BUMCCG

 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...

 Bearden UMC Community Garden - Gleaning Basket 8/4/26.  Yesterday at the Knox County Master Gardener's meeting, I heard a presentation by Pastor Chris Battle about starting the Battlefield Farms (https://battlefieldfarm.org/), which was to help solve the food desert problem in East Knoxville. He also talked about the start of the Knox County Community Gardens and Grower's Alliance (https://knoxgardenalliance.org/), which our community garden is a member of. When he started the farm, they added gleaning baskets to the fences surround the farm to distribute food, which was based on Leviticus 19:9-10. I loved this idea and today added a basket to our fence with a sign about the gleaning basket and placed our harvest in the basket and fence.  The sign says:  GLEANING BASKET at the edge of our field for YOU from the BUMC Community Garden. YOU MATTER! Leviticus 19:9-10 NIV “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather ...

 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

 Bearden UMC Community Garden - Trellis placement 5/2/26. Today, I am very thankful for my strong garden friends, Mike and Dennis, who helped me put up the fencing poles and panels. We will use these panels as trellises for plants like tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, etc. The slide hammer/post driver was very handy to drive the poles into the ground.  After we put up 6 panels in 4 rows, my garden friend helped at the rummage sale.  The tomatoes and pepper are under cover due to the cold temperatures tonight. It was also helpful to have them out of the way while we put up the trellises.  My master gardener friend, Tobi, donated some great organic products to our community garden. She also donated a wheelbarrow to us.  Next week, I hope we can start planting summer vegetable. Our potatoes have started putting out flower buds that we need to pick off to help them put their energy into their roots/new potatoes. I was also able to put several layer of comp...

 Bearden UMC Community Garden - Compost Food Scrap donations 4/30/26.  Today, my garden friend, Jordan stopped by with food scraps for my compost bin. She had been donating to the Knox County food scraps bins and now she is donating directly to our garden by putting in the red garbage bin by the garden shed.  The Knox County Food Scrap bins are located by the guest parking.  My direct food scrap donation go in the red garbage can by the shed.  I also appreciate the coffee team for collecting the coffee grounds in the orange bucket. I empty the bucket into the compost bin about every 2-3 week. I appreciate all the food scrap donations and leaf donations. One day my compost bins will be full and decomposing to make great fuel for the veggies.  Thanks, Leigh

 Bearden UMC Community Garden - Planting seedlings 4/23/26.  One of the big benefit to volunteering at the UT Kitchen gardens is they give use lots of extra seedlings.  During our Thursday workday, Dan and I planted the UT seedings of cauliflower, kale, cabbage, marigolds, calendula, petunias, and tomato.  Our collections of seedling before we planted them today.  Planted a six pack of Cauliflower seedlings in bed #6.  Planted a six pack of Cabbage seedings in bed #2. Planted a six pack of Kale seedling in bed #9. Repotted a tomato seeding into a bigger pot.  We planted the marigold seedlings amoung the sprouted potatoes in bed #1. We planted the white petunias seedings at the front of the potatoes and beans in beds #10 and 11.  We also watered and weeded and added coffee grounds and leaves to the compost bins.  I appreciated Dan's help today. I plan to purchase livestock fencing panels and metal poles to use a trellis similar to what Co...

 Bearden UMC Community Garden - Seedlings 4/21/26 Today, we had some green bean seedling start to appear in bed #10.   We watered bed #10, 11, 1, and 2 to make sure the rest of the seedling come up. We moved the tomato and pepper plant out by bed #3, where we hope to plant them soon. The onion and carrot seedings in bed #4 are doing well.  Worked on another layer of compost in our bins.  The potatoes in bed #1 are looking great.  Thanks, Leigh

 Bearden UMC Community Garden - Water, Weed, Plant Flowers, Compost, etc 4/18/26.  We had beautiful weather for our Saturday morning garden party with my garden friends, Dan, Taylor, Dennis, and Susan. We watered the beds, weeded the paths, planted some flowers, and worked on building up our compost.  The potates bed is looking great We cut up some vegetables from the red garage can.  We got the shredder running and shredded a bunch of leaves and sticks for the compost pile. Making progress on shredding the big pile of leave.  The leaves make a nice carbon layer. Each layer of carbon and greens (or food scraps) need to be watered when setting up your compost pile.  I was able to put in several layers.  We moved the tomatoes and pepper under the shelter because the temperature would drop into the 40's on Saturday night. I appreciated my helpers and God for making our plants grow.  Thanks, Leigh