Manna Meal

still beautiful after the lettuce and onion harvest

A volunteer crew from DuPont joined our regular garden crew to help get the gardening chore list in high gear. This late afternoon session produced about 45 manhours of work. No task was too difficult today. The weedy garden spaces were weeded, tilled and beautified. The stinky compost pile was literally turned upside down in all its smelly glory. It can’t help but start cooking now! Mowing, weedeating, and planting were all tackled. Tomatoes, squash, cucumber, peppers, and flower seed [celosia, sunflower, zinnnia] were put out. The cole crops were sprayed with Neem Oil and bT to deter the pesky insects. And last but not least the first notable harvest filled baskets with onion and lettuce. Great job crew! Leila Martin, Amy Ricketts, Judy Lewis, Angela Roach, Tari Crouse, Ralena Smith, Frank McMullen, Judy Nottingham, Kristen Bisom, Adrian and London Smith, Dick Hanlon, Liz Hereford, Rick Sams, Jean Brown, Pam Valentine, Jean Simpson and Myra comprised a team of at least 17 volunteers.

the children played and the garden kitty romped across the field at the end of the garden session

Myra was able to secure a door at Wal-Mart in South Charleston for Manna Meal volunteers to collect food and cash donations.

What a day it was…… we asked for volunteers to help in 2 hour shifts with the collections.

We started our “Walmart Day for Manna Meal” –which happened to be the Saturday before Mother’s Day– with volunteers Jean, Augusta, Barbara Walker, Jon & Linnsey Amores and Myra. Augusta drove out early to deliver a table and chairs, left and then returned for her shift from 10:30 to 12:30. She returned again at the end of the day to pick up her belongings. A trip to Walmart took on new meaning for Augusta today. Thank you for your help.

Belle & Issy came out and worked in the morning, both saw folks they knew and the money was flying….Thanks girls! I do not know how you two escaped the camera lens–lucky girls!

The afternoon brought Barbie Sadolf, Tari Crouse, Mary Keeney, Nancy Price & her friend Vicki Hildreth.

And last but not least …….. my old friend Lawson Poling. Lawson brought his Mary’s SCRUBS trailer and stayed with us all day collecting food and then hauled it back to the soup kitchen. So a little advertising for Lawson  of  Mary’s SCRUBS  is appropriate here - 602 Tennessee Ave. Chas., WV 25302 –  304-343-6279 marys.scrubs@yahoo.com

Thank you everyone for your help making the day successful……………..Love & Peace, Jean Simpson

Jon & Linnsey Amores.....They were the first to join us at 9 AM

Myra and Barbara Walker were at their post at 9AM

Myra gives it her all......

It was early in the day, Jean's still smiling.

Barbie was one of the 12pm to 2pm shift volunteers

Mary and her daughter Nancy & Vicki worked hard from 2pm to 4pm. Great Job girls!

Tari hung in there from 1pm to 4pm. Her daughter helped out too! Happy Mother's Day Tari !

Lawson sucks in his belly for the photo

Raised beds were gorgeous this evening after the rain

A burst of rain interrupted the late afternoon gardening session but enthusiasm wasn’t dampened. The gardening team weeded the lower field, limed and added a greensand amendment to it. It is now ready for planting…and plant we must! Today beautiful Roma tomato plants, donated by Helen Chilton, were planted. An organic slug control was sprinkled in the lasagna garden. Several tomato plants put in last week had vanished. Where did they go? There was no sign of them….just vacant tomato cages. The collard and kale plants appeared to be slug free today. All the veggie plants looked great bathed in rain drops. A basil, peony, columbine and delphinium was planted in the flower garden. Mr. Gnome was busy watching over everything and so was the garden kitty. Today’s volunteer team: Mary Ann Deison, Isaac Forman, Carter Zerbe, Therese Cox, Kevin Counts, Jean Simpson, Myra AND Tom Jett!

Cabbage, lettuce, onion...yum

Lettuce nearing harvest time

Elephant garlic--a type of leek--is throwing up its scapes

lovely

Mr. Gnome the watchman is on the job

Raffle Winners – Please pick up your winnings from 7am -2pm @ Manna Meal soup kitchen by May 15th…….

The winning numbers are:  963868  Bickham;   963856  Combs;  963849  Scherr;  829091  Copenhaver;  829109  Christy;   963840  Chapman; 963833  Kingry; 963863  Thibeault

Under the shadow of the Capitol dome this rainy day

The West Virginia Culture Center hosted its 15th Garden Festival on Saturday, May 5, 2012. Manna Meal participated for the first time.  Placed central to both entrances on the large porch with two other vendors–one on each side–everyone passed by the display. Mary Slabinski-Schmidt from WUV Green Thumbs Healthy Joints program partnered beside Manna Meal.  Green Thumbs awarded Manna Meal Garden a grant to help teach and offer opportunities for accessible gardening. The teaching component and demonstration of ergonomic tools portion of the grant was fulfilled today. The raised Vegtrug was exhibited as a solution to gardening for those who cannot bend or stoop. Volunteers who worked at the booth: Beth McClintock, Tari Crouse, Therese Cox, Jean Simpson and Myra Dolan.

The Vegtrug

Out in the rain

Display board designed by ladies from Oberlin College

Mary, our partner in the Green Thumbs Healthy Joints exhibit

Therese, Jean, Tari

Beth--the Trug lugger

Friends stopped by all day long

What a lovely day to visit

Pollinator banners were loaned by Capitol Conservation District--one of our supporters

Raj and Jean

Mary carefully matches the color of her food with her jacket today

A John Porter sighting.....he assisted Manna Meal with the Healthy Thumbs application process. Thanks John!

Randy Rader stopped by to show off his shirt. Congrats Randy, Master Gardener of the Year!

Susan G Koman Run for the Cure was going on all morning with wave after wave of walkers passing by

It rained almost all day

Those beautiful pollinator banners livened up the place!

The moon between the hills

Pink and white clouds trailed across the red evening sunset after an evening of garden therapy. It WAS a grand therapeutic garden session even in 90 degree heat. It was summer in May. The crew of 14 volunteers carried hardwood mulch to create permanent walks in the lasagna garden. Thirty-five tomato plants and twelve cucumber plants were set out. A bag of gladiolus bulbs were planted in a row with one squash plant. A few garlic plants were dug to check on the progress—they are perfect. Lots of weeding and weed-eating was done. Compost was turned, plants were watered and the area around the water barrels was manicured. One couldn’t help but admire all the work done by the volunteer crew this evening. Thank you crew! They were Judy Nottingham, Mary Ann Deison, Molly George, Maddie and Mark Ferrell, Bob and Caroline Kosky, Shauna Steadman, Ann Garcelon, Gary Brown, Kevin Counts, Clint Carte, Jean Simpson and Myra.

Setting out tomatoes

a great time to catch up on the news

Carrying bags of mulch to the lasagna garden

Putting down newspapers to be covered with mulch

This bit of ground wallpaper is step one before applying mulch

Rearranging the furniture before applying mulch

Step two....applying mulch

Tomato planting team

This weeks shot of the raised beds

Dwarf iris bed is ready to pop with a mass blooming

Lettuce in the raised beds is looking a lot like someone's salad this week

Cabbage progress....the shade cloth came off today

Job well done

Fields of garlic will soon be sending up scapes

Good night ladies!