly it's the same old stuff: garden supplies and building materials that need a new home/second life. There are a few new specifics though we'd appreciate you keeping an eye out for...

We're going to build another greenhouse! We'd like to make it from two steel-tube carports attached end-to-end. If you know of a used one (or two) that need a new purpose, please let us know. Here's a picture of what we're looking for (or something similar). We'll need two that are the same. We don't need the tarp covering.

We need two carport canopies to build a greenhouse with.

Please bring us your leaves for garden mulch. Bring them to either garden.
Fruit and nuts: If you have windfall fruit or nuts that you'd like to donate, please bring them to the food bank so they can be shared with those in need. If you are physically unable to harvest them yourselves contact us and we will do our best to arrange for volunteers to assist. Link to Food Bank Hours

Apples
Pears
Filberts
Walnuts

We need a mechanic who's good with small-engine repair: Our roto-tillers and lawn mowers get quite a work-out! The gardens would really benefit from someone who likes to tinker and tune up small engines to keep them running well. We'll keep you supplied with lots of fresh, organic produce! For the full Wish-List - GO TO

It is always such a delight to see Nature's abundance and beauty as we harvest the gardens. Here is a gallery showing some of this year's highlights. Enjoy!

Lettuce, Beans and Apples:

Red Iceberg Lettuce

Never eat anything bigger than your head!


A beautiful mix of greens and reds.


Scarlet Runner Beans

"Winter Bananas" - a great storage apple

Gleaned apples.
It's great to see these apples going to feed people and not just rot on the ground.

Sunflowers: Beauty, food for us and the birds!

Saving seeds to grow sprouts (winter greens) and next year's crop.

We saved gallons of seed this year.

Squash, Cukes and Potatoes:

Pickling cucumbers in the hay.

Squash harvest.

Delicata Squash - sweet, golden meat and tender skin.

Buttercup Squash - hearty, orange/golden meat.

This potato weighed three pounds!

Tomato Gallery:

Another "Striped German" - low acid. All yumm!


These are called "Long Toms" - a delicious paste tomato


A whole tray of "Long Toms" - the river that runs close by our garden is called the "Long Tom" too!

"Hillbilly Potato Leaf"Tomatoes

A succulent "Brandywine" tomato

Close-up of a "Striped German"

If you are receiving this email as a "forward" and would like to see our full Sharing Gardens website/blog, GO TO

2011-10-30T14:29:00.000-07:00

Great Monroe Leaf Drive!
Sat. Nov. 5, 2011– 9:00 to 1:00
Meet at the Monroe Legion Hall

The “Sharing Gardens”and “Crafty Critters 4-H Group” are teaming up to rake, and collect leaves touse as mulch in the gardens. Leaves are a great, under-utilized resource in that the provide many nutrients and organic matter to the soil making it more fertile. By composting leaves, it also keeps them out of the landfill and burn-piles.

Ways you can help:

Join in the fun! Come to the Monroe Legion Hall by 9:00 with a rake and any lawn/leaf bags you wishto donate to the project.

Let us rake your leaves. We’ll be moving through Monroesystematically and will get to as many houses as we have time for. There is nocharge for this service. If you wish to make a donation, it will go to supportthe 4-H group.

Rake your own leaves and leave them on your curb – forpick-up Sunday Nov. 6

Continue to rake your leaves and bring them to the gardens behindthe Methodist Churchat any time. Just leave them (ha!) bythe garden gate.

Please: No trash, dog doo, gravel or walnut leaves (toxic toplants).

We realize that, this first year, we won’t be able to reachall of Monroe. We welcome your leafdonations that you bring us on your own.

Great Monroe Leaf Drive!

Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011

Meet at the Legion Hall - 9:00

For more info, call Llyn and Chris: 541-847-8797

ShareInJoy@gmail.com

Gratitude, Upcoming Events

2011-10-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

In this post we give thanks for the many ways that the Sharing Gardens continues to be blessed by donations and volunteer contributions. We will also review some relevant, up-coming events for our region.

Financial support continues to stream in. Jean Yates, of Alpine, stopped by the gardens a few weeks ago, helped with the harvest and then wrote us a check for $200! Jenn Hughes and her partner David Kuhns, the organizers of the "Farm to Farm Century Ride" - a benefit for the Sharing Gardens, tallied up receipts from the ride and blessed us with a very generous donation of $2,000. Thanks again to all the volunteers that made the ride so fun and successful. Renee Forrer continues to be a big help as liaison between the Sharing Gardens and the South Benton Nutrition Program - the twice-weekly lunch program for Seniors. Not only does she help us with the gardening but shows up weekly to receive the harvest and take it to the cooks for use in the lunches, and for the seniors to take home as well. We received a full load of hay from a barn, full of sheep manure from Mylrea Estell. That will really heat up our compost piles! Linda and Dave Prowse gleaned dozens of pounds of apples from their trees and brought them to be shared. Arleen Looney also gave us access to her fruit trees for gleaning.

Here are some upcoming events and projects to be aware of:

The Great Monroe Leaf Drive! On Saturday, November 5, from 9:00 to 1:00, Sharing Garden volunteers and kids from Christy Warden's "Crafty Critters" 4-H group will be moving systematically through the streets of Monroe, knocking on doors and offering to rake up people's leaves. The leaves will be used to mulch the gardens. All raking will be done for free, though if people wish to make a donation, it will go to benefit the 4-H group.

We like to partner with Christy's group because she shares our philosophy of giving freely to those in need. Her kids perform many service projects throughout the year and are learning the deep satisfaction that comes from helping those in need.

The Crafty Critters 4-H group has two events coming up soon: They are hosting a yard-sale benefit on the same day as our leaf drive: Sat. Nov. 5. This is to raise money to purchase toiletry items to be given away the following weekend for the Giveaway and also to raise funds for the 4-H group. The Giveaway happens twice a year, near Christmas and Easter. All are welcome. Items given away include clothing, housewares and building materials (anything that is donated). The 4-H kids also prepare bags of groceries and toiletry items (which can't be purchased with food stamps) to be given away. Donations and volunteers appreciated.

Fri. Nov. 4th: Yard Sale - 9:00 to 5:00 Please bring donations for yard sale, and/or help. Monroe Legion Hall - kitty corner from the Post Office.

Sat. Nov. 5th: Join us for the Leaf Drive! Bring your own rake, and spare leaf bags (if you have them). Meet at 8:45 at the Monroe Legion Hall.

Sat. Nov. 5th: 4-H Yard Sale continues: 9:00 to 5:00. Monroe Legion Hall.

Thurs. Nov. 10: Please bring donations for Giveaway, and/or help with set-up - 1:00 to 5:00. Monroe Legion Hall - kitty corner from the Post Office.

Fri. Nov. 11th: Giveaway - all are welcome 9:00 to 3:00. Everything's free! Monroe Legion Hall

Give Till It Feels Good! - Farm to Farm Century Ride

2011-10-07T11:22:00.000-07:00

On September 17^thof this year, the Sharing Gardens of Alpine and Monroe co-hosted the first annual 'Farm-to-Farm' Century Ride, a 100 milebicycle tour that visited some of our area's outstanding examples ofsustainably operated farms. This ride was the 'brainchild' ofJennifer Hughes of Eugene, an avid cyclist who wanted to create adifferent kind of Century Ride and give it's participants a greaterpurpose for participating. When she found the Sharing Gardensonline, she approached us about hosting the event and proposed that asignificant portion of the proceeds go toward ournon-profit, grass-roots, all volunteer and community-supported effortto feed people in need. We felt that this was a perfect opportunityto bring various community members and groups together to help raiseawareness of the need for this type of food assistance program, aswell as bring in some much needed funds to keep it strong. Wegladly accepted and began the process of planning out what, and howmuch we needed to grow. Since we had agreed to cater the event, wegeared our menu so that the ingredients we would be using would beready when we needed them, with an all vegetarian selection of local,and farm-fresh items.

The Ride was a way to involve many members of our community. Here are members of Christy Warden's 4-H group, husking corn.

When Llyn and I embraced this project, it was with the understanding that it would be inaddition to continuing our regular schedule with our wonderfulvolunteers, and with a commitment to expand our production. Last yearour surplus went primarily to the Monroe Food Bank. This year we haveadded the South Benton Nutrition Program, and the HarrisburgGleaners. Even though the growing season got off to a slow start,once the harvest began, the amounts continued to increase in leapsand bounds but, unlike last year, we had people to call upon to takeour excess so that we weren't 'left holding the bag' at the end ofthe Food Bank's day. Whew!!!! And even though the Ride took placeon the 17^th of September, we've been so busy keeping upwith the onslaught of produce coming ripe that we haven't really hadthe time to digest what happened and let you all know how thingswent.

A cyclist enjoys a scoop of Lochmead vanilla ice-cream donated for the ride.

Well, let me tell you, itwas a HUGE success and more fun than we've had in a long time. Therewere very few snags that occurred during either the planning stagesor on the actual day of the event. We owe much of our success to theamazing people who stepped forward in total willingness to dowhatever was needed, with a real spirit of giving and cooperationthat made our hearts feel so warm and grateful. To all of you whowere there to help, we want to thank you all so much. Gratitude and Stories from the Ride

Just to recap what tookplace, here's a little sketch of the day's highlights:

People began arriving atabout 6:30 AM and went to the Monroe High's parking lot where theywere signed in and then directed to the Monroe Legion Hall for adelicious breakfast and fresh Cafe Maam coffee before heading out ontheir 100 mile trek through some of our area's most beautifulcountryside. Along the way they stopped at four local farms and weretreated to some very tasty and unique delicacies that are producedright here in our area by people who care about sustainablefarming practices and increasing awareness of our local food web. Riders faced some pretty strong head winds along the route and weredelayed in returning to the Monroe Garden, but they started to rollin around 3:00 and were greeted by some of the area's finest acousticmusicians playing a mix of Country, Blues, and Oregon-styleBluegrass.

Pickin' and a-grinnin' - 'When Picks Fly' brought fun and a festive ambiance to the event.

On the menu for these hearty souls was a deluxe potatosalad, a steaming hot serving of 'made-from-scratch' Boston-stylebaked beans, all the fresh sweet corn a body could eat, along with agarden fresh green salad with hummus-stuffed Roma-tomatoes, and ifthat wasn't enough, there were cookies and vanilla ice cream to puteveryone's sweet tooth to rest. It was quite the scene! People keptcoming up to us and saying things like,”I can't wait to sign up fornext year's ride!” and, “This is the best ride I've ever beenon!” Counting riders (79), volunteers (42) musicians and misc., we fed over 130 people that day.

There's so much more I'dlike to say and so many people we'd like to personally thankthat we've dedicated a whole page on our website just for that. (Link to page) For now it's time tocome back to the tasks still facing us as we wind down this season in anticipation of how next year will unfold. Webelieve that projects such as the Sharing Gardens are on thecutting edge, addressing the challenges that are inherent in these new and difficult economic and environmental times. All of us are having to make new choices and this isn't always easy. But we believe thatthese choices will have the wonderful side-effect of bringing us allcloser as members of a human family and community. Ibelieve that we are at the edge of beginning to rediscover the thingsthat are truly important in life, and that they aren't really'things' at all, but rather the love that we have for one anotherthat blooms in deeds of selfless giving and compassion. After all,'THERE'S NO COMPETITION ON THE GIVING SIDE OF LIFE.' For a list ofspecific people and organizations who helped make this event sosuccessful, and some other follow-up stories, go to www.AlpineGarden.blogspot.comand click on the link in the upper right-hand-corner that says Farm to Farm Century Ride – Gratitude and Stories.

Food Bank -Times and Location

2011-09-19T22:03:00.000-07:00

The South Benton Food Bank, in Monroe, is the main recipient of our garden surplus. It is located directly behind the United Methodist Church - 648 Orchard St.

They always welcome donations of your surplus harvest and un-opened, packaged food-items.

You can bring your donations directly to the Food Bank on the days they are open or, during harvest season, drop them off at the Alpine Garden (location) on Wednesdays before 10:00 am and we'll take it over for you.

Food Bank hours:

10:00 to noon: 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th Thursdays

5:00 to 7:00: 3rd Thursdays

On 3rd Thursdays the Food Bank hours are coordinated with a Free Community Dinner sponsored by the Methodist Church. The dinner happens from 5:30 to 6:30 in the church or at the picnic area in the back. All are welcome.


Food Bank and Garden volunteers displaying the harvest

Exciting News!

2011-09-01T17:08:00.000-07:00

Hello dear friends,

Are you a cyclist lookingfor a challenging and fun ride that will directly benefit the "Sharing Gardens"?Are you a “local” who would like to volunteer some time to help usraise funds for our project in a fun and meaningful way?

This post is to let you know that on Saturday, September 17th, the “Sharing Gardens” are hosting an exciting fund-raising event for some much-needed financial support for our project. The “Farm-to-Farm Century Ride” is a 100-mile bicycle tour that will begin and end in Monroe. A group of cyclists, as many as 100, will meet for breakfast at the Monroe Legion Hall, and embark on a scenic loop, taking them to four farms along the way. Each farm will spoil riders with the best-tasting mid-ride food that comes directly from the farms and local companies that share the ride’s philosophy: “Be healthy! Eat locally!” When the riders return to the Monroe “Sharing Gardens”, they will be served a fresh, gourmet, vegetarian meal with background, acoustic entertainment provided by local musicians.

The“Farm to Farm Century Ride” is meant to call attention to severallocal, small-scale farms in our area: “Leaping Lamb”, and“Gathering Together” (near Philomath) and “Horse Creek Farm”and “Groundwork Organics” to the north and south of JunctionCity.

Oregon happens to be one of the few states where the median ageof farmers is less than 60 years old and whose population of newpeople coming to farming is increasing.

As you know, the “Sharing Gardens” are a unique community-garden, based in Alpineand Monroe. Instead of many small plots, rented by individualfamilies, the gardens are grown collectively. Participating gardenerscome together one to three times a week. Everyone shares in theharvest, the joys of learning to grow food together and a genuinesense of community through joining in this meaningful activity. Thesurplus produce is given away to local charities. No one is evercharged money for the food that is grown. The gardens functionentirely through volunteer efforts and donations.

Cyclists can register forthe event up till September 12^thatwww.FarmToFarmRide.com

Click here, to volunteer or contact Jennifer Hughes (Ride coordinator) at 503-569-4691.

Here is a 'wish list' , specific to our catering needs.

Meals will be provided only to the cyclists who have paid their entrance fees and volunteers (no one can show up the day of the event and purchase a meal).

Gratitude and Wishlist

2011-08-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

Alpine and Monroe's Sharing Gardens are a unique model of Community Garden. Instead of many separate plots that are rented by individuals, these gardens are one large plot, shared by all. All materials and labor are donated. The food we grow is shared amongst those who have contributed in some way as well as with others who are in need in our community. All surplus is donated to our local food-bank and other local food charities. No one is ever charged money for the food that is grown.

