Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all. ~S. Horowitz

As I raked up the last of the mulch and returned the water tanks to Kalis' this weekend, I looked at the disassembled garden with a warm heart, just a few weeks ago there were rows of tomatoes and peppers still producing, and the herbs were still fragrant when you brushed by them.
It was a very good summer and as a happy ending, a group of very dedicated gardeners came out early on October 2 to help us put away the garden until next spring. Our plans to mulch all the plants back into the soil was taking too long (and too loud) so we relied on our neighbours yet again and wow, did they come through! Bernie Debono at Norfolk Disposal waved though our truck loads of plant stuff at the weigh scale more than once so we managed to get cleaned up before the deluge (seems to be the weather our garden get-togethers demand). We did get finished before the rain and everyone went home with a car load of goodies - potatoes, herbs, peppers, a rouge watermelon and very dirty feet.


And now for my oft-promised mentions of "Thank you, Thank you very much":

Tony Yin, our superior landlord
Brad Smith, Tri County Insurance
The Stewardson Men with their tractors and tools that made life so much easier
Harold Pepper & Sons who provided us with free mulch for paths
Waterford United Church and its Outreach Committee
Dave and Monica Scott, Norfolk Hub, who enthusiastically help good causes
Kalis Greenhouses for wonderful water tanks
Cheryl Murphy-Simon who ran a very successful Kids Garden
Eising Greenhouses who provided all the plants for the Kids Garden
Norfolk County for arranging water
Kevin Wilson, Wilson Water, our rain maker
Dave Zeldon who was a constant source of information
Norfolk Disposal
Ferguson Family
Kennington Family
Andy Borsy for helping with the Potato Project

I will post the information for the WCG 2011 as soon as I have it.
Cheers, Jenny

"This is not the end. This is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."~W. Churchill

It was inevitable that this time of year would come, although hard to believe when we were watering plants daily in the 40 degree heat.
I am declaring the Waterford Community Garden a delightful success in its first year. We have learned so much and have had a wonderful response from the community.

We will be having our Fall Clean Up Day the morning of October 2, 2010.

Gardeners, please join up for a morning of light work and fellowship while we put our Community Garden to bed for the winter in anticipation of another glorious year in 2011.

We will continue our WCG Green Thumbs Newsletter throughout the winter to keep in touch with all our gardeners. If you would like to get onto our mailing list please contact me at garden@waterforduc.org. We would be happy to hear from anyone who might like to join us next year and wants to keep up with the news from the WCG. I will keep up the blog over the winter with gardening info - like seed catalouge information and updates for the 2011 growing season.

I have not forgotten our Thank You List that will be posted soon!

The Garden Song ~David Mallett

Today at brunch with my very musical Aunty and her curvaceous ukulele we sang a lovely rendition of "The Garden Song". This song has been covered by the likes of Arlo Gurthrie (see alternate anti-gardening words at the end), John Denver and until today, my favorite version by Peter Paul and Mary. This could be the theme song for our community garden. Read the words and let them sink in, they are lovely and honest, and then have your own family singalong:

Garden Song by David Mallett

Chorus
Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground
Inch by inch, row by row
Someone bless these seeds I sow
Someone warm them from below
'Til the rain comes tumbling down

Verse
Man is made from dreams and bones
Feel the need to grow my own
'Cause the time is close at hand
Grain for grain, sun and rain
Find my way in nature's chain
To my body and my brain
To the music from the land

Verse
Plant your rows straight and long
Thicker than with pray'r and song
Mother Earth will make you strong
If you give her love and care
Old crow watchin' hungrily
From his perch in yonder tree
In my garden I'm as free
As that feathered thief up there


The Garden Song (Alternate Verse)
sung by Arlo Guthrie, independently of Sesame Street

Slug by slug, weed by weed
Boy this garden's got me t'd
All the insects come to feed
On my tomato plants
Sunburt face, skinned up knees
The kitchen's chocked with zucchinis
I'm shopping at the A&P's
Next time I get the chance

Old crow watching from a tree
He's got his hungry eye on me
In my garden I'm as free
As that feathered thief up there

A man's children and his garden both reflect the amount of weeding done during the growing season. ~AU

Do you ever not need your Dad??
I am 35 and he still gets me out of these jams I get myself in, without a whithering look or a sarcastic reply (well, almost always).

