October Work Day - Garden Clean Up

Our first official growing season has come to an end. Many of us spent the morning removing tomato and pepper plants from our own beds and sponsor plots, while others helped with the building of our cedar tool shed. It was a beautiful morning to be out in the garden and chatting about what we would all do the same or differently next year.

Thanks to everyone who helped, and a special thank you to Julia for providing our delicious lunch of vegetarian chili and peanut butter and chocolate brownies. In fact, thank you to each of you that provided lunch on our scheduled work days!!

As time permits we plan to finish the tool shed, shred the compost material and put straw down on the strawberries. For all you troopers this year, the good news is that it won't be nearly as much work next season but will still be as fun and rewarding!!!

Fun at the Kid's Fall Social!

Thank you to everyone who helped out and/or attended our inaugural Kid's Fall Social!! The weather was unseasonably warm making it a perfect day for our events.

The kids started off decorating mini pumpkins, doing other crafts and picking some of the garden's ever-bearing strawberries. We then had a couple of rounds of the corn-on-the-cob eating contest. Unfortunately I was laughing too hard to remember to snap any pictures of that one! The children were also shown some of our popcorn harvest and got to sample some fresh organic popcorn. Most were unaware that popcorn grew differently than sweet corn.

A short time later lunch consisting of hot dogs, pasta salad, chips and lemonade was served up to the still mostly hungry children. Next up on the agenda was the watermelon seed spitting contest. The kids had so much fun with it that it stopped being a contest at some point, and just a fun way to remove the seeds from the watermelon they were eating. Four watermelons later there were some sticky yet happy kids, and plenty of rinds thrown in the compost bin.

It was a wonderful turnout and a great way for all ages to spend a Saturday morning. I can't wait for next year's events for the children. They will be the future stewards of our earth so getting them involved and excited is beneficial for everyone!

Beer Dinner Community Gardens Fundraiser Success!

On behalf of the Ferguson Community Gardens (OFW and Robert Superior) I'd like to thank Joe Lonero, Brewmaster Josh Wilson, and the entire staff at Hill's Brewing Company for an amazing fundraiser! Josh paired each of the four courses with a perfect brew. While 8 oz servings accompanied each course, garden supporters were encouraged to try larger samples for free at the bar. As we were leaving, Joe gave each ticket holder a token for a free glass of wine at CORK, compliments of Mike Lonero. I couldn't imagine a more perfect representation of *COMMUNITY* than that night.

The first course was prepared by our resident gardener and executive chef, Freddie Holland. The Tuscan Meatballs on Angel Hair Pasta with Pesto included several ingredients from the gardens. The meatballs were made from Match (vegan meat alternative) and paired perfectly with the Munich Dunkel. The complexity of flavors from both appetizer and beer were the perfect start to an amazing taste sensation.

The next course was a beautiful springtime salad made with candied pecans, fresh strawberries, pineapple and bleu cheese crumbles paired with Hill's Hefeweisen Wheat. The fruit in the salad complemented the banana/clove flavor of the beer. Wonderful!

The main course was a blackened Mahi Mahi on a bed of rice with vegetables on the side. The fish was paired with the St. Louis Pale Ale to bring out both the spiciness of the hops in the beer and the cajun blackened spice.

Finally, the dessert was a gorgeous fresh cheesecake with strawberries paired with the Pecan Brown Ale. Who knew a cheesecake could be MORE delicious with the nuttiness and richness that the Pecan Ale provided?!?!

Thank you for all the garden supporters who were able to attend, and thank you again to Joe for making it all happen!!!!!!

August Work Day Update

Today was a great day to come together with other gardeners and start one of our larger projects: building the tool shed. The finished shed will be a 10x10 red cedar structure. We can't wait to store the wheelbarrows and often used garden tools there soon! We set the four corners in cement this morning and still managed to get so much more finished at the garden by noon.

To make room for some of the fall crops, we pulled the finished corn stalks. Several of us were surprised at how easy they are to pull - *MUCH* easier than some of the weeds we have! We also put down four yards of mulch in the orchard and between the rose bushes and hedge row along Suburban. Heidi Lung brought an apple pie and her prize-winning peach blackberry pie. I'm not sure if there is such a thing as a "pie break" but that's what we took mid-morning! That hit the spot and regenerated us for more mulching and weeding until lunch. Lunch was an enchilada casserole and strawberry walnut salad served on compostable plates.

A very special thank you to everyone that came to the work day and put the "community" in our garden: Dwayne, Freddie, Martin, Julia, Dot, Sharon, Ed, Linda, Chase, Ben, Claire, Jeff, Analia and Teresa. Volunteers of all ages and levels of expertise are what keep us going strong! Thank you all!