Remember the story of "Stone Soup"? A couple of strangers wander into a town of suspicious people and offer to make Stone Soup. No one believes it can be done, and everyone withholds contributing until a small child, who hasn't been tainted yet by the town's stingy spirit, brings forth a few onions stored in her family's root cellar. One by one the townspeople get caught up in the spirit of sharing and, by the end of the story they all sit down to delicious soup, made better by what each of them contributed.

Cathy Rose, Danielle and Llyn - 2010 with bouquets of kale.

The Sharing Gardens are a lot like Stone Soup. Everything that goes into making it a success comes from the generosity of people near and far. Some people give time, some give money and some bring us surplus materials they don't have need of, or even things like grass clippings, old cedar boards or other things bound for the dump or burn-pile. The gardens become a focal point for giving and receiving -- with each person who donates being blessed with the good feeling that they are making the world a better place through their contributions. And, for those local enough to partake, they're sharing in the bounty of the garden's beautiful harvest as well.

Local kids proudly display their harvest.

Each week brings new surprises in support and generosity and there are also on-going supporters who help make the garden's success possible.

Most recently we have some new, specific people to thank:

Bob and Cheryl Ballard brought us a dozen full bags of dried grass clippings - great for mulching the potatoes and putting under the burgeoning winter squash so they don't develop rotten spots.

Judy Todd has made a second cash donation.

We are grateful for our ongoing community of volunteers. People help out in the ways they are able; we find tasks to suit everyone's abilities. If you'd like to join in the fun of gardening without use of herbicides and pesticides, and share in the harvest, here is a link that shows our regular volunteer times. or send us an email and we can add you to the list to receive weekly reminders.

It's been awhile since we thanked our on-going supporters. These are people and organizations that help make the gardens possible:

Chester Crowson - owns the land where we have the Monroe site. He lets us use it for free as well as covering the cost of the electricity to run the pump in the well.

Bud Hardin - made a lump-sum donation to cover the cost of a portable toilet at the Monroe garden site for a whole year! The toilet is shared with the Monroe Food Bank volunteers as well. (And thanks to Guy Urbach for approaching Bud on our behalf - it wouldn't have happened without you!)

Best Pots - is the local portable toilet service that provides a unit at the Monroe garden. They have given us a generous discount on the rental fee.

Weekly harvest - Alpine 2010

Mylrea Estell and Ray Kreth - our landlords - continue to harbor us in a low-pressure and generous arrangement, making it possible for us to volunteer so much of our time to the gardens.

Alpine Community Center - has umbrellaed us under their insurance policy so the activities at both garden sites are covered.

Alpine Pump - Dorothy and Gary give us permission to put the gardens' trash into their dumpster.

Jennifer Revais - empties the garbage cans at Alpine's Chapel Park as an on-going service.

...and The Tribune News - our great, local, weekly paper has been very helpful in printing many of our posts and helping us circulate news of the gardens to a much larger audience than we can reach on-line.

If you've been itching to get involved in some way and would like to know how you can add your "onions" to the pot, check out our Wish List below, or come down on one of the volunteer days and share in the "stone soup" garden.

Here is our current wishlist

Garden locations and volunteer times

Happy pumpkin picker - 2010

Harvest Totals - May 23 - July 31. 2011

2011-08-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

One day's lettuce harvest!

(Note: I started this post almost three weeks ago and then life took over! Rather than re-write it, just know that it's not entirely up to date...)

We've been harvesting from the garden for ten weeks. The lettuce, peas and broccoli are finished for now. The beets, onions, zucchini, tomatoes and potatoes are just beginning. We started seeds for our fall/winter crops a few weeks ago and have begun transplanting them in the ground. We weigh and tally all the harvests before distribution. This food is shared amongst volunteers and other contributors, the Monroe Food bank, Monroe's Senior Nutrition Program (bi-weekly lunches at the Legion Hall), Harrisburg Gleaners and Linn/Benton Food Share. Here are harvest totals, as of July 31.

Beets: 21 bunches
Broccoli: 26 pounds
Kale: 127 bunches
Lettuce: 551 heads (a great year for lettuce!!)
Green onion bunches: 23
Peas: 20 pounds
Spinach: 25 bunches

After checking with our local market that sells organic food, we tallied up how much this produce would cost if people were buying it for themselves. The total came to a little more than $2,500.

Gallery of Givers

We've got a really wonderful core group of volunteers showing up once or twice a week now. One day we had three mother/daughter pairs. And another day we had four young people ages 7 to 11. My mom, Judy has been visiting for two weeks and sister, Sue and nephew, Miles, joined in for an afternoon, which was really fun. Here are a sampling of smiling faces, happy helpers and a view of the garden's progress.

Miles plants broccoli

Sue displays an early onion harvest proudly.

Kaitlynn and Kyra with a bucket of potatoes freshly harvested

Christine (Ms Bug) trims tomatoes

Monroe Garden - celery in sleeves on left, lettuce-starts in middle, potatoes on right

That's an 8-pound cabbage!

Judy-mom, Chris and Jennifer - mulching with grass clippings

Kaitlynn watering the lettuce and Brussels Sprouts

Mark building a new compost bin

Niko - our youngest helper, takes a turn at watering.

Gallery of Givers - July 2011

2011-07-28T18:31:00.000-07:00

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. We've got extra if you want to put one in at your home (they're slow-growing but get VERY big!)

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!

2011-07-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

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

Illinois Sharing Garden

2011-07-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

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 un-used 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)

We are developing a second Blog-site which is focused more on teaching people how to get their own SG's started, and on garden tips. It is at www.thesharinggardens.blogspot.com

Lettuce: From Seed to Feed - Part 1: Planting

2011-07-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

Red Iceberg Lettuce - a summer rose!

Here in the Pacific NW, we start our lettuce seed in a greenhouse in late February and then transplant the starts out in April or May when conditions allow. We're vegetarians and end up with a lot of those white, plastic, square tofu containers. We've found they make great tubs to start small seedlings. We drill holes in the bottom for drainage, fill with a good potting mix (using the bottom of another tofu tub to pack the soil firmly and make a flat surface for the seeds).

After misting the soil so it is good and damp, we sprinkle the lettuce seeds with our finger-tips trying to have a 100 or so seeds per tofu tub. Lastly we gently sprinkle a thin lay of cover soil over the seeds and lightly mist to settle the seeds. They must be kept moist but not overly wet or the seeds and starts may rot. Lettuce seed germinates best in a cool soil so don't put it on a heat mat or under a lamp to get it to germinate.

Lettuce seedlings in a tofu container. Using a pen to make holes for transplants.

When the seedlings are about 1/2" - 1" (2 cm) high, they are ready for transplanting. We put ours in regular or "jumbo" six-packs. We use a basic, organic potting soil and add our own fertilizer. To each wheelbarrow of soil we add about two cups of all-purpose organic fertilizer and about a half-gallon of sifted rabbit manure . When germinating tiny seeds (such as lettuce), we sift the soil before adding amendments so the seedlings don't have to push past un-composted bits of bark or wood-chips in the soil. For transplanting, we don't bother to sift the soil.

Transplanting seedlings

For the Sharing Gardens, where we might grow 1,000 or more lettuce plants per season, transplanting is done in large batches. Being systematic in the nursery will save you time and materials and you will have much better results. Have labels ready so you keep track of the varieties you are transplanting. Fill a flat of six-packs and mist it with water and soak the seedlings too. Wet soil is less shocking to transplanted roots than dry. Cupping your hand over the whole tofu-tub of seedlings, flip it over and tap the bottom, catching the whole clump of soil and seedlings in your hand. Gently flip it back over and place it on a tray to catch the loose soil as it drops off.

Seedlings "hardening-off".

Using your finger. a stick or some other object, make a generous hole in each of the cells of the six-packs. Pull off a clump of seedlings and, holding them by their leaves, tease apart a single plant with its roots. On a cool, overcast day you can lay a large number of the seedlings alongside their holes before dropping them in and squeezing the soil around them. If the day is hot or the sun is strong, work in smaller batches so the seedlings don't get shocked. It is very important that all the roots go down into the soil and are covered. If they stick out from the surface, this is called 'J-rooting' and will often kill the plants as they dry out too easily. This is why you want to dig a generously-sized hole so the rootlets don't catch on the sides as you lower them in. after pressing the soil in around each seedling, water them in gently to settle the soil. Label the tray and move onto the next.

Transplanting peas and lettuce

Depending on warmth and sunlight, and the size of the six-packs you use, your lettuce will be ready to plant in the soil in six to ten weeks. If you stagger your plantings it will mean your lettuce doesn't all come ripe at once. Ideally you wait until the root ball has filled the six-pack cell enough to hold the soil as you pop it out, without being totally root-bound (roots coming through the bottom of the six-pack). A week or two before you transplant into your garden, bring the starts outside and begin "hardening them off". Put them where they will get plenty of sun but not too much wind. They will withstand a light frost but if it is going to get very cold, or doesn't warm up in the day, bring them back into the greenhouse till conditions improve. During this hardening-off period, prepare garden beds so they are ready to receive transplants. In our "deep-mulch/minimal till" gardens, we pull a row of mulch over to the adjacent path (with a pitchfork) and, with a trowel dig a small hole just the size of the lettuce's root-ball. This leaves worm holes intact and lettuce seems to thrive without any roto-tilling needed.

Several weeks after transplanting. Picking individual lettuce leaves for salad.

Here in our area, slugs can be a real problem in the spring. Follow this link for ideas on how to re-use milk cartons or soy-milk containers to thwart off their feasting. Re-Purposing Things We don't find that additional fertilizing is necessary for lettuce plants. They receive enough nutrients from the soil. We hold off on mulching them because we want the sun to warm up and dry out the soil and mulch provides habitat for the slugs. Sometimes, after the lettuce is well established and the soil is warmed up, we mulch with a few inches of grass clippings around our plants. Let the clippings dry out for a few days on a tarp or in a bin. Fresh clippings, if piled thickly, can heat up considerably and burn your plants.

Chris Burns with beautiful lettuce harvest! 2011

We plant our lettuce spaced about 6" - 8" (12 - 15 cm) apart. We harvest them intermittently giving the remaining lettuce room to grow. In the early stages, before the heads are fully formed, we harvest one to three leaves off each plant, rather than clipping whole heads. As the heads become full size we harvest by cutting them off at the root with a paring knife, leaving the roots in the ground to feed the worms.

Fall Crops: Give yourself 45 - 60 days (before hard freezing) to grow your fall crops of lettuce. You can assist your lettuce in germinating if you begin the process in a shaded area so the soil isn't too warm. Once seedlings come up, they will need sunlight to grow but do this outside of the greenhouse so they don't get too hot. Heat triggers the plants to "bolt" (go to seed) even when the plants are very young.

Favorite varieties: Everyone who eats out of our gardens seems to prefer green lettuce to red, or at least to have some green to mix in with the red. (This even includes the bugs who seem to devour the green lettuce much more voraciously!) Our recipients also seem to prefer head lettuce to the "leaf" lettuce. We don't know why this is (maybe just habit...) but we take this into consideration when we plant out our gardens. There are hundreds of varieties of lettuce to choose from. The most popular ones we grew this year were:

Buttercrunch
Chartwell's Romaine
Green and Red Iceberg (home-grown Iceberg lettuce is much more nutritious than store-bought).
Four Seasons (a red Romaine-type lettuce)

Next installment: How to Save Lettuce Seed

Giver's Gallery, Gratitude and Updates

2011-06-10T05:58:00.000-07:00


Lettuce ready for planting - April 2011

We've been watching the dramatic weather world-wide; floods, droughts, tornadoes, hurricanes, heat waves and record snows! It seems more important than ever to be helping people learn this basic skill of growing food while building community ties amongst neighbors. We are very grateful for the surge of support that has come to us since we lost greenhouse access and the big grant we applied for. All told, we received close to $2,000 in donations from people near and far. We have also received materials donations and the warming weather here in the Pacific NW has brought out droves of volunteers, both new faces and familiar friends from last year.


Our garden "palette" to choose from - May 2011

We have been moving forward in faith, trusting that there is some greater purpose to recent events. We don't want to miss it by wallowing in regret or judgment. We feel on-purpose again and happy to honor the commitments we have for growing food for those in need, and continuing to develop this model of gardening that builds community and helps increase local food security. We have some exciting prospects calling us forward and are freeing-up our energies to pursue those. Thank you to everyone for your wise words and all the ways you have shown us that this program matters to you. It has really helped.

A few highlights since our last post:


Jan with lettuce for the Food Bank

Harvest has begun: We've begun to harvest from the gardens! The cool, wet spring has been very good for our lettuce and kale. Volunteers have been taking home as much as they can eat, we took thirty lettuce-heads to the food bank last week and another twenty to the Monroe Legion Hall: they serve lunch to seniors twice a week and appreciate the fresh vegetables we're able to provide. The seniors take home whatever isn't used in the lunches. This week's lettuce harvest was over 40 heads!


Llyn with spring's bounty!

Straw delivery: We are extremely grateful to Mark Frystak, a resident of Monroe who saw our recent wishlist posted in the Tribune News and came through with 55 bales of straw for us to begin to mulch the gardens. Everyone agrees that the straw makes the garden look so tidy, 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 can still use much more straw, 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 know of anyone with bales to donate, we can probably arrange for pick-up. Here's a link to our full wish-list.


A-Frame - tomato cages with mulch on the paths

Young people in the garden: The last day of school is June 10 but we're already receiving lots of help from some of the local young people. Weeding, mulching, planting seeds and transplanting starts...all these tasks provide meaningful activity and fun in a town without much else to do after school. One afternoon last week we had five kids stop by; some just to visit, and others to help out.


Seth and Ricardo take lettuce home to their families after helping us mulch the garden paths

Volunteers: We've got some new faces and many of the core group of volunteers coming back from last year. Today we had five people helping with the harvest and other tasks. These included Pastor Mark Peterson from the nearby Monroe Church of Christ, Jim and Cindy Kitchen who are the coordinators for a garden modeled after the Sharing Gardens, in Corvallis and Larry Winiarski who went above and beyond the call of duty and patiently took apart our donated lawnmower that hasn't been working at all this season. He finally sleuthed out the problem and got her running! Now maybe our garden paths won't look quite so shaggy. Thanks to all the rest of you who have been coming out to help.


Jan, spreading mulch


Jennifer and Llyn planting tomatoes


Larry (the lawnmower doctor) starting seeds at the Monroe garden

The gardens are starting to take shape. We've been preparing beds and planting almost every day. Here are some pictures of the garden's progress:


"Butter Crunch" lettuce

Pepper plants interspersed with red lettuce. The lettuce will be harvested before the peppers get too big.

