Bounty Abounds

Days 19-26

So many exciting things have been happening in the garden since I last wrote! Last Thursday, bark was delivered and spread around the perimeter to make a clean cut walking path, and on Friday a small community opening was held to present the garden to Walla Walla's veterans. People from the community college who helped build the fence were thanked as were all the people who helped with the initial planting and weed battle. People seemed very supportive and excited about the garden and amazed about how much it was growing. If only they had seen it about a month ago! As I was uploading more pictures to my laptop this week I came across some of the first few I had taken when I arrived at the garden. All the plants have grown so much. The Healing Ground looks like a jungle compared to its state in mid-June.





On Monday we had our first harvest. Two volunteers joined me as we picked mostly zucchini and a few early cucumbers. I ended up taking 19 pounds to the BMAC warehouse! It doesn't seem like much for a little over a 3400 square foot garden but when the warehouse worker told me 19 pounds I was glowing with pride. The next day we had four vets out in the garden pulling weeds. The most volunteer participation I had seen in the garden I was beaming! I thought a large part of it might have been the fact that a reporter from the local newspaper was there to interview vets who had worked in the garden about their experience, but I didn't even care. They still came out and that was all that mattered! I can't wait for the article to come out so I can read about the vets feelings in The Healing Ground!

In other news, I have been preparing for a presentation about composting that I will be giving as a "Lunch n Learn" lecture in a few weeks. All the staff and patients at the VA are invited to attend and it is going to be a 25 minute presentation with a 5 minute Q&A afterwards. While I am really excited to be sharing my knowledge with other people and giving a presentation that will broadcast the composting program I started, I am so nervous! I have never given a presentation for anything outside of school and I don't want to give anyone the wrong information. I only started teaching myself about composting via the internet a month ago when I began doing gardening research.

Not only am I giving this composting presentation, but my supervisor told me that they are going to apply for an award with my composting program! I will get to help them with that process and if we win we would receive $25,000! Even if the program doesn't win I am still so stoked that the higher ups thought my program was so good that they thought it was worth applying for this award!

The Healing Ground has been shown so much love this week with four out of five days seeing at least two volunteers and two days where we had four at a time! We had a second harvest on Friday of banana peppers, cucumbers, and more zucchini for a grand total of 23 pounds! Many of the guys have told me that this coming Wednesday they will be graduating from the program. It's exciting but hard to see them go. I am going to miss their familiar faces and our bond over the garden. I hope I get to see a graduation while I'm here.

As of last Friday The Healing Ground was seeing it's first ripening tomato! My goal is to be able to harvest some tomatoes before I leave. With how slow they have been turning color it seems like it might not happen but I'm sure that by next week we may have enough to harvest and take to BMAC. I have on zucchini plant who has begun to wilt. I fear the squash borer has invaded it's stems and sucked all the nutrients out. If this is the case we will have to kill the plant but, since it has given the garden some wonderful zucchinis this job won't be as heartbreaking. 

Powdered Gold

Day 18

Things are looking up. We are getting bark spread tomorrow and The Healing Ground's introduction to the veteran community is scheduled for Friday. I want the garden to look it's very best so today I spent most of the afternoon tidying up and collecting the trash that had been sitting around the shed for the past few weeks. The worst part was seeing all the spiders run away as I uprooted their homes and then I kept getting the tingly feeling across my legs like something was crawling up them. I kept looking around only to see my bare skin staring back at me. But, now everything is cleared out and I have spread the mound of dirt that was sitting there before. I moved the wood pallets to the dirt so they are ready to be converted to the compost bin. 

In the garden the zucchini continues to blossom and produce like crazy! Tomatoes are as bushy as ever and the peppers are looking good. The corn is starting to tassel (where the little hairs stick up out of the ears) and since there are only two rows we have to hand pollinate. Without a feather duster or paint brush this is much harder than it sounds. When you tap on the tip of a cornstalk where the pollen is you can see a small yellow cloud rise and ride away on the breeze. You have to somehow train that pollen to go to the little tassels below. The first try I used other stalks and bent them over to reach the hairs. That worked alright but I was worried about snapping the stalks and some of them weren't close enough. Next, I tried snapping off some of the pollen holders and using them as little pollen wands to dust around the tassels. This was some what effective but a lot of the pollen was lost in the snapping off process and then I wasn't sure if it was bad for the plant to have its pollen holders snapped off. The last method (and probably least effective) was I wiped my finger in the pollen that had collected on the leaves then wiped my finer in the tassel. I considered using my hair as a brush but decided against it. I kept wishing I could just collect the dust in my hand and sprinkle it on each tassel like a light garnish but had no idea how to do it. 

