Where has the summer gone?

Where has the growing season gone? We have had a wonderful year of production from our two community gardens, and the sweet potatoes are in the process of being harvested over the next couple of weeks. Already, the harvest has been bountiful, thanks in part to Rev. Carter’s planting techniques with the sweet potatoes. He dug trenches and incorporated peat moss into our wonderful compacted urban soil, and the sweet potatoes loved it! Come by and see us.

Also, next Saturday will be our fall cleanup in the 5-block area surrounding our gardens under Clean Valley Council’s Adopt-A-Street program. We’ll start from the Carver Garden at 9:00 am next Saturday (Sep 20th). Also, for those of you who remember, last year on September 22nd, we hosted the Tedeschi Trucks Band for a celebration of Kofi’s Day of Service. Wear your Kofi t-shirt and we’ll celebrate a couple of days early this year. We hope you can join us.

Previously, this summer, we held two seminars at the 8^th & Gilmer garden, one by Miranda Poe on how to make pesto, and one by Betty Shideler on how to make a warm tomato salad.

On July 30^th, Mayor Joe Cobb declared Roanoke a Healthy Heart City at the EnVision Center, together with messages from our own Rev. Carroll Carter and Ms. Amazetta Anderson. They are part of a Healthy Hearts Learning Cooperative (LC), supported by th Virginia Department of Health. The LC has a number of regular members and meets every Wednesday at 2:00 pm.

On the first Tuesday of August, One Valley participated in the National Night Out celebration

organized by the Northwest Neighborhood Environmental Organization (NNEO) and held in Loudon Park. We gave away fresh produce from both of our gardens, as well as two bushels of nectarines donated by Betty Shideler, the Roanoke Area Gleaning Coordinator for the Society of St. Andrew.

After two weather postponements, we finally were able to schedule a tour of the Carver Garden with the YMCA’s BEACON program. They were provided with a history of the garden, a show-and-tell with some of the current growing vegetables and fruits, and details on how a volunteer-run operation works, and the importance of volunteering, even at a young age, as a way to connect with your community and to feel good about helping others.

This month the watermelon are starting to reach maturity, and here, Amazetta and friends are showing off their latest prize, which needed some assistance for transportation.

Last, but not least, please mark your calendar for the following back-to-back events:

·       Fri, Oct 31^st: Halloween at the Carver Garden; 4:30 – 6:00 pm; Carver Garden.

·       Sat, Nov 1^st: One Valley Harvest Celebration; 11:00 – 2:00 pm; Carver Garden.

More information on these events will be coming next month.