Much thanks too to all the people bringing us your used pots and flats. We're glad to give them new life. Phyllis Derr has been calling us to pick up her lawn clippings in Monroe. We use them to mulch. We've received financial donations since our last post from Jennie and Kris Rhoads, Craig Erken, Karen Josephson, Angee Costa and Chuck and Betty Conway. And thanks to Steve Rose who, once again has grown hundreds of tomato starts which he gives away to food-bank recipients, volunteers and provides us with the surplus at the Sharing Gardens.

It looks like we'll have quite a few extra tomatoes to give away. First come, first served. Stop on by the Monroe garden during volunteer times if you'd like to take some home to your own garden.

Giver's Gallery - May 2011

2011-05-23T06:25:00.000-07:00

The Alpine Park Clean-Up was fun for all who attended. There were many of the usual faces and quite a few new ones as well. The main focus was on mowing and raking the grass to be used as mulch in the Sharing Gardens. We are very grateful to Diamond Woods Golf Course on Territorial Rd for their generous loan of a ride-on lawnmower for the park's use, for a second summer in a row. Also in attendance at the clean-up (but not pictured) were Dorothy Brinckerhoff, Gary Weems, Ida May Foster and Elaine O'Brien. Here are some pictures:

Jack Jones on the lawn mower - on loan from "Diamond Woods" golf course


Peggy rakes grass

George loads it into the bins.

Celeste Jones, with a rake and a smile.


Her sister Cypress gathering grass-mulch


Stacy Ann, another sister, also helps out.


And brother, Shamus Jones, pulls weeds in the garden.

Basically, we figure, if you want to get the job done in Alpine, call the Jones family!

Celeste, Joanne and Cypress Jones in the park.


It's a challenge, "keeping up with the Joneses"!

The tree to the left was planted in spring of 2009 in honor of Alta Rainey who founded the park in the late 1960's. She always loved dogwoods. This spring is the first time it has bloomed.

We've been so busy in the gardens that we haven't had time to post these other pictures of volunteers who have been helping with the Sharing Gardens this spring. Here's a sample of our happy helpers:


Rann, Doreen and Eva, transplanting in the greenhouse - March 2010


Volunteer Danielle with plants for her garden.


Floy Alexander, 91, has lived outside of Alpine for close to 60 years. She happily receives some starts to plant in her garden.


Orvel and Rann trimming bamboo for the pole beans to grow on.


Timothy prepares beds with a spading fork.

Ismael helps Chris repair the water pipe in Monroe.


Steve Rose, at the Food Bank, giving away tomato plants from his greenhouse.

It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Letter From Montana - USA

2011-05-19T21:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Sharing Garden Coordinators,

First, I would like to congratulate you on your hard work, innovation, and obvious compassion for community. Good work deserves good thanks, whether it happens in your own backyard or across the country!

Upon seeing your Sharing Garden featured in the most recent ACGA newsletter I was pleased to find a community garden project similar to the organization I am a VISTA Member with in Southwest Montana. I was even more pleased to learn that your project operates in a setting equally as rural as my own! (I hope that you will take the time to look into our project, called Jackson's Garden, in Sheridan Montana.) Despite my best efforts, I have found evidence of very few gardens like yours and ours. I'm not sure if this is simply lack of exposure, or if we really are as rare as I think. But either way, it's a concept that I think deserves much more attention that it has received.

I believe that there has been too little attention paid to the rural community gardening. Because of the the wider availability of land and prevalence of traditional skill sets in subsistence agriculture, the concept of small plot community gardening as it has been established in urban settings seems hardly applicable. The truth is that the reasons for community gardening in a rural setting are different, though related, to those of urban settings. And because of this, and many misconceptions about rural lifestyles, the community gardening movement tends to overlook us.

I believe, as I think you might, that a Sharing Garden, or Communal Gardening as we refer to our project, is the most applicable model to rural settings, and I'm quite convinced that this model needs to be promoted and shared with other communities. While I see some differences in the way our two projects are run, the basic concept is the same - grow your food together and you grow more food, and build more community. My observations lead me to believe that there are some very specific aspects of rural lifestyle that make this model not only possible but the most effective method of putting food on our community's table.

Yet sadly, community gardening advocates and researchers pay little attention to the communal or shared gardening method and rural community gardening in general. Did you know that the last peer reviewed academic paper to appear on rural community gardening was published in 1999? Since then, the research community, which has time and time again proven the benefits of urban community gardening, has done little more than mention our cause along side their larger concerns.

There are few things that I think we, as advocates for rural communities, can and should do. The first is that I think we need to reach out to similar projects and similar communities, and establish a network of rural community gardens through which we can share insights, ideas, troubles, and celebrate our unique and profound achievements together. To this end, I have contacted the American Community Gardening Association and requested information regarding rural community gardens and sharing gardens and hope to begin bringing together similar projects in an online community soon.

But we also need to be outspoken advocates for this concept within the greater community gardening and food security movement. In my mind and perhaps in yours, this method is all but proven to increase food security, build healthier people, and bring together communities - and we we need to share this! In June, I will be presenting a case study of Jackson's Garden at Food and Agriculture Under the Big Sky, a joint conference of three research societies centering around food and agriculture. I would like to use this opportunity to spark the discussion about rural community gardening. You can help by sending me information on your organization and work that I can use as part of my presentation. I sincerely hope that we will be able to engage the research community in a dialogue about the importance of rural community gardening.

What our projects do for our communities is no simple, easy to summarize thing. I am constantly challenged when visitors to Jackson's Garden ask, "So what is this place???" - because the simple answer ("It's a community garden") just doesn't seem to sum it up quite right. My hope is that by our continued dialogue and sharing of ideas, we can establish a concept as well recognized as that of the individual plot community garden. But my greatest hope is that someday, sharing gardens like yours and ours will be a regular, recognized feature of the rural lifestyle.

I think that the seeds our communities have sown to protect their own food security can be harvested as part of a larger movement that will benefit many, and I hope you will agree.

Yours in Solidarity,

Marguerite Jodry
AmeriCorps VISTA
Ruby Valley Community Food Project
Sheridan, MT
(406) 596-0492

Alpine Park Clean-up Day

2011-05-19T12:08:00.000-07:00

Alpine Park Clean-up Day and "Potluck" Picnic

Volunteers from 2009 Alpine Park Clean-up Day

The Alpine Park was established in the 1960's by local residents. It is maintained entirely through the efforts of volunteers. Come and meet your "neighbors" and share in the fun of caring for this little park gem. We'll be weeding, pruning, raking and making the park beautiful in time for Memorial Day weekend when visitors come and pay their respects at the Alpine Cemetery up the hill. After the work is done we'll have a potluck picnic lunch for those who want to enjoy each others company for a little while longer.

When: Saturday May 21, 2011 ~ 9:00 - 12:00
Where: Alpine Chapel Park - across from the Elementary School
            (for directions, Mapquest or Google the school: 25114
            Alpine Rd, 97456)
Bring: Gloves, landscaping tools, sunhat, drinking water, potluck
            dish, dishes to eat on.

Steve Rose painting door - Clean-Up 2010

Growing Gratitude

2011-05-16T14:45:00.000-07:00

We have so much to be grateful for. The Sharing Gardens community--near and far--have been showing their support for the project.

Chris paints garden benches made from recycled materials, and refurbishes the donated trailer.

Our local weekly paper, The Tribune News continues to publish frequent articles about us. Many of the donations listed below have come as a result.

Fabric for the Great Monroe Autumn Leaf Drive was donated by Danette Puhek of Alpine. She gave us a huge role of a canvas-type material that can be sewn up by volunteers to make leaf bags. Our intention is to distribute these around town once the leaves have begun to fall and come back later to gather them for garden-mulching. Leaves provide valuable organic matter to improve the quality of the garden-soil and feed our "micro-livestock", the worms, bugs and bacteria that add their valuable "manure" to our gardens. The colorful, reusable leaf bags will provide a visual demonstration of our whole town's participation in growing food to share. (More fabric is still needed - see our wish list).

John Dillard, owner and manager of Monroe Telephone Company read our wish-list published in the The Tribune News paper and has offered his company's services to laminate signs we can post around the Gardens for people's information. We'll print the signs from our computer and bring them over to them for laminating.

Greenhouse/nursery donations: The Oak Creek Center for Urban Horticulture at Oregon State University - nursery pots and flats (thanks Cody, for setting that up!). Barbara Standley of Santa Clara - pressure-treated lumber, saw-horses and nursery table tops. Eva Fife - straw bales for the muddy greenhouse paths, and help with transplanting. Knife River Corporation - almost $3,000 worth of gravel to expand the parking capacity where the greenhouse is located. Cindy Cantor for taking over the watering of all the starts.

Garden supplies and plant materials: Bodhi - about a dozen raspberry plants from his Eugene garden. Jason and Christine - sprouting potatoes. Laurie and Warren Halsey - ten gallons of gray house-paint. (We gave half of it to the Monroe Food Bank to spruce up their interior after they did renovations; we're using some to refurbish the trailer donated to the project earlier in the season by Dick and Jan Skirvin.) Gary Glore has brought us two plastic compost bins to process vegetable waste/kitchen scraps. We've put them at the Crowson/Monroe site.

Thanks to Mylrea Estell for the bicycle that Chris can use to travel to the gardens and back to our home, cutting down on the use of gas to drive our truck, and increasing our fitness as well.

Since we were denied grant-funding, we added a donation button on our website. We have had a strong initial response from supporters both near and far. We'd like to thank Dick and Helen Hewitt, Cathy Rose, Marian Spadone, Rann and Doreen Millar and Sue and Scott Peabody-Hewitt, Claudia McCue and Judy Peabody for their generosity. If you would like to donate, just click on the button below or mail a check to

Sunlit cabbage leaf

Sharing Gardens
PO Box 11
Monroe, OR 97456

Please indicate if you need a tax-receipt.

Comment from Denmark

2011-05-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

Here is a comment that was made on the Peak Moment site after this person from Denmark watched our interview:

Tonny Nielsen Says:

How amazingly lovely, I've dreamt of gardens like this, but here in Denmark we are rapidly converting our, once greatly productive agriculture, into what america have been doing (we even call it Americanization, as you would call the integration of imigrants into your culture, as in we are embracing your culture with both good and dire consequences), completely ignoring stuff like the great dust bowl and degradation of topsoil on huge areas in your country. As expected we initially saw a great boost in production, but now soils are getting toxic, Roundup is reaching our groundwater (we were blessed with clean enough groundwater to just pump it up and drink it without cleansing it, those days are rapidly coming to and end as up to 400 wells are getting closed due to pollution every year, this in a country the size of 16,621 square miles, roughly twice the size of Massachusetts). We now, for the first time in 80 years of recorded agricultural history, are getting less and less every year, in terms of harvest.

I wish this catches on like a wildfire and spreads around the globe so our soils can be rebuilt from the salty hell of synthetic fertilizer.

With love, sharing and community, I'm imagining . Thank you Chris and Llyn for your very inspirational work/fun.

Sincerely Tonny

There's No Competition on the Giving Side of Life!

2011-05-11T08:38:00.000-07:00

The Garden's Bounty

Chris and I had coffee with some neighbors earlier this week and, of course, our current situation with the Sharing Gardens' greenhouse and funding challenges came up. (By the way, we really appreciate all the offers of support that have come forward since we sent out the State of the Onion Address. They have helped us feel recommitted and inspired to continue with the project.)

What we want to write about now is a misconception that many people may have about the Sharing Gardens and how they work. As it says in our Overview, "All materials and labor are donated. The food we grow is shared amongst those who have contributed in some way as well as others who are in need in our community. All surplus is donated to our local food-bank. No one is ever charged money for the food that is grown." Even though it clearly says that the food we grow "is shared amongst those who have contributed in some way," we realized in this conversation with our neighbors, that many local people, who are not particularly suffering financially have held back on participating, or feeling OK about receiving harvest from the garden because of their perception that the primary purpose of the Gardens is to feed "those in need."

First of all, while our guiding purpose is to feed "those in need", even last year, with about half of the garden space we'll have in cultivation this year, we managed to grow and give away about 5,000 pounds of food! (That figure included both the volunteers and the Food Bank recipients.) One of our greatest challenges last year, as the Food Bank was closing up each week, was to find people to take home all the fresh produce that was still left over! Growing food in the style of sharing creates tremendous abundance and "rising waters lift all ships." Even if you or your family is not in dire financial circumstances, you are still welcome to participate in the growing of food and sharing in the bounty. There is plenty to go around!

Secondly, there are many less-material benefits to those who volunteer in the gardens that go beyond the amount of food you would be able to take home with you in harvest times. Getting your hands in the soil, moving your body as you prepare the ground, pulling weeds and harvesting--all contribute to your physical health and well-being. Sharing in conversation, meeting the other volunteers and making new connections is good for you emotionally. Learning how to grow your own food organically and having stimulating conversations about the current world-situation while pulling weeds or picking beans, is good for your mind. And stepping into active service; giving without a specific calculation of what you'll get in return is just plain good for the soul!

Conversation in the bean-patch.

As the weather becomes more pleasant, we will begin to have regular times to gather and grow food in the gardens. It's not too late to be added to our email list to be informed of where and when we'll be in the gardens. Just email us at: Alpinecogarden@gmail.com and let us know you want to be added to the volunteer list.

P.S. Our primary need in the gardens at this time is for a large infusion of straw for mulch. We have found a local source, in Harrisburg, who will give us all we need but we need help getting it delivered. Do you have a heavy-duty trailer or flat-bed truck to haul up to 10 tons of hay in 100-pound bales? If needed, we can cover your gas costs. Please call if you can help us out. This is a very important need at this time. To see our full Wish List, follow this link.

Free Farm Stand Needs Our Help

2011-05-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

Free Farm Stand, in San Francisco - A variation on the Sharing Gardens theme

There is a project in the heart of San Francisco, that started around the same time as the Alpine and Monroe Sharing Gardens, that has very similar aims and values. Not only do they grow food in large, shared garden plots with volunteers and donated materials but they have a weekly Free Farm Stand that has become a channel for many other community gardens and local farmers with surplus food to give away to those in need.

It's founder, Tree, has become a friend and support for the project we are doing and we have exchanged many emails since we first found each other a year or so ago. His project, the Free Farm and Free Farm Stand, is one in five finalists for the Citizen of Tomorrow Award from The Bay Citizen. He, and the many participants of the project would appreciate it if you'd go to the following link and cast a vote. Link to citizen of tomorrow voting The Free Farm/Stand is the third project. You can vote as often as once a day until May 16th.

Please spread the word!
http://freefarmstand.org/
http://thefreefarm.org/

Breaking News!

