Community Garden Gets Early Start in 2012
With lots of warm weather surrounding us, and no late freezes in sight, we are way ahead of our normal schedule in the garden. We started tomato seeds in the greenhouse the first week of January and now we have beautiful three foot tall plants with lots of blossoms and even a couple of little tomatoes! We are growing celebrities, early girls and Juliets this year and are hoping for a much better season than in 2011. We also have onions, cabbage and peas planted, and have already harvested and eaten some carrots, turnips and asparagus. And, of course, the pineapple is still alive and hopefully on schedule to produce some actual fruit sometime in the fall of 2013 (no, that’s not a mistake – it takes 2 ½ years to grow a pineapple and we started this time last year). We also have more hop plants coming and hope to produce some Mary Martha Ale this fall with the help of a local home brewer.
Of course we’re not just into eaten', there are lots of flowers and things just to look at as well. The pansies, both in the front entry area and the garden itself, should have another couple of good weeks left, and the iris next to them are just starting to put up flower stalks. These should be spectacular by the middle of April, and coming right behind them will be the day lilies along the fence in the garden. There are over 100 varieties of plants in the garden, and most of them are budding out now and getting ready to bloom over the next month or two. We just LOVE spring in the garden!! Come and enjoy it with us.
The garden, on the south side of the Mary Martha warehouse, is open most mornings until 11:00 or 12:00 depending on the gardeners’ schedules. If the gate is open, the garden is open. But even if the gate is closed and locked, you can go around to the front door (north side) and someone will show you how to enter the garden from inside the warehouse. Or, if you have a group and would like a guided tour at practically any hour of the day, call Fred at 918-519-0579.
HELP!! We have so many little plants to take care of, we need some more experienced gardeners. You don’t have to be an expert, just know a little about gardening and a have a love of growing things. We have a combination lock on the gate, so you can come work at whatever time is convenient to you (there are some lights on the buildings, so you could even do some work later in the evening if you want). Call Fred for an orientation to get started. We need help in all areas: vegetables, flowers, shrubs, and especially trees.
We hope you come see our garden… and stay to work with us. It’s kind of one of those best kept secrets in Bartlesville right now, but we don’t want it to stay that way! We built it to share with others. We grow top quality organic produce you won’t find many places in Bartlesville, and although most of it goes to our own pantry or the Agape Mission, we also share with the volunteers who help out in the garden. We hope you decide to be one of them.
Apr 09, 2012