July Work Day Progress

Our July workday started early this morning to beat the heat, and the heat never seemed to get out of hand today. We were all a little disheartened to see how much the weeds have grown with all the rain. The orchard was nearly overgrown, and it has garden paper under mulch! Freddie, Martin, Heidi, Sue, Gail, Barbara, Dot, Jeff, and young twins Analia and Teresa helped us tame those summer weeds. It's unbelievable how much a group of hard working folks can accomplish. The orchard, strawberry beds, the hedges and a good part of the gourd patch are back under control. We filled a compost bin FULL of pulled weeds. Wow!

Speaking of control, the produce is LOVING the rain as much as the weeds, and is all growing out of control! We probably picked over 30 lbs of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions and corn. The first picture shows the harvest for the day. Most of that food was dropped off at our local food pantry.

The crowd dwindled by 11:30, but Gail's lunch was well appreciated by those of us left. She made a delicious orzo and spinach salad as well as a fruity, nutty couscous dish. The cookies were a great finishing touch to a hard day's work!

Thanks to everyone who participated and look forward to seeing everyone at the garden!

Garden Fundraiser at Hill Brewing Company!!

Our First Corporate Donation!

Our garden has been so blessed with donations from local businesses, neighbors, and garden lovers in general. Today we received a donation of two picnic tables from AT&T's office in Bridgeton, Missouri.

AT&T's Vice President of External Affairs in St. Louis wrote, "We applaud your efforts to improve local neighborhoods and we're pleased to make these tables available. We hope they will be enjoyed by all visitors to your community garden."

Children's fun days, garden work days, and garden tours will all benefit from our new garden tables!

Thank you to AT&T for recognizing our efforts and for your donation!

June Work Day Progress!

Braving a St. Louis heat advisory, our volunteers accomplished so much today! Julia, Sharon, Bev, John, Emily, Ed, Linda and Gail helped mulch and weed and plant more cantaloupe in the community area. We also had the benefit of admiring Heidi's artistry as she painted whimsical characters and flowers on our picnic table. We made sure to stay hydrated and rested as often as necessary. Julia brought a kiddie pool for the kids, but several adults got their feet wet to cool off!

Lunch was a good stopping point and we devoured a vegetable "bread pudding" and strawberry shortcake provided by Ed and Linda. Linda had soaked the strawberries in Limoncello and it was a refreshing end to our workday!

Prior to lunch we had a group of friendly bicyclists stop by to quickly tour the garden. Craig and Blue Tapp Scheffer and Gerry Noll were among the group. It's fun to share our progress with anyone who stops by. In fact, area resident Marvin Bruce comes each work day to "supervise" for a few minutes! There is a great picture of him in front of the corn above.

Thank you to everyone who participated and to each and all of you that support our garden through hard work, donations, and especially well wishes!! 

Progress of the Community (shared) Crops

The individual plots are doing great although a few of us had issues with lettuce bolting. Best to plant something else where that lettuce was growing because once it bolts it is too bitter to eat.

It is time for a community crop update. Here is the status by the pictures ordered 1-5:

1. This is the corn that was planted about a month ago during the children's fun day. If you haven't seen it in person go check it out! It is already about 16 inches high! The second round of corn and the popcorn planted last week are coming up too and are about 3 inches tall. 
2. The grape vines are all growing (even the one we thought we lost) and the one in the picture has started attaching itself to the trellis. It is so much fun to watch how each fruit or vegetable grows. They each have their own growing personalities! We may get a small grape crop this year, but next year should be excellent.
3. The herb garden has several plants ready to share. The lemon balm can be picked and used fresh to flavor drinks or dried to use in teas. The cilantro could stand to grow just a bit more, but feel free to take a small amount to flavor your Mexican dishes or guacamole. Sage, Rosemary, Dill and Basil can be snipped for individual use. Please only take what you need so others can enjoy it too!
4. The strawberries have been producing very well. If you see any ripe ones, enjoy them! I let one of the neighborhood boys pick one while he was helping me weed. He said "it looks just like a *real* strawberry!" What a great opportunity to share where our food actually comes from!
5. The watermelon plants are growing! As are the squash, eggplants, cucumbers and pumpkins. Late summer and early fall should be fun!

The community blackberries are starting to form berries now and are growing quickly. The apple trees in the orchard are continuing to grow, but we aren't expecting apples until next year.

All of the plots got a drink of water today, and it is impressive how well everyone is keeping the weeds pulled. Great job to each and every one of you!!

May Work Day Update - Mural and Chair Installation!

We had around 20 gardeners gather in the sunshine today for our monthly work day. Several folks were harvesting food from their individual plots. Our garden is definitely growing!

