Dear 1U Gardeners,

I’ve got a crazy number of updates for you. Better sit down.

First off, a big thank you to Saturday’s crew for all the work in the church garden on Dec. 17, 2022. Take a bow Alison I., Rose B., Dan H., Kathy H. and Andy B. We planted more veggies, prepped the blueberries for what we hope is an abundant crop, harvested seeds, created a new path through the back of the perma-garden (Papaya Alley), pulled weeds, spread mulch and picked long beans, eggplant and tomatoes. A special shout-out to Dan and Andy for creating yet another, easy to follow path through the perma-garden. (See the photo below to what I’m calling Papaya Alley.) 

In addition in what came dangerously close to a real meeting, we made several decisions:

Coffee hour: We plan to host coffee hour Sunday, Jan. 8 and Sunday, April 23 in the garden. Who can help? We’ll need volunteers. On Jan. 8th whille we’ve got ’em rounded up, we’ll also ask church members what, if any, changes they’d like to see in the garden and get a sense of what they value and what they don’t. If there are changes YOU want to see, shout ’em out. Don’t wait. Don’t be shy. I’m ready to listen. You can reach us at garden@orlandouu.org!

Monthly workdays: We’ll stick with the third Saturday of the month for our monthly workdays in the New Year. Get your calendars out. That’ll be Jan. 21, Feb. 18,  March 18, April 15, May 20 and June 17. July and August? Yeah, right.

Budget: We’re officially working on a budget request for FY 2023-23 that begins July 1. Got items you want included, shoot me an email.

Those weird-looking waist-high plants behind the plum trees that have baseball-sized seed pods? Those are a kind of milkweed called cotton balls. Want some seeds? Rose harvested some yesterday, and they’re now sitting in an envelope in my dining room. Give a shout if you want some or come into the garden and harvest some yourself. Tis the season.

Come sit under the plum trees: Well, not quite yet, but soon, we hope. We’re working to find a pair of benches to buy and put under the plum trees. If you’re looking for a way to contribute to the garden, watch this space. There’ll be more info soon about exactly what suits our needs and the cost.

Thanks, everybody for all the sweat and toil you’ve contributed this year in the church garden. It’s a wonderful place. 

Rene

A big thank you to everyone who turned out and took part in the 1U Garden workday on November 19th. Lots of chores: Done!

Do you like strawberries? The lovely and generous Alison I. donated and planted a dozen strawberry plants in the wooden raised bed. Good things ahead there. She also donated and planted red-leaf romaine, spinach and collards. Check ’em out in bed No. 6.

Mary M. was there with her laptop, finishing work on a map of the beds, perma-garden and fruit trees that we’ll print out and mount on a wooden sign board, kinda like what you see at a trailhead: You are here. The blueberries and mulberries are over there. Turn right and you’ll find plum trees, banana and an elderberry shrub. 

Alison also harvested more sweet potatoes that Nicole and Ryan cleaned up and sorted. We’ll give those out in December or January.

Thanks also to Rose and Andy, who helped re-ink signs and do some touch-up painting on the picnic table. They and lots of folks pulled weeds.

Great job, everyone.

Thanks for all the effort. Hope to see you at our next workday, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022 at 9 a.m.