Johnstown Northridge Food Pantry needs your help

This food pantry in our neighborhood is need of donations. We'll be taking over some of our harvest later in the summer, but they need help now. Here is their message:

The Johnstown Northridge Food Pantry (website) needs some food. We had 100 families come in May, 96 in June and July has been busy too. Many are losing their unemployment because benefits have run out, some have had their married children and families move back home for one reason or another, the children are all home for three meals a day and other reasons.

We need jelly (but not peanut butter), canned potatoes, peas, tomatoes, fruit of all kinds, canned meat of any kind, muffin mix, soda crackers for soup, shampoo and dish soap, and anything else you can eat or drink. Thank you for any help you can give us. Nothing is too small or too large. Our hours at the pantry are at your convenience. Just call 740-924-2835.

Ruth Krumm Pantry director

Important group work session: Thursday, 22 July 6:30pm

Well, this morning's group session turned into a solo session. I was able to get a lot done, but there is still much to do. The session planned for Thursday is important to get the garden ready for harvesting. We have already lost some areas to weeds, and if we can't get the weeding done this week, we'll lose some more.

If you aren't able to make it on Thursday night, I encourage you to come out on your own during the week. I'll post some details at the bottom on what needs to be done. With a few people helping out, the work should not take long at all.

First I mowed down weeds around the tomatoes, peppers, squash, and melon. Then I hand weeded the squash and pumpkins which are doing really well. I also hand weeded the peppers which are small, but are still coming along.

Next I laid down black cloth around the peppers and squash to suppress further weed growth.

What still needs to be done (in order of priority):

1) Hand weed the melons, tomatoes, and beans. This would be easy to work on if you just have an hour some time during the week and want to come out on your own. The melons are in a short row just north of the squash (visible in the left hand side of the first picture.) The tomatoes are in two rows (seen in the picture below). The beans are in one long row and one short row just north of the family and individual plots. These are in serious need of weeding. I believe there are parts of these rows that have not been weeded since they were planted.

2) Lay down more black plastic around the tomatoes and melons. We'll work on this Thursday night.

3) Add more twine to the tomato trellises and time the rest of the tomatoes higher up on the stakes.

3) Start weeding around the two new rows of corn. This time the corn has germinated nicely. By picking up the drip tape and moving it out of the way, it should be easy to hoe the two rows to keep the weeds down. The soil was just tilled and the weeds are starting to creep back in.

4) Weed the raspberries and put up the trellis wires. Also, secure the grape vine to the metal posts.

Once all of this work is done, we can start worrying about how we will schedule picking the vegetables.

Group work session: Sat., 17 July - 9am

It's just about harvest time and we need to get some work done in the garden. We'll meet at 9am this Sat.

Our main task will be weeding. Most of the vegetables need to be weeded, including:

-melon

-squash

-peppers

-tomatoes

-beans

-3 sisters garden

If you can't make it Sat., we would really appreciate your help whenever you can make it. You are welcome in the garden any time. The melons, squash, tomatoes, and peppers are in rows over by the grape vine, so help yourself.

Garden updates

I'm behind in posting pictures from the garden. These are from a group work night a couple of weeks ago. The garden is really coming along.

We have had some really great help in several areas. We had some new friends of the garden come out to trellis up the remaining tomatoes and another volunteer tilled under a large section of the garden so we could replant corn.

We have also had a neighbor volunteer to water the garden as needed.

We still need lots of help weeding and soon we'll be picking vegetables.

What still needs to be done

We got a lot of great work done during our short notice work night. The tomatoes were trellised, most of the beans were weeded, and two rows of corn and sunflowers were planted.

We are still in need of volunteers to water the garden once in a while and there is still more weeded to be done. The rest of the beans need to be weeded and the tomatoes and peppers are getting crowded again, too. I don't think we'll have an organized work night this coming week, but people are welcome to come out and help when they have time.