2011-04-27T20:16:00.000-07:00

Here is an email we just received from someone who saw the Peak Moment TV interview about the Sharing Gardens on YouTube. We wish to extend our sincere thanks to all the many supporters near and far who have nurtured the program up to this point. Here is evidence that our effort reaches out beyond our own small community. We wanted to share our excitement with you all.

Hello Chris and Llyn.

First of all, please accept my thanks for being the "break-through" people in trailblazing this idea. I wish I had the words to describe how my heart leapt when I watched your video on Peak Moment. I have been reaching out (metaphorically speaking) launching my faith in hopes that what I am supposed to do and be in this world will come to me. I believe it has. I love gardening. I feed my family from our small garden. And last year, I was able to give a lot of food away. I have been praying for an opportunity to share that will incorporate my love of gardening. I believe this is it.

Our city, Chester, PA, is a very poor and declining city. We have one supermarket in the entire city of 40,000 people. And although there is a state of the art soccer facility and Harrah's Casino in our town, the people struggle to eat. The majority of our residents rely on government help to feed their families. For the first time in the many years I have lived here, I see people begging for food or money.

There is also an abundance of vacant land in the city. I believe a sharing garden will serve to feed many hungry people and aid in the revitalization of the city.

You mentioned your willingness to help folks who have a heart for such a revolutionary idea. That would be me. If you would consider mentoring me, I would love to share your vision here in our dear city.

Angee Costa

Also, can anyone read what language this is? It appears that the "Sharing Gardens" website has been translated into Russian!? Our site is being linked to other sites all over the world.

Happy Birthday! - Sharing Gardens

2011-04-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

Dustin digging onions

The "Sharing Gardens" turned "two" on April 15th! Hard to believe it's only been that long...This past few weeks we've been dodging raindrops and spending time transplanting and preparing beds with the trust that sunnier weather is on its way. Our young friend Dustin McClintock showed up to help us dig up the last few onions that wintered over. We always appreciate his willing smile and "can-do" attitude!

Doreen transplanting

Doreen Millar managed to join us a few times already this season. She and her husband Rann were some of our most dedicated volunteers last year.Here she is transplanting out a few lettuce plants. The slugs are getting plump on many of our early transplants. It's a good thing we have many more at "The Ark" - greenhouse - awaiting their turn to be planted out.

4-H Giveaway

We enjoyed our time at the 4-H Giveaway on Saturday, April 16th. Chris and I brought a whole table-full of starts: broccoli, lettuce, kale, spinach, amaranth and sunflowers. It was fun to see the smiles of people taking their free "starts" home for their own gardens. The young people in Christie Warden's 4-H group did a beautiful job of putting on the event. They volunteered their time to set up, be there for the day and clean up the leftovers. It felt good to see all these young people being in service to their community.

Many of our wishes have been granted (we'll write up a thank-you blog soon!). Take a look at our current wish-list to see if there's anything you can help us with:

Our Current Wish List

Christie Warden - 4H leader and Ismael Ramos, one of the young people in her group.

More on Mulch

2011-04-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

Deep-mulching in Alpine Garden - 9.5 weeks after we broke ground in 2009

This question came to us about the deep-mulching methods we use in the Sharing Gardens:

"I like the idea of the thick hay-bed, but as far as prep work, do you need to pull beds of grass up before laying it down, or will it kill off well established grasses? For example, could you lay it down and then arrange and build beds the next year, or should you clear and arrange beds and then lay down the hay?"

The short answer is, if you have the luxury of waiting a year, you can lay the hay or straw down thick enough to choke out the majority of grasses or weeds below without tilling . If you're eager to begin using a garden area that has established grasses, you will have more success in the short-run if you till first. Here's how things have unfolded in our two garden plots:

The Alpine Garden - 2009 - Our friend Steve Rose subsoiled and then tilled the surface lawn to a depth of 8" with a heavy tractor. We mulched heavily 4" to 6" with whole flakes (a solid mat) of hay and straw throughout the growing season and bedded the gardens down with an equally heavy coating of leaves in the fall and early winter.

People warned us that mulching with hay would cause serious weed problems from the hay seeds falling into our garden beds and sprouting but this did not occur. The secret is in how deep the mulch is laid. With very deep mulch, weeds sprouting from the soil-level exhaust themselves before they can reach sunlight. Those that sprout in the mulch itself are very easily pulled out as their roots do not reach the soil below or, if lots of grass is sprouting, slip a pitch fork under the flake and turn it 'roots to the sun'.

Alpine Garden - 2nd year - Minimal tilling, Heavy mulching

In the second year we rototilled a few beds, but not the whole garden. We mulched heavily as in the first year.

We are now in our third spring. We will be doing little or no tilling. We have established a thriving worm population and don't wish to disturb their world. In places where they have eaten through all the mulch from last fall, the surface is noticeably covered with little mounds of their castings. In places you can see the tiny holes where they surfaced at night and returned to their subterranean domains each morning. As we transplant our spring crops, we disturb this eco-system as little as possible. We move the mulch aside enough to accommodate the plantings. In some cases pulling aside a whole swath of mulch, in other cases only exposing a hole big enough for the plant. The worms' tunnels provide easy pathways for roots to find their way, and they are filled with the worms' castings. Water and oxygen can make their way into the soil through these same pathways.

Worm castings on surface of soil.

When we receive this year's hay donations we will begin the cycle again - heavily mulching the paths where we walk and, in many cases mulching in between the plants in the garden beds. If you have leaves to add in the spring, place them on the surface of the soil and cover with the hay or straw mulch. Walking on wet leaves can be very slippery.

Our garden plot in Monroe has a slightly different history. It was not tilled nearly as thoroughly in its first year (2010). We had a cold, wet spring and by the time the ground was dry enough to till, it was time to plant many of the crops that were becoming root-bound in their pots. Whereas Alpine was worked to a depth of maybe 8" to 10", Steve was only able to till down about 4" in Monroe. This resulted in a lot more weeds to deal with! Even though the paths were deeply mulched, we had lots of weeds coming up in the beds themselves. Still, we had a very productive first year.

Monroe garden - 1st year - Heavily mulched.

Last fall we had enough hay to thickly mulch 3/4 of the 1/2 acre garden. These three quarters have only a few big weeds that made it through the winter. The other quarter which was left alone, is now covered in weeds. Our strategy this year is, in the 3/4 of heavily mulched garden, to simply pull the mulch away in a thin row and plant in the exposed soil so as to leave little room for weeds to take hold. Though the worm population is not as extensive as Alpine's, it is much better than last year. In the quarter that has extensive weeds we have dug out the most noxious and massive weeds (thistle and well-rooted grasses). We have also used a string-trimmer (weed-wacker) to cut the weeds/grasses to the ground level. We've decided to grow squash there this year which we will transplant as seedlings. We can prepare a separate mound for each squash, which gives them the advantages of a raised bed - the soil will be warmer in the mound from exposure to sun, and better drained. We will proceed with the heavy hay/straw mulching all around the mounds to give a dry, soft surface for the trailing vines. We feel confident that this will choke out the remaining weed-cover.

Monroe Garden - April 2011 (2nd year). Chris is peeling away a row of mulch and piling in adjacent path for this year's potatoes.

For more about deep mulching methods, see:

The Benefits of Deep Mulching

'Mulch-es' Gracias!

Happy Mulching!

Mason Bees - The Friendly Pollinators

2011-04-13T10:55:00.000-07:00

Mason Bees appear like a big house fly with a greenish black shine to them.

Did you know that Mason Bees (Osmia lignaria) are one of the most common hole-nesting bees? They are wonderful pollinators, especially for apples and pears. Researchers claim they can be up to 90% more efficient at pollinating than honeybees due to the fact that Mason Bees will forage in light rain and at cooler temperatures than honeybees and other pollinators. If you are worried or concerned about getting stung then this hard working little Mason Bee may be just what you and your flowers and vegetable gardens are looking for. Mason Bees are not aggressive since they are a solitary bee and are not defending a queen they are considered quite docile.

Linda's nesting boxes are hung under the eves, on the southeast side of a shed so they get sun and are protected from prevailing winds/rains. Insets show other styles of nesting boxes.

Nesting boxes for Mason Bees: In the photos you can see that I have quite a few nesting boxes. My nesting boxes are hanging under the eaves of my pump house facing towards the southeast so they can be warmed by the early morning sun and protected from direct rain. Mason bees are easy to care for. You can make new nesting boxes by using a drill press and a 5/16 bit and blocks of UNTREATED wood. You may also purchase nesting straws. I have found the straws at the WildBirdsUnlimited store in Corvallis. For right now I have placed 2 new nesting boxes and a package of straws for the ladies to use as new homes for their eggs. As these begin to fill up I will continue making new boxes. Last year the girls were so prolific that I had to make several new nest blocks 3 different times.

Chris hangs nesting boxes at Crowson/Monroe garden

Mason Bee life cycle: This year, my Mason Bees began emerging in early April. The males hatch out first once our temperatures get above 55 degrees for 3 days in a row. The females seem to understand that it is important to lay female eggs at the back of the holes and lay the male egg at the front of each hole. This assures the survival of this species as it only takes one male to mate with several female Mason Bees. Once the weather begins to warm and the males emerge they then wait around for several days for the females to chew through their cocoon and then chew through the mud wall that divides each egg cell until they reach the end of the nesting hole and crawl out to live their short productive life in our wonderful Willamette Valley. The males then fly around chasing the females in a mating dance. Once the males have mated their job is complete and they die. The females immediately begin gathering pollen and laying eggs. They do not excavate holes but look around their environment for a 4-6 inch-long space that is approximately 5/16 of an inch in diameter. They are often seen crawling up under house shingles. No need to worry though. They do not damage your siding but are merely looking for a safe, dry place to lay their eggs. After she has gathered pollen she will return to the nesting tubes/boxes, fly into the holes and turn circles inside which helps the gathered pollen fall off her body as she wiggles her way to the end of the tube.

Mason Bee larvae with pollen-ball for larval feeding.

There she will lay her tiny egg and put a pollen ball on top of that. She will leave about a 1 inch space and she then make a 1/4 inch mud plug to wall off that egg, hence the name "Mason" Bee. For the next 8-10 weeks these busy ladies continue gathering pollen and nectar. Sometime towards the end of June their life's work is over and they die. During the summer months the eggs develop into larvae. The larvae feeds on the pollen and nectar and develop into pupae. The Mason Bee pupae develop into bees protected inside a cocoon. They hibernate over the winter and emerge sometime towards the end of March or early April to start this marvelous life cycle over again. Click here for excellent pictures of Mason Bee life cycle.

HappBee gardening. Linda Zielinski

Linda Zielinsky is an avid Mason Bee 'farmer' who lives in Philomath, Oregon. She generously provided the "Sharing Gardens" with a starter house of bees which we hope will multiply so we can spread them around the valley and help other gardeners get them established. Check back next February if you're interested in getting a starter house of Mason Bees for next spring. Thank you, Linda, for writing this article about the bees for us to post on our site.

Reminder - Community Giveaway in Monroe

2011-04-13T10:04:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder! If you wish to make donations to the 4-H Giveaway, please bring your donations on Friday, April 15, noon to 5:00 pm to the Monroe Legion Hall - the brick building kitty-corner from the Post Office, on Main St. in Monroe. Tax-Deductible receipts available.

The Giveaway itself happens this coming Saturday, April 16th from 10:00 to 2:00.

Donations needed:

Clothes
Food
Housewares
Toiletries
Surplus building materials
Extra seedlings for people to plant in their gardens.

Volunteers needed: Call Christy: (541) 847-6030 if you are available to help or have questions. The main need is on Friday afternoon to help sort and set-up the donations but there may be other ways you can help too.

Left over items will be donated to other local charities.

The "Sharing Gardens" is on Peak Moment TV!

2011-04-09T15:45:00.000-07:00

On August 8, 2010 we were visited at the Alpine site by Janaia Donaldson and Robyn Malgren of Peak Moment TV, a traveling video-production team that focuses on issues related to our currently challenging times. You can watch this 28 min. video online at

www.peakmoment.tv, or listen to the audio file here: audio (Peak Moment Conversation 193).

"Sharing Gardens - Giving and Receiving"

More than a community garden, this sharing garden provides fresh produce for all who've contributed to it, with surplus going to the local food bank. Coordinators Chris Burns and Llyn Peabody note that with one large plot rather than separate plots, the Sharing Gardens enable more efficient food production — from watering to optimizing for pollinators. They share tips for getting started, garden planning, communicating with volunteers, garden practices like deep mulch, and especially the joy of giving without expecting a return. [www.alpinegarden.blogspot.com]

Peak Moment: Locally Reliant Living for Challenging Times is an online television series with people creating resilient lives and communities for a more sustainable, lower-energy future. Peak Moment TV is cross-pollinating the most challenging shift in human history — an energy transition away from fossil fuels to sustainable living.
193 programs are online at www.peakmoment.tv/conversations, where DVDs can be ordered. They are available by download to all community access TV stations nationwide. Peak Moment Television is produced by Robyn Mallgren and Janaia Donaldson, Yuba Gals Independent Media of Nevada City, California.

Growing Gratitude

2011-03-24T08:52:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed how plants grow exponentially? At first you plant the seed and it seems like nothing is happening for the longest time; then, the first simple leaves appear and you can hardly perceive their daily growth.Given the right conditions: a larger pot, enriched soil, water, warmth and light and suddenly the leaves are lengthening and multiplying almost visibly! The "Sharing Garden" project of Alpine and Monroe, OR seems to be coming into that super-growth phase. So much to be grateful for!

Volunteers at the Crowson/Monroe garden - 2010

Big thanks to Chester Crowson for giving us permission to garden on his property in Monroe for another year. The Monroe gardens are ideally located behind the Methodist Church on Coon Rd. which houses the Food Bank (the greatest recipient of our produce). The garden is huge (110' x 170') and we were only able to cultivate about half of it last year. There's a garden shed we use and Chester pays our water bill. His daughter, Lisa Richter has been a big help as liaison between the project and her Dad.

We continue to have very positive response to the articles that the Tri-County Tribune is publishing about us. Thanks to the editor, Gini Bramlett and her support staff. The paper reaches a different audience than the posts we write for our web-site and many new "locals" are becoming involved as result. One of these is Barbara Standley who donated several stacks of home-built nursery flats and the 6-packs to go with them. She and her husband Waldo started "Victory Gardens" on River Rd in Santa Clara back in 1968. Waldo was single-minded with the nursery and would have grown only tomatoes if his friends hadn't said, "You've got to branch out and grow other things!". Eventually they added flowers and vegetable-starts to their repertoire. Their nursery was active until 1996 and lay dormant till recently when the Standley's daughter and son-in-law began to revive the business - renaming it the "Grateful Gardener".

