TWO Initiatives, ONE Project

Feed Hungry Neighbors, and new this year:

Support Michigan Native Plants Initiatives.

St. Francis Sustainable Garden Projects

Our first garden project provides fresh organic produce and herbs to Foundations Preschool of Ann Arbor (Perry) Families, a program for children of low-income at risk families.

An additional brand new initiative is our Michigan Native Plant Garden,

part of our Sustainability Project.

Donations and volunteers are also welcome.   Come learn about gardening!  Interested? Please contact Erich Jensen at: erichjensen@msn.com or (734-771-8511).

Save the Date Oct 11: St Francis Sustainable Garden Update

Dear All,
 
The rest of the garden was harvested this past Monday.  (Example: ~30 pounds of potatoes and more beans, tomatillos, carrots).  There is only a need to visit the garden for watering )the rain barrels are brimming with water), if needed, for the pole beans in Paul and the young bush beans in Matthew, at this time.  The hoop house may be installed across it and Mark (currently empty) for spinach planting.  Stay tuned for a message from Rose.
 
The fall garden clean up date is targeted for 9 am on Saturday, Oct 11.  (Yes, I know it is a home football game that does not start until 7 pm).  Hope you can make it, as we will be thankful for the additional help.  Let me or Rose know, if you are planning on coming or not.
 
Kind regards,
Erich Jensen

Bounty and Beauty Updates (August 5)

Sustainable Garden Project

St. Francis Sustainable Gardens: Bounty and Beauty Updates.

TWO garden initiatives under ONE sustainable garden project continue to grow at St Francis: (1) Feed Hungry Neighbors AND (2) Embrace Michigan Native Plants.

The “Feed Hungry Neighbors” initiative now in its 14^th summer offers an even wider variety of fresh organic produce and herbs that are shared earlier and later in this season for the Perry Nursery School, a child care center for at-risk children and their families.

This initiative was expanded this year to:

• Cultivate/plant berry plants (e.g., blueberries, red/black raspberries, and huckleberries)
• Use free standing garden containers/bags  to grow more potatoes and peppers
• Install 2^nd rain barrel donated by St Francis girl scout troop
• Rebuild new pole bean trellis, boards for raised beds, and wildlife(e.g., rabbits) barrier fence
• Identify all garden beds with faith based (i.e., scripture) signage (e.g., 4 Gospels)
• Install hoop house on a raised bed to extend growing season for increased food production

The “Embrace Michigan Native Plants” initiative has been ramped up this Spring and Summer to introduce a variety of local plants to beautify the church grounds that also attract butterflies and birds and, additionally, to educate and encourage parish members and school children on native plants use.

This year’s activities for this initiative have included:

• $250 grant award from the Wildflower Association of Michigan for native plants
• Clearing/replanting of the church’s 2 front steps brick planters including the addition of  > 4000 pounds  of fresh top soil and at least 8 types of native perennials, bushes and grasses
• Clearing/planting of the rectory’s sloping backyard beds with more than a dozen types of native perennials, woody ornamentals, and evergreens
• Clearing a large (10 by 25 feet) overgrown school yard raised bed for future native plantings

Check out our sustainable garden blog here for more complete information and photos.

“The Sustainable Gardens” ministry here at St Francis invites all parishioners to view them and welcomes volunteers and donations at any time.  Please contact Master Gardener and Ministry Co-Coordinator, Erich Jensen, 734.771.8511 or erichjensen@msn.com.

St Francis Sustainable Garden Harvest (July 28)

St Francis Sustainable Garden Harvest (July 28)

Here is a photo of today's harvest which is fairly representative of the Monday (Jensens) and Friday (Sherrys) harvests and deliveries to Perry Nursery School over the recent past weeks.
 
The harvest today included:

1. A couple of bunches of beets
2. Several containers of peas
3. Several bunches of carrots
4. Containers of herbs (basil, parsley and dill)
5. Containers of onions
6. A container of yellow peppers
7. A cuke
8. A container of green and wax beans

 
Many thanks to your efforts on weeding and watering and other maintenance tasks for an already productive growing season!
 
