Osan Community Garden

Hello:




As the weather turns nice we would like to invite everyone to come out and

enjoy our community garden. It is located in between the rear of the

hospital and the School Age Program. We were able to obtain this by winning

the Newmans Own Grant for Osan's Parent Network (OPN) program. The garden

is very diverse and hosts sections for herbs, watermelons, beans, flowers,

and also plots for individuals to grow whatever they like. Space is limited

so please fill out the attached application and send it to

kimandtravis@msn.com or myself at Kristina.gasaway.ctr@osan.af.mil. Since

this was awarded to the Osan Parent Network we do ask for applications to

track the usage and also ensure we are able to give back to the OPN. Hope to

see you all out there enjoying this hidden Osan gem!







Kristina Gasaway

Family Advocacy Program Assistant

784-5010

Osan Community Garden

Hello: The area behind the hospital is our Osan Community Garden that was given


to us through a Newmans Own Grant specifically for the Osan Parent Network. We

are glad that the weather will be warming up here shortly and the garden will be

back in bloom. There is an application if you are interested in having a plot in

the garden and there are also lots of volunteer opportunities open within the

Osan Parent Network and the Community Garden. The Family Advocacy Office is the

POC for both groups and I can be reached at the above email or my work email at

kristina.gasaway.ctr@osan.af.mil.

With this being said PLEASE do not use this area as a dog walk. We have left the

gates open so the community can come and go as they desire. I am hoping this is

being used as a dog walk area because people were unsure of what is was designed

to be used for. Thank you all in advance and hope to hear from lots of people

soon!



Happy New Year!!



Kristina Gasaway

September Garden Update

The days are getting a little cooler, but the garden is still growing strong! There are still cherry tomatoes and tons of herbs: basil, cilantro, thyme, oregano, mint, lemon balm and parsley are all available for harvest in the community herb garden. The cinnamon basil (pictured, purple flowers) has flowered and the seeds will be ready to collect in a few weeks. The bigger watermelons have been harvested, but there are a few more still growing. They are about the size of baseballs now. The sunflowers are wilting but the seeds are just getting ripe! Soon they'll be ready for collecting for next year, or for making birdfeeders.

It's a great time to put in some cool weather veggies: lettuces, cabbages, and greens. One of our gardeners was at the 4-9 market the other day and reports that there are a variety of veggies to choose from. The water collection system is full, so it's a perfect time to plant!

There is still room in the composters, so bring your kitchen waste: coffee grounds, eggshells, potato peelings and etc. No meat, dairy or bones, please; these items are what makes compost stink and attract vermin.

And, we are looking for a garden director for next year's garden. If you're interested in gardening and kids nature activities, you would be perfect! Contact us at osanparents@gmail.com for more information.

Garden update: Mint, basil, melons, mulch and butterflies!

August is a great month in the garden! Our watermelons look great; there are several that are bigger than softballs and a bunch a little smaller. There are still cherry tomatoes in the community veggie patch, and tons of mint and basil available for harvest.  

The mint is growing like crazy; there are plenty of shoots if you want to take some cuttings for a pot or some other location. Mint loves soggy ground and may return in the spring.    Just clip some of the shoots that are coming out from the main plants along the ground and pull them out, roots and all, and transplant them into damp soil.  This post has links to some interesting and fun uses for mint.

The composters are working overtime turning kitchen waste and grass and leaves into super soil for next year; please add your kitchen waste to the effort! Just no meat or dairy, please: coffee grounds, egg shells, fruit and veggie peelings, bread crusts, shredded paper and other wastes are welcome. We are working on a mulch pile in the back corner. The more grass and leaves we can get, the better the dirt will be for next year. There are several inches of leaves on the ground around some of the MVV buildings that can be moved to the mulch pile, and there are often grass cuttings laying around after mowing day. Give each kid a plastic bag or bucket and see who can fill their container up first!

And, we have tons of butterflies; they can be seen on the sunflowers, mint and basil every day. There are also a variety of birds out there, and tons of insects and worms. If you haven't seen it lately, come by and check it out!

Garden project: Tomato Basil Salad

Here's a fun and delicious activity for the garden and kitchen: Tomato Basil Mozzarella salad! Here's how to do it:

Pick some cherry tomatoes and basil in the community areas of the garden. Wash them, toss them in a bowl and add mozzarella chunks or shreds. Toss and eat- super easy!

The salad in the picture was made entirely by a four year old. It was a great opportunity for him to learn to use a knife, but a younger child could use shredded mozzarella and do it without assistance. A variation would be to put the cheese, tomatoes and basil on a pita and have a do-it-yourself pizza.