By the way, here is some proof that anyone can participate in gardening. This is my wife with our 4-month-old son who was doing a little weeding out in our plot.

Waterers needed

We have been unable to find a timer system that is compatible with the low water pressure our tank produces. (It uses only gravity. Next year, we will install a pump and move the tank over to the church to collect rainwater, eliminating this problem.)

So, we need to get some volunteers who are willing to water the garden. Watering takes between 45 minutes to an hour and consists of turning on the spigot at the tank, waiting 20 to 30 minutes, turning the spigot off, attaching the other hose, and repeating the process. Besides turning the spigot on and off and connecting/disconnect the hoses, there is no work required.

We are looking for people who might be willing to water on a regular basis (Wednesday is already covered) and on an intermittent basis. If you are available and interested, please let me know. We really need your help. Thanks

Short notice group work night - Thursday 6pm

Thanks to a hard working volunteer, a large part of the garden has been tilled. This will allow us to replant the corn and put in some green manure, but it depends on how many hands we have. If you have a spare moment tomorrow night, please join us to help out. We also need to stake the rest of the tomatoes and weed the beans.

Also, if you need to do work in your own garden, the soil is very easy to work with at the moment.

Group work night Wed., 23 June - 6:30pm

We're having another group work night this coming Wed. at 6:30pm. This week we were able to weed the peppers, melons, and raspberries and thin out the lettuce and radishes.

To be done this week:

-Weed the tomatoes

-Replant corn (much of it didn't germinate)

-Stake the tomato plants

-Weed and thin the beans

If you can't make it Wed., you are welcome to come at your convenience to do your part. Feel free to send me an email if you do so I can keep track of the progress.

We got several large plastic bins, but we still need lots of plastic bags. We could also use more tomato stakes or cages.

Tarp down, sprouts up

This year, we are trying something new to thwart the squash vine borers: we're covering our squash and pumpkins with Agribon cover. It allows the sun and rain in, but keeps out insects. We'll also apply a BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) spray to get any find themselves under the cover.



Many of the seeds are sprouted, including the beans, corn, and squash of our three sisters garden.

Our greens are off to a nice start, too.

Upcoming needs

-60 tomato cages (lots more tomatoes than last year)

-several large plastic bins (to collect and transport the harvest)

-1 and 2 gallon plastic bags (to bag up the vegetables)

-spare garden tools

Please share this with others. Donations can be dropped off at Church of the Saviour during office hours (see the website for details).

Community planting report

After the rain delay from last Sunday, some volunteers came together last Monday to get the watering system ready for the community planting. We worked the kinks out of the soaker tape and tested the water pressure. Everything was ready for the big day on Sunday.

The rain this week left the garden pretty muddy (some people compared it to walking on the moon, while I thought it was more like walking in marshmallow.) But the rain was pretty much over by the 9am start time (save for a few sprinkles.) Turn out was low, but we were still able to get most of the work done.


We planted several rows of vegetables, including: corn, beans, squash, pumpkins, melons, carrots, lettuce, and radishes. We had a big donation of pepper and tomato plants that filled up two and a half rows. We also laid out the plots for the families and individuals.

One brave volunteer found it easier to go barefoot than plod through the mud in shoes.

We planted another 3 sisters garden in the southwest corner along with lots of flowers and sunflowers.

We also had a nice donation of some extra raspberry plants and several posts to trellis them (and the grapes).

Our work is done for a couple of weeks, but we'll need to weed pretty soon. Also, we are in need of some supplies, especially tomato cages. We'll be getting the word out about these needs soon, so stay tuned.

Canceled: Monday, 17 May volunteer session

Due to the bad weather, we're rescheduling the water system work for Thursday, 20 May from 6 to 7 pm.

Community Planting: Sat., 22 May - 9 am

We're happy to announce that the community planting will be held this Saturday, 22 May, at 9am. We welcome everyone who is interested, even if you have never gardened before. If you do have gardening tools, we encourage you to bring them along since we don't have many to share. What we do have a lot of is dirt and seeds, and if it is anything like last year, we'll have a lot of fun. If you do have seeds or plants you want to donate, bring them along and we'll find room.