Barbara Standley and Llyn load her donation in the truck

We've had a nice response to our request for help to create re-usable leaf-bags. Two local seamstresses have stepped forth and are poised to make the bags once we get more drapes and other heavy fabrics donated. Our vision is to distribute these reusable leaf bags, for people to fill themselves and drop off at the garden sites or, for those who are unable to do their own raking to circulate a team of volunteers for leaf collection through-out the Fall. We use the leaves to mulch the garden beds and feed the worms and bacteria in the soil. John Noreena and Jenny Grey donated four HUGE, heavy-duty bags that were originally used to deliver sand to a job-site but that he has used for leaf-collection on his own property.

Germaine and Larry join us in the greenhouse. So much fun!

People have started to step forth and volunteer their time in the greenhouse. We've begun a partnership with Albany's YMCA (more about this in a future post) and they've been coming to the greenhouse to learn the art of nursery work as they grow out the "starts" they'll use in their own food-give-away garden. Kyle Rd. residents Larry and Germaine Hammon were a great help in transplanting sunflowers into bigger pots. Bruce Hayler - host to "The Ark" and the Oak St. "Sharing Gardens" also keeps coming over to get his hands in the soil.

Bruce Hayler and Chris planting lettuce in donated "plug trays"

We want people to know that our thanks goes out to all the people behind the scenes and those we've fail to specifically mention, whose support makes this project possible. The anonymous donors who drop things off at the garden sites, the well-wishers who think warm thoughts and send notes of appreciation and those who help to spread the word by forwarding our posts/articles. You are the light, the water and soil that makes it possible for the "Sharing Gardens" to blossom.

Current Wish List: Heavy fabric (drapes, shower curtains, canvas), at least 3' x 5' - to sew leaf bags out of. T-posts (slightly bent, OK). Nursery pots and flats (six-packs and large 4" sizes). Mud boots - various sizes for people to use when they come to the gardens.

We have available: Thornless ever-bearing raspberries: the canes are coming up and already getting leaves so the window is closing to transplant to your garden beds. They like full sun and well-drained soil. Let us know you're interested and we'll tell you where to dig them up.

Chris and Llyn can be contacted from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm and 3:00 to 8:00 pm - (541) 847-8797

Volunteering at the Sharing Gardens

2011-03-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

Volunteering at the Sharing Gardens is a fun, meaningful way to contribute to your community, learn about gardening, strengthen your body and share in the harvest.

Tibbi, Llyn and Danielle - first volunteer day - 2010

People have begun to inquire about volunteering at the "Sharing Gardens". Our needs are sporadic at this time but as the season progresses we will definitely need a lot of help this year.

Here's how the volunteer program works: Send us an email with "Volunteer" in the subject line. AlpineCoGarden@gmail.com We will add you to our exclusive volunteer list. Once the season begins in earnest, you will receive a weekly email which tells you the times/days/locations and tasks in the gardens that week.

You do not have to come every week but you are welcome as often as you like.

You bring your own sunhat, drinking water and gloves (we have some you can borrow if you forget yours). We provide the tools.

Please no dogs, tobacco or alcohol use in the gardens and younger children must be supervised by an adult.

Volunteers displaying the harvest at the Food Bank - 2010

"Sharing Gardens" Potpourri

2011-03-10T17:05:00.000-08:00

Liz Hayler at the greenhouse.

The community support for the "Sharing Gardens" is growing. We send out thanks to Warren and Laurie Halsey for donating two, unopened 5-gallon buckets of house paint. We can spruce up the bathroom at the Alpine Garden--inside and out and use it for other garden projects as well. Our continued gratitude goes to the Canters and Haylers who are hosting the greenhouse on their property in Monroe.

A big thanks goes out to Bud Hardin of Monroe. He has donated the funds to cover the cost of renting a portable toilet for a full year! This has been placed between the Monroe Garden site and the Food Bank. Since the closest public bathroom to the site is several blocks away, there are many volunteers in both programs who will be very glad of this donation.

Linda with a Mason Bee house.

Linda Zielinski has given us a "starter" batch of Mason Bees (Osmia Ribifloris). These industrious pollinators do not build hives but lay eggs in tubes which they seal off with a daub of mud (hence their name). Since they have no queen or honey to defend they are easy-going and will not sting unless you step on them or squish them in some way. For this reason they are ideal to keep in your garden if you have children nearby. They have a fascinating life-cycle which Linda is going to write about and post to this blog in the coming months.

As we were sending off the final draft of our Wish List to our local weekly paper (Tri-County Tribune) for publication last week we added, almost as an after-thought, our need for a small utility trailer. Over the weekend we got a call from Dick and Jan Skirvin, life-long residents of the Tri-County area. They had a trailer they could donate! They had found it decades ago, when they first took over the family homestead. It was lost and buried amongst a wall of Oregon's famous blackberries. Dick and his son resurrected the trailer and it served their family for many years. They no longer have use for it and so now, with a stiff wire-brushing and a fresh coat of paint it will join the ranks of refurbished garden-equipment at the "Sharing Gardens" and along with the wheelbarrow just donated by Brigitte Goetze will serve for many more years to come.

Dick and Jan Skirvin with their donated trailer.

We are happy to say our wish list is dwindling. Our main need at this time is for some bailed hay or straw that we can put down on the floor of the greenhouse. Even though it is fully covered and sealed, the ground below is wicking moisture from the surrounding field and the paths are really mucky. We realize that most people with livestock wait until the new hay is coming in before they get rid of the old so we'll probably just buy some bails. If you do have some moldy bails to donate, we can come pick them up. Just let us know.

Something else to keep on your radar screen: Next fall we're going to have a volunteer team of leaf-rakers go around the area and bag up leaves to mulch the garden. We'd like to sew a few dozen re-usable leaf bags out of drapes or other sturdy material. So, if you have fabric you think would be appropriate and/or you are a seamstress and would be willing to sew a few of these bags to help out the project, let us know. Our current Wish List

Mason Bee

If you have sprouting potatoes and don't wish to grow them yourself, we'd be happy to grow them in the "Sharing Gardens". if you'd like to plant them in your own garden, follow this link to learn how.
Why grow your own. How to "chit" potatoes

Sunflower seeds are a great crop to grow; the seeds can be harvested and sprouted for winter greens, they make great bird food for our wild friends and they are a beautiful border on the north side of any garden.
How to Grow Sunflower Sprouts

Sharing Garden Update

2011-03-03T19:05:00.000-08:00

We have much to be grateful for!

Karen and Chris unloading barrels

Karen Finley, of Alpine's Queen Bee Honey drove with Llyn down to Eugene and back and loaded twenty recycled 55 gallon barrels donated by Glory Bee Foods onto her truck and brought them back to the greenhouse. They are set up to support our potting tables and, once filled with water, will provide thermal mass--moderating the temperature of the greenhouse year round. The water-filled drums will absorb the heat from the sun, or the woodstove, during the day and release it slowly through the night.

A sample of our seed bank.

We received a seed-donation from Brigitte Goetze of Alpine. All together we had three lidded buckets full of seeds - most of which Chris saved systematically over the course of last year's harvest. We sorted through them and determined which ones we could give away and have been sharing them with other gardeners, and people growing food for those in need.

We are grateful to the Tri-County Tribune for offering to print our complete wish-list and an explanation of the "Sharing Garden's" purpose. The article has only been out two days and we've already received a donation of over 2000 "plug trays" from Frank Pitcher who grows cabbage-seed commercially. We haven't decided if we're going to cut them up with a razor knife - to be able to give away smaller amounts of starts (there are 128 holes per flat!), or if we'll plant multiple varieties of seeds on one flat to have "variety-packs" we can give away. We'll put the word out when we have seedlings available.

Bruce and Chris planting seeds

Today we got some breaks in the rain. It's amazing how fast the greenhouse heats up as as soon as the sun comes out! We all peeled down to tee-shirts though the temps were still chilly outside. Bruce Hayler showed up to give us a hand. Though he's been a gardener for many years, this will be his first experience in a greenhouse. We sifted potting soil, added some fertilizer and sifted rabbit manure and, between the three of us started seven flats of seeds. It's starting to really feel like a greenhouse!

We've received a beautiful green-painted mailbox from Renee and Johan Forrer of Monroe. We'll put that up in Monroe once the season gets going and it will be a place for plastic bags and a harvest knife for people to pick produce. Save your clean, plastic bags for us to use during harvest season!

If you need thornless ever-bearing raspberries, contact us and we'll arrange a time to show you where you can dig them up. We can supply pots if you need them for transport. Our contact info.

Here's a link to our updated wishlist. New items include: water-based exterior house paints, a wheelbarrow or garden-cart and, though we received all the plug-trays from Frank today, we still especially prize the standard "six-pack" size so let us know if you have some you don't need. Even a small amount helps.

Garden Tip: If the ground where you live is still too cold and soggy for planting peas, try this method we used last year with great success.

Another beautiful rainbow over "The Ark"

"Gardening for the Soul"

2011-02-27T11:45:00.000-08:00

Here is an article written by Sarah Moser for the Tri-County Tribune and published January 12, 2011

When Chris Burns and Llyn Peabody, first moved to Monroe, they went for a walk in the park in Alpine. They started imagining what an ideal spot it would be for a garden. “It didn’t look like the park was being used for much and some of the buildings and benches were suffering from vandalism, so we mentioned it to some people at one of the pot lucks at the Alpine Community Center,” Chris said. “People were very supportive.”

Alpine's sign - painted winter 2010

In April of 2009, Chris and Llyn planted their first garden in Alpine. “The first year was a success; we grew enough food to share with our local food bank, and vandalism disappeared in the park. We realized we had the ability to expand much farther and there were a lot more people who wanted to get involved.” Llyn said.

So in 2010, they approached Chester Crowson, who owns land between the Monroe Food Bank at the United Methodist Church and the town's Grade School. “We told him what we wanted to do and he thought it was a great idea,” Chris said. “He gave us the use of a large shed for our tools, an area 110' x 170' for the garden and has supported us 100 percent. He even put in a new pump on the well and paid for the electricity to water the garden.”

Monroe's sign and shed. (Grade school in back, left.)

The “Sharing Garden” is unlike most community gardens. “Instead of many separate plots, rented by individuals, the gardens are one large plot shared by all.” Llyn said. “We grow it all together. Anybody who has contributed in some way , or is in need, is free to harvest from the garden. No one is ever charged money for the food that is grown.” The entire surplus goes to the Monroe Food Bank and other charitable organizations. “All we ask is that people be sensitive to the fact that they not take more than their share,” chimed in Chris, “The gardens help us re-learn the values of sharing that we were all taught as children. If everyone gives what they can, and only takes what they need, there's enough to go around.”

In 2010, one of their biggest challenges was distributing all of the food they grew; it was quite a increase from the first year. “The first year we were generating a surplus of about a wheel barrow worth of food a week. ” Llyn said. Their entire operating budget was $1,230. In 2010, they spent $9,240 and were able to grow over 5,000 pounds of food. At the season's peak they were donating over 300 pounds of food per week. “This same organic produce, if bought at the store, would have cost almost $10,000 dollars.” Llyn said.

A partial harvest - August 2010

The expenses for the gardens are covered through gifts and grants. “In 2010, we received our largest support from Trust Management Services, of Oregon. They made it possible to expand the gardens and for us to receive a stipend as well.” said Llyn. Other grants came from two garden clubs in Corvallis, the Lions Club and private individuals. “People donate in other ways too,” Chris said. “The Alpine Community Center (a 501c3) played a major role in helping us secure the financial and community support we've needed to make this project a success. They have also included us under their insurance policy. People also donate tools, mulch and building materials; our project has been responsible for diverting literally tons of material from burn-piles and the landfill.”

There are anywhere between 125 and 200 families a month served by the Monroe Food Bank. The garden supplements the primarily boxed and canned foods these families receive.

“We really focus on the basics that we know people will eat,” Chris said. “We stay way from exotic foods, and grow the stuff you'd ordinarily find in the markets—things like tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, green beans, potatoes and lettuce.”

Young people harvesting green beans - 2010

The volunteers are an essential aspect of the project. “We couldn't do it without them,” says Llyn. “They help us in every aspect of growing and harvesting the food. Last year we had people from all walks of life—children, families and older people who want to help out and learn about gardening.” Many of Chris and Llyn’s volunteers are people who hear about the garden while picking up food at the food bank. “Many of them are learning to garden and store food for the first time,” Chris added. “These skills give people a sense of security. What could be more important than learning how to grow your own food?”

This year they are also in the midst of building a 2,000 square-foot green house. Between the three gardens they will have roughly two thirds of an acre in cultivation. They will be able to start seeds a lot earlier with the green house; probably the middle of February. It will also extend the harvest season well into the fall.

Not only do the “Sharing Gardens” feed people's bodies, but their hearts and minds as well.

“People feel inspired by what we're doing,” Llyn said, “Whether they're actually helping us in the garden, or just reading about it on our blog, this project gives people a good feeling inside. I love the feeling of being of service. It feels extremely meaningful to be feeding people. I was never a gardener before I met Chris and now I love to garden. What a miracle. It is absolutely amazing. You put this little seed in the ground and it can produce enough to feed dozens of people.” “You get out of it what you put in,” Chris said. “When you wake up each day you have something to look forward to. You know you are going to help people smile, and feel better about themselves, you know you are going to be outdoors getting some sunshine, you are working with living things and plants and seeds and there is a great satisfaction being close to the earth, helping people and eating good wholesome food.”

Wishlist and Thanks

2011-02-22T10:36:00.000-08:00

Our new greenhouse. We've decided to name it "The Ark".

Here's a beautiful picture we took at the greenhouse on Monday. As you can see it's close to being finished. If you're local, you can see it at the far east end of Oak St., in Monroe (near the Long Tom River), just north of the storage lockers. Though we still have a list of "finishing touches", we've already started our first batches of peas and onions in pots.

We've got an updated wish-list. Let us know if you can help us out with any of these things:

Here's the mailbox we re-decorated for the Alpine Garden

* Hardi-Plank - scraps would be fine. We need it to skirt the greenhouse
* Pine Needles (the long ones from Ponderosa Pines are best) - we'll use them to
      keep the paths in the greenhouse from getting too squishy. We can come rake
      and bag them.
* Bedding straw - spoiled OK - we can use this for the greenhouse paths too, and
      any extra we'll use to mulch the gardens.
* An old mailbox - we need to paint one and set it up at the Monroe garden for
      plastic bags and messages (like at Alpine)

Still on our list:

* Nursery flats, pots, 6-packs: Our vision is to grow enough garden "starts" to supply the "Sharing gardens" and to give the surplus away to volunteers and others who have donated in some way; to other "Sharing Garden"-type projects and to people in need in our community. We are in greatest need of 6-pack sized pots and prefer not to buy them new if we can find them to re-use (keeping them out of the waste-stream). Even a few will help as, if everyone donates a few, we shall have enough for the whole project. You can drop them in front of the garden shed at the Monroe garden, behind the big, white Methodist Church in Monroe.
* Bagged leaves - bring to Alpine or Monroe and leave by the gate
* Truckload of potting soil - delivered to greenhouse on Oak St. in Monroe

* Sprouting Potatoes

* Non-Hybrid Seeds

Cash donations are always appreciated!

