Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Visit the Garden

Visit the garden, see how the cucumbers and squash are climbing up the fence...how the tomatoes are growing in their EarthBoxes...watch the corn and bush beans coming up...pull some wild grasses from the pepper and eggplant bed...put fresh water in the birdbath and add bird seed to the feeder tray...check for hungry catepillars on our young plants and if necessary, spray some of the eco-friendly pest spray (follow listed directions) that's kept in the green bin. There's always something that can be done...small or big...little or a lot. Or just visit, sit a spell, enjoy the flowers...it is so peaceful and calm...most of all the plants thrive on our positive energy for they are living things too. Let's invite the entire Jamaat and Community to do this! It's good for the spirit!

July 20

Bro. Hadi cut the grass yesterday and also weed-wacked around the fence...which could use another run-through...all in all looks much better than it did before. Allahumdolillah, got the rain barrels filled with water from Mr. Townsend today also. Hopefully, we can have someone from our Jamaat responsible for doing that using the fire hydrant. My dad's sister is visiting from out of town and she helped me plant one of the small beds that was designated for the children's bed. Cucmbers are climbing the fence and so is the gourd plant (in the squash bed). The squash are getting big too. All are starting to flower...beautiful! Some of the tomatoes are flowering too.

Kareema Shahid

Monday, July 13, 2009

REGULAR MAINTENANCE CHORES TO BE DONE ON REGULAR BASIS:

Grass needs cutting outside as well as inside fenced area (probably best to use a hand mower on inside until we get the whole area covered with mulch) WEED-WACKED around fencing by garden beds, EarthBoxes and along neighbor's fencing side Grass & weeds need pulling from garden beds as part of regular maintenance (they can "choke" out the young plants, stunting their growth) Check plants for unwelcomed bugs and disease Make sure plants get plenty of water on a daily basis until they get bigger Vining plants such as squash, cucumbers, tomatoes & melons should be 'staked-up' as they grow

Update
  • Installed birdbath and birdfeeder
  • Planted 2 vegetable beds
  • Installed 3 more planting boxes
To do's

  • take pictures of some children planting in the Children's Garden Bed for our online album and website.
  • have mulch & compost delivered
  • put up the trellises in the cucumbers and squash beds as well as along the row of EarthBoxes with the tomatoes.
  • two EarthBoxes for Okra which have been rolled out from the back of Sadiq Mosque that need to be picked up ASAP in a truck and brought over
  • Design and make the trash recepticle.
  • Level the parking area, and make the parking lot cinder-block 'fence'.
  • Get some type of signage.