We were able to accomplish the following:

• Built a frame and installed the completed garden mural against the fence
• Installed Ann Fink's beautiful mosaic chair in the orchard - set the posts in concrete
• Painted the first coat on the picnic table (Heidi Lung will add some whimsy to the table this week!)
• Planted flowers in the children's garden
• Planted popcorn, sweet corn, pumpkins, watermelon, eggplant and cucumbers in the community area
• Mulched around grapes and blackberries
• Weeded, weeded and weeded some more
• Turned the compost bins
• Enjoyed some freshly picked strawberries from the community pyramids

A special thanks to Sue Odell for providing an excellent lunch. Gardeners looked for a piece of shade to enjoy a meal of pasta with peas and squash and a spectacular salad (with lettuce from the garden!) with strawberries, cranberries and nuts. Her homemade cookies were a hit too! There is something very rewarding about working hard and then eating well.

Thank you to everyone who joined us today or stopped by to say hi. We look forward to our next workday the last Saturday in June!

Great Turnout for Children's Fun Day

What a fantastic day to play in the dirt!

Kids of all ages enjoyed decorating a flower pot and planting a flower for Mother's Day. Many had the chance to help artists Heidi Lung and Mary Nichols paint the first panel in our garden mural. The panel is nearly complete now. Heidi will have the second panel at the Ferguson Farmers Market on May 22nd for more budding artists to assist!

Between seed planting, eating, hula-hooping, eating, painting, flower planting, eating and playing king/queen of the dirt pile, the kids had a great time! Did I mention eating? It was nice to see all the fresh fruit devoured. Many also took take home a packet of flower seeds to try their green thumbs at home.

There were probably 60 people in the garden throughout the day, happy for the opportunity of a *free* fun-filled day. We look forward to doing it again next year!

Upcoming Children's Fun Day at the Garden

Old Ferguson West Community Garden
CHILDREN’S FUN DAY!!!!

When: This Saturday May 8th From 9:00am – 2:00pm
Where: Community Garden (Corner of Mueller and Suburban in Ferguson)

Fun Activities: (FREE!!!!)

•  Decorate a pot and plant a flower for a Mother’s Day gift
•  Help our local artist paint part of the new Garden Mural
•  Help plant sweet corn, pumpkin and watermelon seeds
•  Help plant seedlings for a local food pantry
•  Hula Hoop, jump rope and blow bubbles!!

Free Lunch for Kids!
Hotdogs, pasta salad, fresh fruit, water and lemonade

For more information contact:
Larry at 314-308-5631 

We have a WINNER!

 

The "Growing Together" Mural contest winner is: HEIDI LUNG!!! 

Here is an excerpt from her Artist Statement: "The theme of my design includes hands emerging from the soil holding vegetables, fruits and flowers. These hands represent the diverse people of our community, from past and present. The hands also symbolize our community, working together to create not only a beautiful space, but dedicated to the process of staying connected and working together."

Better yet is Heidi's process: 

Public Painting and Art Happening, Collaborative Process with the Community
Under the direction of the artist, children and adults will be given the opportunity to paint parts of the mural in a “paint by number” style in order to maintain the overall vision and continuity of the art.  The artist will coordinate volunteer artists and Northern Arts Council members from the community to assist with public events.

Public events could include one or all of the following possibilities:
1) A booth at the Ferguson Farmers Market
2) OFW Garden Children’s Event, May 8
3) an artist event/party with community artists at the artist’s home.

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Heidi's winning sketch won't be shared. ;-)

Stay tuned for the installation of the final mural on the last Saturday of May!

April Work Day Update

Spring fever is definitely in the air! Seeing seedlings come up, and plants once dormant that are now reaching for the sun served as inspiration today. The enthusiasm, volunteers, work, dirt, and laughter managed to keep the "April Showers" at bay until we finished early this afternoon.

Rain or shine was the call, and the following volunteers answered: Peggy, Sharon, Sue, Gail, Bev, John, Julia, Heidi, Freddie, Dwayne, Trudy, Brian, Darius, Tony, Jessica, Chase, and garden gnomes Ben and Claire. It's a good thing Peggy planned to feed 24, because there were 20 of us there standing in line for lunch! (more on that in a bit!)

As a community of gardeners we weeded, planted rose bushes along Suburban, put down garden paper and mulch, turned over the compost bin, finished the grape trellises, constructed most of the weather-proof sign, put up the last blackberry post, planted the last two blackberry plants, moved the hedge from in front of the sign, planted grasses and cannas near the fence in the orchard, and spread the wood chips around the strawberry pyramids. Did I mention that we had so much fun we didn't even notice how much work we had done?!?!?

Lunch is always provided during our work days, and Peggy created a moment of garden hilarity by her presentation. Spaghetti salad was served out of flower pots, and cheese garlic bread was served on an inverted flower pot (email me for pictures if anyone wants ideas!) The best was the cake with a miniature square foot garden!

Also, by now most of you have heard about Ferguson as a finalist in the "All-America City" competition by the National Civic League. Each and every one of you should be proud to have contributed to the success of this great City! Check out the NOCO blog to learn more about this great honor:

http://nocostl.com/2010/04/ferguson-a-finalist-in-2010-all-america-city-competition/