Featured Gardener - Ida Fleming

Meet Ida Fleming!

I met Ida by way of the Hotchkiss Field Community Garden.  She is one of a handful of consistent residents who maintain the garden with the help of Shalom Farm employees.  Her zest for life is evident to anyone she meets as she is always smiling, interested in learning new things and extremely energetic.   In the garden, Ida doesn't waste time.  She moves swiftly through the aisles watering, pulling weeds and checking on the progress.  She's always happy to talk with curious neighbors and encourages them to join in on the fun!

Tomatoes and Sweet Potatoes

I was ecstatic to learn that Ida had a garden of her own and quickly asked if she would be willing to give me an interview.  To my delight, she was happy to do it and within a week or so, I stepped into a beautiful L-shaped backyard garden for what would be a lovely conversation.   The garden was robust with a variety of tomatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, watermelon, basil, okra, strawberries and beets.  It was anchored by a well manicured lawn which I soon found out was the handy work of Ida's partner in gardening and love, Robert .

Robert & Ida

Robert came out to greet us and chat for a while which was definitely a treat!  The chemistry between he and Ida was instantly evident.  He walked out from the house talking about the day's big news report of President Obama and the First Lady's smooch on the Kiss Cam at the Olympic Exhibition Basketball Game.  In the midst of his replay, Robert swooped Ida around, dipped her and gave her a very presidential smooch of his own.  It was obvious that these two adore one another!

Cherry tomatoes

After our fabulous introduction and a few pictures, Robert retreated inside leaving Ida and I to chat for a while.  We found a seat in the shade and the following was revealed.

Tam: Is there a history of gardening or farming in your family
Ida: Yes, there is a history.  As a young girl, I remember going down to the 17^th St Market with my grandmother and mom to to buy vegetables. I was always excited by the wonderful colors of the various vegetables! 

Tam: How long have you been gardening?
Ida: I’ve been gardening for the past three years with Robert but some years back I actually made my first attempt with one of my girl friends.  At that time the garden was in my backyard.  We didn’t know what we were doing and didn't have much success.  Gardening remained my passion and I later returned to it because the desire was always there.

Tam: What was your motivator to actually get started again?
Ida: I believe that my friend Robert has always had a garden.  He asked if I wanted to participate in maintaining a garden in his yard and I said YES, LET’S GO FOR IT!  Robert was my main motivator, yet, I also recall that there have always been gardeners in my neighborhood.  I would admire my neighbors' gardens and enjoy the vegetables and knowledge that was shared with me.  This really motivated me to get started!

Tam: How do you feel you’ve benefited from the experience of gardening?
Ida:  I’m a naturalist and therefore, I enjoy all things natural especially fresh vegetables, fresh fruit and being in the fresh air.  As I’m working in the garden, I'm getting exercise and ultimately becoming healthier.

Tam: What wisdom or best practices can you share with others who might want to get started?
Ida: Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.  You can use on line resources, read books or magazines and even ask your neighbors for advice or help.  It’s easy and the rewards are just unexplainable.

Tam: What was your motivator to join the community garden at Hotchkiss Field?
Ida: My motivation came from simply having someone that could come in and initiate the garden.  I've wanted a garden of this kind in the neighborhood for many years and about five years ago, I asked about starting one.   It wasn't the right time due to lack of potential space and interest.  When we finally had the green light, there was no question about whether or not I would be involved.

Tam: What challenges have you faced in the garden and how did you overcome them?
Ida: One challenge would be the weather and to overcome that I wear the proper clothing and always have plenty of water.  Bugs are also a challenge and  for this, I wear repellent.  There's nothing I can't overcome because I love what I'm doing and really love being outside.

Tam: Do you share the fruit of your labor with others.
Ida: Yes, I take my things to work in a basket and everyone loves coming to the desk to see what I've brought in.  I also proudly share with my neighbors. 

Ida and I went on to chat about everything from green smoothies to her fall garden which will include, among other things, cabbage, string beans and collard greens.  It turns out that she graduated from the same high school as my mother and knows many of my mother's dearest friends.  As the saying goes "it's a small world".

