young lettuce

Okra flowers and the bees

collards with hoops and  covers

FRUITS OF LABOR

Beets

Offering of eggplant

Fruits of Labor

Sunday Mass in the Gardens

SUNDAY MASS IN THE GARDENS

I drove to NJN this Sunday morning which was unusual. I have rarely gone on a weekend.  But the weather seemed cooler and the sky gray and I thought now is the time to do some serious weeding and tidying up.

 I did manage to neaten the beds in front of Sister Margaret's door and the broccoli, swiss chard and brussell sprout beds.   The circular flower bed needed some weeding as well.  It is always overwhelming and I have visions of a neat and tidy, attractive garden not one cobbled together with whatever happens to be laying around to edge or support or add to it.  I guess that is life, though.  You take what you have and make the most of it.    

watering before placing the cover over hoops
to protect the plants from beetles

Swiss chard

Black and yellow garden spider
Very large and  dramatic

                                                     Black-and-Yellow-Garden-Spider

Butternut squash takes over a number of beds

Beautiful green peppers

SUMMER @ NEW JERUSALEM

JUNE 1, 2012
Planting pole and bush beans

JULY 17, 2012
Beans growing in
the HOT month of JULY in Philadelphia

                       
   




                                             
 

        

AUGUST 2, 2012
BEANS
ready to harvest

                                                                                                

     

       

                                                       

                                                                                                                        

                        

                                                                                                       

                                                       

Early Spring, I'm back

The residents were happy to see that their bulbs survived the mild winter and are blooming.  I really do see it as a metaphor. " J" came up to me and grinned that her flowers had bloomed and some that were planted in the front of the house had been broken off.  Now they were safe in a vase on the communal kitchen table. As she spoke to me her face was glowing and her dark skin shined, it seemed smooth and full of life.  There was definitely something different about her.  I told her how healthy she looked.  She beamed,  "clean for 7 months. "  She had to rush off, she had a meeting.









Lots of preparation work to be done.  Our composters need to be fixed and I need to find someone I can count on to be responsible to turn them daily or at least a few times a week. Soon we can prep the beds.  I am itchy to get back and start to work but not very hopeful that I will get much help.

seasons change

It has been so long since I have posted about my time in the gardens at New Jerusalem.  Since fall brought  cooler weather I have helped plant scallions from thread thin seedlings, tiny cabbage and broccoli plants.  I have helped turned beds and added compost to enrich the soil.  The yard has been cleaned up. As many as possible of the fallen tomatoes were removed from the soil so that next spring we would not find so many volunteer tomato plants.

 

  

                             
                                                    

              In November the residents continued to clean up the grounds. It is a never ending process.

Cleaning up the grounds

Planting spring bulbs 

       

This resident is SO excited to see HER  flowers bloom in the spring.

          A generous horticulturist donated many daffodil bulbs for "us" to plant. Thanks Walt!

When I brought the bags of bulbs into the house the women asked, what are these? garlic, onions, what do you do with them?  A few of them offered to help me plant them before the frost came. It was amazing to see their care given to digging the holes and correctly placing the bulbs.

I too can't wait to see how we will have beautified the grounds and hopefully have an influence on the neighborhood