Manna Meal

The garden has enjoyed two weeks of being tidied up, weeded and planted! It has taken several crews many man-hours to accomplish this but it really shows. Lettuce, spinach, onion have been harvested continuously with chard and a second planting of  greens growing. The garlic plants have scapes which are ready to harvest which mean that garlic bulbs aren’t too far behind. Flowers and herbs are looking great in the perennial beds. The beans beneath the trellis are about 1″ high and the peas are high on the fence line and still blooming. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant were planted, as were flowers and sunflowers. The weather has been kind to our plants. The new lavender plants are taking root but flowers are being trimmed off so that strong root  systems will develop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The Garden Festival was well   attended this year. Manna Meal was situated beside the WVU Extension Service, Master Gardeners and KUAA [Kanawha Urban Ag Alliance]. Beth McClintock shared our table as she represented Capitol Conservation District. Judy Nottingham, Beth McClintock, Jean Simpson & Myra Dolan helped ‘woMAN’ the booth.

Volunteer gardeners worked two days this week. Saturday included a brief but thorough dowsing with rain. Growing rows were prepared and planted with kale and collard and other rows just prepped or weeded. Sweet potato was planted today and will be protected by row cover as needed. There was a harvest of onion, spinach and lettuce at the end of the workday. Chris & Amy Postlewait helped with the irrigation installation process and there is still a good bit to do to finish the job. Chris gave a lesson at the compost pile in how to be more efficient with our process. Gary Brown assisted with the irrigation work and the ladies weeded and harvested. Garden kitty was on hand to provide mischief. The crews: Gary Brown, Therese Cox, Chris and Amy Postlewait [they are to be married VERY soon!], Paul Schrecongost, Jim McVey, Jean Simpson, Myra and there was even a Tom Jett sighting today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s crew followed up & completed the work done by the last work party in prepping & PLANTING the new lavender garden–which is outside one of the lower deer fenced gardens. Over 50 Grosso variety lavender plants were installed today. We now have visions of the purple fields of Provence, France for our own garden. Weeding and composting also went forward with the following crew: Therese Cox, Tammy Walker, Paul Schrecongost, Robin O’Brien, Rachel Ward, Jean Simpson, Myra Dolan & garden kitty. Someone took a lot of pictures today too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Twenty-nine volunteers    came out to help today, Saturday, April 27, 2013. Some of the Ag staff from West Virginia State University and a crew from the South Charleston Rotary in addition to some of Manna Meal Garden’s long-time garden volunteers and families did an amazing amount of work. The new drip line was installed in two of the four gardens–requiring a lot of digging, placement and expert guidance–a day we dreamed of for the past four years came true today. The perennial bed was groomed, the future lavender bed staked out and composted, the lower garden was tilled, the lasagna garden was completely weeded and readied for planting, collards, spinach and lettuce were harvested and the ground beneath the newly woven bean trellis readied for planting. The crew: Gary Brown, Therese Cox, Amy Saunders and Chris Postalwait, John & Jan Powell, Paul Schrecongost, Jim McVey, Carrie Turley, Katie Shaffer, Rachel Ward, Ann Garcelon, Brandt Alten-Huber, Aurora Alten-Huber, Helen Alten and Tim Huber, Ro De Bias and Jody De Bias, Judy Nottingham, WVSU Staff, Lisa Williamson, Robert and Sheri Barney, John Bombardiere, Orlando McMeans, Jose U. Toledo, Gere Williamson, Telitha and Ami Snell,  & Jean Simpson.