Big Ugly, March 2025

Spring has not entered the Big Ugly area like a lamb, but more like a roaring lion. Temperatures have been anywhere from the mid 20’s to the upper 70’s. We’ve had snow, sleet, tons of rain, and high winds. And more is expected at the end of the week. Early peas, kale, collards, etc. got flattened in some gardens the other day when high winds and hail marked the advent of a cold front making its way through.

However, Big Ugly gardeners aren’t easily swayed during the garden season, no matter what Mother Nature throws our way. Some gardens only needed a bit of TLC to start recovering. Other gardens needed to be replanted due to the amount of damage sustained by the fragile seedings. Whatever their gardens needed, Big Ugly gardeners were out there doing what needed to be done to ensure their gardens thrive.

Here at Big Ugly, while we are nurturing our gardens, we are also nurturing new and future gardeners. We have a fair number of new gardeners this year who have never gardened before, but are wanting to become involved in order to help reduce food costs and provide healthy food options for their families. They will be assigned to a garden mentor, an experienced gardener who has received mentor training, and will be there to answer questions and help problem solve.

We also have a fair number of youth and teens again this year, and the new youth/teen gardeners will be assigned to a garden mentor that is an experienced gardening teen who has received mentor training. The teen mentors will guide the inexperienced youth/teens through the process of planting, caring for the gardens, and harvesting.

Hopefully this year Mother Nature will be good to us and to our gardens so that we’ll not only have abundant harvests of produce that are preserved to enjoy during the winter months as well as during the growing season, but a bountiful harvest of new gardeners with successful gardens. Both promise to be equally fulfilling and exciting.