For the past 20+ years Ida has not consumed beef or pork and the main components of her diet have been fruit, vegetables, fish and poultry.  Due to all that Ida is able to grow, be it with Robert or with the volunteers at the community garden, she rarely has a need to visit a grocery store. She's committed to healthy living which is evident in what she chooses to feed her body, her exercise regimen and joyful spirit.  I always look forward to seeing Ida's smiling face and hearing her jubilant laugh on days that we meet for morning or evening work at the community garden. Her vibrant personality is infectious and her presence is as bright as the shining sun. 

Okra

Beets

I hope that the story of Ida's garden along with the ups and downs occurring in my own backyard will inspire you to grow something (if you don't already). Gardening has shown me what can be accomplished when desire, patience, observation and love are mixed in with good soil, sunshine and rain.

Inspired by TELMORE Gardens #2 - Ms. Gwen

Meet Ms. Gwen, my beautiful mother and biggest supporter.  She will get on board with most things that I'm interested in even when she doesn't fully understand why I'm interested, what I'm doing or where it's going to lead.  Of course she was happy when I started gardening as she knew the fruits of my labor would end up on her dinner table.   I've been surprised, however, at the level of her enthusiasm over the past few years. At this point, anyone that she speaks to regularly or randomly, meets for the first time, happens to bump into in the grocery store and everyone in between knows about my garden.   My mom is known to brag on her only child but she's definitely gone to new levels these days.  During a recent doctor's appointment, she told both the nurse and the doctor about this blog.  When she told me the story, I didn't know whether to be embarrassed or crack up laughing!

After my mom expressed interest in having her own garden and helping me with my community outreach efforts, we made plans to put in a single raised garden box at her house.  During the week of June 25th, we completed installation of a single 4' x 8' raised box filled with a 60/40 mix of topsoil/compost along with peat moss, alfalfa meal and bone meal.  To make watering easiest while ensuring that the water gets straight to the roots, I put in a soaker hose with a simple on/off switch right at the spigot.   The garden includes four heirloom tomato plants, four squash, two cucumber and two watermelon.  There are also a few marigolds in place and other flowers & herbs will be coming soon to attract those much needed beneficial insects.  The bed looks a bit sparse right now but is growing well and we expect it to be overflowing by the end of July.

I volunteer at two community gardens in the City of Richmond, VA and was delighted to have my mom come out for the first combined farm stand and work day at the Hotchkiss Community Garden. She did some watering and also helped with staking tomatoes, filling one of the raised boxes and planting watermelons. After a good day's work, she headed home with a bag of cabbage and other veggies provided by Shalom Farm. Having my mother work up a sweat in support of something that interests me was a great feeling and huge encouragement!

Ms. Gwen grew up in the City of Richmond, VA but her father was from Rocky Mount, NC.  In the summers, she would visit her Carolina family where she vividly remembers her aunt Mary Lee's garden and picking fruit from the various trees in the backyard.  Back in Richmond, there were also neighbors in her Creighton Court community who maintained small gardens which were a necessity in keeping their families fed.  It is heart warming to find Ms. Gwen now tending her own garden so many years following these childhood memories. 

 To have my mother be inspired enough by something that I'm doing to actually get involved herself is a true gift.   As the saying goes, "don't just talk about it, be about it".  I think this is a very fitting way to describe the type of person that my mother is.  If she believes in something, she will get behind it and do whatever she can to help.  I know that this garden will grow beautifully because loving hands will be caring for it and I pray that it will be a blessing to her and others in the community.

I hope that the story of Ms. Gwen's garden along with the ups and downs occurring in my own backyard will inspire you to grow something (if you don't already). Gardening has shown me what can be accomplished when desire, patience, observation and love are mixed in with good soil, sunshine and rain.

In the Garden with Skylar, the Dimpled Darling

I've had the pleasure of knowing Skylar her entire life.  Over the past four years, I've witnessed her grow into an extremely self aware little girl with strong opinions about her likes and dislikes  To my delight, gardening has shown up on her list of likes and current interests!

I can best describe Skylar as an energetic, happy go lucky, night owl with great personal style and the best dimples I've ever seen.  I'm not positive of where her desire to garden came from but it could definitely be in her genetic make up as both her mother and maternal grandmother are gardeners in their own right.  

