Updates from the GALFA Interns

In the last couple weeks the GALFA interns have hosted Galaxy Youth and the Ahrens Park Summer Camp. The kids have enjoyed berry picking at Arbor Lake and around the College campus, picking peas and carrots, and planting zucchini.

The apprentices have also been harvesting onions and beets for the last couple Community Meals at Davis Elementary. Yesterday, the onions appeared in enchiladas and the beets were mixed in with a salad.

Jackie and James have continued a strong connection with the MICA food pantry. They recently donated kale and beets and are working on getting MICA a bigger refrigerator in order to hold more fresh produce.

Workday for Plot Holders and Community Members

Sunday, July 10th at 3:00PM - 5:00PM
Purpose: To weed and clean up the garden.

Community Garden plot holders and any community members interested in helping are invited to participate in a common workday. Weeds have encroached on many areas of the garden, including the compost bin, the pathways, and the garden beds themselves. Before the weeds get totally out of hand and begin going to seed, creating even more problems for us next year,this is a chance to clean up the garden.

The workday also provides a time to swap produce between plot holders or to plan to swap produce later in the season. Drinks and snacks will be provided. Please bring your own tools if you have them, but some tools will be available.

Upcoming Tomato Growing Workshop

Mark your calendars! Thursday, June 16^th at 4:30 P.M. is the next Community Garden Workshop.

This workshop, the fourth of the season, will be held to learn how to grow tomatoes and enjoy a plentiful harvest. Tomatoes are many people’s favorite garden vegetable, but there is plenty to learn about how to grow them. Experienced and beginning tomato growers are welcome. Experienced growers will have the chance to offer advice and swap information. The Community Garden is currently growing 9 different varieties of heirloom tomatoes as a demonstration. Topics will include different varieties and types of tomato, seed starting and transplanting, different growing methods, plant care, disease control, and season extension.

Welcome GALFA Apprentices!

Grinnell Area Local Foods Apprentices, James Yox and Jackie Blair, have been hard at work in the Community Garden this week. They hosted Galaxy Youth on Monday morning who got a tour of the garden, picked radishes and onion greens, went on a walk around the lake and planted beans. Later that afternoon, James and Jackie harvested the rest of the radishes and approximately 15-20 heads of lettuce to donate to the MICA food pantry.

On Tuesday morning, the Ahrens Park summer campers came to the garden and painted the cinder blocks around the three demonstration plots. While the kids were busy getting paint all over themselves, they also managed to get some on the blocks and really brighten up the garden. The Apprentices were busy Wednesday morning weeding the demonstration beds, mulching the paths and planting more beans.

James and Jackie are extremely excited to be involved with the Community Garden in every way possible. They recognize the Community Garden’s vital role in the local foods culture of Grinnell and hope to help it flourish throughout the summer.

Donation to increase local food use at Community Meal

On Sunday, May 22nd, Imagine Grinnell received a $500 donation from Hannah Key, the 2011 winner of the Lori Ann Schwab ’95 Prize for Community Service at Grinnell College. Hannah was the coordinator for the Community Meal during her time as a student and she worked to incorporate locally produced foods into the meal as she could during the summer months. As part of the tradition of the Lori Ann Schwab '95 Prize, Hannah donated $500 of her award to Imagine Grinnell, which will coordinate the purchase of local foods for the Community Meal, as well as 'endow' several plots at the Community Garden to produce food for the Meal beginning next year. By using some of the money to grow rather than purchase food, the donation will hopefully be multiplied many times over the course of several growing seasons.

First donation to MICA food pantry

Today I cut 5 heads of lettuce from the garden and dropped them by the MICA food pantry. This is our first donation of year to the pantry! While I know it isn't much and overall we won't have much to donate this year, I am so excited about the possibility of developing a consistent relationship with the pantry and providing more and more produce in future seasons. While the top priority of any food pantry is always to provide calorie-rich foods for families who can't afford groceries, fresh vegetables like lettuce are also very important to provide vitamins, phytonutrients, and fiber. Fresh foods are often the food group low-income families must give up first to stretch their food dollars.

The act of giving away food, especially food that one has grown, is an uplifting practice. If anyone is interested in donating produce from their garden to the MICA food pantry or community meal, please contact me at grinnellcommunitygarden@gmail.com. I can help aggregate produce donations and coordinate pick-up and drop-off.

Donations to garden

Craig Cooper, owner of Bikes To You and Imagine Grinnell board member, donated a large wagon from his shop to the Community Garden today. We will use the wagon frequently to haul tools and equipment between the shed and the garden. Thank you, Craig.

We also received a check last week from Upcycle Products, a rain barrel manufacturer and wholesaler in Illinois, for $200. The money is the fundraising proceeds from Imagine Grinnell's recent Spring Rain Barrel sale, which sold over 115 rain barrels to Grinnell area residents. We will use the proceeds as seed money for more fundraising efforts this summer and fall.

While we are always looking for people willing to volunteer their time at the garden, we are also grateful for any material donations. If we can avoid buying new tools and equipment or soil and mulch, we will.

Our current wish-list for the garden includes:

• high quality top soil or potting soil (for adding to the garden beds and cinder block holes)
• wood mulch (for the pathways)
• grass clippings (for mulching in beds)
• harvest knives
• long-handled diamond hoe or collinear hoe
• grub hoe
• use of a rototiller to edge around the garden