MCGA Spring Work Party-The Best One Yet

Thank you everyone for coming out and working today at our first 'official' work party of the season. We got a lot done and had tons of fun too. See below for a photo summary of our most successful work party to date. (Photos courtesy of Sam and Laura)

Sam, Laura and Hannah were our greeters today as well as 'on hand' project managers and job 'pointer outers'. Much thanks also to Mike, Kendrick, Dana, Michelle, Jack, Shirley, please forgive us if we have left out any names!

John and Roman help to disassemble some very old planting boxes in favor of making room for new mini plots!  Thank you guys!  Paths were weeded, the wood chips on paths replenished too.

The sky threatened to turn grey but not a drop of rain fell, it was a perfect day, with a mix of sun to keep us warm, wind to cool us down and clouds to give us relief when we were sweating hard.

Here are some food bank worker bees tilling the food bank gardens and getting the beds ready for our seasons crops.  We planted potatoes today but will fill the food bank with spring planting very soon.

This is one of our new projects this year, we built a tomato only bed or the food bank garden along the pet memorial wall.  We are hoping being close to the wall will help the tomato plants stay warm and produce bountifully.

Here are the ladies have a go at taking apart the old ornamental beds,  thanks so much for your hard work.

Noxious weed removal was in full swing and folks for down on their hands and knees to help rid us of some weeds that cause everyone grief at the garden.

The tomato beds are looking great, only time will tell if the extra heat retained via the wall will help our tomatoes avoid blight and help produce a bumper crop.

After a busy morning, we all break for lunch! A giant thank you to all who attended and worked,  we really appreciate you.

Jump into Spring

Hello Spring (knock on wood)!  What a wet, wild, windy and wacky Spring we have been having. I know I have not been the only one anxiously waiting for warmer weather to arrive. Many of our fellow gardeners have already braved February and March to ensure they get a nice spring crop and harvest. Check out these early bird gardens.

I love the use of the hoop houses to start seeds and starts as early as Feb.  They stay warm and cozy in and get a nice jump start, even though we have seen temps in the 40's at night.

Another early bird gardener with a quick and simple, screw-less and nail-less method for making raised beds.  They are holding the boards together with soil and plats of wood on the outside of the boards.  Genius.

This gardener is already planning for summer with two smart drip irrigation systems designed to water the plants and not the weeds, way to go!

All I can say is "WOW".  These guys had their veggies under hoop houses for the winter and boy did they start early!  Look at the symmetry of the planting too!