Harley's Garden Journal

About me

My name is Harley and I am one of two garden wokrers for the summer of 2021. I am a rising senior here at UMF! I am majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in Special Education. I love to read and paint in my freetime. I also love watching hockey, especially the Bruins! I joined the gardening adventure this summer because I have always loved gardening and getting my hands dirty. I do not have much experience with it, but I am learning a lot along the way. It is really cool to be a part of this from the beginning- I also took a class last summer (2020) that was used to help plan out the building and construction of the garden. To see it go from its drafting stage to us donating tons of pounds of produce last year, and probably this year too is absolutely amazing! I hope if you haven't before you take the time to walk around the garden sometime and enjoy it. It is open to the public and we love having visitors.

June 7, 2021

OUR GARDEN SALE WAS A HUGE SUCCESS- When I went to work the morning of the garden sale, I did not expect to sell out within our first time slot of four we planned on being open. We had over ten customers, with one lady buying a whopping sixty seedlings. Yes, you read that right! We were so blessed to sell out and have fantastic donations. Witht he money we will continue to grow produce for the community. What a rewarding experience.

Garden Workers at work

Miles tended more to the plants and I took money and did COVID symptom checks.

Robert the frog

June 14, 2021

My fellow garden worker Miles and I were working on mixing dirt and fertilizer the other day. Miles was scooping the dirt into our wheelbarrow and I was pulling rocks, grass, and any debris out of the mix. I was doing my thing. You know when you get into a zone with a menial task and kind of go into auto pilot? That was me. I went to pick up a rock I saw and it jumped! I screamed. Rocks don't move and I was not prepared for that. That was how Miles and I met Robert. He was chilling in our dirt pile. I'm glad we didn't injure him. We chose to name him Robert honestly just because it seemed to fit. We put him into the herb garden and haven't seen him since. I hope Robert is having a good time out in this big world.

WHat the garden has taught me

June 17, 2021

When I found out I got the job in the UMF Garden, I was very excited. I have always loved gardening, and have spent many summmers making small gardens with my mom. I am not very knoweledgable yet, but I was excited and nervous to start something I had minimal knowledge about. I am now about a month into my gardening job, and have learned more than I could probably list. Heres some of my favorite things I've learned that may help you:

You're probably not watering enough: water is literally like miracle grow for plants. A lot of times when we water plants I've noticed people only do so for maybe fifteen seconds and then move onto the next plant. Or they spray over all the plants for thirty seconds and call it good. The problem is the plants drink up this water so fast! One of the best ways to tell if your plant needs water is to stick your finger down into the dirt. You should have moist dirt on your finger all the way to the knuckle, and should feel the moisture all the way down there too. Trust me when I say you'll see your plants shoot up if you start doing this! I was shocked!
I'm a sap for all creatures and plants: I tried saving a few tomato plants because throwing them out when they werent making it very well was hard for me. The truth is though that it's okay. Sometimes its okay to let go of things if needed. Our garden this year is beautiful and doing so well, so I have no reason to be sad. It's okay to let go.
Not all weeds are weeds: Weeds get a really bad rep! Growing up I was always taught to pull everything that didn't belong. I think a lot of us live with that mentality. Why? With my new job I've begun to ask myself this. I've discovered so many "weeds" that are beautiful! Yes they do take up space, but if they aren't harming our other plants, why would we remove them? Gardening can be humbling. I often find myself thinking about my place and role in this garden. Who am I to remove all these plants just because they are there? I'm a weed supporter now! (Pun intended)

Miles helping hold the boards tightly together while I drill them together

I learned how to use a drill!

June 18, 2021

Surprisingly, I had never used a drill before the building of these beds. We had a lot of giggles when the battery died and we realized the three back ups were dead too. Oops! Thankfully we were able to finish the first one with what battery we had left. We will be planting squash in this bed that will be alongside the new greenhouse! Exciting changes in the garden!

Just a girl learning how to build a garden box!

June 22, 2021

What has the garden done so far this summer:

hold a plant sale with all proceeds going right back into the garden
Assemble a shed and create a pad for it
Build one new garden bed, with a second in the works
Plant LOTS of veggies and flowers
Create a pollinator bed for the bees. Save the bees!
Buy a greenhouse. To be assembled later this month!
Repaint all our garden sticks
repotting tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers (they were supposed to in the greenhouse and we didn't know when it would arrive!)
placing netting over all the beds to stop the pesky deer from eating it all!
watered and weeded daily!

Our first Donation of the season

June 24, 2021

We made our first donation today! It was four pounds of kale! Yummy! I never realized how prickly kale was until today when I was cutting it. They sure are not wanting to be bothered by animals or creatures like me. After cutting and bagging all the kale, we brought it to the Care and Share Food Closet. This place does so much good. Not only do they donate to the Franklin county residents, they help prepare boxes that get sent to other locations like Augusta. One of the managers there shared all kinds of information about how they have over a hundred volunteers and their goal: to help others.

Find the Care and Share Food Closet on Facebook at: @CareAndShareFoodCloset

Cutting the Kale

Miles and I cutting the Kale towards the beginning. As you can see, they were very full bunches!

Posing with donation

We were so excited to make our first donation of the season.

Just Miles

I love this action photo of Miles cutting the Kale. It shows just how full and green our garden is!

