So much garbage!

Carrie, Kyle and I picked up trash on Sunday, February 5. (Dusty the dog observed). I think we gathered up at least four garbage bags full. Yuck! But the garden does look better.  Libby

From Jessica

Sometimes Jessica comments on our Wish List page. Here is one I thought we should post here.

On t.v I hear that we need food to survive but some people don’t have anything to eat so we can make a big difference just go to the (Big Help.com) That is one way to help is to send toys to childrens that don’t have any and can really use some here is a sad story A boy told All I can think about is FOOD I get food but hardly nothing a small rock is bigger than my daily meals.
This boy was skinner than almost a twig we are lucky to have our garden aren’t we.

I am going to start to help Such as donate food I have enough food other kids want to see how it feel to get full of eating so much food some people throw out good food that food could be donated share it with other it will make you feel like you are wonderful person Please try

 

So, that’s the word from Jessica. Please try.

We Pick Up the Award!

Saturday, December 3, was the awards ceremony for the Mayor’s Landscaping Awards. It was held at the Hyatt Regency ballroom, and we got four tickets. We drew names out of a hat and these four won: Olga, Carrie, Moncerratt and Daeshaun. Mike was there being a garden celebrity, so he joined the group that accepted our third place award for community garden in region 1. They did us proud!

community gardener potluck

We attended the community gardener potluck November 16 at the Garfield Park Conservatory sponsored by GreenNet. It was exciting to see how many community gardens there are around the city. They were giving away plants so I picked up a prairie grass and planted it in our flower garden. Libby

We’ve Come a Long Way!

Here we are at the end of our first season. The garden has been put to bed, although there is lettuce still growing and brussels sprouts. We’ve collected a lot seeds for next year, and we’re hoping to enlist a couple of classes at Funston Elementary to help us grow seedlings in the spring.

Anyway, just to wind things up, we thought we’d show you what we started with and what things looked like at the height of the season.

Before

After

And next year, even better!!

Green on McLean is a Winner!

We just heard from the Mayor’s Landscape Awards. We won third place in the Community Garden category for our part of the city! The awards ceremony will be December 3, and four lucky Green on McLean workers will get to go and represent us. We’re thinking of having a drawing. Two kids and two adults who have worked on the garden this season. What do you think?

Clean up for Winter

This Sunday, October 23 there will be a final clean up of the Green on McLean Garden starting at 3pm. (For those of you who have been in on previous emails, that’s an hour earlier than discussed because of the earlier sunset.)

We will be pulling out some (not all) plants, turning soil to rid ourselves of the cucumber beetle eggs, cleaning up, and generally preparing the garden for the coming winter. We’d love any and all help we can get!

Hoping to see you at the Green on McLean Community Garden
Corner of St. Louis and McLean
Sunday, October 23
3pm to whenever

Thanks so much!
Mac

Jessica’s Paper

Jessica wrote this comment on our Wish List page, and I thought it deserved to be posted.

Last month on sptemeber we were talking about 9/11 when the twin towers got destroyed and my teacher said we haved to write something to help the environment and this is what I wrote
In my street there is a community garden and I can Plant flower and fruit and veggies to help the enviornment and also plant trees so that birds and other animals that live on trees have homes
In conclusion in the garden there are amazing workers. And my grade to this paper was an B

This Saturday, Mike and I were in Detroit, getting ready for his high school reunion, when Rep. Luis Arroyo, his aide Danny Santos, and a couple of other helpers arrived in our garden. They started putting up the fencing Rep. Arroyo had arranged to have delivered to us by the city.

Yes, Rep. Arroyo was there himself, working in our garden! He is really a wonderful supporter of what we’re doing in this neighborhood.

Olga was there to greet the guys and they were joined by the crew from 3506. They put the fencing along the alley. We’ll be putting it part way down the St. Louis side of the lot, too.

Thank you again, Rep. Arroyo. And you, too, Danny.

Kathleen

Rep. Luis Arroyo strikes a blow for our community.

Rep. Arroyo and Danny look on as one the guys works at putting a post into our rock hard soil.

aphids aphids aphids

Following up on Mike’s suggestion I went over to the garden today with a bucket of warm soapy water and attempted to wipe off the aphids from the brussel sprout plants. I got three plants in the row closest to St. Louis before I ran out of suds. I also wanted to see how these plants turn out before I try anymore. It’s hard to wipe off the leaves without breaking some of them and I didn’t want to damage the plants.
I also fixed the sign.
Libby