A new volunteer has joined the force! I think I now have two regulars. The Farmer is a knowledgeable and talkative guy. He grew up around farming and gardening and enjoyed telling me all about the little tricks his family used. The sign for The Healing Ground was posted today and it all seems to be coming together bit by bit.

I had a conference call with the other Summer VISTAs today and it was really nice to hear what people were doing and that some of them were struggling to find the volunteer support just like me. Some good ideas were tossed around and I regained a little of the fervor that has been taken out of me. I am thinking of getting in with the local VFW and having a little garden party or class there in hopes of reaching out to the larger veteran community in Walla Walla for support.  I sent my supervisor at the VA a letter that will hopefully go in the local paper. It's basically a plea for volunteers. But, in a less desperate sounding way. It would just hurt to see the program die when I leave. Or, even once the summer crop is harvested. 

Compost

Day 17

Not too much to report today. My time in the garden today went by faster with a new visitor vet. We did our best to keep the weeds at bay and the tomatoes contained. They are growing up so fast! New zucchinis are growing and will soon be ready to be picked as well. 

In what seems like a never-ending search for something to decorate the garden with we may be getting bark soon. The rocks created an archaeological problem because they were not native and compromised the integrity of the site but bark should work. I just hope we can get it ASAP because the ground is so dry and could use something to keep in the moisture. 

I have been asked to give an educational info session about composting as a sort of extra since we are going to have a compost bin in our garden. I am really excited about it and have started to make a presentation all about it. I only hope I won't give anyone the wrong information or forget to breathe when I am giving the presentation! 

The day was brought to a close with lettuce. I rode out to Waitsburg (about twenty minutes from Walla Walla) with The Gleaner to pick lettuce. Picking out the lettuce was a much wetter and dirtier than expected. The lettuce had to be washed before we loaded it in the bins so we got a light shower which was welcome relief from the scorching heat. We gleaned 40 pounds in less than two hours! 

Cherry glean tomorrow! This time they are Rainier and Bing cherries!

Fruits of Labor

Days 13-16

Zucchinis have arrived! Today as I was inspecting the squash plants I noticed a long green vegetable poking out from between the blossoms. It was huge! I couldn't believe it. It doesn't seem like it has been long enough for the zucchini to go from the size of my thumb to what looks like something out of the supermarket! There were only two that were ready but each plant has a bouquet of baby zucchinis just waiting to grow up. I have heard that zucchinis are something like the rabbits of the vegetable garden. You end up with so many that you will be offering them to everyone you know just to get rid of the extras.

Over the weekend the tomatoes seemed to have exploded. I had to coax the stems back into the cages that they sprung out of. The two tomato plants that were looking sickly and yellow have gotten their second wind and will hopefully spring back completely. Last Friday I found that some of the tomatoes had been inundated with small black clear winged bugs! To my horror they rested on all of the leaves and stems. They looked like gnats and I had no idea how to get rid of them! I began mass homicide by simply stroking each leaf and rubbing the little bugs off. While everyone enjoys a good bug slaughter I decided to go a different route after a while. I began transplanting the millions of lady bugs hanging out in the corn to my infested tomatoes. When I came back this morning the little black bug population was significantly reduced! Hopefully the lady bugs ate them otherwise they were just a figment of my imagination. 

Not only was a graced with my first garden bounty today but I also got a first hand glimpse at government red tape in action. It is rather frustrating and discouraging that we have been working for three weeks to get river rocks (or some sort of decorative cover) put in the garden. Everyone has to get clearance about so many different things and have all the supervisors sign off on everything. Each supervisor needs a summary of the meetings with all the other supervisors and there is only one person who has "clearance" to take a picture for an I.D. badge. I am beginning to worry that I will leave this garden, it will die due to lack of support and I will have done nothing for this program that is so amazing and has such good intentions! I can not work for the government. 

