2Hands Urban Garden

Your Gardens

Its another Your Gardens Post this week where 2 Hands members or others inspired by 2 Hands share their gardens.  If your interested in participating, email us at info@elizabethanna.net.  This weeks it's Erin and Jeff's garden:

Erin & Jeff's garden has been extremely productive.  Their crops have included tomatoes, mustard greens, squash, cucumber, and onions.  They have regularly brought and sold their excess to the market.  In addition to this backyard plot, they planted two front beds with an edible landscape including herbs and winter greens. 

Thanks for sharing your garden with us Erin and Jeff!

Your Gardens

Its another "Your Gardens" post where 2 Hands members or others inspired by 2 Hands share their gardens with us. We always want to see new gardens, send us a brief biography of your garden and several pictures to info@elizabethanna.net.

This week its a new 2 Hands member, Meredith, whose garden is located in southwest Fort Worth. 

Here is some information about Meredith's Garden in her own words: 

I live in SW Fort Worth and dug up a 12 x 6 garden plot in my backyard.  I've grown tomatoes, basil, parsley, cilantro, celery, leeks, cucumbers, gourds, a variety of peppers, watermelons, cantaloupes, okra, onions, carrots, green beans, rosemary, mints, chives, lettuce, and radishes.  Some things have been pulled up for harvest or because they were not doing well, but I've had lots of success with my onions, celery, leeks, carrots, basil, peppers, radishes, and cantaloupes.  This is my first year to plant a garden, and I've really enjoyed the experience!

Thanks for sharing your garden with us Meredith!

Your Gardens

Its our 4th post of the "Your Garden" series, where 2 Hands members or others within our community share pictures of their garden with us.    If you would like to share your garden, please contact us at info@elizabethanna.net.

This week we are looking at the Historic Fielder House Garden, an educational garden for 3rd graders in the Arlington ISD.  Excess produce goes to the Arlington Life Shelter.  Susan helps to sustain this garden with other members of the Arlington Organic Garden Club. 

Here is some information about the Historic Fielder Garden in Susan's own words:

     This is the Historic Fielder House garden.  The garden was originally a lawn area inside of the chain link fence.  Star Flowers (no longer in existence) started planting inside the fence back in early 2000-2001.  The Arlington Organic Garden Club members started working with the garden in 2003, a local Boy Scout troop project created the first 3 raised beds.  It has since been passed on to various aogc members, Nancy, Esther, Robbie & Joe then onto me.  Josephine came on board in 2006-2007 and added the butterfly garden which now surrounds the perimeter fence.  Jane is working with the vegetable part now.  There are 4 raised beds (a fourth one was added this winter,) that allow for proper crop rotation as reflected in the book; Four Season Harvest.   
     AISD has all 3rd graders take a field trip to this location and the addition of the garden furthers their education on foods.  This is open year round.  This year has been a bit more challenging with the higher temperatures and lack of rainfall.  This year's corn is from last years seed.  All seeds planted there are organic and/or heirloom seeds to ensure viability for next years planting. 
     Anyone visiting the garden is able to learn what food looks like when it is growing.  It also reflects how planting pollinator plants around your garden is a win win.  I made arugula pesto and took it to the organic garden club of fort worth's meeting. This is to encourage all to grow their own food and that many food plants will grow here year round.

Thanks for sharing this garden with us Susan!

Your Gardens

Its our 3rd installment of the "Your Gardens" series, where we post pictures of gardens either in or inspired by 2Hands:

Ever wonder what an employee's garden looks like?  Here is Agnieszka's (aka Anna), our office manager, garden located in south Fort Worth.  Her garden is a beautiful mix of veggie and flower beds.

Want to know about Agnieszka's Garden?  Here she is in her own words:

This was a wasted land - nothing but open space and weeds just a few months ago. The picture was taken approx. 2 months ago. It looks quite different now! My squash plants exploded trailing everywhere and I had really good squash crops until my dog, Molly, destroyed it. But such is life with dogs. :-) My tomatoes are doing wonderful and are producing profusely. I just put more tomato and some eggplant starts in and I am hoping for the best.  I had a good crop of garlic, tomato and radishes in the spring. Now I am getting ready for the fall crop. And after that I will do cover crops, which will probably be hairy vetch.

My garden is my oasis and I am happy to say that it has also become a wildlife oasis. Just the other day I spotted a tarantula (I also found one in my shower, which was not such a pleasant experience since I am afraid of spider and like to appreciate them from afar). I have regular bird guests visiting, enjoying both the food and water available to them. I have plenty of salvias in my garden and they are irresistable to butterflies. I also have some rue, dill and fennel as butterfly host plants.

My garden is alive and that's what I love about it. 

Thanks for sharing your garden with us Agnieszka!

