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Alliance Meeting 9/22/26

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 Bearden UMC Community Garden - Alliance Meeting 9/22/26. On Tuesday, BUMC hosted the Knox County Community Garden and Grower's Alliance monthly meeting with other coordinators for local community gardens. We were able tell them about establishing our garden and give them a tour of the garden. They were impressed.  Below is our summary of establishment and production that we shared at the meeting.  Bearden United Methodist Community Garden  Summary of Establishment and Production In January 2025, the BUMC Board of Trustees approved the use of an unused playground for creating a Community Garden. The playground is approximately 70’ x 40’s and the side yard was 27’ x 8’.   Because BUMC used the playground for toddler’s Easter Egg Hunt, we could not start converting the playground into garden until after Easter. In April, I met with Rylan Thompson, our Knox County Extension agent over KCMG program. He suggested joining Alliance to be able to use my master ...
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Harvest 9/20/26

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 Bearden UMC Community Garden - Harvest 9/20/26.  We are still harvesting vegetables that we place in the Gleaning Baskets on the garden fence to feed our neighbors. The garden is still growing. With the heat and very little rain, I regularly water the garden.  My volunteer, Carol, is very good at harvesting to place produce in our gleaning basket several times a week. Today Pastor Stephanie had the Children's Sunday School class tour the garden and talk about us been the branches to Christ's vine. I gave her a Sweet Potatoe vine to show the kid's during the childern's sermon.  This week the Knox County Community Garden and Grower's Alliance (https://knoxgardenalliance.org/) will be meeting to tour our garden that they helped us to start.  Blessing, Leigh
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Location: 4407 Knoxville City Greenways, Knoxville, TN 37919, USA
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Giveaway 9/12/26

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 Bearden UMC Community Garden - Giveaway 9/12/26. I am thankful to the volunteers who helped to harvest for our giveaway on Saturday 9/12. We gave away over 40 pounds for produce – okra, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, potatoes, carrots, basil, rosemary, and tromboncino squash. For the giveaway, I made a tromboncino squash and potato parmesan casserole that we gave away samples and the recipes.    Earlier this week, we have planted collard greens in our new raised beds that are covered. Earlier in the week we gave away produce in the gleaning baskets on the garden fence.  Blessings, Leigh
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Location: 4407 Knoxville City Greenways, Knoxville, TN 37919, USA
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New raised beds covered 9/6/26

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 Bearden UMC Community Garden - New raised beds covered 9/6/26.  We covered our new raised beds with hoops and netting to protect kale and collards from cabbage butterfly worms and freezing temperatures in a few months.  We also worked on trimming dead leaves to improve airflow.  We are still harvesting 10-20 pounds of produce every other day and putting it in the gleaning baskets on the garden fence.  Despite the heat, the garden is still looking good. I need to water early in the morning about every 3rd day when wour temperatures are in the 90's.  The Tromboncino squash plant have been very productive.  The bees are happy polinating the vegetable blooms as well as the flowers.  I look forward to next Saturday's harvest and giveaway. Blessings, Leigh
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Location: 4407 Knoxville City Greenways, Knoxville, TN 37919, USA
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New raised bed 8/30/26

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 Bearden UMC Community Garden - New raised bed 8/30/26.  This last week, we built our second raised bed, which is a longer and skinner that the first raised bed. I am thankful for my husband, who help me to build and fill the first few layers.  The first layer is logs and stick, which will help feed the soil for several years and provide good drainage. On Saturday, Dan and I filled the beds from the big pile of compost.  Now that the pile of compost is gone, I can order a free chip drop from a local arborist to layer the pathways to help prevent weeds.  Some of the summer veggies are starting to die off. I planted some cucumber seedlings and clipped back some of the marigolds and used in the compost bins.  Many of veggies are sill growning and producing 10-20 pounds of food every other day for our neighbors.  Our neighbors are usually picking up the produce within a day.  I plan to plant winter vegetables in our new best soon.  Thanks, L...
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Location: 4407 Knoxville City Greenways, Knoxville, TN 37919, USA
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Produce and Pest 8/23/26

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 Bearden UMC Community Garden - Produce and Pest 8/23/26.  We harvested several times this week and put the produce in the gleaning baskets. I had some excitement on Saturday when I discover a baby king snake that I threw into our new raised bed with mulched leaves. I am very thankful to my volunteers, who help me to capture the snake and send it off to the forest this afternoon.  Today, we also did an nice harvest of okra, cucumbers, tomatoes, tromboncino squash, green beans, and peppers.   Last Thursday, we had a great harvest to put in the gleaning baskets. The garden is growing.  We harvested over 23 pounds of cucumbers, okra, green beanks, tromboncino squash, and tomatoes.  The Tromboncino squash is taking over the garden fence next to the building and producing big squash.  I am thankful for the good supply of food scraps on my red can. I need lots of compost for my new raised bed.  I alway check my food scraps before I put into our com...
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Location: 4407 Knoxville City Greenways, Knoxville, TN 37919, USA
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