On a more inspirational note I was told the background story of how The Healing Ground got its name today. In the military there is an area referred to as The Killing Ground. When a service person is on duty, The Killing Ground is the area where he or she is in the most danger. Snipers could be any where. Peril perches on the shoulder of the person in The Killing Ground. I imagine feeling a complete lack of control. Fate is the only thing keeping you alive. However, The Healing Ground is a place of peace, and calm. No threats, you are in control. Choose to sit and look across the garden or decide which weeds to yank. Which tomato looks best for picking. Choose sobriety. Choose serenity. The Healing Ground is dedicated to all veterans. Those who survived and those who died for our country. When the man told me the story behind the name I felt inspired to continue serving. In the hopes that The Healing Ground really does help some one. 

Good Bug, Bad Bug

Days 11 & 12

In the past few days there have been some major developments in the garden. The squash blossom that came out to greet me on Friday has been replaced by a very small squash! One other squash plant has a blossom on it as well. When I looked in to the blossom it had ants crawling all around! I was very concerned and made a mental note to google this disturbing scene when I got back to the office. It turns out the ants are going in the blossoms for the nectar. Sometimes they can even help by spreading pollen from bloom to bloom. I must check for aphids though because apparently that is a common problem on the under sides of squash leaves. 

The cucumber plants are starting to spread out with their tendrils wrapping around anything they can. When I picked up a leaf and noticed there was a tendril wound tightly around a small weed the image of a drunken cucumber plant trying to make it out of the garden without falling over and being unable to get back up sprang to mind. Tomato plants are exploding out of their cages. I discovered that many more of the plants are indeterminant rather than determinant. This is exciting news because it means I can prune them and they will continue to produce up until the end of the season! That means more tomatoes! 

I have begun to worry more about the garden's survival after I leave. With only one really dedicated volunteer, I fear it's demise is imminent! I hope with more classes and the ribbon cutting ceremony for some publicity I will gain some support. I have an interview with the local paper next week and plan on mentioning how the garden needs a solid volunteer base to survive and I would hate to see such an amazing program wither (pun intended). 

I really feel like such a proud parent when I see any new developments in the garden. I don't really do that much but I feel like I am making some sort of difference. 

Construction of the compost bin is slated for Thursday when we will hopefully have all the supplies needed. Until then, the wooden pallets are patiently leaning up against the shed. 

Days 9 & 10

This is why I am so bad at keeping a diary! I just get caught up and forget to write so this post may be really long. I'll try to do better this coming week.

Someone is about as excited about the new compost bin going in at the garden as I am! My one dedicated vet took my suggestion to tell the others about the compost bin I wanted to build for the garden a step further and proposed that compost buckets be put in the dining area and break room the veterans use. I was so surprised and proud of the initiative taken by my lone volunteer. I call him my compost guy. Head of the compost committee. The feeling I got when he told my supervisor and me that we needed two 5 gallon buckets for kitchen waste compost was something akin to a math teacher whose student comes up with his or her own theorem. It was wonderful. I felt so touched.

Anyway, garden progress is as follows:

• All but one tomato plant have fruit. For some reason the plant is a yellow brown color and just looks sad and wilty. I'm not sure how to help it. I put some plant food on it, gave it water and took off the leaves that were touching the ground. Now I can only hope for the best.
• The peppers are flowering and a few have some fruit. A lot of them have started to list heavily so I have put makeshift stakes, made from the nearby dead tree, next to each of them. 
• The carrots are coming up strong despite losing many of their siblings due to the thinning process.
• One of the squash plants had a huge beautiful buttery flower on it. It stayed open for the morning but closed after the sun really came out.
• More pumpkins were planted and a few of the seedlings that have already been planted are coming up. 
• The corn is growing taller. (Probably the least exciting plant in the entire garden in my opinion)
• Out of over ten strawberry plants, one has two berries on it. They are living up to the rumors that strawberries don't produce much in their first year. 
• Cucumbers are starting to spread out but no buds yet. 
• Mulch and rocks will be added soon giving the garden a much more finished look!
• Compost bin scheduled to be done by the end of this week! 

