BEE HAPPY GARDEN...at last!

Mark, Eagle Candidate

The past Saturday, thanks to Mark, fellow Scouts from Troop 875, friends and family, the first 10 beds of FUN’s vegetable garden were installed on the front lawn of First Christian Church. In 3 hours, this amazing group of people constructed 10 beds, put them in place, filled them with umpteen wheelbarrow loads of soil, and covered the paths with mulch.  We are beholden to Mark who chose this as his Eagle Project and grateful for all those who participated.

Officially named the Bee Happy Garden, FUN has already planted spinach, kale, collard greens, lettuce and carrots. Although it is too late in the year to harvest these this fall, they will survive the winter and thrive in the spring.

Volunteer Crew

There are plans for expansion at this location. The finished garden will contain 22 raised beds, paved pathways and high-sided beds for access by those who use wheelchairs. You know all about our beehives (hence the name of the garden) which have been very productive at this site. There are also plans for a small food forest on the hillside near the garden.

Thanks to all of you who helped our dream become a reality. Thanks to the Rotary Club of Bailey’s Crossroads for their financial support. Thanks to First Christian Church for the land, donations, and dedication to feeding the hungry. Thanks to Mark, Troop 875, friends and family for your sweat equity. All of your contributions will help provide food for those in need, right here in our local community.

Don't worry, BEE happy!

Sarah with a portion of the honey harvest!

Last September FUN told you about the installation of their first beehive at First Christian Church and the importance of bees in food production. This past July, FUN’s beekeeper Barbara harvested our first batch of honey! FUN was thrilled to donate the honey to the Dar Al Hijrah Mosque food pantry. We are very excited to have expert pollinators on site with our next adventure – a soon-to-be-built 22 bed garden. And we have the added benefit of our own honey factory which can spread sweetness to others. The bees were so busy (pun intended) that it was necessary to expand into a third hive. Thanks Barbara!

At Peace Garden, we had a very successful summer growing food. From April to August, over 500 pounds of food have been harvested, with donations going to the Crossroads@Columbia Spend Yourself Food Pantry and Annandale Christian Community for Action Food Pantry.

The most FUN we had this summer was in our corn patch. We tried 2 of the 3 sisters method of planting, growing corn and green beans together. Pole beans use the corn stalks as supports and functioning as nitrogen fixers, convert this mineral into a form that plants can extract from the soil. 

The corn has been harvested, the beans are just starting to fruit.