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Karen's Column
Hello to all you fellow Square Foot Gardeners ! My name is Karen and Mel has given me the opportunity to periodically do a column giving you an inside look at what is going on at SFG headquarters while Mel is on sabbatical. So, let me begin by introducing myself. I live in Utah, love gardening and help Mel with many different tasks. For example, when you place an order, I’m the one that sends it out to you and when you call the toll-free number, I’m at the other end. One of the most enjoyable aspects of working with the Foundation is the opportunity it gives me to be in contact with YOU ! It is delightful to hear your stories and we’d like to use this column to share some of that with the rest of you, as well as some other gardening thoughts and musings. January 20, 2005
It seems that the weeks are going by so quickly. I hope all of you had a very enjoyable Christmas season and that you received just what you wanted for your next SFG. We were able to fill orders for Santa and so I know that many of you found books, videos, 4’x4’ white vinyl boxes, and tomato towers under your tree !
Several have asked wondering how Mel is doing. I believe he could easily be the busiest man alive and is doing great. He is developing new ideas and is doing a lot of writing. It is fun to see all that is developing.
One of Mel’s grandest goals has been to see SFG spread throughout the world through humanitarian efforts. This is coming to pass at an amazing rate. Recently, we have been in contact with a dear woman who is taking SFG to needy areas of Guatemala . SFG is also spreading quickly throughout Africa and this is exciting to see. We are currently working with a humanitarian group called Reach the Children and are giving them training so they can begin SFG projects as they travel to Kenya in February. The beginning compost operation is already underway there. Just to illustrate what a difference SFG can make, a young woman who was trained last spring is teaching music in Kenya . She saw the great need of the people as she attended church there. Women would come in tears to church leaders and express their desperation for food for their families. Our young friend was able to teach them Square Foot Gardening and working together gardens have been started right on the grounds of the church. The first harvest is just now taking place and instead of tears, these women can go to the gardens and pick what they need. It warms my heart to hear this. And, isn’t life all about serving and helping others ? I am quite passionate about this project in Africa , so I’m sure you’ll be hearing more about it later !
November 8, 2004
It was with reluctance that I watched the first few inches of snow cover up our garden, but it only lasted a day or two and then melted off. How different from other years when I was relieved that the weeds were finally covered. Now, there aren’t any weeds to cover, just some pretty, decorative cabbages that still look so nice I couldn’t pull them up.
Already I’m planning for next year. We have enjoyed taking pictures of every phase of our garden. And, now, at the end of the season, I am beginning a gardening journal where I can record thoughts and notes about this year’s garden and am listing ideas I want to remember for next year. For example, my youngest daughter wanted to grow purple potatoes this year, but we waited too long and couldn’t find any when we were ready to plant. So, we’ll be prepared with purple seed potatoes early next season ! (She loves the idea of purple mashed potatoes.) So, take a few minutes and write down some of your thoughts and plans for your next garden. For those of you who are lucky enough to be in a climate where you are still gardening, keep good notes and records as you go. That will help your garden be even more successful.
Can you imagine the pressure I feel as our favorite gardening guru, Mel, frequently visits our garden ? He is always very encouraging and enthusiastic about what we are doing. I laugh to remember one day, however, when he asked me to get my camera and take a picture of one of my cabbage plants. He had discovered an opportunity to photograph not only cabbage worms munching away but recently laid eggs as well. I can honestly say I’ve never gotten my camera out before for worms ! (Incidentally, our gardening friend, Joy, said to sprinkle baby powder on cabbages to keep away the cabbage moths that lay the eggs that hatch into worms that grow bigger and bigger and bigger as they eat and eat . . . )
October 6, 2004 For the first time in many years, I am reluctant to see our gardening season come to an end. Here, in one of Utah's high mountain valleys, our growing season is short, although we have been able to extend it through using SFG. We often get 4-5 feet of snow that often begins falling in October or November and so it is time to put the garden to bed. Our final harvest is being collected and stored in jars as delicious salsa and, at my husband's request, my grandmother's old recipe for chili sauce. Our fall crop of peas, cabbage and swiss chard continue to grow and do well. We still have large pumpkins ripening while hanging in the air from their vertical frame. I knew that nylon netting was strong, but I had no idea it would really hold up under the weight of huge pumpkins! While out harvesting the garden, I chuckled to myself as I took a protective cage off the lettuce. I was remembering a letter that told of a woman who put a cage over her entire garden box and then put her pet bunnies inside the cage so they could have a veritable feast! She said she realized that most use the cages to keep the critters out, but she wanted her bunnies to have a real treat. So, that gives a whole new meaning to the use of a Square Foot Garden. Mel is making preparations to attend a Montessori Conference in Florida this weekend as the keynote speaker and he will also present several workshops. The hurricanes have subsided there, but we hear it is still raining hard. However, nothing will dampen the spirits of those wonderful and dedicated Montessori people. September 24, 2004
The e-mail and calls just keep coming in. I received a call from a woman, Vivian, who purchased a couple of the white vinyl boxes recently from the web site. Her husband was very reluctant at first, but soon they were both so pleased with the way the boxes looked and with the crops they were growing that she called to order more. Now, the best part of the story concerns her neighbor. His garden was planted weeks before Vivian’s garden went in. Vivian’s plants were soon much bigger and more mature than her neighbor’s and Viv has caught her neighbor looking over the fence at her garden and then back at his own and almost scratching his head in wonderment. What can we say ? SFG triumphs again !!!
We just received an e-mail from a woman in the Channel Islands . She discovered and was reading the SFG web site late at night and realized it was just what she had been looking for. She wrote, “ I would like to get working right now! But, I guess I’ll have to wait until morning !” What great enthusiasm ! Then, there is the woman who expressed her appreciation for SFG and said, “ I’m blind and can easily garden using this method because of the grid. ” Then laughing she said, “ The only problem is that my neighbors think it is strange that I am outside gardening after dark!" September 10, 2004 My husband, Steve, and I are so completely excited about Square Foot Gardening. This year we totally finished converting our entire garden from that old time-consuming single-row method to what we think is a very beautiful SFG. (Check out our garden pictures on the web site under Neighborhood Gardens in Liberty, UTAH, which were taken earlier in the year. Now, it’s a Square Foot jungle out there !) And the best thing is that here it is September and it still looks good, no weeds ! My children have loved a summer of very little weeding. In fact, we have three grown children who are quite upset that when they were growing up they had to spend so much time weeding our old single-row garden while now our three younger children get all the fun and joy of having a Square Foot Garden and miss out on the weeding. I just tell the older kids that, “ If life was fair, horses would ride half the time ! ” I’m sure you would like an update on Mel’s sabbatical and what he is doing. He is getting organized and preparing to begin some new projects. He is trying to discipline himself not to turn on the computer and become involved with all that is happening with our e-mail. He now has to wait for the periodic update and report I give him weekly. It’s exciting to track Mel as his unique creativity begins to flow.
Hope you enjoy this update, let me know and I'll pass on more of the exciting things that keep happening all the time here at SFG HQ. Happy Gardening, Karen Check back with us soon for more updates !!!
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All above names and included material are copyrighted by Mel Bartholomew and any extended use by others except for review, brief descriptions, and credit mentions, must receive prior written permission. Home | What is SFG | How to… | About Us | Testimonies | Catalog | |