If you have driven past the WCG lately you will notice that the copious green foliage that had grown nearly 5 feet high has been chopped off at its knees, Thanks to Dad, again.

Be thankful today for families.

"When one has tasted watermelon, he knows what the angels eat." ~Mark Twain

It amazes me that 2 tiny little plants that I was sure we got into the ground too late produced such beautiful and delicious fruit. We finally got enough nerve to pick and cut into one of the watermelons from the garden today and then proceeded to eat it for lunch, delish!

The down side of such a delicious treat out in such a public place is that Lot 13 lost her gorgeous watermelon to a thief over the weekend so didn’t get to enjoy the fruit of her labour. I am sure I should end this rant with something about choking on the seeds………




The garden continues to make me very proud and very humble, everything is in its prime right now and it is a feast for the senses – there is the scent of basil in the air, when you look up, wayyyyyy up, the sunflowers are looking back down at you, when you stop and look down you are met with red ripe romas, smooth shiny purple eggplants, happy orange marigolds, and lazy yellow squash just reminding us that fall will come, eventually.






Another scar in the garden is the arrival of Tomato Blight. It seems to be creeping everywhere except the cherry tomatoes. I am planning to be out a few times this week to keep an eye on the spread and help anyone who needs a hand cleaning up. I have first hand experience at how devastating it is to loose your hard work and lovely plants, last year every tomato plant in my home garden was wiped out in less that a week.

This is a photo of Late Blight on Tomatoes, if you see this in your garden the only real solution is to pull out the plants and toss everything into the garbage it isn't even compostable, sad, I know.

I leave you on a lighter note:

Q: What vegetable did Noah not take on the Ark??
A: Leeks

Q: Why do potatoes make such good detectives?
A: Because they keep their eyes peeled.

Q: What do you get if you divide the circumference of a pumpkin by its diameter?
A: Pumpkin pi

The highest reward for man’s toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it. ~J. Ruskin

Congratulations to our Kids Garden Exec Cheryl Murphy who just won the Paczay Trophy for Best Vegetable in The Waterford & District Horticultural Society 2010 Garden Show. Think of all the things you could learn from this prize winning gardener!!

Vegetables continue to be harvested for dinner tables and freezers all over town and the squash and watermelon are growing at an alarming rate in this hot humid weather.

Of course the weeds are also growing at an alarming rate and my experiment with sowing rye in the empty plots immediately behind the garden did nothing except to feed the birds. I will have to beg another pass with the rototiller off of Dad as soon as the ground is dry enough. Chris's Potato Experiment is flourishing even in her absence (how are the scallops in New Brunswick my dear?), I have never seen potatoes grow before, they are shockingly tall, I hope there is as much activity under ground as there is above.

I am going to go in and try my organic weed spray again this weekend on the pathways where the quack grass has made quite a layer of carpet. I have been using it at home and am amazed at the near immediate results.

I will dig out my trusty recipe for basil pesto to post here, the scent of basil on the breeze at the garden makes my mouth water for bruschetta (will post a great method for bbq-ing garlic too), if only we could encourage the tomatoes to ripen faster, pure summer in Norfolk County.

Zucchinis terrific! Like bunnies, prolific! ~A.U.

What could be better than fresh zucchini grilled with olive oil - this recipe for Zucchini Brownies from the Farmers Almanac via Carole:

1 cup margarine
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk with 1 tsp lemon juice added to sour
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
2 cups shredded zucchini
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together margarine, oil and sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla and sour milk and beat until well blended. In a separate bowl, mix together, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves and zucchini. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir until well blended. Spread batter into a greased and floured 9"x13" pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Makes 20 brownies.

Sweet flowers are slow and weeds make haste. ~William Shakespeare

Recipe for
Organic Weed Killer
4 cups of white vinegar (I used pickling vinegar - higher acidity)
1/4 cup table salt
2 teaspoons of dish soap
Mix together and spray in the sunshine. Weeds will start to wilt by the end of the day.



I sprayed the pathways last week and got results so am sharing my recipe. A word of warning though, this spray does not distinguish between weeds and plants or flowers so be aware when you spray.

There have been lots of veg and herbs going to dinner tables from lush lots around the garden and the Kids Garden is growing like mad!

I have ordered another load of water from Wilson Water for this week and of course, Kevin will deliver.