Stay tuned!
 
Regards,
Erich Jensen
Master Gardener
Co-coordinator of St Francis Sustainable Gardens

Updates and Events

Dear All,
 
Many thanks to all who helped at the Seed/Plant Sale on May 11 (Sunday), Garden Maintenance on May 17 (Saturday), and the initiation of the watering/weeding routine/schedule.
 
May 11 Seed/Plant Sale (on Mother's Day)
 
A very successful sale occurred a week ago on Sunday with the help of Erich and Ann Marie Jensen, Rose, Patrick, John and Don Sherry, Frank Fazekas, Joan and Bob Meagher, and Katy Derezinski and netted us nearly $280 in sales.  Hot sellers were the basil, tomato and pepper plants donated by Turner's nursery, and a broad selection of native plants like wild columbine, wild ginger, goats beard, autumn joy sedum, wild coral bells, Solomon seal and more from St Francis volunteer gardens.  Seeds donated by Hart Seed AND BBB Seed company were also available. The morning was beautiful, sunny and comfortable, as we set up to catch those leaving 7 am mass and completing/tearing down the display well after the conclusion of the 10:30 am mass and meeting those parishioners arriving for 12:30 pm mass.  Unsold plants have made/are making their way into the gardens.
 
May 17 Garden Maintenance
 

Rose, Patrick and John Sherry and Susan Bass met at the garden on this cool morning at 9:00 to:

• unload compost
• weeding  beds
• finish installing the fencing.
• check out why the rain barrels are filling 

Erich Jensen hand delivered (and assured safe return storage of) the newly "purchased by the parish" wheelbarrow, as the other one, it seems has disappeared, and Tracy Nagy kindly delivered another load of city compost to our garden site.  Many thanks, Tracy.

Planting was postponed because of threat of frost and the coldness of the soil until Thursday May 22nd and or Friday May 23rd. 

 

Overall Gardens Status

 

1. The Main Sustainable Garden (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) are nearly all planted with spinach, sugar snap peas, onions, carrots, beets, potatoes, parsley and garlic sprouting and emerging from the soil.  Several bundles of asparagus have been harvested and delivered to Perry Nursery School.
2. Bramble and Rhubarb Garden (Peter):  All plants have leafy growth and at least 10 bundles of rhubarb have been delivered to Perry Nursery School.  2 white spruce were planted and a holly bush transplanted from the west front church steps planter.
3. Rectory Garden:  Autumn Joy Sedum, Wild Columbine, a Red Bud Sapling, 2 white spruce and 7 red twigged dogwood have been planted and most are thriving.  4 plugs of Indian Grass were added to eventually mask most of the compost bins were also planted.  Part of the garden has already been mulched.
4. Paul Garden (near parish office):  Native plants are thriving, and several more have been added to the east end nursery including Black Eyed Susan, Cardinal Flower, Pennsylvania Sedge, and Ironweed.  Squash and Watermelon seeds have been planted, and the Lemon Thyme plants were moved to the perimeter of the main sustainable garden.
5. Native Plant Bed (near Paul Garden)(needs a name):  This area is still being cleared and needs a bit more attention to remove grass and eventually supplement the entire bed with top soil and/or compost.  Stay tuned for additional needed help.
6. Church Front Steps Planters:  East and West Planters were cleared of holly and hosta plants.  Holly was transplanted to parking lot bed and Peter bed.  Hosta was moved to beds under trees along walkway from main parking lot along the front retaining wall.  2 Red Twigged Dogwood and 1 Blackshaw Viburnum were planted in the east and west planter, respectively.  More plants to come include Purple Coneflower and Black Eyed Susan.  Other native plant ideas are welcome.