Garden Photos!

Check out the garden pictures! We have some baby watermelons! The largest one is the dark green one, and it's about the size of a golf ball. There are many smaller ones, and more blossoms. The butterfly garden is growing like crazy and some butterflies have been spotted flitting around. There are some herbs ready for harvest in the community herb garden. Click here for details. Stop by if you haven't seen it lately, and email osanparents@gmail.com with questions.

Garden Update for July

The garden is growing great! There are some things ready for harvest in the community herb garden: Mint, Rosemary and Lemon Balm. Some great culinary uses for mint can be found here, and some medicinal uses are here. Some uses for Lemon balm can be found here.

There are also some cherry tomatoes ripening in the community vegetable garden. Please wash everything thoroughly before use- while the garden itself is organic, the smoke from the hospital generator and the yellow sand in the air may settle on the produce.

Please do not pick anything from the big square garden area- these are individual gardens. There are still some spots available if you would like one. Email osanparents@gmail.com for information about garden plots.

We also have some teeny watermelons coming on, and some potatoes coming up in the sod pile; go check them out if you haven't already seen them. With all the rain lately, the ground is nice and soft and perfect for pulling weeds, so take the kids out there and get some of that summer energy burned off!

The composters are available for your kitchen waste and shredded paper. No dairy, meat or garbage- they will produce unpleasant smells and could attract rodents. Also, there has been some garbage left at the garden lately. Please make sure you clean up anything you take to the garden.

Summer garden projects and progress

Summer has arrived at the garden! There are some ripe strawberries and peas, and mint and rosemary ready for use. There are blossoms on some of the squash, watermelons and tomatoes. The fall gourds and pumpkins have sprouted, and the butterfly garden looks great.

If you harvest anything from the community patches, please wash it. While no chemical pesticides or fertilizers are used, the smoke from the hospital generator and the yellow sand in the air may settle on things. There are a few ripe peas now, climbing the fence at the top of the hill, and a few ripe strawberries in the strawberry/melon patch. If you want to pick peas, please hold the stem with one hand and pluck with the other and take just a few.

A lot of our gardeners will be gone for the summer, so if you see some things that need to be done in the community areas (watering, weeding, thinning, etc.), please just do it. One of the things we need to keep on top of is the weeds. In some places, the sod has been turned over and the roots are still there trying to grow, so the weeds will be pretty persistent.

As always, please make sure your kids play and run in the grass instead of the garden. The dirt pile by the front gate is for play, so they can satisy their urge to dig there unless they're helping you garden. Please keep the toys put away and pack out any trash.

The composters are in the back corner by the tree and are open for your kitchen scraps and shredded paper. No meat, bones, dairy or other garbage, please. Smaller bits will compost more quickly.

Happy gardening!

Garden Pictures 5/10/09

Peas, strawberries and watermelons!

Garden update

The garden is coming along great! A planting party is tentatively scheduled for next Saturday, pending the water hook-up. We are still having to haul water, and if we get it all planted before we have easy access to water it will probably be too much to keep up with.

If you have some things that need to go in before next weekend, there is a chalk drawing on the concrete wall that shows where the beds are. There are two vegetable plots, an herb garden and a fruit patch. Please put any plants in the appropriate patch. Pumpkins can go on the hillside under the trees- the kids climb around up there so try to find a protected spot.

The gridded square is where the individual plots are located. I intended to post pictures of all the beds but my camera battery gave out right after I took a picture of the chalk drawing.

The fruit patch has strawberries and watermelon, and there are some blossoms on the strawberry plants. The herb garden has some onions, rosemary and mint, and plenty of room to plant basil, cilantro, and thyme.
There are peas climbing the white fence that overlooks the ambulance bay, and a few veggies in both of the veggie patches.

Please put things away when you were done; I was over there today and the wagon was overturned down the hill by the dorms.

Anna, guest blogger

Butterflies: If you build it, they will come

The Girl Scouts have planted the butterfly garden! Butterfly gardens have two different kinds of plants: flowers to attract and feed the butterflies, and host plants to support cocoons and feed caterpillars.

There are many plants that are suitable for butterfly gardens, such as lantana, milkweed, butterfly bush, joe pye weed, and many others. Unfortunately, a lot of well known butterfly plants are not available around here. Lucky for us, a lot of common flowers and herbs will work just as well. Our community butterfly garden has sunflowers, marigolds, fennel, two kinds of parsley, basil, pineapplesage and mint.