Weeds are nature's graffiti. ~J. Maeditere

This morning I am off to the garden to try an organic weed spray which is a mix of white vinegar, salt and dish soap. It should be applied on a sunny day so I hope the weather co-operates. I will let you know how it works and is I am successful, I will post the receipe.

What did the alien say to the gardener??

Take me to your weeder!! HAHAHA

Gardening requires lots of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. ~L. Erickson

Thank Goodness for the rain. At the end of a very hot and humid week, we are being treated to quite a rainfall, welcome to plants and farmers alike.

We are publishing our first newsletter next week, looks in your email-box for your copy with lots of news, business and recipes for all the vegetables that we are harvesting!

"Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later" ~O. Mandino

Notes from the Garden:Tuesday the 6th

Harvesting the vegetables of our labour! In all the heat and humidity this week, several of our gardeners have been adding to their dinner tables with vegetables from their gardens.

Cathy, Lot 7 picked enough beautiful green beans for supper for herself and her husband, as well as more radishes. She was very pleased and they were delicious!

Tanya has pulled all her radishes - they were getting huge and hugely hot - she's been giving away to co-workers as she has had quite a harvest already. She has the most beautiful marigolds - they are happy growing in that spot and are just huge.

When Carole was at the garden last Saturday, she had a zucchini that was almost ready - she thought she'd come back Sunday to get it. By Sunday night, it had gone postal and was more than ready.

Andrea and Chris have peas that are almost ready!





Notes from the Garden - Friday the 9th
Tanya has a couple of English cucs almost ready.
Carole took her postal zucchini and another nice size one.
Mary took 2 head of romaine and cucs coming along.
Chris took about 4 honeybunch tomatoes (she shared, they were delicious) and 1
cucumber. 3 more cucs will be ready by Sat/Sun.
Cathy (#7) got another harvest of beans and some more radishes and she has
leaf lettuce ready.

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. ~S. Keen

The Kids Garden at the Waterford Community Garden is planted and looking for Junior Farmers. Call Cheryl at 519-443-7987 today!











Despite this recent heat wave, all of the veggies are absolutely beautiful, Lot 12 has the most perfect heads of lettuce.

Generosity, we can't say Thank You enough!

“The way to get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning” ~ Mitch Albom

We just can't say enough wonderful things about the community members and businesses that have helped our first year get growing.

With the generosity of Henry Eising and the assistance of Linda of Eising Greenhouses and Garden Center (519-428-4607 www.eising.ca ) we have a wonderful donation of vegetable plants for the Kids Garden, being run by Cheryl Simon-Murphy of the Waterford Hort Society and enough to spill into the WUC plots being maintained by volunteers to grow produce for the Waterford and District Food Cupboard. Sincere Thanks.

I have also been relying heavily on the expertise and experience of Dave Zeldon (Simcoe Hort Society, Minor Bros, Simcoe Community Garden) who always have quick concise answers that are delivered with a smile, Thanks again.

I will make sure we have a post soon with a list of the donors that have made our first year wonderful.

"There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colours are brighter, the air softer and the morning more fragrant than ever again"

We are recruiting the wanna-be junior farmers in the Waterford area to join Cheryl Murphy-Simon of the Waterford Hort Society for a summer of fun and dirt and friends to discover how our vegetables get on our plates.

Cheryl has lots of space for you to come and get your hands dirty!

Call Cheryl Murphy Simon at 519-443-7987 today for details

"a tiny radish of passionate scarlet, tipped modestly in white" ~ C. Paddleford

Word through the garden vines that Andrea harvested a healthy handful of radishes this week! Chowhound has lots of suggestions for your harvest, from braised radishes to open faced radish sammies and sauteed with shallots and butter, Mmmmmmm.

This is perfect growing weather, lots of heat and humidity and healthy rains so watch your gardens for some home-grown goodness!

"To see things in a seed, that is genius" ~Lao-tzu

When I was in town last week someone told me this story:

"A farmer was sitting in Country Coffee watching a woman working in her plot across the parking lot at the Community Garden. She was watering her plants and he got so frustrated with her technique that he put down his coffee, went over to garden, grabbed a water bottle, poked holes in the bottom and showed her how to water the plants without washing them, or the dirt, away."

