What I stand for is what I stand on. —Wendell Berry

So often all we do it talk. We all know how we are going to change the world, yet it seems so few of us truly believe it enough to act. Talk is fun, talk engages the mind, and I am not above talk. I'll be the first to admit I'd rather grab a book or debate with my roommate then grab a shovel or put myself on the political stage. Yet if talk does not lead to picking up a shovel then all we've done is add more carbon to the air. Today I had little choice but to talk and think, as an out of season thunderstorm made its way through St. Petersburg. It kept me inside at my desk drinking homemade Moroccan mint tea and reading on soil amendments, with my window slightly cracked to hear the rain patter. I'm not going to lie, I was a bit relieved that I had a day by my desk rather than in the garden. As much as I love the boys we work with, working with them is one of the greatest challenges I've faced in my life. It is also one of the most rewarding, but that does not change the fact that it remains a challenge. Its kind of reminds me of myths I've encountered around working out or hard labor. There seems to be a myth that you eventually reach a point when the work out or labor comes to you so naturally that it no longer causes strain or resistance. I have never found this to be true, and certainly don't think good work is done without strain. Without strain you are just one of those people who strolls on the treadmill while salivating over the food network playing on the wall. You can get accustomed to it, but the strain and involved in good work never just disappears. Thus, while I am happy to have a rainy day, to support these boys and our garden we all need to remember the work we must put in. Then we wont need so much talk, as a garden full of strong minds and hardy plants says it all.

—Noah Schlager

Sun Flowers at Campbell Park

       This afternoon at Campbell Park elementary, Kip, Noah and I worked with some of the toughest fifth graders on the planet to build space in the garden for the fourth grader's Sunflowers. Some of us worked on building a trench by the back fence long enough to fit a bit over 20 plants. The others helped filter mulch so we could have a layer of it under the flowers before planting them. This is what the trench looked like with mulch and some baby sun flowers below.

        When the trench was built and the filtered mulch was ready, the fourth grade class came out with baby sunflower's in plastic cups. Kip then showed all of us the right or rather great way of planting these flowers from the cups onto the earth. For the first time in a while, I saw our 5th grade gardeners really proud of what they had built, their sense of work rather than leisure was clear because we created a collaborative goal. It is because of days like today that I feel really proud of these guys and of the peace patch, as well as lucky to be part of it all. Nothing like dirty hands for a clean soul. Below I've posted some pictures of the fourth graders and their sunflowers, and another of everybody who was out there today except for Kip who had to take the picture! Thanks Kip, thanks peace patch.

-Luciano A. 

"Resist much, obey little" —Walt Whitman

The Boys at Campbell were as energetic and hectic as usual today. It is hard to get them to focus on anything for very long, but it is really great seeing that, if only by seconds, they are increasing their focus. These kids are wicked smart and not lacking in desire to learn, but it is a challenge to maintain even basic order with them. Any opening  to fool around is taken, any direction questioned. That said, amidst the chaos someone always can recite at least part of what we are trying to get across. There is a bit of a personal challenge in demanding their attention. I respect that they are resisting being molded into perfect pieces, but also there is a practical need for cohesion to get anything done. They do remind me of myself in many ways, as at their age I had a very difficult time focusing on things for very long and was quietly defiant of authority. In a way its a bit like the  itself garden, finding that balance between the wild and the civilized to produce life that is both beautiful and prosperous. 

—Noah M. Schlager

Irrigation!

How lucky are we?  A few weeks ago we had a Garden Volunteer Day and Rob Hoogeveen showed up and asked about our irrigation system (or lack thereof).

Four weeks later and several members of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Florida Irrigation Society showed up with work crews and tools and all the necessary pipes and tubing to install irrigation in our Gardens.

We started bright and early, 8:00 a.m. 

By eleven, the main irrigation line was in the ground and tubing was being stretched through the beds.

Kristin Brett and David Brett did most of the sprinkler installation, poking holes in the tubing and attaching the spray ends.

Ken Bishop from Kenny's Landscape and Lawn Service here in St Pete, did the work at Campbell Park, and Kenny

We are always so grateful for the hard work and generous spirit found in our community.  Thank you volunteers!

Kip Curtis, Ph.D.

Founder and Executive Director

Ohhhh Saturday Workday...

Ohhhh Saturday workday ….

Saturday may not be a day meant for work, but we had so many wonderful volunteers give up their day of play today to work in the gardens.  

Some near, some far            

 Some by bus, some by car                                                                                                                                    

Joining together       

No matter the weather

To let the community know   

 We can all plant a seed and watch it grow 

     

Thank you to all of our dedicated volunteers today (Melanie McCarthy and the Franklin Templeton Group , Elizabeth Herder and the College of Marine Science Team, Orlando Acosta and the Rotary Club, Ron Peters and the group from Northside Baptist ), it is through you that the organization, gardens and kids grow.

If you did not get to join the rewarding work today, or if you want to come back for more, we will be out again October 12!                                                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                                                           

One week in!

Well, we are officially one week into the re-opening phases of the Peace Patch Gardens!  There has been a lot of weed pulling and dirt moving in preparation for planting.  With the schools back in full bloom you can feel the excitement of the kids eagerly waiting to get their hands dirty in the garden.

This has been a really exciting week with volunteers reuniting and new ones joining the gardens.  We have already seen the community efforts coming together.  Today we almost completed the beds at Campbell Park elementary with the help of a local residents compost pile!

It is only a blank canvas now, but it is waiting to be painted with sprouting vegetables, smiling faces and stories of success! The Edible Peace Patch is growing!

- Alita Kane (Intern)

The Rotarians Strike Again! (St. Pete Sunset)

You might recognize some of these characters.  Many of them joined us late last spring and cut bamboo and helped us get some edging on parts of the garden.  This time we had them up at the break of day, 7:00 a.m.  It's time to de-solarize the beds for the school year, taking off the plastic that had cooked our soils and held back weed advance all summer.

We started at 7:00 a.m. sharp and before 9:00 a.m, these hard working community members (some of them with a bit of help from the magic tomato juice they sipped occasionally from the tailgate of one Rotarian's truck) helped us create this:

The work was tedious, we moved soil and pulled weeds and added a compost bin, but the hard work paid off and made this garden ready for the Campbell Park elementary students in the weeks ahead.

The whole gang, cheery and chipper, and smiling despite two solid hours of grinding garden work.  These guys and gals are AWESOME!

Volunteers make our organization hum.  Repeat volunteers are our favorite!  Thank you Rotarians!  Your service work really makes a difference in our community!

Kip Curtis, Ph.D.

Founder and Executive Director

The Edible Peace Patch Project