The Garden Variety Book Club

Our 1st meeting was a blast, thanks to all of those who attended!

Our next book is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.  The FW Public Library has approximately 20 copies!  If you would like to own the book, we suggest you buy it from a local independent book store.  Try Connections (2428 Forest Park FW, 817-923-2320).

Our next meeting is Monday, July 28 at 8:00 at the shoppe.  If you have any questions, please post a comment!

Your Gardens

Its another, "Your Gardens" post.  This week we are taking a look at  Jayna's beautiful garden located in Crowley, (South of Fort Worth).

Here's a little information about Jayna and her garden in her own words:

I am so excited that I got involved with the Two Hands group. It gave me the information and confidence I needed to get started. I bought a home in the fall that already had a garden plot. My friend helped me add all kinds of organic matter to it through the winter and spring. I started a lot of seeds indoors early spring, but only one eggplant survived. I probably started too late on getting things planted outside, but I can see that our hard work is now paying off. We have had zucchini, but some worms got in the stems and both died. As you can see, I have lots of tomatoes - some from AE's organic starts (the gorgeous ones in the barrels) and some from elsewhere. Also notice the potatoes grown in organic straw on the end of the plot. The eggplants seem to be very happy, putting out in clumps of three and four. The Thai basil has finally decide to show out, too.

Thanks for sharing your garden with us Jayna!

Your Gardens

The "Your Gardens" Posts will feature gardens that are a part of or inspired by 2hands.  Check back regularly to view other gardens.  Please feel free to send us information and pictures of your garden at info@elizabethanna.net.

For our 1st post we have James, better known as Twogoats Farm:

Here is a brief bio about Twogoats farm in James' own words:

My wife, 4 old adopted son, and I live on one acre in east FW.  I originally bought 2 goats as pets (and grounds keepers) then looked into making goat cheese, bought some more goats, milking equipment...and got busy with other stuff.

Late last year we lost 3 goats & 2 guinea hens to coyotes - we now have a donkey who hade a baby in Nov. - so we're down to 5 goats and up to to 2 donkeys.

My wife and I have been concerned about the environment for a longtime and have eaten organic and vegetarian (she full-time, me part-time veggie).

Additionally, my grandfather was passionate about gardening and Marti's grandfather owned a small grocery store in Pennsylvania.

So, we have talked about developing a community garden and thought being part of the 2hands group would be good start and good experience, not to mention good food to eat and sell.

Thanks for sharing your garden with us James!

The Garden Variety Book Club

Our 1st Meeting (Please have the book read!) will be on Monday June 30 8:00-9:30 at Elizabeth Anna's Shoppe (2825 8th Ave, Fort Worth).  See you there!  If you have any questions please post a comment.

The Garden Variety Book Club

Two Hands is Starting A Book Club!!

Who:  Started by Beth, Julia, & Michele for all Two Hands Members

What:  A book club that reads and discusses books about gardening, sustainability, environmental philosophy and community.  Our book selections can range from light to serious and will be selected by a different member at each meeting.  Longer books may be split over several sittings. 

When:  Monthly; ~ 1 ½ hours during the evening (Regular meeting dates & time will be discussed at first meeting)

Where:  At the shoppe! (2825 8th Avenue, Fort Worth)

Why:  Reading and discussing "Green" books as a community so that we can share ideas, find solutions, and hold each other accountable as we act to increase the sustainability of our lifestyles and communities.

How:   Our main method of communication will be through the blog so please post questions/comments here.

1st Book:  Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally by Smith & Mackinson

Synopsis:  (From Amazon.com) Over a meal of fish, potatoes, and wild mushrooms foraged outside their cabin in British Columbia, the authors of this charmingly eccentric memoir decide to embark on a year of eating food grown within 100 miles of their Vancouver apartment. Thus begins an exploration of the foodways of the Pacific northwest, along which the authors, both professional writers, learn to can their own vegetables, grow their own herbs, search out local wheat silos and brew jars of blueberry jam.

Available at: 

     1.  Fort Worth Library has 5 copies!

     2.  Not in stock at the big-chained bookstores (Barnes & Noble or Borders).  Must be ordered. May we suggest a local bookstore instead?  Try Connections Book Store!!  Its a local independent bookstore (2416 Forest Park Blvd, 76110; 817-923-2320; Tues.- Sat. 10 am - 6 pm)  Peggy has generously offered to give us a discount if we decide to place a group order.  We'll discuss this option at our first meeting.

We would like a head-count, so please post a comment and tell us if you plan on attending.  Also, any other logistical information about the book club we have failed to mention will be discussed at the first meeting. 

Motivational Photographs

Photographs taken during the Work Days are now available for viewing in the blog album.  They will be worked into the posts in the near future, but will always be available for viewing in the album.  Enjoy!