I LOVE this story because it is the epitome of why Community Gardens work - these are 2 people who would never have otherwise had any interaction and yet they had a moment, how cool is that.

Chris and I still get soosebumps when we look over this beautiful place and realize what we have made from a conversation in a parking lot last year.

Waterford Community Garden, truly "a place to grow together"

"And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow."~GK Chesterton

Our tanks runneth over, well almost!

Norfolk County has generously donated water to get the garden going for the summer, (this rain can't last forever!!). Kevin Wilson, of Wilson Water (519-443-6806) was just topping up the tanks on the County's behalf when I was at the garden this afternoon and he will generously donate a few additional tanks from Wilson Water after the county offer has run out, what a great community we belong to, goosebumps!

The Garden looks wonderful. All the plants are lush and green and there are really little peppers and tomatoes peeking out, as much as we have complained about the weather, it is a farmers dream.

If you notice the strange box in the back corner, keep an eye on its progress, it is Chris' potato experiment.

Thanks again to all who lugged water back and forth for the past 3 weeks, your patience is appreciated.

"We never know the worth of water until the well is dry"~T. Fuller

To everyone who has been bringing water in jugs from home, thank you for being so patient and understanding!

We have generously been lent 2 very nice water tanks from Kalis Greenhouses {519-443-5151 http://www.kalisgreenhouses.com} for the summer and they should be at the site and filled with water later this week.

It looks like there will be rain tonight so hopefully the plants will get a drink.

Garden Plots Available

We were out at the Waterford Community Garden on Wednesday night to register more new farmers. We have a few left and its not too late to get growing!

If you are interested in a plot for this growing season, please email us at garden@waterforduc.org or call Jenny Rice at 519-443-0758.

Little Community Gardeners WANTED

" We are Planting Seeds for the Future"

With some planning, having a garden can be fun and rewarding, especially for those who are new at it.

The possibility to grow a beautiful garden where you can eat the rewards are endless. Creating a Vegetable garden is fun and easy to grow. With a little hard work and a lot of dedication, the growing season could be simply delicious for you.
Join us in the garden of fun!

Program cost $5.00/child
$3.00 each additional child in family

Meeting Monday and Wednesday 6:30 to 7:30 and Saturday 10-11am

Call to register today:
Waterford Community Garden
Coordinator: Cheryl Murphy Simon 519-443-7987
or email: garden @waterforduc.org

Open May to October 2010

How does your garden grow??

The WCG is conveniently located right beside Country Coffee/Blazin Burgers on Old Hwy 24 in Waterford. The land has been generously donated by Tony Yin for the 2010 growing season.

On a very wet and muddy May 22, a very dedicated group of gardeners came out to the garden site to help measure out plots, erect our handsome sign and spread a lot of mulch (donated by Harold Pepper and Sons Limited 519-426-2246) to make walkways.

It was our first morning of registration and we had gardeners come out and pick their plot locations for the summer and 2 gardens got planted right before the downpour at noon.





We will have a water tank on the site soon for handwatering plots, this is becoming more and ore urgent with this May heatwave.

When you see someone out in the garden, please feel free to stop and ask them what they are growing!!

"a place to grow together"

Welcome to the Waterford Community Garden - a not-for-profit project sponsored by the Outreach Committee of the Waterford United Church, Waterford, Ontario Canada.

Who Are We?
The Outreach Committee of the WUC – is a forward thinking community minded group that raise awareness and fund raise for Mission and Service worldwide and in our own community.
The Waterford Community Garden is a non-profit project that we hope to turn into a community run organization with support from the OC.

Why a Community Garden?

We have a vision of a beautiful garden where like-minded people of every age, background and neighborhood will come together to share experiences, ideas and friendship in the name of growing our own food. We believe that people can become more self sufficient and more healthful through education about what we eat and how to grow it. Growing our own food is the first step in learning other new skills such as cooking with real food and preserving what we grow for winter. Trying something new and living off the land is powerful.

Our garden is plots of land measuring 9' x 12' that growers are assigned for the season and are responsible to take care of. If growers feel that they need more space, they can join 2 or more plots together. Growers must maintain their plot of land and the public garden area immediately surrounding it. Growers are encouraged to grow any annuals they wish – herbs, vegetables, flowers.

There is a nominal fee of $10.00 for each plot to help pay for garden essentials.