Gratitude goes out to:

* Steve Rose - for the beautiful job he did pruning the apple tree at the Alpine Park - the branches are available to anyone who wishes to process the wood.
* Judy Todd - thank you for your generous cash donation
* Betty and Jim Christensen - your cash donation is also a big help!
* Julia Sunkler of "My Pharm" - donated a load of rabbit manure
* George and Claudia gave us all the pellet-bags they saved from running their stove this past winter. They're made of heavy-duty plastic and so can be used over and over again.

Chris in the door of "The Ark" greenhouse

Gratitude

2011-02-13T11:42:00.000-08:00

Llyn and Cindy putting on hinges

Chris and I have been having a lot of fun building the greenhouse. We give thanks daily for this meaningful project to channel our energy into. We've had some good help from Cindy and Paul Canter, and Bruce and Elizabeth Hayler. Both couples have been very supportive and helpful in moving the project along. Thanks also to Larry Hammon for showing up at a moment's notice to help us put the plastic on the greenhouse.

Mylrea Estell and Ray Kreth bought the "Gardens" a year's subscription to our local weekly paper, The Tri-County Tribune. This will be very helpful for us to stay tuned in with local "happenings" and, as Mylrea said, "You'll need it to save articles about the "Gardens" for your scrapbook!" We are also grateful for our little home on their property, with its beautiful views, nice walks and minimum expense, allowing us to continue doing this project on a small budget.

Free Geeks in Portland: Donated a re-furbished laptop, a digital camera, an ink jet printer and a router. This volunteer-based program receives donations of used electronic equipment (thereby keeping them out of the land-fills) and teaches volunteers how to clear them of old data, clean them up and install "open-source" software. After a certain number of hours, volunteers are given a computer of their own. Special thanks to volunteer Jeff Jenness - who shepherded us through the process and went out of his way to deliver equipment to us in Corvallis saving us the trip to Portland.

Judy Peabody in the tomato patch

Judy Peabody (Llyn's mom) and Claudia McCue made generous cash donations to the project. Way to go gals!

Dan Crall, of Corvallis, OR donated salvaged lumber which we've been using in greenhouse construction.

Jeanie Goul and her husband Ken also donated salvage-lumber. We received enough plywood and paneling boards to make both end walls of the greenhouse.

George and Eric - at Monroe Auto Repair, have helped fix our farm truck numerous times--for free or at a discount rate because they believe in what the "Sharing Gardens" are all about. If you're local, we encourage you to give them your business; they're honest, efficient and professional. You'll be glad you did.

The Monroe Food Bank. When we put the gardens to rest in November, Curtis Bowman and his dedicated team of volunteers continued to serve local families in need, weekly, no matter the weather. Last time we talked to Curtis, he said the numbers of families and individuals coming to the Food Bank continues to creep higher each month.


Bruce Hayler helps us salvage lumber

Our greenhouse project would not be nearly so far along, and under budget if it weren't for the generosity of Nine Peaks Construction. They gave us access to their salvage yard so that Chris and I could practice our nail-pulling and lumber-ripping "meditations". Days that were too wet to be outside, we worked in our barn-shop assembling component pieces for the greenhouse (slatted nursery tables, a-frame tomato cages and the side-walls that run the full length of the greenhouse). After tallying the lumber we had salvaged and pricing it at our local lumber yard, we figured that we would have spent over $1,000 if we bought the lumber new. That's a lot of material that isn't going to end up in a big burn-pile or the local landfill either.

Karen and Tad of Queen Bee Honey are providing over a dozen 55 gallon drums for us to use in the greenhouse. The barrels will be placed down the middle of the greenhouse, spaced about a foot apart. In the spring they'll support our slatted nursery tables, in the summer we'll plant tomatoes or other crops between them and, as they'll be filled with water, they will provide a thermal mass which will moderate the greenhouse temperatures year-round. Karen also connected us with Glory Bee Foods in Eugene who has donated an additional twenty, food-grade metal drums.

We wish to continue to acknowledge the Alpine Community Center for their on-going support and specifically Dorothy Brinckerhoff for helping us manage the accounting and Evelyn Lee for forwarding our emails through the ACC list serve.


Rob and Sally with some of their delicious hazelnut candies	.

Rob and Sally of Hazelnut Hill heard our plea for nursery pots and flats and donated two whole pallets, stacked about 3 feet high, of various sizes. (We can still use more though - if readers have extras they're not using--especially small sizes.) Rob and Sally run a hazelnut orchard and candy-making shop on their 225 acre-farm that has been in Sally's family since 1853.

We've received new funding support ($400) from the Evening Garden Club -- longest-running garden club in Corvallis...since 1969. To generate its grant money, the club holds an Annual Plant Sale on the last Saturday in April. Please support their fund-raising efforts.

Corvallis Organic Tilth is another local garden club that has been very supportive ($700). COT sells soil amendments at the 1st Alternative CoOp in south Corvallis, for its fund-raising efforts. Come visit with Chris and I on Saturday morning, March 12, 2011, from 9:00 to noon and purchase small or large quantities of animal, vegetable and mineral-based soil amendments for your own garden.

Once again, our deepest thanks to Trust Management Services for overseeing the $9,880 grant we received last year. We could not have fed so many people without your help.

We received beautiful endorsement letters from three local people/agencies that articulate in strong, clear terms, the importance of our project. These letters were written by: Patty Parsons, an Alpine resident, member of the Board for both the Alpine Community Center and South Benton Community Enhancement and employee of the Benton County Health Department. Jeffrey Gordon, Executive Director of the South Benton Food Bank (where most of our produce is distributed) and Pastor of the United Methodist Church of Monroe which houses the Food Bank. We thank Phyllis Derr for her assistance in putting us on the agenda for the Monroe City Council so that the letter we wrote was read, approved and signed by the Mayor. Verna Terry - County Clerk shepherded the letter through the process of getting it printed and signed - in the midst of Christmas Holidays. Much thanks. (We just might take you up on your offer to get the Mayor and City Council out there digging up weeds next summer!)

Here's the greenhouse as of Friday, February 11, 2011!

Needed: Seed Saver volunteers

2011-02-06T12:44:00.000-08:00

Part of the "Sharing Garden's" Mission Statement is "to create a local and sustainable seed bank." We are looking for gardeners who are interested in learning the art of seed-saving and who would be willing to grow-out certain varieties of vegetables to save, and share the seed. If you have a garden patch, separated from other vegetable gardens by at least 500 feet, and would like to grow and save seed, please let us know and we will inform you of next steps. Once people let us know if they're interested in being involved, we'll have a meeting and decide who will grow what. We'll coach you along the way in how to grow the plants and save the seeds (if you need help). If you are an experienced local gardener and have some input that could help the rest of us to understand the finer points of seed-saving, please be in touch. We welcome your participation.

This notice is primarily directed towards gardeners who live near us, although we encourage our far-flung readers to initiate a similar project with gardeners in your own area. The more we can learn about growing our own food, storing it and saving seed, the more secure we will all be.

Before the days of Agri-business, Grange Halls had a vital function in farming communities. Not only did members of the local granges share large, expensive equipment (so each farmer did not have to own his or her own). But grange-members would also gather in the winter and agree on who was going to grow what. This was a valuable process so that a) farmers could rotate their crops and not overtax any one field by growing the same crop on it year after year, b) local communities were assured that there would be enough of the staple-crops to go around and c) for those farmers who were taking their crops to market, this planning assured that there would not be a glut on any one crop.

Most Grange Halls no longer serve these original functions. We, at the "Sharing Gardens" would like to re-introduce this idea on a smaller scale. It doesn't take a lot of room to grow most seed crops but, for the vegetables that easily cross-pollinate with other similar varieties, they should be isolated by 500 feet to a half mile from others with which they might cross.

Butter Cup Squash

For example, Sweet Meat and Butter Cup squash, if grown in the same patch will "cross" and you can't know which characteristics of the mother plants will carry through in their offspring. The next generation might be delicious but they could turn out to be woody or flavorless and, you wouldn't know until you've grown out the whole next generation.

Our intention with the Seed-Savers network is to encourage people to learn about the art of saving seed and to create more local food self-reliance. With participation from other experienced gardeners and seed-savers, we will learn about this important skill together. All levels of expertise are welcome.

Wish List - Feb 2011

2011-02-06T10:43:00.000-08:00

We continue to be grateful for all the support the "Sharing Gardens" are receiving. When we can demonstrate to granting organizations that their donations are being used wisely, and that others in the community are united in caring for the less fortunate amongst us, our project rises to the top of the pile to receive this funding. Every little bit helps.

Here is a list of our current needs:

House Paint - exterior, water-based
Stove pipe - 6" (a total of 12-feet, with elbows, cap and box to pass through wall.)
Nursery flats, pots, especially 6-packs
Hay Bales (or straw) - delivered (moldy is fine)
Bagged leaves - bring to Alpine or Monroe and leave by the gate
Truckload of potting soil - delivered to greenhouse on Oak St. in Monroe (contact us first)
Sprouting Potatoes
Seeds
Cash donations - make checks out to ACC - "Sharing Gardens" and mail to

        Llyn Peabody
        PO Box 11
        Monroe, OR 97456

       To contact us, please call or email:
       (541) 847-8797 (call between 9:00 am - 1:00 and 3:00 - 8:00 pm)
   AlpineCoGarden@gmail.com

It Takes a Village...

2011-02-06T09:53:00.000-08:00

Last week's Alpine Community Center open House was a joyous and wonderful success. Looking around at the diversity of people and seeing old friendships deepen and new ones being formed gave me a warm feeling and a sense of pride in being part of this community. If you haven't had a chance to watch the video about the Open House that Lonnie and Alison produced, here's that link again.

There have been many people who contributed to the preparations for the Open House. We did the best we could to remember everyone so please forgive us if your name isn't specifically mentioned. You are indeed appreciated!

Jason and Alicia of Crag Creek Forestry = pruned the rhododendrons and did weed-eating in the ditches

Marie Saito = Kids corner

Sky Evans = temporary tattoos

John Norrena= beer server, structural engineering work

Avalon wine = provided wine

Johan Forrer = musician

Sam Pecorillo = musician

Howard Steele = musician

Diane Hoff - strategizing and keeping notes at key discussions

Mike Puhek- electrical inspection

John Scott = roofing, sign installation and cross removal, cleaned gutters, replaced light bulbs in the porch, helped with central beam issue

Tibbi Scott = vacuuming, indoor cleaning, gutter cleaning,

Jim and Sharon Kavanagh = helped with furnace repairman, provided bread and butter

Hazen Parsons = weatherized outdoor water plumbing, helped in kitchen

Andy Parsons = replaced outdoor water plumbing, helped fix water plumbing

Roger Irvin = Grass fed, free-range beef for chili

Jenny Gray = backup beer server, designed the flier

Alison Hellwege helped in kitchen

Lonnie Hellwege = photos and video

Devon Barnhurst and swine 4Hers = set up and clean up

Veda Estell = food server, kitchen help

Karen and Tadd - Queen Bee Honey = For their cooperation and support in hosting the Community Center up until now, and making the transition easy to the new building.

Susan Debates = cleaning

Sherrie Deaton = kitchen help

George Wisner = set up and clean up

Patty Parsons = food coordinator, shopping for all the chili ingredients, raspberry lemonade

Dorothy Brinckerhoff = printed and distributed flier, put announcement on cable, helped put up mail box
Steve Rose = carved a large stirring spoon for the chili

Llyn Peabody and Chris Burns = cooked the chili

Gary Watts = helped with water, mail box and more

Rob Hinton = roofing, sign installation and cross removal

Gordon Dobbie = roofing, sign installation and cross removal

Pete Salerno = roofing, sign installation and cross removal

Warren Halsey = cross removal

Laurie Halsey = provided lunch for Work party

Evelyn Lee = continuing to manage the list serve, spear-heading the building acquisition and too many other things to detail here.

Give Peas a Chance

2011-01-28T11:38:00.000-08:00

Here in the Pacific NW, and in many other parts of the world, varieties of an insect called the Pea Weevil (Sitona lineatus) can destroy the peas and other legumes you are saving as seed crop. As the peas mature in the pod, the weevil lays an egg in each pea. If you store these pea-seeds as-is, by spring time each one will have a tiny hole bored by the larvae, from the inside out, destroying the seeds' ability to sprout and grow. A year ago, we had a whole stash of our pea seeds destroyed from these weevils and we didn't want it to happen again.

Signs of pea weevils

An on-line search revealed no low-tech solutions for seed-savers. We read about research to create genetically modified seeds (GMO's) and super-cold flash-freezing done with dried ice. The dry-ice idea got Chris to thinking so we decided to experiment. We took our whole stash of pea seed (about six cups) and put it in an air-tight zip-lock bag, in a regular freezer, way in the back corner, and left it there from August to January (four and a half months). The seeds were fully ripe and dry when we put them in the freezer. (There was evidence that the weevils had already laid their eggs as virtually every seed had a small, brown spot--a sign of their entry point.)

Pea weevil cycle

In early January, we conducted a germination test. We wrapped about 50 seeds in a wet paper towel and kept them moist in a dish for five days. At that time, we counted how many had begun to sprout (about 40) which means they have a germination rate of at least 80%. This is excellent! Then, to be sure that there weren't any pea weevel larvae still dormant in our seed stock, we put about 30 in a tightly sealed plastic bag and left them out at room temperature for two weeks to see if any would hatch. None did. Though it appears we have killed the larvae, we're not taking any chances and we're leaving the pea seeds in our freezer till it's time to start plants this spring.

To save pea seeds, grow them to maturity and leave the pods attached to the pea vines until they are starting to turn tan and shrivel. Strip the pods from the vines and place them in a warm, dry place to finish drying (we lay them out on nursery trays on the top shelf of our garden shed for about a week.) Pop the peas out of their pods, place in freezer-bags (properly labeled with variety of seed and date) in the freezer, way in the back (or bottom)--the coldest spot. Leave them there until you're ready to plant next year's cycle.

If you have comments or anything to add to this post, please do so directly below so everyone benefits from your experience.

"Sharing Gardens" Update and Wish List

2011-01-14T21:32:00.000-08:00

In this post you'll read an update on the "Sharing Gardens" - including construction of our 20' x 100' greenhouse, our vegetable plant give-away, our youth-garden program starting in the spring and see what's on our current wish-list.

