There’s the good news and there’s the not so good news so we’ll start with the latter.

Sunday morning I arrived at the garden to find the shed doors flapping in the breeze and the big yellow wheelbarrow sitting in the driveway. When I had left Saturday afternoon everything was put away and the shed doors were bolted. Nothing seemed to be missing so I set about building a raised bed to plant the herbs, which had been grown from seed under lights. Brian showed up and between us we sifted a yard of compost, from one of the boxes, and filled up the bed. When I went to plant the herbs I discovered what had been taken. Out of the flat of assorted seedlings there were just 8 plants left, six parsley and two basil, the rest - gone.

Late in the afternoon I noticed what else had been taken. I’d been growing a jet black iris for several years so it could be divided up. It only needs three or four tubers to start a good display in a garden but the whole clump had been ripped out and taken.

I doubt it was one of our volunteers and I’m pretty certain that everyone knows not to dig up plants when I am not there. As anyone can climb the gate and go where they want in the garden, I guess someone was watching what we’re growing and decided that their need was greater than ours.

The second not so good thing is that Colorado beetle eggs have hatched on the potatoes. This morning several plants had the nasty hump-backed larva crawling around chewing chunks out of the leaves. I spent two hours this afternoon
picking off lava and a few adults but it’s a job that now needs doing on a daily basis. With the longest day of the year upon us beetle/lava/egg picking is something that can be done in the evening in necessary.

Now the good stuff: Did we get 500 hours? We did and a lot more. Friday morning, Moeen and Myra planted the tall yellow dahlias along the front of the main building and in the afternoon Kathy did some weeding in the nursery garden. When the day was over we’d gone over the 500 hours.

Saturday morning, Joe and Kirsten between them racked up ten hours de-beetling, grass cutting and generally tidying up. On Monday afternoon Moeen got six hills of corn seed planted in the new block ‘C’ - that’s the big straw pile that was supposed to rot quietly away for used next year but now is going to be covered with beans and squash. With Moeen’s efforts this morning, all the cannas got planted in the corner bed, so, although we’re a couple of weeks late, all the must-do plantings are now done.

As of this evening the total count is 538 volunteer hours. Last year it took until the last week of September to accumulate that number of hours. It really is a quite remarkable effort. Organizations ten times our size can’t get that number of
in-garden volunteer hours in a year far less in just twelve weeks. The week ending last Sunday also set a seven-day record with 77.5 volunteer hours recorded. As a personal milestone - Moeen has just exceeded 100 in-garden hours.

There are still plants and seeds to be planted - maintenance, deadheading, weeding and grass cutting will be with us for ever - and there are all sorts of landscaping projects to be picked at. There is plenty to keep us busy ‘till harvest and the Fall Fair and then it’ll be the usual push to get the gardens prepared and put to bed before the snow flies.

Gardening - don’t you just love it?!

This week it looks like I’m available am and pm weekdays and Saturday and Sunday. If anyone wants to do an evening I’ll try to work it in. If you can make a couple of hours this week please email reply or phone preferably before 8am.

PS: There are still surplus Dahlias if anyone wants them.