We got a lot accomplished on Saturday. Here is a partial summary of what we accomplished. I am sure that there are many things (even as garden leader) that I missed:

 

* We had lots of young people (chiefly from Apex HS) who appeared at the garden ready to work hard for their service hours. These girls and boys worked very hard! We are very grateful for all the work they did on Saturday, and we welcome all of them back any time!

* Anne donned her beekeeper’s outfit and checked out the three bee hives at the foot of the garden. The great news is that the new queen in hive #1 is hard at work and making new babies (larvae) in the bee cells in the hive body.

 

* Bruce plowed the lower 40 (A) and Bruce, Noah and Fred spread out the giant sheet of black plastic to kill the bermuda grass across both 40A and 40B. This area will be super ready for sweet potatoes (etc) later in the season.

 

* Bruce also worked on all the wild blackberry bushes across the lower 40C fence, and we have a great row of healthy raspberry plants growing in 40C at the bottom of the garden. We need to remember to weed and water these plants, and we will have a very nice raspberry harvest.

 

* The high school youth who came to the garden worked with several garden members and weeded rows 2D and 3D. Garden members weeded several other rows. Row 3A was prepped for future planting. Sandra supervised metal stakes being placed in all the tomato rows.

 

* Anne weedeated all over the garden, with help from Don McAlister who went home and got his own weedeater. High school youths mowed like crazy all around the garden.

 

* Kim led groups of gardeners and youth on several projects in our garden flower beds and our cinder block and crescent beds.

 

* Youth helped Don McAlister with the Panera and Lowes Foods compost and turned the compost bins.

 

* Youth led by Sandra mulched all the potato rows.

* We all picked potato beetles off the various potato and tomato beds.

 

* Esther and Jackie thinned the carrots at the top of the garden.

 

* Zillions of gardeners picked peas in our pea rows and harvested kale and onions from the kale and onion beds.

 

Okay, I am getting carried away. Maybe not “zillions” but still a lot of people. It was a good day, and sunny, and a pleasure to work with so many young people.

Fred