Hunger Garden Update

A group from our Student Ministry answered Lyn Hunter's call last week to provide assistance at The Hunger Garden. Here's what Lyn had to say about it:

Hi All,

What can I say about last Monday evening at the Hunger Garden? "Divine Intervention" comes to mind. The weatherman called for storms in the evening - there were none. It was a beautiful evening in the country. I had groups unable to make it at the last minute...I was panicking - other groups came without being called upon for the evening. There were no less than six large groups of people show up, as well as countless individuals. There were so many new faces and so many of the familiar "regulars" - all of whom are the backbone of our efforts. There were well over a hundred people. We could not even count them all with so many people going in every direction.

I did tell you that we had 6,000 plants to get in the ground. That is an impossible number to plant in one evening, right? That would be wrong. Last night's group did just that!! They planted the last of the cabbages, bell peppers, sweet banana peppers, and tomatoes......6,000 plants in all! It was just getting dark when the last volunteers left the farm.

We had a system going: One man, John, came with six dibble sticks (They are pointed sticks that are about 2" wide that have a handle...about the height of a cane.). We were able to use the tools to make holes through the plastic just at the right distances that were deep enough to just drop in the plants and cover the roots with dirt...minimal digging...minimal bending. (This is not to imply that bending and kneeling were eliminated. That never happens, as any gardener knows.) These wonderful volunteers were moving in all directions, looking for how to spread out, not bunch up, and keep the process moving.

At the same time, Dick was putting down more plastic, and he had men working on the connections from the 2" main water line to the drip hoses under the plastic strips. The irrigation system is up and running. They also repositioned the gates in the electric fence so we will be better able to maneuver the quads and trailers at harvest time. Dick had a new pond dug to provide additional water for the nearly doubled garden. The plastic-laying machine makes for a better utilization of the garden area. That's why we could double the number of plants.

Next week we will be planting seeds...cucumber, zucchini, and beans. We will also be starting to put in the stakes for the tomatoes. If you can do that, please bring a mallet or hammer. I'm hoping to be able to start stringing the twine to tie up the tomatoes.

Now we only have to pray that the weather and the bugs are kind to us. If so, we could have a truly wonderful harvest to help feed our food dependent neighbors in Westmoreland County. Come again if you can. We are there on Monday evenings. However, even one evening contributes to the whole. Each person doing what he or she can do, large or small, all hopefully adds up to a major contribution to the Westmoreland County Food Bank to help those in need, especially in these economic times. Thanks again for a job well done.

Blessings,
Lyn Hunter

Praise God! Thanks to all who helped out.
Grace and Peace