After weeks of unpredictable temperatures and precipitation, our late-April weather finally decided to be a bit more cooperative! We’ve spent these last few weeks playing catch-up and filling our schedule with volunteer days, workdays, and workshops.

We hosted a series of small group workdays so that our neighbors could work on garden plans together, and quite fittingly, on Earth Day, we hosted our first official “Garden Party” in the Sassafras Garden. We talked through tips and tricks for planting, got a few cool weather plants in the ground (cabbage, broccoli, collards, and cilantro), and direct sowed a lot of seeds.

Image shows 4 people kneeling in a garden bed. They are pulling weeds and have turned to the camera to smile.
Image shows a raised garden bed filled with rich brown dirt and small, newly started vegetable plants.

We’ve not only made a lot of garden progress in these few short weeks, but we’ve also made new friends. At the Garden Party, we got to know new neighbors, Carl and Jessica.

One of our most dedicated garden ambassadors, Jethro, ran into Carl and Jessica at the neighborhood market and invited them to the event to learn more. Right off the bat, Carl and Jessica saved the day by sharing water from their outdoor spigot, since ours is currently blocked by construction.

We learned that Carl was previously injured during a work-related accident and is no longer able to do the carpentry work that he is most passionate about.  He and Jessica moved to Lower Price Hill less than a year ago and have been eagerly looking for ways to stay busy, avoid pandemic-related isolation, and get more involved in the community.

Having moved from a more rural setting, both seemed energized by the thought of growing. Jessica even grew up on a farm in Clermont County, Ohio. We are definitely excited to have Carl and Jessica join us in the LPH Community Gardens this summer!

Image shows a close up of young vegetable plants in grower pots.
Image shows a close up of young vegetable plants in grower pots.

What’s next on our agenda?

Our partners at Groundwork Ohio River Valley were gracious enough to share space in their amazing greenhouse with us, and now, we have lots of giant, gorgeous, healthy plants ready to go in the ground. We’ll be working over the next week or two to distribute them to our community gardens and home gardens.

We will have some surplus plants, so the garden team and neighbors have also decided to plan our first-ever plant sale for Saturday, May 21st! The event will be held in the nearby Outerspace gallery, and in addition to plants, will include nature-themed art and homemade food items for sale from local vendors.