Stage 2: Watering System Installed - Volunteers Needed

Update: The work night has been rescheduled for Thursday, 20 May from 6 to 7 pm.

Rain brothers finished up the installation of the new watering system on Monday and the Harlem Township Fire Department has already filled up our 550-gallon tank.

That means we are almost ready to go. We need a few volunteers to help stretch out the lines and get the kinks out of the hose. We will then open up access to the garden for families and individuals.

We'll meet this Monday, 17 May at 6:30 pm at Church of the Saviour. Please send me an e-mail so I can make sure we have enough people. The work should only take a short time.

Also, we're planning the community planting for Saturday, 22 May at 9am. Everyone is welcome to come and plant the garden. Bring any tools you'd like. Additional donations of seeds and plants are welcome, too.

With all the rain, our raspberry bushes have really taken off and we should have a great harvest this summer.

Summer project: storage shed

Just got the word that we will be putting up a storage shed this summer. Church of the Saviour was given permission to reclaim some unused materials from a baseball diamond in the area. The backstop has already been moved and will be used to set up a new diamond on the church grounds. There is also a concession stand that will be moved to our property. It needs some work (a new floor in particular), but it will provide us with some much needed storage. We'll be looking for volunteers soon to help move and renovate the shed.

First Look: New Watering System

The folks from Rain Brothers came out today and set up our new water tank.


This 550-gallon tank is made in Ohio and will be filled up for us by the Harlem Township Fire Department.


They also got a start on laying down the soaker tape, but they'll have to finish up later in the week. Since the tank is slightly uphill from the garden, the water system will work on gravity alone.


Once it is set up, we'll be able to test it out. When everything is ready to go, we'll open up planting to our individual planters.

In the long term, we'll hook up the tank to the gutters on the church to collect the rain water. With a small pump we'll be able to move the water to the entire garden--a big improvement over last year. Water was a major limitation for us last year. With the new system we'll be able to plant the entire plot this year, greatly increasing our harvest over our first year.

Water tank fundraiser: Moving towards a sustainable water system

We're very excited to announce that we are working with Rain Brothers, a local company specializing in rainwater harvesting and sustainable irrigation, to install a new water system in the garden. We'll be installing a 550-gallon tank and several rows of soaker tape that will water the garden as needed using only gravity. Last year, hand watering the garden several times a week using a bird's nest of hoses severely limited our output. With the new system, the watering will be done by gravity, meaning we can plant much more square footage.



Along with the increased output, we will be reducing the amount of water we use since the soaker tape will allow us to water more effectively. We'll also be saving money in the long run since we won't be using water from the line. Instead, we'll be getting it from the pond that catches the excess rainwater from the surrounding area.

But how will the water get from the pond to the tank? The Harlem Township Fire Department fills their trucks from our pond. When we need the tank to be filled, they will drive over and fill the tank for us. So with the exception of the gas needed to drive the fire trucks out to the church (which they are currently doing anyway), we won't need any extra energy to pump or distribute the water.

Most of the cost will be covered the by the budget for the garden provided by the three churches. But we need to raise an extra $300 to cover the rest. We've already had a few donations and the end is in sight. Please consider making a donation. All amounts are appreciated. Checks can be made out to Church of the Saviour - UM with a note that it is for the 3 Sisters Water Tank.

The extra produce from the garden will be a huge help to the Friends Who Share Food Pantry and people all over the Big Walnut area. We are thankful for the help of Rain Brothers who have been able to get us a deal on some of the supplies and have been a big help in planning the system. We also appreciate the willingness of the Harlem Township Fire Department to help in this project.

Tilling and fertilizing

It was a busy day today. A couple who volunteer in the garden brought over a tractor to till and fertilize. In a short time, the ground was turned over and some high quality horse manure was added. We also added the left over Milorganite from last year, which will hopefully help to keep the deer away again. The ground looks great already and should be even better in a couple of weeks when its time to plant.

