We were notified that the Bartholomew’s will be visiting the community garden sometime in January. Steve Bartholomew is the son of the founder, Mel Bartholomew. He and his wife, Laura, are the executive directors of the Square Foot Gardening Foundation. They were the first to support the ADA-Compliant venture.
While many gardeners shied away from doing a fall garden, those of us who suffered through the extreme heat are now reaping the rewards of a bountiful harvest. I am very encouraged with the response I have had to some of our previous gardeners intending to return to gardening with us. I have heard from several new gardeners as well. One of my elderly gardeners has put in her request to be the first in our ADA garden area.
I have had a conversation with those who work with veterans, and they are interested in encouraging vets to transition from their military service to a less stressful life through gardening. We are learning more about the benefits of gardening to counteract depression as well. Touching the soil is so important for our well-being.
I sincerely want to thank all the volunteers who have helped not just with gardening, but with our fundraising efforts and other activities that we have been a part of throughout the year. We had so many activities that our class offerings were neglected. We did have a hydroponics class on December 4 given by Robin Smith. We are offering a variety of interesting topics that hopefully will benefit all who attend. Look for some classes in January on our Facebook pages.
Lastly, I would like to thank our board members for all the time and work to make our community garden an attraction to those visiting our beautiful city.
Happy New Year!
