2014 Activities and Pictures

March 8 - Tree Planting

• 8 Fruit Trees Planted - 4 Plums and 4 Apples

• We got a bit wet but got the job done!

April Job Applications and Interviews

May - Work Starts - Time Sheets !

May 10 - First Work Day

• 3 garden benches built

• 2 trees planted

• Lots of weeding and trimming done!

May 15 - May 17 Garden Preparation

• Mowing

• Sub-soiling

• Rototilling,

May 20 - May 27 Garden Planting

June 5 - Planting done and now time to water and weed!

June 10 - Field trip to the Willamette Valley Food Assistance Program

fOn Tuesday Kathy Chiles, the director of the Willamette Valley Food Assistance Program, gave us a tour of their site off of the Monmouth Cutoff Road. The program was started in 1982 and has over 30 volunteers helping out. The program feeds about 300 families per week and is funded by grants and program members. To be a program member you must meet federal income guidelines for needing assistance. Membership is $42/month and a family can select about $150-200 worth of food per week. Food is donated by the state grocery industry. Food is not wasted and is used entirely by the program. The food is typically non-perishables but supplies of fresh produce are limited and is why fresh produce from our garden is greatly appreciated.

June 19th - Got wood chips down on the paths. Thanks to Polk County Public Works for donating them and loading my truck.

June 22-25 - Straw much, watering, and hauling weeds to the compost pile.

July 1 - First Harvest 7 lbs of produce

July 8 - Second Harvest 28 lbs of Produce

July 11 - Had a great field trip to the Grace Baptist Church garden in Dallas. Their garden produces about 20,000 lbs of food a year to help feed the hungry! They have had the garden since 1996. Four to seven volunteers do all this good work. They do very well with beans, corn, broccoli, cabbage, onions and other fresh produce. We got a good lead on a recipe to take on the cucumber bugs in our garden.

July 15 - Harvest - 125 pounds - Summer squash, herbs, broccoli, greens, radishes

July 19 - The garden is growing well!

July 22 - Open House - Thanks to all for visiting and helping

July 22 - Harvest - 207 pounds - Summer squash, herbs, broccoli, greens, cucumbers, radishes

July 24th - Gardens are looking good and it RAINED so we took the day off!

July 29th - Big harvest! More then 370 pounds - zucchini, patty pan, crook neck, cucumbers, radishes, broccoli, peppers, tomatoes

August 5th Harvest - 540 pounds - zucchini, patty pan, cabbages, crook neck, cucumbers, basil, broccoli, peppers, tomatoes. The back of my pickup is full!.

August 7th and 8th -Six interns did a blueberry picking and fund raising project at the Polk County fair. ALL interns got blue ribbons and are going to state for vegetable and flower exhibits. Thanks Perryhill Farm for the donation!

August 12th - WE HAVE HARVESTED OVER 1 TON OF FOOD THIS SUMMER ... The pickup is full!

August 19th - Picked 840 pounds this week. This would not have been possible without all the hard work from last year's interns.