A New Voice in the ECC Garden Project

My name is Kelsey Swindler, and you will be hearing a lot from me as we continue to follow the ECC vegetable garden. I am (as many from my small town know) a lifelong resident of Wilmington. Usually when I introduce myself, the first question I get is “so which one do you belong to?”—referring, of course, to any of the (many) Swindler men and women that have lived and worked in Wilmington for generations. When I answer that I am, in fact, Phil’s daughter, I usually get a knowing nod, a couple of stories, and a question about how deep to plant a Beefsteak tomato plant.

I am the first to admit I don’t have all the answers. But, having grown up under the umbrella of the Swindler and Sons Florists and Greenhouse, I have naturally picked up some useful knowledge along the way. While still an “amateur” by family standards, many May days toiling in the greenhouses have taught me not only the basics of planting, maintaining, and harvesting vegetables, but also the many benefits that can be reaped from having a personal garden. My grandparents’ generation knew it all along—vegetable gardening is not only practical, but fulfilling. To see a plant from its seedling days to its fruition is remarkable, and guarantees the grower a vegetable that is safe, fresh, and cheap.

By continuing to follow the ECC vegetable garden, and the many others cropping up around town, I hope to learn more about the art to keeping a successful vegetable garden. And by passing along what I have learned, I hope you are inspired to try it out yourself.

As you start your own backyard garden, whether it is your first time or fiftieth, feel free to email any questions you may have to kmswindler@gmail.com. I will research your questions (running them through the Swindler family and other local resources) so that you get a knowledgeable response, and will post useful questions/answers here. And of course, let us know how your own vegetable garden is doing! This is your chance to contribute to the project—whether it is a few tricks you have learned throughout your years of gardening, or pictures of your own harvest.

Garden Update

Except for that near frost on the 17th the weather has been very favorable this week. With the spring crops nearing their harvest time the garden has been getting updated with some warmer weather plants.

Below is an updated picture of the garden with the spring crops. This is the first time I’ve tried using the ‘square foot garden’ approach. All in all I like the layout of the square foot method and think for the small, backyard garden it’s a great way to pack in many different plants into smaller space.

I have planted a dozen ‘4th of July’ tomatoes, an early bloomer, and a load of more basil, of which I cannot get enough.

More Basil...

Ground Broken for Denver Park Demonstration Garden

This past Thursday, May 7^th, a group of nine Clinton County residents broke ground on a demonstration garden planned for the memorial site at J.W. Denver Williams Memorial Park. The group included: Guy, Sandy, Maggie, and Nellie Ashmore, Cynthia Hannah, Ceel Wathen, Dana Williams, Angela Simonson, and Taylor Stuckert.

The proposal for the demonstration garden was approved by the Parks Board on April 13^th. The total area for the plot is 12’x14’ and will feature a rotation of four beds, which includes one raised-bed plot.  

The demonstration garden is in conjunction with the greater community gardens initiative partnered by Energize Clinton County and Wilmington College.

 

The garden will be a way of illustrating both the nutritional and economical benefits of having a small-plot garden. The demonstration garden serves as a way to increase public awareness and provide a valuable educational tool for people of all ages.

The goal is to have a place for teachers to bring students or public workshops to be given that provide a hands-on experience throughout various stages of the process.

The public is encouraged to visit the garden site which will continue to develop over the coming months. The garden is located in the memorial square (with the flag pole) by the volleyball courts.

Home Garden Update

This past weekend we purchased some organic mulch from Swindler and Sons in Wilmington and Purple Ruffle Basil from McCarty Gardens in Sabina. 

We laid the mulch around more developed plants--mostly, the garlic, onions, shallots, turnips, beets, broccoli, and some spinach. The mulch will help mitigate some tedious weeding, and retain moisture in the soil. 

With our last frost date approaching, we have been mending beds on either side of the current Spring bed to prepare for our summer plants. In addition to the obvious tomatoes (and lots of them) that all gardeners grow, we are currently planning on spicy peppers, melons, beans, egg plant, squash, cucumbers, and more. 

Below are some updated pictures of the garden. Stay tuned for more. 

Mulched Garden

Basil and Rhubarb

Demonstration Garden Approved

A proposed plan demonstration garden was approved on Monday, April 30th by the Wilmington City Parks Board.

The purpose of this garden is for public awareness of the accessibility to the nutritional and economical benefits of small-plot gardens. The garden will also serve as an educational tool for various organizations and local school districts.

The proposed plot is to be in the southwest corner of the fenced memorial site that is directly across from the Park Offices. The total area of the site is 51'x50'. The proposed area for the garden is 12'x14'.

