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 Bearden UMC Community Garden - Harvest 7/23/26.  On Thursday, my garden friend Carol and I harvested over 40 lbs of green beans, okra, cucumbers, tomatoes, and tromboncino squash. The trombocino, which is in the zuchinni family, was very large (over 6 lbs) and our first squash. Because I had been with the Costa Mission Team, we had missed harvesting it earlier. The four squash plants had gone crazy growing up and out into the path and the fence by the shed. We have several more little trombocino squashes started and ready to harvest soon.   We had lots of large cucumbers, okra, and green beans.  Carol found alot of tomatoes that the excess rain had split.  We found a bee sleeping on a cucumber flower.  The garden plants are growing great with all the rain.  Our church operations and administrative assistant took a picture of our rain gauge last friday and we had 4 inches.  When I checked the rain gauge today we had over 8 inches. God ha...

 Bearden UMC Community Garden - Rain 7/13/26.  God has been watering the garden. This morning, He gave over 2.5 inches of rain.  Yesterday we planted collar greens seeds where we harvested cauliflower and cabbage. With all this rain, God well make then grow.   On Sunday 7/12, He gave us half an inch of rain.  On Saturday 7/11, He gave us an inch of rain. The water from God has good nitrogen to help plants grow. However too much rain will split the tomatoes In addition to watering, I am praying for God to also weed the garden.  Blessings, Leigh

 Bearden UMC Community Garden - Harvest for Giveaway on 7/9 and 7/11/26.  We harvested on Thursday and Saturday for our Saturday Giveaway. We gave away over 50 lbs of potatoes, cucumbers, okra, green beans, tomatoes, yellow squash, garlic, onions, basil, arugula, kale, collards, cauliflower and cabbage greens.  Blessings, Leigh

 Bearden UMC Community Garden - Rain 7/7/26.  Today, God watered the garden 1.25 inches of rain and on Sunday He provide .5 inches of rain. Our new rain gauge is helping to acturately monitor the amount of water. When the high temperature is about 90 degrees, the veggies need 2" of rain a week. When the temperatures are in the 80s, the veggies need 1 " of rain a week.  1.25" of rain shown in the rain gauge. The garden is happy with the rain. We just need to protect the first bed from flooding.  With the heat and the rain, God is helping veggies like cucumbers and okra produce a lot of produce. We picked about 5 pounds of cucumbers, okra, and green beans.  Thanks, Leigh

 Bearden UMC Community Garden - 4th Garden Party 7/4/26. Happy 4th of July. My garden friends and I had a lovely garden party picking cucumbers, okra, green beans, and jalapeno. We picked almost 4 pounds of produce. The cucumbers and okra have been especially happy in the heat.  Two days ago this cucumber was about an inch long and this morning it was hugh. We had about 20 cucumbers that we picked.  We put our harvest in the blessing box and offer some to our cleaning staff. We also watered the garden and weeded. We planted some lemon basil and more sweet potatoes.  Thanks, Leigh

 Bearden UMC Community Garden - Veggies 7/2/26. This week, we have been harvesting veggies, like tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, green beans, turnips, etc.  Today, we harvested 2.6 lbs (1206) of produce and several more pounds on Tuesday. We give away by approaching folks stopping by the blessing box or entering the church.  We put a plate of veggies in the blessing box.  The veggies were collecting in less than twenty minutes from the blessing box.  I met the contractor who collect our food scraps for Knox County. She said we donate about 20 lbs a week. I get even more food scraps in my red compost garbage by the shedd.  I loved the Green Heron logo "Make Dirt, Not Waste". Green Heron is the contractor that collects the food scraps and distributes them to community garden like BattleField Farms. https://greenheroncompost.org/  The veggies are doing well. The okra especially loves the heat.  Thanks, Leigh