Scott Ducott, chair of the steering committee for the Community Garden at St. Nick's, died August 8th at Pine Point beach. He will be fondly remembered for his warm smile and open spirit. He is already dearly missed. A service giving thanks for his life will be held Saturday, September 19th at St. Nick's church. |
The Higgins Beach Association recently held a 'welcome back' supper for its members, a time to catch up on what's been happening here and away. The annual event included a silent auction for which members of the neighborhood association collected great prizes from local artists and businesses. With good-natured and spirited bidding, members of the HBA raised a very generous donation for Project GRACE. While much of the gift is designated for fuel assistance, a portion of the gift will be used to help the Community Garden grow. Thank you, neighbors!
We've had good luck with the weather to get our first seeds to sprout - and soon we'll be thinning the lettuces and kale. Look along the fence, the first beans are coming up, too.
Terry Reimer (Episcopal Diocese of Maine) and Ellen Parenteau (Scarborough Food Pantry) get ready to cut the ribbon!
We are grateful to all who joined us, and the Cumberland County Master Gardeners, for our first-ever Community Garden Work Day on Saturday, May 2nd. Nearly 30 volunteers helped us to get so much done! We planted early seeds and seedlings, created paths and planting areas, pruned and cleared brush, removed stones from the soil, made plant markers and plant pots, organized the tool shed, nourished the children's garden, and tended the St. Nick's meditation and perennial gardens. AND we moved 8 yards of loam, too! We thank all the volunteers for their hard work and generous spirits, and hope they enjoyed the day as much as we did.
Please join us for the
Scarborough Community Garden Dedication Ceremony & Open House 11:00 a.m. Sunday, May 31st St. Nicholas Episcopal Church 350 US Route One, Scarborough We hope you will join us in the garden on May 31st for a few words of welcome, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and light refreshments. At 11:15 St. Nick’s Vicar, the Reverend David S. Heald, will offer a blessing and dedication of the garden. All are welcome. Hosted by: friends of St. Nick’s and the Scarborough Community Garden Steering Committee Scott and Jane Ducott/St. Nick’s, Pam Hillman, Bill Nixon, Elizabeth Richter/Scarborough Garden Club, Kathy Sparda/St. Max, Steffi Cox/Project GRACE, Roger Doiron/Kitchen Gardeners International, ChrisTaylor. RSVP appreciated: 883-9437 or 883-5111 or online. Ron Forest and Sons Co. installed our garden gate and fence today! They built it sturdy and strong so the fence can act as a trellis to support climbing plants, helping to maximize growing space.
The Cumberland County Master Gardeners will be helping us plant the garden on Saturday, May 2nd (9:00 - Noon). We're looking forward to having their help and expertise...and you are welcome to join us! Join our email list to stay in touch (the garden's email list is maintained by Project GRACE). Tasks for the day include: planting early seeds and seedlings, creating paths and planting areas, pruning and clearing of brush, removing stones from the soil, making plant markers and garden signs, organizing the tool shed and setting up communication station.
Please bring your own: hand cultivators, pruning shears, sunscreen, hat, work gloves, sturdy shoes or boots, rain gear in case of inclement weather. We have a pretty good idea about what we want to plant...what we may be successful growing. But we also wanted to know what our neighbors would like us to grow. So we polled patrons of the Scarborough Food Pantry to tell us which veggies were their family's favorites, and which were often too expensive to buy. Many asked for tomatoes, beets, and green beans. Also lettuces and salad greens, herbs, and carrots. The Steering Committee is developing a plan for planting sequential, dense plantings and to focus on easy to grow and high yield vegetables and herbs for the first season. Crops that most closely fit the bill include: peas, lettuces, green and yellow beans, summer and fall squashes, tomatoes and peppers, spinach, Swiss chard, kale, spring onions, herbs (basil, thyme, parsley, cilantro, oregano, dill, etc.), as well as beets and carrots.
