Provident
Living
How to Throw a Garden Party
February may seem a little early to get started, but not for
us. We’ve been called to lead so that
means getting out ahead of the parade of events this year. By starting in February you’ll have time to
prepare an excellent Garden Party for your ward. And, in turn, your ward members will have
time to prepare for a positive and productive gardening experience.
·
Encourage and support self-sufficiency
through gardening
·
Gardening is a life skill - just
like learning to tie your shoes, drive a car or read words from a page. Life skills aren’t meant to be a be-all end-all in and
of themselves, they are knowledge born of experience and practice. . . sometimes LOTS of practice.
·
Life skills are a gateway to greater and greater
achievement & personal fulfillment
We all needs to follow the council of the Prophet and the
Brethren
·
Elder
Robert D. Hales: “ The economic clouds that have long threatened the
world are now fully upon us.”
·
“. . . not coveting the things of the
world . . . using the resources of the earth wisely and not being wasteful,
even in times of plenty.”
·
Allow our
children to learn and practice basic life skills. Work ethic, persistance, cooperation, life cycles, basic garden knowledge, the joy of success born of hard work, family time together, even a better understanding of the parables and lessons of the New Testament can be the result of a true family garden. Oh, and did I mention yummy food?
· A
friend, when asked by a neighbor why he was raising such a huge garden replied, “ I’m not raising a garden,
I’m raising boys.”
·
Julie B
Beck: “Each of us has a
responsibility to try to avoid problems before they happen and to learn to
overcome challenges when they occur.” Gardens are a great way to follow this council.
GARDEN PARTY SET UP:
·
Council
with Bishop/ric, Relief Society Pres., Elder’s Quorum Pres., High Priest Group Leader
·
Prayerfully
coordinate the information and formulate a plan
·
Secure the night for the building - Assume nothing! Specify that class rooms, cultural hall + kitchen will be used.
·
Consider
“experts” in your ward or surrounding wards – make sure they share your vision
of this event and their specific part in it – Meet with them for a thorough
explanation of the assignment and let them know you’ll be checking back again a few times before the presentation to be sure everything is on track. When you check back, ask for specific outline style information. Use encouragement and express gratitude for their efforts. Offer support where you can. Emphasize overall goals and remind them of the need for color and focus. You can’t be everywhere at once but you can make
sure of content and focus.
·
Announce
& Advertise – Relief Society, Quorums – e-mail – Bulletin board, Posters – e-mail reminder 48 hours before -
Everyone is busy, so without enthusiasm on your part your meeting will
not be well attended.
SET UP: You will offer 3 classes 35-40 minutes in length. Participants may choose 2 for the evening. Use a bell to signal the end of class time. Encourage teachers and participants to move quickly between classes to avoid long delays before the next class can start. Having to stay late will cause participants to lose focus and enthrusiasm for the cause.
General meeting areas
– set up with a strong focal point using lots of color
o
Three class
rooms plus main meeting room (Unless you choose to use the main meeting room for a classroom) – bright, interesting, strong focal point –
nothing says “ It’s not that big of a deal” more than a drab, empty room.
o
Prepare give
aways (if you decide to use them).
These can be seeds, simple garden tools, plant starts, anything garden. Keep cost low. Use the “What did (he, she, I) just say?
It’s fun, interactive and keeps interest high and thus learning at a high
level.
o
Cultural
hall for snacking, socializing and further discussions with teachers
SOME POTENTIAL
TOPICS:
There are thousands of websites for every conceivable garden
problem or interest.
How to :
Natural Remedies for the garden:
These sites are just the beginning of
what you can do. The world is at your
fingertips with the internet. Search out
those topics that meet the needs of your unit. Have a great time with it. Gardens are a celebration of God’s gifts to His
children so learn then teach with joy and enthusiasm.
Dig around within
these sites. There are often tasty
little tidbits of information tucked in around the edges of the page. Some have library lists along the side, tabs
at the top or bottom for further information on related topics and even
highlighted topics within the main body of the article.
MORE POTENTIAL CLASS
TOPICS:
1.
Soil –
how do I know what kind I have – what do
I do about it - amendment – compost – fertilizer
2.
Local
– what to plant – when to plant – where to plant – how to plant
3.
Water
– Different systems – understanding individual plant’s watering needs –
conservation – Keeping plants healthy when you can’t be there
4.
Weeds –
local weed board – noxious – beneficial – control methods, natural vs. chemical
5.
Dress the
garden – Flowering plants – use of color – pathways – fencing for plant
support & beauty, etc. This one goes on forever.
6.
Container
gardening – pot size – watering – drainage – where – what actually produces
in a pot -wheels?
7.
Square
foot gardening – Why - How – what to plant – raised beds - (Get a book and go for it J)
8.
Use of
pallets – This is a great site for learning how to turn a pallet into a
patio garden. I’ll be trying this for
sure.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5095287_make-raised-beds-pallets.html - http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/tag/wood-pallet-garden/
http://themicrogardener.com/20-creative-ways-to-upcycle-pallets-in-your-garden/
(super site) numerous possibilities in this one
Anne Powell
shared her knowledge of GMO seeds and plants.