 
Miscellaneous
 

1. A colorfully painted rain barrel donated by Amy Gottfried and her St Francis Girl Scout troop was installed along the parish office wall by Glen Gottfried this past week.
2. Donations to date include a variety of supplies and money from Kroger, Meijer, Turner's Nursery, Downtown Home and Garden, Ace Hardware, and the Wildflower Association of Michigan.  Please spread the word and support these local businesses and organizations.

 
Respectfully Submitted,
Erich Jensen
Master Gardener
Co-coordinator St Francis of Assisi Sustainable Gardens

Fwd: CINCO DE MAYO UPDATE: St Francis Sustainable Gardens

Since the Spring Preparation Day of April 26, the following activity has happened:

• The east planter on church front steps was cleared or mulch and plants (I.e., 2 holly bushes were transplanted) and Erich and Ann Marie Jensen hauled 1200 pounds of top soil into the planter.
• Erich Jensen and Rose, Patrick and John Sherry added a new green metal "bunny/animal proof" fence to the internal perimeter of the main sustainable garden.
• The rectory garden has been planted with red twigged dogwood, autumn joy sedum, columbine, white spruce and a red bud.
• The first delivery of 3 bundles of rhubarb and 1 bundle of asparagus was made today (May 5)to Perry Nursery School.
• A lengthwise board (2" by 6" by 10') was replaced on one of the beds within the main sustainable garden.
• Spinach has germinated in the main sustainable garden

 
Regards,
Erich Jensen

UPDATE: St Francis Sustainable Gardens: We Got Started

Dear All,

I would like to personally thank the gardening team of the following volunteers, the biggest work crew yet for spring cleaning:

• Frank Fazekas
• John Sherry 
• Patrick Sherry
• Rose Sherry
• Susan Bass
• Kathryn Wissman
• Julie White
• Joan Meagher
• Mark Gawronski
• Erich Jensen
• Ann Marie Jensen
• John Schommer
• Tracy Nagy

This team of volunteers accomplished the following tasks (selected photos are attached) in just under 2 hours on a sunny, beautifully cool Saturday morning, 26 April 2014, a perfect spring garden cleaning and clearing day:

• Rake/gather the leaves from the interior and exterior perimeters of the main vegetable and herb garden (P.S. Susan Bass additionally pruned/trimmed all "deadwood" from the perennials and herb plants)
• Compost the leaves and other vegetative debris in the city and on site compost bins
• Deliver compost (special kudos to Tracy Nagy) just to left of bramble (and rhubarb) garden
• Edge, weed and de-stone the rectory backyard garden for native Michigan plantings (P.S.  Erich Jensen planted Autumn Joy Sedum (n = 5); white spruce (n = 2) and red twigged dogwood (n = 7) later that day)
• Clear/dig up most of excessive grasses, overgrown plants and buckthorn from the future educational native plant bed located bed uphill and south of Parish Office in the cedars/arborvitae hedge along Winchell Street (John Schommer and Ann Marie and Erich Jensen did this activity on Wednesday afternoon, 23 April 2014)
• Remove mulch from church front step "east" planter (P.S.  Erich and Ann Marie Jensen cleared the remaining mulch and all plants including the transplanting of 2 holly bushes on 29 April 2014)
• Repair of board(s) (i.e., donation from Fingerle Lumber)  for the main vegetable and herb garden
• Plant numerous rows of vegetable seeds in beds for the main vegetable and herb garden (P.S.  The Sherry family has been planting other vegetables; (e.g. spinach and peas have germinated) for several weeks already)
• Receive hoop house hardware from Ace Hardware (special kudos to Joan Meagher for outreach to local merchants) and replacement fencing for the interior of main vegetable and herb garden

Please note that although some individuals were cited specifically above, ALL volunteers worked diligently and completely on ALL tasks, no matter what they were assigned to do.  The results of the garden spring clean up are truly outstanding, and another small corner of the world is ready for crop production and native plant restoration/introductions.

With gratitude and blessings,
Erich Jensen
Co-coordinator, St Francis of Assisi Sustainable Gardens