Paint was applied, bromeliads were trimmed and transplanted, drainage issues studied and addressed, mulch moved in the Community Garden, and more-and a reward of conversation and snacks at the end!
1U Community Garden
Dec 16th Garden Work Day
Come to our next garden workday and get really dirty. That’s Saturday, Dec. 16 at 9 a.m.
We’ve gotta put all that lovely, fertile soil back into our wooden raised bed then plant winter veggies. That’s our No. 1 job on our next monthly workday. Did I mention that it’s Saturday, Dec. 16 at 9 a.m.? If not, it’s Saturday, Dec. 16 at 9 a.m. Gonna need lots of hands. I will also, of course, bring extremely delicious cookies for when we take a break.
The Community Garden- Raised Beds are Ready
The Community Garden Team is celebrating: The wooden raised bed in the 1U Garden, the one that was literally falling apart at the seams, is repaired! A big shout-out to Mike M. and Paul K., 1U Board president, for giving up half of their Saturday to get the work done. A thank you, too, to their power tools, including a table saw.
Thanks, also, to Andy for helping flip that bed back onto its feet, weeding and chopping banana trunks into mulch.
Our veggies are growing. Come pick roselles, kale and Asian leafy veggies, including tat soi. They’re good for you. From Wendy and Rene.
1U Garden Cookout on Nov 3, 2023
That bonfire and cookout we’re having in the garden is on Friday, Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. Join us. It’ll be fun. It’s the same deal as usual: Bring something to cook on a stick over an open fire plus a potluck to share. I’ll bring turkey hot dogs and buns. We’ll also have a small table-top grill for those who prefer grilled food to stick food. Also please bring your own chairs and beverages. Beer and wine are welcome. There WILL be garden trivia and prizes. Want other games? Shout ’em out.
Oct. 28th Is Dirt Day!
We’ve got a very big job on tap for the next 1U Garden workday, Saturday, Oct. 28, at 9 a.m., and we need lots of help — it’s dirt day!
It’s our first step to repairing the raised wooden garden bed. On the 28th we’ll just tackle emptying the bed. Mike has agreed to make the needed repairs later, then in November we’ll put back the soil. We need lots of hands, so please come help. Wear your play clothes and bring your shovels!
We also can use empty feed or fertilizer bags or 5-gallon buckets, things you can loan us for about a month until we get the soil back into the bed. My thanks to those of you who’ve already responded to my request for bags, etc.
Below is that nifty poster that Cat designed, spelling out the remaining work days this year. Mark ’em on your calendar!
Cheers.
Rene
Appreciate from the comfort of your home and out of the traffic, 1U’s Welcoming campus
From the beginning, our founders worked for women’s rights. 1U welcomes visiting ministers and gives voice and welcome to many in our community who can benefit from the love and support of our faith community. Let our new church year continue the welcoming.
Next Garden Work Party is Sept 23!
Dear 1U Gardeners and Friends,
The photo at the bottom? That’s the esteemed Mike H. serenading us August 19th in the church garden as we pulled weeds. It was a delight! Live musical accompaniment to garden work— a new standard for us. The song titles had to do with gardens, plants, and insects on plants. Fun playlist!
We had a great workday. Thanks to Kathy, Dan and Andy for showing up in August, for heaven’s sake. We got a good bit of work done; the most important was tending to a couple of fruit trees that we hope to coax into bearing a good crop next season or beyond. To that end Andy and Dan moved our stand of lemon grass away from the peach tree to an open area near the plum trees. That should give the peach more sunlight, water and one less competitor for nutrients. Dan also took several cuttings from our pomegranate tree and potted them, and we’ll try to convert them into seedlings that we can transplant into sunnier areas of the churchyard and maybe grow big producers.
Andy also planted Asian long beans at the front gate, and everyone pulled weeds. It was a great morning with friends all around.
Our next workday is the fourth Saturday of the month, Sept. 23.
Other dates in fall term include Oct. 28, Nov. 18 and Dec. 16.
Hope to see you there.
~Rene (garden@orlandouu.org)
Early Morning Garden Work Party
For all 1U Gardeners and friends — Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, is our regular monthly garden workday. It’s hot, so let’s start early and end early. I’ll be there by 8:30am Let’s quit by 10:30am.
Here are the chores we’ll be doing:
- Giving a very aggressive trim to the Surinam cherry tree in the southwest corner
- Digging up and moving the lemongrass (so that the nearby peach tree will get more water and sun and might think just a little harder about putting on blossoms and fruit
- Weeding the walkways inside the perma-garden and mulching the plots
Bring your gloves! Email garden@orlandouu.org for more info.
Cheers,
René
Volunteers needed for 1U’s first One Day Summer Camp for New Image Youth Center
Coming up on August 1, there will be a lot of kids on our campus—in the rooms of the Enrichment Center, in Gore Hall, at the garden outside … well, everywhere.
The Friends of the New Image Youth Center group have taken this on and we are calling this our One Day Summer Camp at 1U. Kids from the New Image Youth Center (K–12) will join with our RE kids for a day of fun.
But this requires the event to have help … and that is where you come in! The event is from 10:00am to 2:00pm, so there will be lunch, headed up by Roni (thank you Roni!). The beverages will be donated, but we would love to have a wide variety of home-baked cookies to offer and ice pops for after the meal. If anyone can help with that, please let Roni, Steph, or Karen R. know! Want to help get the meal itself? Again, Roni is the one!
Can you come early and help us set up at 9:00am? Or clean up and get things put away? Please contact us if you can at newimageyouth@orlandouu.org. We’d love to have you join the fun!
Want a Garden Plot?
A shout-out to the folks who turned out on Saturday and got down and dirty at our monthly garden workday. That’s Dan, Kathy, Wendy, Mike, Rose and Andy. We pulled weeds then pulled more weeds then pulled some more. It was hot and humid and dirty work, but the place looks much better. Thank you all.
And Mike and Wendy came back for more hot, sweaty, dirty work in the afternoon to help harvest an additional 100-plus mangoes from that amazing tree in the parking lot. Gaby’s brother, Chava, climbed high into the branches to pull down that fruit, and Mike and Wendy set it out for all takers after Sunday’s worship service. Another thank you. You rock!
Change of subject: Who wants a garden plot at church for the fall? Have you been thinking about it but been too timid to raise your hand? Don’t be. Just do it. We’ll make plot re-assignments Aug. 1-ish so give me a shout in the next couple of weeks. The garden has an automatic watering system, and there are experienced gardeners willing to answer questions and otherwise help you. Win-win. Zip me an email at garden@orlandouu.org
Second change of subject: What do you want us to grow this fall and winter? So far, folks have requested spaghetti squash and collards. What else? (Note: The eggplant stays.)
More photos below of yesterday’s mango harvest.
Our next work party is August 19, 2023. Anyone welcome to come help. Flier coming soon!
Ciao,
Rene
1U Blog 