I went on two gleans again this week. A sugar snap pea glean, in a man's backyard garden that is honestly bigger than The Healing Ground, and an apricot glean in the backyard of a foreclosed home. It was incredible how large the man's garden was! He had over 34 tomato plants! He said he planned to donate a lot of his produce to BMAC, had been helping a pregnant woman by giving her produce, and let a family whose house had burned down use some of his space for their own garden. I always think it is wonderful to see that in a time when everyone says that people are only looking out for themselves that people like The Retiree do what they do. I felt the same way in New Orleans during our orientation as I looked around and saw all the volunteers that were willing to spend their breaks helping people they had "no connection" to nearly seven years after the disaster. After picking all the peas we could we got a taste of what potato picking would be like. You take a pitchfork and jam it into the ground around a potato plant then try and pull up the whole thing. If the potatoes don't come up attached to the root, you dive into the dirt and fish around for them. The Retiree made fun of me for how slowly I did it on my first try. I'm excited for potato picking season. I feel like it will be great dirty work!

The apricot glean was less exciting. There were at least ten volunteers ranging in age from maybe 11 to 50 or 60 all working on one tree. The amount of fruit on that tree was astounding! It seemed like it just kept coming and after we were done it was significantly less orange. This upcoming week I am looking forward to building the compost bin and, of course, the Fourth of July!

                                          

My Name is Kristen, and I'm an AmeriCorps Volunteer...

Day 8

My morning started with an AA meeting. I got introduced to the class of veterans who is supposed to be the target audience for the garden. It was surreal to attend an addict's meeting as an observer. It went almost exactly as it happens on television shows. An introduction: "Hi, my name is _(fill in your name)_ and I'm a _(fill in your addiction)_" followed by something like a mix between a murmur and shout as each person's "Hi _(fill in your name)_" blends together. I had no idea what I should say when it came to me. I looked at my supervisor and then back at the rows of veterans looking back at me and said, 

           "Hi, I'm Kristen and I'm an AmeriCorps Volunteer" accompanied by an awkward half wave and smile. 

After the introduction I walked out to the garden and went back to work on the carrots. The weeds that used to cover the entire area where the carrots were are now gone! You can clearly see the rows of baby carrot tops stretch down the width of the garden. I also spent a little bit of time with the tomatoes. As a reward for all my weeding work, I allowed myself to prune three tomato bushes. I had stopped pruning them last week when I found out the ones I had been pruning were determinate tomatoes. 

Now, before I don't know probably Monday, I had no idea you should prune tomatoes. Or that there were two different kinds of tomato plants: Determinate and Indeterminate. Determinate tomato plants have a set number of fruit they will produce. They stop growing once the fruit has been produced and generally bear all of their fruit at once. You don't really want to prune these or I guess you will be taking off potential fruit bearing shoots without really helping the plant at all. 

Indeterminate tomatoes on the other hand, act like vines and will continue producing until the end of the season. These are usually what cherry and salad tomatoes are. I think I am more excited for these guys to start going wild than the others. I like the idea of being so overwhelmed with tomatoes that we still have enough left over to give to the veterans after donating some to the food bank. 

I had one veteran out today. It was his first day and he was very chatty. We weeded between the carrots and it was really nice to have someone new in the garden with me. I told him about the compost bin and he said he would like to help (I'm not quite sure how much of it is caring about the garden and compost though...) and I told him I would love to have his help and that he should bring friends! We will see if I get any more visitors tomorrow. 

In other news, I dropped off four wooden pallets at the garden this afternoon so that we can start work on putting the bin together in a few days. I just need to get some zip ties and we will be on our way. Maybe this project will spark some interest with the veterans and I can give them a little spiel about how compost works and what to put in to it to get the most out of it as quickly as possible. I want to make a little plastic sign for the bin so that people will know what can go in there and what can't. Maybe a group of veterans could be in charge of compost. They could turn it a few times a week and put new things in it.