The Big Garden network is growing!
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The Big Garden welcomed several new gardens this season. Here are 3 new ones in the Omaha area.
Augustana Lutheran church installed 11 new raised beds with the help of local youth at Global Youth Service day in April. Church members and neighbors adopted beds.
St. John AME Church has 7 new raised beds growing tomatoes, peppers and mustard greens among other vegetables. They also have a 20 by 20 foot plot of potatoes. Church members are maintaining the garden and look forward to sharing produce with their neighbors
Hanscom Park United Methodist Church started their Big Garden in May. Church members sent postcards to nearby homes inviting people living near the church to garden with them. The combination of the garden and an adjacent playground make for an attractive addition to the neighborhood.
Stay tuned for our next issue when we will feature some of our rural Big Gardens
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Summer heat affects gardens and gardeners
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It has been one of the hottest and driest summers ever in Nebraska. Big Gardens sites are struggling in the heat. When vegetable plants start wilting, leaves or vegetables become sunburned or foliage turns brown and starts to fall off rapidly, your plants might be suffering from heat stress. Here are a few ideas to help your plants make it through the hottest parts of the year:
* Watering - water plants early in the day, this prevents evaporation, also make sure you water deeply so water gets to the bottom of the roots
* Mulch - a few inches of mulch around the base of your plants will help them conserve moisture and help keep down weeds that compete with vegetables for available water.
* Add compost to the soil to help it retain moisture.
Gardeners need to be careful in the heat too. Don't work in the garden in the hottest part of the day. Drink lots of water and keep the sunscreen handy.
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Sweet corn deliveries help local agencies
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Falls City First and Rulo United Methodist Churches made lots of people in Omaha happy this summer. As in years past, the good folks from these two churches delivered truckloads of freshly picked sweet corn to various food pantries in Omaha. Food pantry clients at Siena Francis House, Together and the Heart Ministry Center enjoyed sweet corn in addition to their usual fare. Thanks to Falls City First and Rulo United Methodist Churches!
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The Big Garden welcomes new staff
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The Big Garden welcomed two new staff members this season. Nathan Morgan started as the Big Garden Director on May 7. A native of Alabama, Nathan has extensive experience working with various non-profit organizations. For several years he coordinated a program that helped small rural public schools build greenhouses and aquaculture units and integrate them into their science curriculum. He also worked for Alabama Arise, an advocacy organization where he organized faith communities to advocate for fairer state policies for Alabama's low-income citizens. Since moving to Nebraska, Nathan has worked as a librarian at Creighton while volunteering in the Big Garden at First United Methodist Church Omaha, where he, his wife Sheri and two daughters are active members.
 Matt Freeman re-joined the Big Garden as Seasonal Operations Manager. Matt served as a Big Garden intern two summers ago and we are lucky to have him back. A successful gardener himself, Matt manages construction activities at all the Big Garden sites and helps coordinate seed and plant distribution during planting season. Matt is a student at UNO majoring in Political Science. |
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Stay tuned for our next issue when we will feature some of our rural Big Gardens.
Keep in touch with the Big Garden:
On the web: www.gardenbig.org
E-mail: nmorgan@bigmuddyumc.org
Like us on Facebook at The Big Garden.
2665 Farnam St. Suite 102
Omaha, NE 68131
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