Skylar's mom Toni was a container gardener in her youth and thought it best to start Skylar off in the same way.  Luckily for us, Skylar was quite pleased with the container and happily announced that she would be growing strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.  Skylar was very excited about planting her garden with Titi (that's me) and took the task quite seriously.  

On a sunny day in May, Skylar planted her container with the assistance of Toni and I.  After Toni prepared the container by making drainage holes and selecting a location for planting, we all pitched in to fill it with soil.  Skylar gently placed each plant in the container starting with her favorite, the strawberries.   We used a dowel rod as a temporary stake for the tomatoes and watered well.

After the planting was complete, Skylar was very happy with her handiwork.  A few days later, while chatting on the phone, Toni & I decided to probe Skylar for information.  This is what Skylar had to say about her garden:

Toni: Why did you want to plant a garden?

Skylar: To eat food and to make the food grow

Toni: What did you plant?

Skylar: Tomatoes, basil, strawberries, cucumbers and peppers

Toni: What are you going to do with your vegetables?

Skylar: Share with mommy, daddy, grandaddy and the whole family.  The family is going to eat squash and the grown ups are going to eat the basil. 

Toni: What are you going to eat?

Skylar: The strawberries and the peppers

Since planting her garden, Skylar has been checking on it regularly and watering as needed.  She's already learned that gardens take time to grow and it will be interesting to see if she has the patience to wait on her harvest.  If all goes well, Skylar will be moving on up to a larger container very soon.  

Inspired by TELMORE Gardens #1 - Millie Jackson

All of a sudden little gardens inspired by my constant garden chatter are planned all around me.  First to actually put her hands in the dirt and plant something is my good friend Millie Jackson.  While the grounds surrounding her home are vast, we agreed that starting small would be best.   Since her Aunt Shirley already had a little place on the side of the house  ready, we started there.  On day one, we worked to prepare the area.  Millie pointed out tea plants that Aunt Shirley was growing under cover of a nearby bush so that we would be sure not to disturb them.  There were other tiny green things growing amongst the weeds which we weren't sure about but pulled up since Aunt Shirley hadn't mentioned planting anything other than tea.

With very little time available, we headed over to a local garden center.   Once we parked, I was easily distracted by everything from the orange Adirondack chairs I've been stalking on line to teal glazed pots.  Millie quickly got me back on track and focused on selecting plants for her garden.  We walked back and forth through the vegetable aisles reading labels while trying to determine which plants to buy and how many.  In the end, we settled on cherry tomatoes, squash, zucchini, red peppers (purchasing one plant each) and one packet of spinach seeds.  For a bit of natural pest control, we also added in basil and marigolds.

On planting day, we mixed two bags of compost into the soil and also spread bone meal in the top layer for added nutrients.  We positioned the potted plants first and after agreeing that we liked the location, dug right in, quickly planting and sowing the seeds.  When we were just about finished, we discovered two little pods that were possibly Lima beans.  Puzzled, we started to wonder if Aunt Shirley had already planted something in this little space.  Millie feeling sure that Aunt Shirley hadn't planted anything but also perplexed about the pods went in the house to ask.  She came out with that "uh oh we're in trouble" look.  It turns out that those little green things we dug up were collard greens AND the pod was a bean AND Aunt Shirley had in fact thrown some seeds into that space at some unknown point.  Aunt Shirley's response to our planting a garden over her existing garden went something like "y'all are not gardeners and don't know the first thing about gardening.... you don't even know what a garden looks like".   She then proceeded to bring out a bottle of wine and instruct us to take a few drinks so we could have an excuse for this snafu.  Thankfully she was laughing and shaking her head the entire time!

I'll be visiting Millie within the next month or so and look forward to seeing her garden's progress.  I hope to find bees bouncing happily between squash flowers, smell the strong fragrance of  vibrant marigolds and sample sweet, bright red, cherry tomatoes.  I'm also expecting to see new green things surfacing in random places due to a slight disturbance by two ladies who know nothing about gardening but everything about friendship.

I hope that the story of Millie's garden along with the ups and downs occurring in my own backyard will inspire you to grow something (if you don't already).   Gardening has shown me what can be accomplished when desire, patience, observation and love are mixed in with good soil, sunshine and rain.