You can even make a mini-butterfly garden right on your deck in small containers! All you need is something to attract them, like marigolds or pineapple sage, and something for the caterpillars, like parsley or basil. Put them together in a big container, or just have them next to each other is smaller ones. The plants and/or seeds can be found at the 4-9 market, the greenhouses at the flower market, or sometimes even at the BX and/or commissary (to the left as you pass the ID check lady).

This picture is my deck butterfly garden. The big plant is pineapple sage, purchased at the commissary. You can see some fennel in the foreground and some basil in the background just coming up.

Here are some links to learn more about butterflies and butterfly gardens:

Butterfly Garden Basics

Local Butterflies you might see

Herb Butterfly Gardens

Garden Project: Dirty fun!

If you've been by the garden today, you may have noticed a GIANT pile of dirt by the front gate. More accurately, it's a pile of sandy loam that will be wonderful in the garden when mixed with the existing dirt and some compost or other organic material, such as bagged potting soil.

If you're interested in some dirty fun, come on down and help move it to the garden patches. The areas where the grass has been turned over or removed all need to be covered with several inches of the new dirt. The kid can fill buckets to carry, or bring your wagon!

And, learn some more about dirt! You may not realize that the study of soils is a science all its own, and that there is a big difference between various types of material, depending on the composition. In fact, dirt and soil are not even the same thing, even though we use the words interchangeably. Click here to learn some more about soil science.

For some fun related information and activities, click here for the dirt on soil from Discovery Kids.

Garden Project: BUSTED!

We had an awesome sod-busting party this morning; check out the pictures!

The weather was great and the kids all worked hard and did a great job. If you missed it, there is plenty still to do.

We have been looking pretty hard for a rototiller but have been unable to find one, so we might have to do a lot more digging. Also, there is only about $100 remaining in the garden fund, and we still need to get rain barrels, so that limits our options.

If you want to participate, you can get out and dig any time you want. We are currently working on clearing out the butterfly garden, strawberry patch, herb, and vegetable patches. Nothing is planted yet, so dig away! The rocks can be removed and piled in the corner by the composters. Sod can be shaken hard to get all the dirt off, then piled by the composters and we'll use it to layer with food waste.

There are some real kids' tools there now: rakes, shovels and hoes. They are real tools, made of wood and metal, so please make sure your kids are not playing Star Wars with them, as they could cause injuries. Please make sure you put the tools away and pick up any garbage when you're done.

We will be scheduling a planting party in about a month so watch for more information. As we start to get things planted, please start showing the kids how to respect the garden by not trampling on plants. There will not be any fences around the planting areas inside the garden.

If you're interested in managing one of the community patches or helping out in some other way, please let us know (email to osanparents@gmail.com)!

Gardening tips

Gardening is fun and easy, but it can be a little intimidating if you haven't done it before. Here are some links with lots of information to help you get started:


Getting Started in the Garden

Family Gardening Tips

Organic Gardening Tips

The Helpful Gardener

And here are some links to Korean gardening topics:

Traditional Korean Garden

Blog: The Vegan Korean

Garden project: Worms Galore!

Now that it's looking like spring, it's time to get the kids outside before they drive you insane. Collecting worms is a great way to get them outside to burn off some energy and help the garden at the same time. We went out this morning after the rain last night and got a nice bunch of two different species.

You'll have the best luck starting about twilight where the ground is moist. During a rain, the worms will come out of the grass and onto the sidewalks, so look on pavement adjacent to expanses of lawn. You don't have to wait for it to rain, though. Take your flashlights out and patrol the grass. If you're quick, you can spot them coming out of their holes and grab them!

Put your haul in a container and admire all their squirmy goodness, then toss them in the compost bins at the garden to help chew up all our kitchen waste.

Here are some links to learn about worms:

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/worms/

http://yucky.discovery.com/flash/worm/pg000102.html

Garden Project: Dandelion Garden

Our first garden project is underway! We have a dandelion patch going in the garden- it's on the partly shady little slope at about your 2 o'clock position if you come in the gate just at the bottom of the stairs.

You can participate by locating baby dandelion plants and clearing some grass around them so they can grow. The grass you remove can be put in the compost bins. We need to mark it off, too, so it doesn't get run over- if you have some stakes, or want to build a rock ring around it, or have another clever idea, go for it! Please try to be cautious around them until we get them well marked.

Dandelions are a great project, because you can eat every part of them. Click here for some good details on dandelions and how you can prepare them.