So far, we've been blessed with a relatively mild winter here in Alpine/Monroe, and we've been able to move forward steadily on greenhouse construction.

We'll be writing a full handbook on all the details of the hoop-house construction which will be available as a PDF, so we won't go into details here on the blog about how its done. The short version (according to Chris, who's built many of these hoop-style greenhouses) is that the greenhouse is about half-way done. We figure we're still on track to complete the project sometime in February.

This will give us plenty of time to get seeds started for this year. We're going to be growing a great abundance of starts this year. "Enough and to spare...to give and to share." These will be available to everyone for free. We'll let you know when they are available for you to bring home to your own gardens.

We have a short wish-list of materials we need for the greenhouse and garden project. If you can help us out with any of these things, please send us an email, or give us a call.

nursery flats and containers
6" stove pipe, 2 adjustable elbows and a cap
treated 4 x 4's - 6 feet or better
dry, spoiled hay ( we can arrange to pick it up or give you some gas money)
bagged leaves to either garden site
cedar or redwood fence or deck boards
cash donations
(make checks to Alpine Community Center - "Sharing Gardens" and mail to PO Box 11, Monroe, OR 97456)

Bruce, Rann and Doreen preparing beds. Note heavily mulched paths.

Other garden news: This spring we'll have three volunteer times. Wednesdays will still be at the Alpine Garden. Thursdays will be at the Monroe garden (times to be determined on a week to week basis). We're going to add a third garden time on Monday afternoons right after school. These will take place either at the Monroe garden or at our new greenhouse. Though young people ages 9-18 will be welcome at all three weekly sessions, due to school hours they probably won't be able to participate on Wednesdays or Thursdays till summer so the Monday sessions will be focused on including them in the garden project. We need some committed adults who would like to join us for the Monday sessions and mentor the young people in gardening skills. We're also wanting to connect with young people who have a sincere interest in learning to grow food and who wish to be of service to their community.

Chris with a 4-H class he led in California.

Gratitude goes to:

the anonymous leaf donors at both garden sites - keep 'em coming!
Renee Duncan - we're finally using the cedar boards you donated last summer. There will be many happy bird families with new nesting boxes in the spring, thanks to you.

More about Potatoes

2011-01-14T15:22:00.000-08:00

(To read a compilation of all our potato blogs, go to: Can I plant potatoes from the grocery store? and Sprouting Potatoes, What to Do?)
This potato has already begun to turn green from exposure to the sun. Don't eat it, plant it!

We had two questions come in about our last potato-planting blog. Here are answers. Also, to read the three other posts we've written about potatoes, follow the links below. You can also do a search on our site (scroll down the right-hand column, about six inches to find the search window).

Question #1: When is it time to plant potatoes?

Here in the S. Willamette Valley, you can plant them mid-March to mid-June. Depending on the variety you plant, they take 13 to 17 weeks to ripen. You may wish to plant them in succession so you'll have some potatoes to eat fresh and, the later harvests will last longer through the winter. It is likely you'll be able to buy seed potatoes for several months to come but they get more expensive, the longer you wait.

Storage: If you buy them in a plastic bag, transfer them into a cardboard box or paper sack so they don't rot before you get to them.

Question #2: If I buy some organic spuds now, will they grow eyes in time for planting? Do they have to have little eye sprouts?

Just to clarify: all potatoes already have "eyes". These are the little indentations scattered around the skin of the potato. This is where the "sprouts" emerge from. You do not need to buy potatoes that are already sprouting. They will naturally begin to sprout in a few month's time.

Sprouting potatoes? What to do.

More on "chitting" Potatoes

Planting Potatoes

Potato leaves, when the first emerge.

Get Your Seed Potatoes Now

2011-01-12T12:38:00.000-08:00

(To read a compilation of all our potato blogs, go to:
Can I plant potatoes from the grocery store? and

Sprouting Potatoes, What to Do?)

Potatoes are easy to grow and an efficient use of garden space. One seed potato can yield as much as five pounds of potatoes. Seed-supply companies would love for you to buy from them but you can save money by buying your potatoes from the produce section of your grocery store. The term "seed-potato" can be misleading. Potatoes do, on occasion produce seeds, but growers do not grow their crops from them. Instead, they grow them from small sprouting potatoes. (See our other articles about "chitting"--greening, and planting potatoes).

These green spheres in Chris' hand contain actual potato seeds but rarely do people grow potatoes from seeds.

It is important that you buy organic potatoes because many of the commercially grown ones are sprayed with a "sprout-retardant" which gives them a longer shelf-life. It is important to buy them within the next month as, the longer you wait, the higher the prices will go.

How many to get? Each plant will take up about 12 - 16 inches of row space. If stored well, they will last for up to six months before starting to sprout again. Figure on 3-5 pounds of yield per potato you plant.

What size should you get? Ideally you will find them that are about the size of a chicken's egg. Larger potatoes can be cut and allowed to skin over so they won't rot when you plant them. If you can find potatoes that already have "eyes" that are budding, so much the better.

These are all a good size for "seed potatoes"

What varieties are best? Some of this will be determined by your own personal tastes. In terms of storage, Chris says he has always had the best luck with Yukon Golds. They have a smooth, creamy taste and can be baked, steamed or fried.

Keep your seed-potatoes in a cool, dry, dark place until a few weeks before you wish to plant them. They will store better in a paper sack than in plastic. Layering them in a tub with leaves or straw, or sawdust works too. Just be sure to keep them from freezing.

Potatoes stored in layers of leaves.

We Could Use Your Leaves!

2010-11-28T14:38:00.000-08:00

This is an appeal to people who live near either the Alpine or Monroe "Sharing Garden" sites. We could use your leaves! Please bag them and bring them to either site and leave them by the gate. We'll distribute them in the garden beds and use them to feed our "micro-livestock" (the worms!). Leaves added liberally at this time of year will build the soil in time for spring plantings. Thank you in advance!

Thanks to Jo-Ellen for bringing us a load already.

Feeding Each Other, Feeding Ourselves

2010-11-27T22:38:00.000-08:00

As the seasons cycle to the darkest times, and the garden has finally been put to rest, it's time to reflect on all we were able to accomplish this year. This posting will touch on some of the highlights. If you are interested in reading the full report, just send us an email and we'll forward it to you.

In 2010, the "Sharing Gardens" scope expanded in three significant ways: size of the gardens themselves, volunteer participation and amount of food grown and shared. In 2009, Chris and I were able to do most of the gardening ourselves. Alpine's "Sharing Garden" is 80' x 100' and, at the peak of the season we were taking about one wheelbarrow full of produce to the Food Bank each week.

Llyn Peabody with our very first harvest - July, 2009

The Monroe site is almost two and a half times larger. Its dimensions are 110' x 170" (18,700 sq/ft) and, during our peak eight weeks of harvest we were consistently bringing in 275 - 325 pounds of fresh, organic vegetables per week! Here is a list of some of our top performers. We grew:

Green Beans: 225 lbs
Cucumbers: 653 lbs
Summer Squash/Zucchini: 340 lbs
Winter Squash: 500
Tomatoes: a whopping 1,285 lbs (we had almost 200 tomato plants this year!)

Our grand total was in the ballpark of 5,000 pounds at a local market value of $9,950.

"Moonglow" tomatoes at harvest time.

As those of you who have been following this blog know, we couldn't have done it without the steady and loving support from the volunteer team. Over the course of the summer, we had 34 people volunteer in the gardens. Our youngest was Ricardo - eight years old - (Ismael - "My's" little brother), who affectionately became known as "Bob". And we had two volunteers in their 70's. Twelve of the volunteers are recipients of the Food Bank's services and thirteen had had little or no gardening experience before they joined in this project.

"Food Bank" and "Sharing Gardens" volunteers - reveling in the harvest. That's a box of "commercial" tomatoes on the right...flavorless and hard as tennis balls but that's what most Food bank customers were used to so they had a certain following. As the summer went on and people tried the heirloom varieties, most folks found their tastes changing and began reaching for our tomatoes instead. Our composting worms weren't picky and happily consumed all of the commercial tomatoes that got passed by.

Some of my favorite memories from this summer will be those late August, Thursday mornings when we'd get started at 8:00 or 8:30 to beat the heat, and to get the harvest in by 10:00 when the Food Bank opened. The volunteers would start arriving shortly after Chris and I began and it was all we could do to ride the wave of their enthusiasm and focused harvesting. Chris would direct the team of 6 - 8 people in the field while I weighed and recorded the quantities of vegetables and then wheel-barrowed the towering loads to the Food Bank. People clustered in picking-teams in the beans, catching up on the week's news or soloed in the tomato patch filling bucket after bucket of heirloom tomatoes - presorting so the best quality went to the Food Bank and the split or bruised ones could be taken home for canning projects. The Monroe Gardens became a focal point for visitors as well. Ol' Howard, the neighbor, would ride up on his lawnmower and cheer us on from the side-lines. He just didn't want to go till he got his weekly hug and then you'd hear him whistling happily as he toodled off. Clusters of volunteers interested in such topics as electric cars, solar power and straw-bale construction would regale each other with stories of their exploits and experiments and new friendships were made while the fence was built and the lettuce got transplanted.

That's Ol' Howard on the right. He came to check up on us the very first day we cleaned out the shed at the Monroe site. He told us later, "I never thought you guys could do what you set out to do but now I've got egg on my face!" From our biggest doubter to our biggest fan.

We wish to acknowledge the generosity of the couple who invited us over to glean apples from their orchard this fall. We didn't weigh them but we gathered at least 450 pounds. These have been going to the Food Bank each week and distributed amongst volunteers. Chris and I just canned another big batch of applesauce today too. Yum!

Thanks to all of you who have supported this project by donating materials and, in some cases money. And for the kind words that have come our way through notes and comments in passing. Some of you even took the time to write testimonials about your experiences in the Gardens this summer. We have featured some of them here on the site in previous blogs. The rest of them are in an Appendix in the Year End Report. Our funders will be very happy to read about the satisfaction and joy you felt in learning to garden, and can food, and help feed your neighbors and yourselves.

We're just catching our breath from the season's great bounty. Soon we'll be focused on writing grants for next year, building the greenhouse and writing a manual so other communities can start "Sharing Gardens" and learn from our experience. We've got a back-log of blogs to write about our adventures with seed-saving, other gardening tips and stories from the gardens. Stay tuned.

Chris and Llyn at the Alpine Gardens. (picture by Scobel Wiggins)

Meet the Volunteers - A "Growing" Family

2010-11-13T10:50:00.000-08:00

Cindy wrapping baling twine so we can use it for other purposes in the gardens

Somewhere along towards the middle of the summer we began to see a new, smiling face in the gardens. Cindy first stopped by with her father-in-law, Bruce (who was already a regular volunteer) and immediately offered to help. We didn't see her again for a few weeks (due to recovering from surgery) but once she was feeling better she began coming just about every week. Cindy is someone who greets the world with open arms and approaches new opportunities with enthusiasm and curiosity. Though she came to us with very little previous gardening experience, she asked lots of questions and began putting into practice the simple methods we promote. As the tomatoes and tomatillos, onions, peppers and garlic began to ripen, Cindy decided to teach herself to do some water-bath canning. She made green and red salsas, tomato sauce and, using a juicer-canner, decanted home-style V-8 juice! Here are some pictures from her summer adventures, followed by a letter she wrote about her experiences in the garden.

Cindy, with a box of harvested onions for the Food Bank

Dear Llyn and Chris,
     I can’t begin to thank you for everything you have taught me about gardening. I don’t how I came so far in my life without ever growing my own food. I have always grown a tomato plant or two, but never enough to actually plan meals around. I have learned to plant, fertilize, weed and harvest things I never even thought about growing.
     There’s more, you have shown me ways to plan ahead for my future meals. I now CAN and FREEZE these beautiful jewels. I will have good wholesome food throughout the winter!! I am so excited!! I feel so happy to do this. I feel better about WHAT I am eating.
I recently watched a program on TV called Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. Jamie came to America and singled out one county. His goal was to teach the children and adults how to eat healthy. He did this through the school lunch rooms and in some homes. Jamie showed everyone how to cook healthy whole foods. Americans were not happy about this, they didn’t want to change. After a few weeks some of the kids started losing weight. The adults began to enjoy the food and families started cooking together. What I am trying to get at is YOU BOTH are MY Jamie Oliver!
     I will continue to eat and grow my own chemical and pesticide free food. I love it! I am looking forward to our next round in the garden.

Very Thankfully Yours, Cindy Canter

PS I have already begun the spreading my knowledge, I am teaching my daughter, nieces and nephew how to make dinners from fresh veggies and they love playing in the kitchen with me. (Full Circle)
Thankfully Yours, Cindy

Here's a picture of Cindy's first canning adventure!

Cindy has an infectious enthusiasm and welcoming spirit. Below, are pictures of times she brought along family-members to share in the garden experience:

Justin and Stephanie, Cindy's step-son and his friend, harvesting basil.

Niece, Ryan and Cindy in the raspberry patch.

As we mentioned in the opening of this post, Bruce Hayler is Cindy's father-in-law. He and his wife, Liz, are new to Monroe but Bruce is no stranger to gardening. Bruce grew up on a farm in Iowa and he and Liz's former home in Eugene was lush with gardens - all grown organically. Though Bruce started his own garden at the edge of Monroe, he still comes almost weekly to help at the Sharing Gardens. Liz told us once that she learned early on, "never to schedule appointments for Bruce on Thursdays," because he didn't want to miss out on his time with us in the gardens. Here, in his own words, are what the Gardens mean to him:

I always look forward to and enjoy working with Llyn, Chris and the other volunteers in the Sharing Gardens. We are doing good, honest and healthy work producing much needed food. Food that is fresh and nutritious for people in need of it. Not only is food being grown, but a sense of community is being established. People are being shown how to recapture basic, down to earth skills that have been forgotten and lost. The present economy and the emphasis on going green make these skills more vital than ever.

It would be hard to find anyone with a better attitude and skill-set to make the Sharing Gardens a success than Llyn and Chris. They always strive to give the volunteers and the recipients a healthy experience for both their bodies and minds.

Bruce Hayler – November 2010

Chris and Bruce sharing a moment in the gardens.

Meet the volunteers - Ismael in the Garden

2010-11-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

The Sharing Gardens would not be the success they are without our volunteers. In the summer of 2010, from early June through late October, the gardens usually had two, three-hour volunteer sessions per week--one at each of the two garden sites. In the early part of the season we coordinated them around the weather--as you recall, it was a wet spring so we tried to dodge the raindrops for our volunteer times. Once the harvest began coming in, we timed the sessions to coincide with Food Bank hours to bring the freshest produce to those in need.

Volunteers Cathy Rose, Danielle and Llyn with the kale harvest.

