Old man winter just doesn’t want to let go and so I missed the workshop in Berea. It was a disappointment but can’t do much about it. I will drive on snow but can’t handle that ice. Meanwhile we have had our first group meeting and I have some excited gardeners. I am so pleased to have younger people participating this year!!! Our first workshop was great; have all the contracts signed, garden descriptions turned in and soil samples at the Extension Office. One person, who has a garden down by the river, just couldn’t get to his garden to get a soil sample. I am so thankful to have Ted Johnson, the county extension agent, for Lee County helping me. He does a great job and is so accomodating. He gave a powerpoint presentation on planning and planting and then did a demonstration on setting up a simple irrigation system as well as a demonstration on how to prolong the growing season with just some canvas, hoop wire and bags of sand to keep it all in place. Fertilizer should be here next week; donated seed potatoes also. Many of my new gardeners are serious organic people so I am working with them to get what they need, a few of my participants want to try their hand at bee-keeping and we have the swarms ordered and a few want to raise chickens so our next workshop is entitled “Backyard Poultry” and it is on April 10th at 5:30. It should be interesting! We hope to have a bee keeping workshop in late April but that has not been finalized. We have a new partner in Cumberland Mountain Outreach and we welcome their enthuiasm and their help.

One things that we are so thrilled about is that the county is helping get our kitchen at the community building certified so that those wanting to sell breads and pastries at the Farmer’s Market could do so by using a facility that is close to home with reasonable rates.