Hello Gardeners,

And, a Great Big Thank You for everyone who has sent in donations to help us get this garden going. We have no idea when the grant funds will be released by the State, but we are confident that they will eventually release it. However, we don’t want to wait any longer. So, I am releasing the plot adoption contract, and the garden rules and expectations here on The Cullowhee Community Garden Blog.

Yes! The adoption process is now open and plots will be made available as soon as we are able to acquire some basic tools, equipment and supplies. The full budgetary procurement will follow once the grant funds are in our account.

For an application to join The Cullowhee Community Garden, please email me at bigelownc@gmail.com and I will send a copy of the application, along with some other documents. You can then send the completed application back to me via email, or you can print it, fill it out and send it to me at: Cullowhee Community Garden C/O Adam Bigelow 284 Keener St Sylva, NC 28779

Again, there is no fee for adopting a plot in our garden. Gardeners will agree to donate approximately half of their produce to The Community Table of Sylva, as well as to other organizations or people in need. Our aim is to provide space, tools, materials and assistance to members of our community while providing fresh, local, organic produce to our neighbors in need and to the organizations that serve them.  Truly, a win-win for everyone.

Gardeners will need to provide their own seeds, plants or starts for their own plots. However, often we in the Sylva Community Garden are blessed by donations of plant starts, seeds, and perennial plants from this great community that we live in. In the future, we will be growing some of our own plant starts, and a saving/collecting seed from our and other’s gardens. Locally adapted seeds, heirlooms passed down through families, and open-pollinated seeds will perform the best in our gardens. As we grow from year to year, we may be able to have our own collection of local seeds with local genetic provenance and adaptations.

While the window is slowly closing on being able to get in a Fall garden, there is still time to grow lettuces, winter greens like kale and collards, plant garlic, and to prepare your beds for overwintering and Spring planting. But, the window is closing, so lets not wait.

Please email me with any questions or concerns, and get your applications in as soon as you can. Thank You again to all that have donated to The Cullowhee Community Garden, and please feel free to send in monetary donations along with your applications. We need all the help that we can get, and appreciate it greatly!

LET'S GET GROWING!

Hello Gardeners and Supporters of The Cullowhee Community Garden. Well, we hit the ground running, and have completed a whole bunch of the preliminary work to get the garden up and running. All documents and forms have been created, the land has been cleared (twice!), the soil has been turned (and is Beautiful! Loamy Goodness and Rich!), and we have seeded out a cover crop blend consisting of annual grains, clover, winter pea, and others. However, we have hit a bit of a slowdown because the State has yet to release our funds. So, we are unable to make any purchases of necessary materials and equipment. Unless, that is, we rise up as a community, and come together to make this happen. Towards that end, I am going to post here a short-list of tools and equipment that we feel are necessary to getting started. If we can raise funds on our own to get started, we will be able to make the State money go farther, and maybe purchase items that had to be removed from the initial budget requests, like a greenhouse.

All donations made to The Cullowhee Community Garden are tax deductable, and will be greatly appreciated by the community. To reduce our future costs and expenditures, and in keeping with our intent to make the garden as sustainable as possible, all tools and equipment will be of the highest quality and construction. We could save initial money by purchasing poorly constructed tools made in far away lands. But, through my experience with other gardens, they tend to break and are difficult to use, making for an unpleasant experience gardening. On the flip side, well-made tools are a treat to use, and last a long, long time. Therefore you only need to buy the tool once. I have sourced out some really well-made tools, hand forged and of heirloom quality. You can find them at

http://www.gardentoolcompany.com/brands/DeWit-Garden-Tools.html?gclid=CLzX3_vWrbICFVOQ7QodGk4APg

The Garden Tool Company also has well made tools from other suppliers, all handcrafted and easy to use. This is an example of the type of tools and equipment that we will be using at The Cullowhee Community Garden.

Following, you will find a list of the tools that will get us started in the garden. We are also looking for donations of materials like hardwood mulch; straw mulch; organic fertilizers; fish and algae based fertilizers; wire fencing materials; split rail fencing materials; and any other gardening supplies that can help us get started.

If we come together as a community to raise these required funds and materials, then we may still be able to divide up the plots for adoption in time to get in a fall garden. So, please consider a tax-deductable donation to The Cullowhee Community Garden and help this worthwhile project to grow and thrive. We are hoping to raise approximately $3,000.00

Please make checks out to: The Jackson County Department of Public Health, and put Cullowhee Community Garden in the info line. 

Donation checks may be mailed to: Adam Bigelow 284 Keener St. Sylva, NC 28779

Thank you for considering a donation to help kick off The Cullowhee Community Garden

ITEM	QTY.	JUSTIFICATION
Straw	20	bales of straw for each garden
Fish/kelp Emulsion fertilizer	1	to provide plants with nutrients
Organic fertilizer	2	to provide plants with nutrients
Leaf Rake	2	to move leaves and grass clippings
Hard Rake	2	to move soil and gravel
Scuffle Hoe	2	to remove weeds
Hoe	2	to remove weeds
Digging Fork	2	for tilling soil and digging weeds
Pitch Fork	2	for moving mulch, turning compost, etc.
Scale	1	to weigh produce for donation
Flat shovel	2	to move soil and gravel
Round shovel	2	for digging in soil, compost, etc.
root jack	1	for removing exotic invasive plant species
hand pruner	2	for pruning trees
Pruning saws	2	for pruning trees
loper	2	for pruning trees
hand trowel	3	for digging in soil, compost, etc.
hand cultivator	3	for tilling soil and digging weeds
gloves s, m, l, xl	1	for use by volunteers and gardeners
manual weedwhacker	2	to control weeds
Wheelbarrows	2	to haul materials
Garden Hose	2	for irrigation
watering cans	5	for irrigation
garden shears	2	to remove weeds