Beginning the Greenhouse

July 1, 2021

The greenhouse is under construction. It is exciting we have finally got it because for a while we weren't sure when it would arrive.

Miles and I working together to build the frame

Miles and I putting together the first parts of the frame

Organizing the smaller parts to the greenhouse

A view down the frame of the greenhouse so far

Our Second Harvest

July 7, 2021

The second harevest was done today. I unfortunately was not there for it as I came down with a flu bug this past week, but they got so much stuff I couldn't help but share. I was sad not to see the cauliflower get harvested, but the picture looks beautiful. Miles looks like she had fun harvesting the bean plants. There was so much on them the other day.

Presidential Visit

July 14, 2021

While working on the greenhouse, we had a large group of visitors today. I knew some of the UMaine System Presidents and other very important people would be stopping by, but it was pretty cool to see all those suits stepping into our garden as I was covered in dirt and hammering nails into the greenhouse frame.

I got the pleasure of talking to a very nice gentleman about the garden. He asked me what we do with the produce, and I shared with him how we donate all of it, and even the students are able to share in some of it. I also discussed how this was my summer job and how I really love I have two jobs that allow me to stay engaged with the campus over the summer. As he was getting ready to leave, he mentioned he was the presdient of the University of Southern Maine. This was a shock to me. He was so down to earth, and seemed to really be listening to me. I must say it often feels like the people above us do not care about our thoughts and feelings on things. In this moment, I realized that these people we often critisize and fear because they have so much power, well they are humans just like us. It really put things back into perspective for me. Every single president who was there that day came with an open mind and a willingness to learn about what we were doing.

Thank you all for taking the time to come to UMF and see what we are doing. This experience was really cool and made me feel how much of an impact we are making.

What Donating Means to Me

July 20, 2021

Ever since I was a little girl, my mom has taught me one life lesson I think I won't ever forget- do not ever judge people, and help others without questioning it.

You ever been in the car and drive by someone homeless holding a sign asking for money? We all have. As a little girl my mom and I always stopped to give them money or food. EVERY SINGLE TIME. As I got older I began to ask my mom why. How did we know they were really buying food, or even homeless? My mom alwyas responded the same. "Harley," she would say, "If they are lying and being decieptful, that is on them. It is not my place to judge them and if I can fill their bellies tonight, well thats the change I want to see in the world".

As an adult now I always give to the homeless or those in need. Giving makes me feel good, and that's why when I saw this job I knew it was perfect for me. Knowing that I am getting paid to grow food for those in need is the most satisfying feeling.

The finished product- What now?

July 28, 2021

We finished the greenhouse! It was quite the laborous job! For three weeks, we spent about 15-20 hours a week working on it. I am so proud to have been part of something so great. It feels amazing to know that I was involved in a project that will benefit the Farmington area community for years.

It was quite the learning experience, and not overly easy. The whole structure was mailed in individual pieces, and every screw, washer, nut was hand installed. We had videos to help assist, but sometimes they were hard to follow. Miles and I learned a lot of skills of analyzing a video, following along with it, and tweeking things as needed.

Another thing I learned was how to follow along those who knew this project better. I tend to like to be the one in charge, and leading things. While this is a great asset in life, it is also good to know when it is time to give the reins over.

Sweatt-Winter Kid Visits

July 30th, 2021

The students from Sweatt-Winter came to the garden for a visit to explore the garden. We did a little tour, and it was the cutest thing you would ever see. We went through the whole garden and talked about most of the stuff we were growing. They got to try the herbs, and some kale. They seemed to really enjoy it. They also got to each pick two flowers- one for their favorite Sweatt-Winter teacher, and one for their parents.

Being an Elementary Education major, I felt right in my element with these kiddos! I was surprised by how good they were! The Sweatt-Winter Fcaulty are so kind and great with them! I think my favorite part was when I asked the students to raise their hands before speaking because they all were shouting over each other. One kiddo raised his hand, and immediately kept talking. I realized that I hadn't specified to wait until he was called on. Touche kid!

Thank you Upward Bound Volunteers!

August 6th, 2021

I just want to thank all the awesome Upward Bound students who came the last two weeks to volunteer in the garden. We got to do a lot of productive work including two harvests, finishing up the greeenhouse, placing all the plants into the greenhouse, weeding the garden, and planting new plants. We were so happy to not only see these kids learn cool volunteering/life skills, but it was also fun to teach about the garden and what gardening is.

Some great photos of the garden I couldn't help to share!

This is a beautiful butterfly I saw flying around the garden!

The sunflowers are in full bloom!

Lot of crickets and playing mantises

Black Eyed Susans in bloom too!

Closing Remarks

Wow! Summer is over already? That was way too fast. Now it is time to say goodby to the garden.

I learned a lot about gardening, working with others, and even myself at this job. I think one of my favorite parts was working with a friend I haven't talked to in a long time. Rebuilding a friendship is always so nice. I also really loved the people I worked with in general. Seeing how the UMF community came together multiple times to help and invest in this garden was inspiring. From the garden sale to the building of the greenhouse- thank you all!

This garden has heightened my love for gardening. I always felt like one person would have such a hard time maintaining a large garden, but this experience really changed my perspective. You just need commitment, and love to give. While I will miss my job, it is time to move onto the next adventure, the next semester, the next chapter. I will be back to visit the garden. Hope to see you there :)

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