The garden is currently being led by a group of the following individuals: Taylor Stuckert, Mark Rembert, Sandy & Guy Ashmore, Ceel Wathen, Chip Tabor, Angela Simonson, Tammy Reed and Hazel Niles.

The garden is in conjunction with the community gardens initiative which involves the following groups: Wilmington College, Energize Clinton County, Clinton County OSU Extension, Swindler & Sons Florist, McCarty Gardens, That Guys Family Farm, Clinton County Master Gardeners, No Child Left Indoors, Sugartree Ministries, Clinton County Regional Planning Commission, Wilmington FFA, among others.

Why people garden

By Mark

Yesterday we attended the first of two Gardening 101 class (the next is on April 21 @ Swindler & Sons) hosted by Phil Swindler (Swindler & Sons), Monty Anderson (Wilmington College) and Tony Nye (Clinton County Extension) had more then 30 people signed up for each class. Its pretty exciting to hear from someone like Phil--who has been in the gardening business his whole life--that there is a new energy building around gardening in Clinton County.

And as Taylor mentioned, gardening is growing nationwide. A recent report from the National Gardening Association found that the number of households planning on growing their own food has increased by 7 million over 2008, an astounding 19% increase.

Without a doubt, saving money is a great reason to garden. The same report found that the average American garden (600 sq ft)–when well maintained–will yield $600 worth of produce on a $70 investment. So while it is no surprise that we are seeing a bump in gardening in corresponding with the economic recession, it may not be as correlated as we think. In fact, only about a third of respondents in the survey said they were motivated to garden because of the recession.

The numbers actually suggest a deeper seeded shift in the way people are looking at the food system. The main reasons given for gardening were:

• 58% – better-tasting food
• 54% – save money on food bills
• 51% – better quality food
• 48% – grow food they know is safe

Looking at these numbers it, appears that gardening may not just be a trend, but may be part of a shift in the people are approaching their relationship to food.

At ECC, we have yet to find any practice that teaches us more lessons about sustainability than gardening. We often find ourselves marveling at all of the important things gardening produces in our lives beyond food and savings: it gives us a reason to spend time outside, it provides time for contemplation, it forces us to appreciate the luxury of having easily accessible food, it keeps us “rooted” in our home and community, it stimulates our senses and our intellects, it helps us understand how we fit into a larger system.

What do you find gardening teaches you about sustainability?

The Small-Plot Backyard Garden

This year, partly due to the recession, we have seen an increase in vegetable gardens nationally, and certainly here, in Clinton County, with the growing Community Gardens initiative taking root. There's even a vegetable garden at the White House--the first of its kind since Eleanor Roosevelt's Victory Garden. 

For those that are of the 'Victory Garden' generation, having backyard or community plots is nothing out of the ordinary. For the generations since, however, it comes as a new concept, or a 'trend.' It is my belief, though, that this trend will lead to a more fundamental shift in our culture as more and more people witness the exponential value of growing produce. 

So as you begin to plant your seeds for 2009, or begin to lay out your plot, remember to enjoy the gardening experience--it is rewarding in so many ways.

Growing vegetables is something just about anyone can do. However, it does require proper care and planning as one quickly learns that a little preparation and planning can go a long way. So how can you plan your garden? Below I've listed a few key tasks that I think are useful to someone starting a backyard garden. 

1) Know your limits. Vegetable gardening is something that does not have to be a full-time job to be successful, but can quickly become so if it's beyond the capacity of the gardener. To ensure the success of your vegetable garden, start small or within your limits, document and evaluate how much commitment you're personally able to provide to the garden, so that each year you can optimize capacity. A nice 4'x4' square foot garden can yield a surprising amount of vegetables, and makes a good starter for the beginning gardener. 

2) Know your yard. Identify a good spot in your yard that will provide at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight. Make sure the spot is clear of trees and is on a level piece of ground for drainage. If there are issues with ground and trees, consider a raised bed or container garden. 

3) Know your produce. Whether you are starting a small garden, or sowing large plots, the layout of your garden should depend on what you want to grow. Plants have different growing seasons, spacing requirements, some have issues with others, and some plants are helpful to others. Especially for organic growth, knowing your plants and their role in the ecosystem of the garden increases your success. So the more you know about the plants you grow, the better. 

The layout of the Home Spring Garden:

Some Pictures of the Home Garden (with square foot grids):

7'x4'

The streaks of light are from cassette-tape film that I webbed around the stakes to scare birds away.


To help, here are some resources that I find useful:

National Gardening Association- National non-profit with great resources for all gardeners.

Ohio State Extension Office -- Clinton County Extension Office 

Square Foot Gardening- Started by Mel Bartholomew and is growing popularity.  

Tim's Square Foot Garden- Blog by gardener Tim Beckman; well-documented and good resource.

Garden Web- Community of Gardeners