The raspberries came back really well and are sending out lots of new shoots. The grape vine made it through the winter too and has lots of buds on it. We'll need to set up some real posts that can support the weight of it this year.

Personal/Family Plots Now Available

This year we are excited to offer personal/family plots to our neighbors. There is no fee for the plot but growers must agree to donate 10% of their produce to the Friends Who Share Food Pantry. A donation to help cover water costs is helpful, but not required. The complete rules are available here.

Plots will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Feel free to send along any questions to me via the comments section or at nickposs@gmail.com.

Getting growing

Work has already started on the garden for this year. On Friday, 16 February the eight members of the youth group started four flats of seedlings. Within a couple of weeks, the sprouts had already sprung. As you can see, some of them got a little zealous with planting:


We started: cabbage, kale, collards, eggplant, onion, and nasturtium. By this weekend, all the seedlings were well on their way.


The youth have enjoyed seeing their seeds turn in to plants. It will really help us get a jump start on the growing season.

What's new for 2010?

This year we're back to build on the success of our first year. So what's different?

• Publicly available garden plots for individuals or families

We're happy to offer the opportunity for neighbors to have their own garden plots, free of charge. Plots will be between 10'x20' and 20'x20'. Water is available as is limited help in setting up the plots. While there is no cost for the plot, we do ask that people donate 10% of their harvest to the Friends Who Share Food Pantry.

• Expanded opportunities for youth outreach

Last year we we're able to work with the summer youth program at Church of the Saviour to help out in the garden. This year, we are expanding that to the youth programs at the other churches that meet during the school year. Members of these groups have already started seeds to plant in the garden and will be active in garden maintenance. We also plan to have more lessons about organic gardening and cooking with vegetables.

• New watering options

We are currently looking for new ways to water our garden. One possibility is to install a large water trough. The Harlem Township Fire Department has already agreed to fill it up for us with their excess water. Also, we are looking in to putting the water line from the church underground to eliminate problems with the multiple water hoses.

Overall, we plan to increase the number of volunteers and our produce output. We'll be announcing meetings soon to discuss the details of the garden, so keep your eye on this space.

2009 Report

Our first year was a great success in many ways and our second year is promising to be even better. Here's is a quick look back at what we accomplished in 2009:

• Supplied food to the Friends Who Share Food Pantry
• Shared food with neighbors in need
• Youth outreach through education programs
• Used organic gardening methods
• Website with resources and recipes
• Community harvest festival

Harvest:

• Tomatoes: 94 Lbs.
• Beans: 89 Lbs.
• Cherry tomatoes: 66 Lbs.
• Cucumbers: 67
• Zucchini/Summer squash: 36

Also: carrots, peppers, squash, eggplant, cauliflower, broccoli, watermelon, cantaloupe, pumpkins, okra, corn, herbs, radishes, lettuce and raspberries

Thank you to all the volunteers who worked so hard to get our project off to a great start. We look forward to working with you again in 2010.

Upcoming gardening events

Thursday, March 18th
12-1:30pm
North Broadway UMC (48 E North Broadway, Columbus 43214)
Food Pantry and Garden Roundtable

We are inviting representatives of food pantry and community garden ministries from all nine counties in our two districts to come together to share ideas and resources. Here are some topics we will discuss:

-How to help food pantries connect with gardens across the county
-Food for special diets like diabetes
-Free CFL lightbulbs to pass out (possible deal with AEP)
-Other ideas/resources you would like to share

Lunch will be provided. Bring seeds or any items you have a lot of that you could share with other pantries. Personal Needs Pantries are also invited. Please share the word with any other pantries or gardens in your county.

April 14
6pm
Rain Barrell Workshop
Genoa Township Community Gardens
614-895-1126 for more information
http://www.genoatwp.com/