Garden Update

The vegetable beds are mostly planted, and will sprout within the next two weeks. This year, thanks to generous donations from community partners Teena’s Pride and Tacology, we have over five different varieties of heirloom tomatoes and heirloom squash. Did you know that touching a tomato plant releases a hormone that stimulates growth? Plus, it just smells good. Come by with the kids to see for yourself.

Garden Clubbers have already tasted fruit from the Jamaican Papaya trees. First report: yum! The banana trees are recovering from a bout of whitefly. The new invasive hurt our first crop, but the trees have all been adopted by SPE families and receive weekly TLC. (THANK YOU SPE FAMILIES!) Since then, four more trees have sprouted banana bunches (a.k.a. hands).

Have you ever dreamed of owning a banana tree? This is your lucky year! Our bananas have been so prolific, we’ve run out of space for the baby trees (a.k.a. pups). We’re holding our first ever “holiday banana tree sale” between Thanksgiving and Winter Break. Stay tuned for details.

We’re always asked by families how they can get involved in the gardens. Here’s a short list of big and small ways to help the garden:

-Donate twist ties, twine, bamboo and toilet paper rolls. We use twist ties and twine to demarcate planting areas and to create trellises. Bamboo has a thousand uses in the garden – from delineating planting zones to creating elaborate trellises. Toilet paper rolls are a handy, economical and a green solution for starting seedlings. Please leave any donations by the garden shed.

-Donate time. Ah, harder to come by, we know. But if there are always opportunities to dig and weed. To get on our email distribution list, please email southpointepta@gmail.com!

-Donate money. A little goes a long way, and is always appreciated!