Our wish list includes:
-- tools in very good condition (spade, shovel, hoe, dirt rake, pitchfork, hand tools) -- watering can -- rain barrel -- composter (we'd love one that spins!) -- 5 or 6 bales of straw -- wooden garden shed -- seedlings and seeds -- hardware gift certificates for supplies We're happy to report that several youth and children's groups have stepped forward with offers to help us plant and tend and harvest the garden! Thank you, Sandpiper Children's Center, St. Max Youth Ministry, Scarborough honor society, Holy Mackerels Youth Group of St. Nick's, Scarborough girl scouts, to name just a few! Spending time outdoors and in natural environments is good for kids: from simple joy to reducing stress to improving cognitive function and motor skills. It's also good for them to know where their food comes from, and how they can play important roles of helping in their community, too. (>>More)
The following summary from our friends at the Maine Cooperative Extension Service / Maine Master Gardeners shows how necessary and impactful our own gardening effort will be! The goal for our garden is an ambitious 800-1,000 pounds of fresh produce for our neighbors. Maine Harvest for Hunger - 2014 Summary
Food insecurity in Maine continues to be a significant reality for many Mainers. According to the Feeding America, 206,000 Maine citizens or 15.5% of the population experienced some form of food insecurity in 2012; a 50% increase in the number of Mainers facing hunger since 2004. What is striking is that thirty-six percent of food insecure Mainers do not qualify for food stamps or other government programs and therefore must rely on charity to have enough to eat. Historically, diet quality was not an important component of food security. However, the obesity and chronic health issues currently plaguing the country has resulted in a national rethinking of the value of a calorie. Perhaps energy-dense yet nutrient poor calories shouldn't be the default offerings at food pantries and other emergency food outlets. In response, Feeding America, the national umbrella organization for all food banks aims to increase its distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables from zero pounds twenty years ago to 1.5 billion pounds by 2016. The Maine Harvest for Hunger program is making a significant contribution to this goal. Since its inception in 1999, over 1.8 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables have been donated via our program to food pantries, soup kitchens and directly to people without access to fresh produce. 2014 was our most successful year yet - 240,937 pounds of fresh produce were donated to 104 organizations from York to Piscataquis involving 304 volunteers and thousands of hours of volunteer time. According to Feeding America, one meal is equal to 1.2 pounds of food, so, in 2014 Maine Harvest for Hunger single-handedly provided enough food for 200,438 meals. SOURCE:University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Maine Master Gardeners, Harvest for Hunger Project We extend our appreciation to all supporters of the garden, and especially to our very first funders, whose gifts make it possible for our dreams and ideas to take root and grow. Thank you!
Episcopal Diocese of Maine Highland Avenue Greenhouse & Farm Market Katahdin Trust Cumberland County Master Gardeners Kitchen Gardeners International R J Grondin & Sons Coastline Irrigation Scott & Jane Ducott St. Nicholas Episcopal Church Project GRACE Thanks to our good friends at R J Grondin and Sons and Coastline Irrigation, we have a garden!
R J Grondin & Sons volunteered time and materials to dig the plot and turn the earth and level the plot just before Thanksgiving. Coastline Irrigation installed a fully automated irrigation system which is expandable as needed. A rain gauge is also part of the system, so that it won’t water when raining. This phase of the garden was generously funded by a grant from the Episcopal Diocese of Maine. Volunteer, Chris Taylor, spread the greensand on the garden and raked it in this morning. And got it done before the snow storm! What's greensand? Greensand fertilizer is a mineral called glauconite which has been used since the eighteenth century as a soil amendment and slow-releasing fertilizer (0-0-3). Found on the ocean floor and mined for use as an organic fertilizer and soil conditioner, it helps improve soil texture and enriching the nutrient content without using harsh chemicals which can burn tender roots. Greensand comes from sandy rock or sediment containing a high percentage of the mineral glauconite (greenish-black to blue-green). One of the best organic sources of potassium, greensand also contains potash, magnesium, iron, silica and can contain as many as 30 other trace minerals. It improves plant health in general and is also be used to loosen heavy, clay soils, which increases drainage and allows oxygen into the soil. It will also improve the moisture retention of sandy soils. Highland Avenue Greenhouse & Farm Market is hosting their 3rd annual Pumpkin Festival on Saturday, October 18th. The festival is fast becoming one of Scarborough's favorite Fall traditions. With games, refreshments, pony rides and much more - the festival is family-friendly fun for all ages. This year, proceeds from the event will benefit Project GRACE, and the nonprofit group will use the gift to support the Scarborough Community Garden! |
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