One morning, in early July, as we were harvesting lettuce for the Food Bank, a young man approached us in the garden and asked if there was anything he could do to help. He said he's always been interested in becoming a farmer and he wanted to learn about growing vegetables. Ismael ("My") became one of our steadiest volunteers, often coming both sessions per week. Though his family has been in the Corvallis area for over twenty years, and they own their own house in Monroe, the down-turn in the economy has made it difficult to make ends meet. The bags and boxes of produce "My" brought home from the garden were greatly appreciated by his family of six (he has three younger brothers). Though "My" is a playful sort, who loved to joke around with Chris and the other male volunteers, he always paid close attention to what we were teaching him in the garden and could be trusted with all aspects of the garden - from the delicate job of transplanting, to the big-muscle tasks of gathering and spreading grass or hay-mulch.

"My" using his bike-trailer to carry home hay for his rabbits and chickens.

One of our hopes, in involving young people in growing their own food, is to encourage them to expand their food choices. Many kids don't know what food looks like when it first comes from the ground and they're loathe to try it unless it comes from a bottle, box or can. One day, we were harvesting at the Monroe site, just a few blocks from "My's" home. Chris and "My" were filling a box with greens and summer squash, cucumbers and tomatoes for "My" to take home to his family. Chris pulled up a few beets and asked "My" if his family would enjoy eating them. "My" didn't know. He'd never had one before. So Chris put them in "My's" box and sent him home to find out.

About fifteen minutes later, "My" comes zipping back on his bike, his lips and teeth smeared and dripping with bright red beet-juice (I wish I'd taken a picture!). He takes a hefty bite out of the peeled beet he's got skewered on a shish-ka-bob stick and says with a big grin, "Yeah, my family loves beets!' We'll take a bunch!"

"My's" big grin always lights up the garden!

One day, late in the fall, “My” stopped by the garden. He’s joined the 4-H club with a focus on poultry and he’s got ten chickens in a coop he built in his back yard. He was wondering if he could gather the last of the sweet corn, still on the stalks, to take home to feed his birds through the winter. It's long past being edible for people so I said, “Sure, let’s gather it together.”

We pulled the ears off their stalks and loaded them in the wheelbarrow. As we harvested, we talked about the summer gone by and “My’s” time in the garden. I asked him if he’d write down a few words about his experience. Here is what he wrote in response to the questions I asked him:

What was your favorite part about the Sharing Gardens?

All the wildlife, the smiles, the laughter, happiness. Helping families with food.

Why did you volunteer at the Sharing Gardens?

Because I love helping people. I love being part of the community. I like meeting new friends.

What are some things you learned at the Sharing Gardens?

I learned how to plant plants, water them, harvest them, save seeds; how to make compost and…can’t forget—sharing them.

Can you say what you appreciated about Chris and Llyn?

Everything. It was like my mom and dad teaching me how to take my first baby steps and how to say words like “mom” or “dad”.

Chris and "My" mulching the fruit orchard.

My has a rather impish quality; he's very lovable and just soaks up the playful kidding and other expressions of affection that are a part of our time in the gardens. So it didn’t surprise me when I saw he’d added his own question at the bottom of the list. He wrote:

Can you tell me what you loved about me?

Well, “My”, we love that you are the kind of person who likes to help other people. We love your playfulness and your willingness to stay with a task until the job’s done. We think it’s fantastic that you help feed your family and we love your curiosity about gardening and your gentle touch with the plants. You are trust-worthy and responsible and a great help in the gardens. Here's a little story that shows you what I mean...

One time, I asked “My” and his little brother, Ricardo (who was also helping us in the gardens that day) to mulch a back area that didn’t have much growing in it besides weeds. We had seeded some giant sunflowers but the crows had eaten most of them and there were only two that I could find. I told the boys to mulch around the sunflowers, leaving them room to grow and to heavily cover all the weeds so they’d die back. I had other tasks in the garden to take care of so I left them on their own.

Chris and Ricardo ("My's" younger brother) applying manure tea.

At the end of the morning, after everyone had gone home, I went out to the back garden to see how the boys had done. They’re good, steady workers and they’d covered a sizable section of the garden with flakes of spoiled hay. I was very happy with their work. I started to turn back to the garden gate when something caught my eye. There, by the fence, away from the main garden patch was a lone sunflower that had volunteered on its own, the seed having spilled from our bag of seeds, or having been carried and dropped by a crow or other critter. I wouldn’t have noticed it except there, carefully placed around its base, was a layer of mulch, blocking the weeds and grass and keeping the precious moisture within the soil so the flower would have a chance to grow through the heat of the summer and into fall’s harvest. “My” had recognized the leaf pattern of the young sunflower and taken the time to apply what he was learning about mulch in the gardens so this plant would have a chance to grow and bloom. That’s what I love about “My”.

Happily weeding the broccoli

The Dog Ate My Blog

2010-10-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

"The Dog Ate My Blog"...well, that's as good of an excuse as any. Truly, we had written a beautiful, newsy blog several weeks ago, walked away from the computer and found it completely disappeared when we came back. ARRGH. Takes the wind out of our blogger-sails, it does! So, here are the basics of what's happening with the Alpine/Monroe Sharing Gardens.

This hoop greenhouse is the same size and style as the one we will be building for the Sharing Gardens

Greenhouse
We are pulling together the support and materials necessary to build a 20' x 96' greenhouse. Chris has been building and managing greenhouses for over 30 years. We will be using a simple hoop-house design (pictured). If you are interested in learning how to build this style of greenhouse, or manage a nursery, let us know so we can keep you informed of volunteer sessions. Having a greenhouse of this size will extend the growing season of tomatoes and peppers by as much as three months (they will ripen earlier and continue later in the season). We will be able to grow enough "starts" for the gardens, for fund raisers and to give away at the food bank. We are grateful to Dorothy and Gary at Alpine Pump for providing us with hundreds of feet of used well-pipe for use in construction. We also have a donor (who wishes to remain anonymous) who has provided all of the 30-foot lengths of re-bar we'll be using for the greenhouse ribs. We are seeking funding for materials and stipend through several granting sources. All donations are tax-deductible.

Tomatoes, purple, yellow and green beans and a cucumber on their way to the food bank.

Harvest Heaven
In spite of a cold, wet spring, difficulties in getting our new garden-site sufficiently plowed, growing the majority of our "starts" out of an 8' x 8' greenhouse (thank-you Estell/Kreths!), the Sharing Gardens have had a remarkably productive second year. We kept a bathroom scale at the Monroe garden and kept a rough tally of the harvest as we delivered it to the food-bank next door. The gardens still have a week or two to go but here are just a few highlights of this year's harvest:

Tomatoes: 1,210 pounds (thank you Steve Rose and Larry Hammon for donating so many of the 200 tomatoes we planted this year.) Organic, heirloom tomatoes are selling for $4 to $5 a pound in our area.
Cucumbers: 575 pounds
String Beans: 220 pounds

"Moonglow" tomatoes - an heirloom variety

There were some crops that didn't do as well as we'd hoped. We planted four different corn crops at the Monroe garden and the crows ate the sprouting seeds for all but one crop that we had sprouted in the greenhouse and transplanted. We had high hopes for the potato crop as we had carefully "chitted" such a huge quantity of seed-potatoes. The time came when we just couldn't wait to put them in the ground any longer but the ground was still so wet and heavy. We'll need a different strategy on both crops in 2011.

A happy harvester, picking out his pumpkin

Community Celebration:
Every third Thursday, the United Methodist Church hosts a free dinner open to everyone who would like to attend. Cash donations are welcome (though not required) and, side dishes/desserts are always appreciated. Please come join us for a harvest celebration and meet neighbors you never knew you had! Food Bank is from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. The Community Dinner begins at 6:00 pm in the basement of the United Methodist Church: 648 Orchard St., Monroe, OR 97456

Gallery of Givers: Our volunteer team has been wonderful this year. We truly could not have done it without them. Here are some faces of some of those who have been willing to get their hands dirty, showed up week after week - regardless of weather, and sometimes arriving as early as 8:30 in the morning to be sure the harvest was in, in time for the food-bank's opening. We are also so grateful to all the behind-the-scenes support we have received through grants, donations and kind words spurring us on.


Rann and Doreen in the bean tipi

Steve N. watering the transplants


Llyn's mom, Judy, harvesting tomatoes

Jim and Norma harvesting beans

Rann and Bruce fertilizing the plants

Ryan and Cindy in the raspberry patch

Dustin, Lexi, Llyn and Dylan in the bean patch

The Mulch Brigade!

Harvest morning in Monroe

Basil! Come and Get It!

2010-10-11T11:43:00.000-07:00


Beautiful, fresh basil!

Both gardens have been hit by a killing frost so the basil is finished for the year. We'll have more in 2011! (Oct. 21, 2010)

We've had a great crop of basil this year. All the volunteers have freezers full of pesto and enough dried to make it to next year's harvest. We had the first kiss of frost in the Monroe garden last week and realize that it'll just take one night's cold snap to finish off the whole crop. Please come and take some or all of what's down there. First come, first served.

Alpine garden: Come through the gate and turn left. You may take ANY basil in the ten-foot row that starts with the mailbox and goes to the Chinese cabbage.

Monroe garden: Turn right as you come in the gate and there's a row that extends for about twenty feet from the hay-bale compost bin in the SW corner (near the garden shed) back (east) towards the rest of the garden. Take any and all! Enjoy!

Delicious basil pesto

Gleaning Time - Garden Update

2010-09-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

Autumn beauty in the Pacific NW

With this stretch of moist weather and cooler temperatures it seems that Autumn is upon us here in the Alpine/Monroe area. The Sharing Gardens are producing over 200 pounds of fresh produce a week and our core group of volunteers is doing a fantastic job of helping us bring in the harvest in time for Food Bank hours in Monroe. It's canning and food-preservation time and many of us are as busy as squirrels storing food for the lean months ahead.

Seasonal Bounty!

Please help us locate fruit and nut trees that are in need of gleaning. We are interested in apples and pears, walnuts and hazel nuts or...? With our team of volunteers we can gather the bounty and share with the trees' owners, the volunteers and the Monroe Food bank.

Apple's gleaned in Monroe

We could still use 12-24 hay bales at the Alpine garden (moldy or spoiled is fine--125 pounds or less). We'd like to build a couple of hay-bale compost-bins and mulch a few more places. If you live near Alpine/Monroe, we can come pick them up, or you could drop them at Alpine Park.

Thanks for your moldy hay bales!

Does anyone have canning jars that need to be put to good use? Our supply is nearing its end and we still have a lot of food to preserve before winter. You can bring them to the Food Bank and we'll distribute them amongst those who have need.

Got canning jars?

Monroe Food Bank Hours:

Thursday mornings: 10:00 to noon (most customers come in the first half-hour)
Third Thursdays of each month: 5:00 - 7:00 (Free Community Dinner at the Methodist Church - 6:00 pm)
The Food Bank is located behind the United Methodist Church in Monroe (the big, white one with a steeple) at 648 Orchard St.)

Monroe's Sharing Garden is located between the church and the Grade School on Chester Crowson's land. It's not too late to come and help in the gardens and share in the bounty of the harvest. Email us if you'd like to find out when the volunteers are meeting at the two gardens.

Gallery of Givers:

Larry and "Mi" transplant lettuce

Sharing Garden and Food bank volunteers celebrate the bounty

Judy Peabody weighs the squash before we take it to the Food Bank

Chris shows Ricardo where to apply the manure tea

Bruce on a break

Cindy shows off some of our fantastic onion harvest

Doreen raking mulch

Justin and Stephanie harvest basil

Rann enjoys the pleasures of "just picked" beans

Llyn, transplanting the fall garden

Tom Sawyer and the Sharing Gardens

2010-09-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

A sweet story: We were at the Monroe garden site, earlier in the season, painting the tool-shed doors when an 11 year-old boy named Dustin came walking by on his way home from school (remember our garden site is sandwiched between the food bank and elementary school.)

"What are you guys doing?" he said.
"Just putting some paint on these old doors," was our reply,
"Oh cool! Can I help?"
"Well, we're just about to call it quits for the day and besides, aren't your parents expecting you?"
"Not for another half hour. Please?"
"Well, we don't want you to get any paint on your school clothes."
"I promise I won't. I'll be very careful!"

So, Chris squatted down and gave him a lesson in dipping the brush, wiping off the excess and painting with the grain of the wood. You can't imagine a happier kid. We kept thinking of Tom Sawyer and his fence-painting escapades. Here are some pictures. This is exactly the kind of interactions we've imagined were possible when we conceived of expanding the program to include our towns' young people.

The Lesson

The Application

"You guys are cool!" was his casual, over-the-shoulder remark as he sauntered home from the gardens when the painting lesson was done.

We like to think so!

It's Harvest Time!

2010-08-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

Autumn is in the air and the gardens have really started to produce a fine harvest! Today was Food Bank day and here is a list of what was shared amongst volunteers and distributed at the Food Bank.

Alpine - most of a week's harvest - August 25, 2010

Tomatoes: 49 pounds
Cucumbers: 125 pounds
Zucchini/Summer Squash: 55 pounds
Basil: 4 pounds
Beets: 20 pounds
Cabbage: 15 pounds
Green peppers: 3 pounds
Green beans: 20 pounds

That's over 240 pounds of fresh produce in one week!

We are focused almost entirely on harvesting now. Our volunteer team (people who show up on a weekly, or bi-weekly basis) is nine-strong and we have another half-dozen folks who have helped us out on a more occasional basis. Our volunteers include Mi (13- short for "Ismael") and Ricardo (8), two Latino brothers who are helping feed their family with the food they bring home. We have people who found out about us because they have needed food from the Food Bank due to job-losses in their families. We have married couples and single people and several members of the team are in their 60's. Everyone shares a love for gardening and a desire to contribute to creating local food-self sufficiency.

Much of Monroe's harvest - August 26, 2010

Our weekly volunteer times at the Monroe site have become quite a social hub. Many people come to help with the gardening and others stop by just because it feels good to be in the atmosphere of service and giving that the garden provides. Volunteers usually spend two to three hours weeding, mulching, planting or harvesting and then we take a break in the shade, eat cookies someone has brought, sip iced tea or fresh, delicious well-water (Thanks again Chester for getting the well hooked up again!). Today people were munching on fresh picked beans and last week, Mi sampled his first fresh beet (peeled and stuck on a shish-kabob stick to keep his hands clean.) With a big, red grin he said, "These are great! And my mom says they'll give me a healthy body." Yes they will, Mi. We're so happy to see you developing a taste for healthy fresh produce!

Cathy, Danielle and Llyn with kale for the Food bank

There's going to be a lot more harvesting and fun to be had before we put the garden to sleep later this fall. If you're local, remember that you can bring your own garden surplus to the Food Bank (just do a search on our site for the hours). If you'd like to join the other volunteers, send us an email and we'll add you to the list.