Kate's Korner: September 2014

Summer in the Demonstration Garden has been quite a learning experience; from judging a vegetable's perfect ripeness to dealing with persistent garden pests, everyday held a different task to conquer! 

Perhaps the most challenging task, which continues to elude me, is navigating my way around gigantic plants that have sprawled into the path and encroach on their neighbor's bed. Pushing through the eggplant and tiptoeing around the tomatoes and melons are a fine exercise in balance and flexibility. Every week I dutifully hack away at the overgrowth only to see it magically reappear on Monday. If you have walked past the garden lately, then you may have seen the pumpkin vines spilling onto the ground. This is the plants attempt to turn the garden into a pumpkin patch. 

As a consequence of this, it's often a challenge to locate the produce hidden within the plant's greenery.  Volunteers often harvest baby-size cucumbers and zucchini that had previously escaped notice. These vegetables will not stop growing and can avoid detection quite well considering their mammoth proportions.  (Note: Huge cucumbers, of the variety we grew, have incredibly bitter seeds. Left to grow so long they made their seeds bitter to discourage being eaten so the seeds would survive and produce the next generation.)

An unrelated and particularly unpleasant garden problem I also experienced was summer pests. I have written previously of my battles with true bugs but their levels have diminished significantly since my reigns of bug-eliminating terror. The new offenders are mites and white flies. Mites look like small aphids and come in a variety of colors while white flies are tiny, pale and winged. Combined, they both took out an entire row of summer squash after repeated attempts at eradication. Unfortunately, I should have sprayed NEEM, a go-to natural pesticide, much earlier in my pest management but I was determined that a natural sticky spray could take care of the problem. Alas! The things you learn.

Have you had any summer gardening challenges? Feel free to come chat with me whenever the Demonstration Garden gates are open. Happy last days of summer!

Submitted by Kate Wilkins, AmeriCorps VISTA at Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services.

My first Fun in the Sun Fair

Fun, food, and information on healthy living were in store for families attending the Fun In The Sun Fair on Saturday, July 19 at Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS)’ Saca Community Learning Center. Since this year was my first time attending the fair, I was quite excited to see what it was all about and to help make it a huge success.

I was in charge of the SFBFS' information booth at the fair and was happy to hand out informational flyers and talk to families about the six wonderful programs we offer the community. But SFBFS was certainly not the only organization at the fair. Many community organizations from Wellspace Health and Radio Disney Sacramento to Terra Nova Counseling and SMUD were also in attendance. Fun in the Sun fair made sure that families received resources that encompassed different aspects of their lives including mental, nutritional, and financial.  

Not only was there information on healthy living for families but there was also a lot of delicious food and fun activities. Families enjoyed a delicious meal of hot dogs, chips and fruit. The kids were able to get their faces painted, slide on the water slide and play fun games with SFBFS volunteers. Families were also able to participate in a raffle to win cute stuffed animals.

My first Fun in the Sun fair was an amazing experience. It was wonderful seeing families relaxing and having fun while receiving the resources they need to become more self-sufficient. It’s another great example of the work SFBFS staff and volunteers do every day at Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. 

Submitted by Ryan Mishler, AmeriCorps VISTA at Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services.