Thanks Ann, plenty to think about!
9.
Plant and
seed selection: Heirloom, Organic,
Conventional, Hybrid and GMO . . . . This would be another super class for expert
and beginner alike.
10.
Reading
the package – Plant and seed selection - using the temperate zone map to
your best advantage etc.
·
David & Cynthia
Wallace taught us about cold framing. Thanks David & Cynthia, it was a great discussion. This topic would make another very
interesting class especially for those of us in cooler parts of the stake. But then again, who doesn’t want fresh
produce in the winter no matter where they live?
·
Go to your browser, click on images then type
cold frame gardening in the search bar. You’ll
see lots of examples of this dandy gardening style.
·
Using your browser, type in cold frame gardening
and follow the various websites to an amazing array of information on the
subject.
·
Jim has drawn a plan for a pioneer style cold
frame that uses horse and/or chicken manure as a heat source. ( What else? We're talking pioneers here. :)
If you can't make out the plan from this blog, e-mail or call and we'll get you a better copy.
This one has been credited with the ability
to withstand temperatures as low as 15 degrees below zero. I know we’re going to try one this year. Who can resist salad makings fresh from the
garden --- in the middle of the winter? mmmmmmmm
Jim Richmond
demonstrated a dandy garden trellis made from 3 - 6’ fence boards (or any scrapS
wood for that matter).
Jim used cedar
because of its ability to take the wet and weather required in a garden. These trellises can be painted for extra
color among the greens or left natural.
The best part is that this handy garden
support folds completely flat for storage.
No need to make yet another place for that growing collection of
gardening paraphernalia.
If you can't get the plan from this blog, just e-mail or call and we'll get a better copy to you.
HANDS-ON: Successful classes will have something
class members can get their hand into or onto as the case may be.
·
Newspaper
growing cups http://www.ehow.com/video_1745_create-seed-starting.html This site is an excellent hands-on for
everyone.
·
Compost
tea bags – A bag made of thin fabric ( old, thin sheets work wonderfully)
filled with compost and tied off with string.
These bags are then suspended in 1-2 gallons of water and set in the sun
for 24-72 hours (stir gently 2-3
times per day – just enough to add oxygen to the water. The bag is then removed (thus the long string
for easy removal) and the water is used for watering plants. Your indoor plants love it! A larger batch for the garden can be made in a
5 gallon bucket by adding a shovel full of compost to the water. As above, let mixture sit in the sun for
24-72 hours, stirring 2-3 times per day to add oxygen. This makes a slurry to pour over outdoor
plants. The bits of compost in the water
will blend into and enrich the soil of your garden.
·
How to: Teach then demonstrate the reasons and uses
for compost
·
have
class members make their own compost tea bags.
o
Have pre-made cloth bags that can hold 1-2 cups
compost.
o
Have class members take a bag and scoop the
appropriate amount of compost into their bag then tie it off with a 2 food length
of string.
·
plant
covers – Early gardens are subject to unforeseen frosts and wind damage. Demonstrate
the use of buckets, milk jugs and other easily accessible coverings for tender
plants. Have class members make one to
meet their needs. Milk jugs: cut bottom out, remove lid then nestle cut
end of jug over the plant and press snugly into dirt to secure against wind
gusts.
·
This and other sites have lots of great hands on
projects. http://www.gardensimply.com/how-to-guides/index.php
(DIY projects for the garden)
WSU Extension
Service - http://extension.wsu.edu/agriculture/plants/Pages/default.aspx
and any other university extension
service in our temperate zone is an excellent resources for garden advice.
Use your local extension office for locale-specific information
and advice. Their mission is to serve your
local area in everything agriculture and home related.
NORTH STAKE:
Washington State University Extension Service
507 Nanum - Suite #2 ,
Ellensburg phone -962-7507
SOUTH STAKE
Washington State University Extension Service
2403 So. 18th Street Suite #100, Union Gap phone 574-1600
End with an
actual garden-style party. This can be a
great opportunity to build a strong social structure for the “Provident Living
Culture” in you ward. Explain that the
teachers from the classes will be available at this time for extra questions
and garden counseling. Encourage
participants to use you as a resource for this year’s gardening questions. Tell them:
If I don’t have the answer, I’m here to help you find the answer. I’m stoked!
This is going to be great!” . . . And mean it J
·
Seating at Tables
·
Tablecloths
·
center pieces
·
refreshment table with centerpiece
·
fruit trays and/or veggie trays
·
Small cakes/cookies
·
ice water with lemon slices
Provident living
means: “ . . . joyfully living
within our means and preparing for the ups and downs of life so that we can be
ready for the rainy-day emergencies when
they come into our lives.”
Robert D. Hales
Focus on the joy of living
providently
NO commiserating on how hard it is, how much work may be involved because. .
.
be.
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