Hi this is Justin Brock at the Red Bird Mission Grow Appalachia. This week the gardens have greened out a sight after the rain. Everything is growing beautifully.
We have been giving out plants to the members this week. They received really healthy starts of tomatoes, cabbage, peppers, broccoli, and cauliflower plants.
RBM GA members picking up plants
RBM plant selection
The number of plants they received was determined according to the number of people that was in the house hold. We referred to the Home Vegetable Gardening in Kentucky book that we received from the County Extension Office. On page 17 of the book we used Table 15 Vegetable Yields and Amounts to Plant per Person to figure how many they received. It is also a really great book for anyone who wants to know about home gardening. The Extension Office provided a copy of the book for each of our participants.
I’ve also been thinking about what to use to help participants measure and report the harvest of crops. I have started collecting 2 gallon buckets from Red Bird Mission’s Work Camp Kitchen. These are food grade containers that we will reuse after they empty the original contents and clean them. So a tip: you could contact local schools, restaurants, grocery stores, or places that get food in plastic bulk containers and partner with them to cut costs and to provide an eco-friendly solution for them by re-purposing their refuse.
RBM peck harvest bucket
Thanks, Tracy. What a great idea. I wondered where people got these buckets. I was buying the big buckets from Lowe’s and WalMart, but they are so cheap, they crack right down the side fast. I use them to haul compost and leaves too…not even heavy stuff. From Greta, over in Letcher Co.
great idea Justin. Thanks