Picture of me from a couple of weeks ago--the garden has grown significantly since then!Gardening has been a taste of heaven. It is not just the work that is being done, although that is lovely. It is not just the fresh produce we are eating and sharing with the poor, which is also wonderful. It is the fact that it is such a great experience of community.
A typical Wednesday night could involve a handful of people working in the garden. People work not just on their own plots but are often found watering and weeding their neighbor's, as well. Children of the gardeners as well as some neighborhood kids may be climbing the nearby mullberry tree, coming back with fingers and shirts stained purple from the ripe berries. People passing by express delight. Conversations happen, the work is shared, the harvest is on its way! It is gentle and simple and right.
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Our friend Jonathan from the Rainbrothers recently stopped by to help us with the water situation. What is the water situation, you may ask? Well, we have none. Gardeners have been dutifully bringing buckets and tubs they have filled at home. We were thirsty for a water supply on site.
The baseball backstop has provided the answer. Jonathan installed some metal sheets on the top to form a makeshift roof. He attached some gutters as well. All that is left is to funnel the rainwater into some downspouts and into rain barrels at the bottom.
You can see the whole project here. Joan and Tim are hard at work in the foreground, with Jonathan in the back
Here is Jonathan attaching the metal sheets.
If you stop by to visit the garden, be sure to help yourself to some sugar snap peas! They are growing up the fence on the east side of the garden.
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In other news, it has now become a lot easier to prepare the lettuce for the food pantry. Thanks to a donation of a new salad spinner from Erin, we can now bag up light and fluffy lettuce!
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