Sunday, February 20, 2011

Church Garden?!?!

Yes, we did it.  Dana and I put together a garden at the church behind the Outlet building.  We want to share what we are doing with others and are considering ways to use it for the Lord!

2/11/2011
We built 4 raised beds that are 4' x 8' each.
Two of them are 10 1/2" deep and two are 7" deep.
That is 128 square feet of space!  Good dirt is expensive, so we were only able to fill two and a half boxes.  I haven't even been gardening a year yet and I haven't grown much, but I've been pretty successful with what I've tried so far.  Dana is more experienced than I and he gave me the book that got me into all this.  We are gonna call it an experimental garden.  This will help us to learn...
  • how to plant
  • when to plant
  • how to train
  • how much each plant can produce
  • how and when to harvest
  • what can/can't take the heat
  • etc.
These things and more will help equip us to answer questions, teach and possibly minister.  The future may have us starting a community garden, large church garden, edible church garden area,outreach gardens(local and/or global) or anything God wants to do with it(if anything).  It is relaxing and satisfying for us to garden and we want to share.

So if anyone has any questions or want to get involved, contact me or leave a comment.

2 comments:

  1. This is AWESOME! How do you make sure 'critters' don't get into the garden and eat it? I know you just started the one at the church, but what about the one at your house?

    How much would 'good dirt' cost for another box?

    I think God will definitely open doors with this experiment. At the very least, many people would like to know how to grow their own veggies to save $$ and also to enjoy eating their own crop. My family has always had fruit trees and love ours, more than the stores. (Eating home grown oranges, right now. :) ) My grandparents also had a pretty good crop of various veggies, including corn on the cob and I have fond memories of picking the veggies for dinner. :)

    I'm excited to watch these grow at the church and you are inspiring me to see what I can do here at home! :)

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  2. Thanks for the comments. Maybe you can teach us some stuff.

    Q - How do you make sure 'critters' don't get into the garden and eat it?
    A - Critters have already gotten in, but we just need their parents to watch them a little more carefully. At home, I put a fence around it when a cat got into it. Once the plants got larger, I took down the fencing and the cat has not been back. We figured that we would take on animal problems as they come. We will put up some fencing if we find any evidence of animals or if children continue to walk in it.

    Q - How much would 'good dirt' cost for another box?
    A - I think we could finish the other 2 boxes with 1 yard of soil which costs $62.99 at Riverside Nursery.

    I don't know how your grandparents planted but raised beds are the way to go. We put weed cloth under them and if any weeds make it into our garden, they will pull right out because of the nice loose soil. One box is the equivalent of a 32 foot long row so it can save you some space too. Maybe Gary will let us get some fruit trees out there some day if enough people get involved.
    Let me know if you need any help or info for your home.

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