We are off to a great start. Tom is a master seedling grower and everything looks so good. Rain today so everything should really take off. Personally, I am sore from all the bending and stooping - shows I need to do more during the winter.
Plant-A-Row for the Hungry (PAR) was started in 2005 with the objective of providing fresh, wholesome produce to the Memphis Area Food Bank. This is one of the premier projects of the Memphis Area Master Gardeners Association (MAMG). Master Gardeners provide the manpower and funding of this worthwhile endeavor at the Shelby Farms community gardens.
Four Master Gardeners, Bill Colvard, Al Cook, Gene Mangiante and Tom Mashour donated their plots that they have in their names to the PAR project.
Last year, 2007, with four teams of volunteers, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, each team working 2 hours in the morning,on a little less than 7500 Sq. Ft. of land, raised and delivered to the Food Bank, nearly 8,000 lbs (4 tons) of fresh produce. Within 1 hour of harvesting, the produce arrived at the Food Bank.
We met with Susan Sanford, the Director of Food Bank, in late fall to plan the following year's garden. We want her input as to what the Food Bank can use the following year. Last year we planted and harvested, in varying quantities, broccoli, cabbage, red and white potatoes, beets, tomatoes, squash, beans, okra, cucumbers, eggplant and sweet potatoes. This year, we will be adding additional items like bell, sweet banana and jalapeno peppers, romaine lettuce and various varieties of tomatoes and other previously grown items, researching which variety will do best at PAR.
We have received support from companies in our community. Hall's Garden Supply has provided us with lime, fertilizer, and various seeds. The Memphis Botanic Garden gave to us tomato pepper and eggplant seedlings. Mulch Works is donating cubic yards of finish compost. Bonnie Nurseries has volunteered to provide us with all the plants we need from their inventory.
Though the needed rain has set us our timetable back, we still feel that we will have a great year, now that we have about 10,000 sq. ft. to work with.
If you would like to communicate to any member of PAR, please leave you questions/comments here.
No comments:
Post a Comment