SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26Key Community Garden, Tom Deverin again put out the call or assistance for Saturday, October 26, and that call delivered over forty individuals to the Garden.
Approximately twelve of the volunteers were part of the Friend Ships group., an international relief organization https://friendships.org/ Mostly high school graduates taking a gap year before furthering heir education or other pursuits, the group’s mission is to help people in need. This particular group, from Lake Charles, Louisiana, came to Cedar Key for two weeks, pitched tents on City Park’s east side, and worked irelessly while here.
Tom’s tasks for this Saturday were to :• build seven new garden beds to replace the aging ones;• line all 26 extant beds and the seven new beds with plastic to retain moisture; • to punch holes in the plastic for proper drainage; • and to ad blocks to strengthen the bed construction.
Every person of the forty found a job that fit him/her ability and liking. In charge of bed building was Dan Wilcox a, March, Norm Hodge, and the Friend Ships crews. In charge of preparing beds with plastic and holes was Sam Gibbs, Carol Wilcox, Robin Gilles, Denise Feiber, and Friend Ships crews. In charge of strengthening beds was Vince McVeigh and his crews. Many volunteers and gardeners performed multiple jobs, meeting new people, and varying experiences.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31
Not relaxing for a moment, Tom called another workday for Thursday, October 31, to ready the Garden for the heavy equipment and giant task planned for the upcoming Saturday, November 2. Again, his call reached not only Gardeners, but aslo the Friend Ships group who arrived in force, with all their strength and warmth, .
On this day, the group finished building the last bed, finished lining beds with plastic, and left feeling ready for Saturday tasks.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2
On Saturday, November 2, the Garden was again abuzz with, tractor, Sked Steer, Friend Ships, University of Florida students, and gardeners.
Jeff Wigston and Joe of Friend Ships drove the heavy equipment, moving all garden beds back into their places, filling them with compost, moving mulch stacks about the Garden, and recreating the inviting central clam shell path.
As beds were put in place, the team of Dan Wilcox, Norm Hodge, and others leveled the beds and rested them on stone pavers designed to limit their potential rot from below.
As the beds were filled with compost, Friends Ships teams, Carol Wilcox, Greg and Nancy Martin and others leveled the compost.
As mulch piles were presented about the Garden,
University of Florida Ph.D. students, Sandy Witcher, and others pitchforked the mulch on the Garden floor.
Starting at 8 am and finishing by 11:30 am, the group left the Garden in fine shape.
CAMARADERIE
Each workday’s labor was marked by good humor, the pleasure of meeting new friends, and the satisfaction that the Garden would soon be operative.
The amount of preplanning and ordering and receiving materials to do the work, not to mention the charming of individuals to do the work as volunteers, is certainly monumental. If Tom Deverin looks tired, he, no doubt, is. Gardeners certainly appreciate him.
When water lines are connected and tested, Tom will let us know.
