Fall and winter gardens are appreciated by BAUUC community gardeners for several reasons: the weather is cooler, there are fewer insects, and the weeds and grass do not grow as fast. The weather finally turned cool for our workday in November as Jill, David, and I worked on covering some unused beds with tarps. Siok Hong harvested chard and okra. We enjoyed watching the Gulf Fritillaries on the zinnias and Monarchs on the milkweed that she has planted in her bed. In December, George was able to harvest some nice broccoli from his bed. With the aid of a 10 ft. ladder, we picked two large boxes of grapefruit from the tree in front of the church. Siok Hong took them to the ICM food bank.
Check out these great photos from the winter work days!
Our next garden workday will be on the third Saturday, February 18th. We will soon start preparing the spring beds for planting every gardener’s favorite: tomatoes. The race will be on to get them in the ground and producing before the weather gets too hot for them to set.
Several gardeners are also planting herbs, which have the additional benefit of attracting butterflies. Several gardeners welcome volunteers to help with their beds and the donation beds always need tending. Volunteering is a low stress way of learning to garden. Also, the BAUUC Grounds Committee could always use help with mowing and weeding beds on our 14 acre campus. The committee has done a tremendous job with mowing and deserves our thanks.
Blog post & Photos by Nathan V.