2Hands Urban Garden

The Garden Variety Book Club

Our 2nd meeting was fun.  Thanks for sharing the melon from your garden, Meredith.  Our next meeting is Tuesday, September 30th at 8:00.  We will discuss "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan.

--Michele

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!

--Michele

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!

--Michele

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!

--Michele

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!

--Michele