Roots Community Garden

Spring work day

2011-03-01T17:22:00.001-08:00

A challenge to waste less and help more

2010-11-04T17:40:00.000-07:00

The article linked here discusses the inevitable food waste produced by the average person. If you're anything like my family you are above average at food waste. I don't know how many countless half eaten bananas, yogurt left out on the counter or cereal spilled on the floor gets wasted at the Casa de Cupitt. With two youg 'uns around the house, Beth and I often joke we should come home from the grocery store, line the kids up in the kitchen and just arbitrarily start throwing full grocery bags away. Of course this is an exaggeration but we still get a good laugh. The truth is the adults around the house can learn a few things from this article. I challenge Roots blog readers to join me in conserving food and donating the difference.

As far as the article, I can get into the freezing, planning ahead and certainly the composting, but you won't catch me with a old jack-o-lantern and egg white mask on my face.

Post your challenge successes and failures here and share with all of us!

Get your group involved

2010-08-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

Roots is available for adoption. Get your group or family involved by adopting the garden for a week (or more). Two light work days is likely all it will take to accomplish the simple steps laid out in the flyer below...

Either drop a comment on this post or send an e-mail to brandoncupitt@yahoo.com to sign up. Choose the best weeks before they go!

Eat well, feel better

2010-08-18T06:49:00.000-07:00

Roots is dedicated to helping families in need by providing them with vegetables through local food banks. We hope these vegetables increase the nutritional benefits these families receive in their lives.

The primary harvest currently being delivered to the food bank is okra. Everyone has an opinion about this vegetable, you like it or you hate it. There is no denying the nutritional benefits in this vegetable including vitimins A, C, K as well as regulate blood sugar and cholesterol. Cool, huh? Click here to read more.

Fall newsletter

2010-08-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

Try some of these...

2010-08-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

I can hear Mom now, "Eat your veggies."

Not sure if your ready to dive into those soggy Brussels sprouts? Check out this article on yahoo and learn how to cook tasty veggies. Your mom would be so proud!!

Who knew?

2010-08-06T04:44:00.000-07:00

So veggies are big around here. Just imagine eating a can of spinach and gaining superhuman strength to break ropes binding you to the mast of your own ship, using that mast to defend yourself against a nasty shark and then defending your lass from that chauvinist she wants nothing to do with. Sound familiar?

Turns out God knew it all along. Don't believe me, check out Daniel's story (Daniel 1: 8-21). Turns out He even knew veggies and beans were good for you. Eat up and help your neighbor in need eat healthy too.

Summer projects

2010-08-04T12:05:00.000-07:00

Every farm needs a truck. Roots has a truck that, with a little help, will be a rolling billboard bringing attention to the garden and our need for resources and help as we attempt to fill food banks with fresh produce (not to mention a pretty cool parade truck). The 1955 ford F100 is currently being restored by Brandon Cupitt with plenty of help from others. You can follow the restoration at www.thisoldtruck.blogspot.com. Here is a sample post...

So the first step in any restoration is find the subject. I love the lines of an old truck and if you know me, only a Ford would do. After nearly six months of looking Beth's eyes were tired of rolling every time I was on the computer or saying "look at this honey". It seemed to have worn her down enough where she allowed me to buy this...

It's a 1955 ford F100. I know you are probably thinking to yourself, WOW! That's so pretty I wouldn't even bother restoring it. Funny, Beth doesn't see it that way. Will loves it and I have some strong guidance from Terry, an auto body worker I know through Church, so I feel confident the whole family will grow to love it.

another photo...

Spring/Summer harvest recap

2010-08-04T10:37:00.000-07:00

Our first harvest was a success! We had an amazing turnout on the tomatoes. We must have pulled a hundred off of those plants. The Roma tomatoes were the rockstars in the end. The Early Girls proved to be a little finicky. Forget that. We're going Romas on the next round.

The green beans were so pretty. A bunch of them died due to some nasty bugs that also wanted them, but we saved plenty.

So, for our very first harvest we learned:

A layer of newspapers with a pile of hay on top makes it hard for weeds to get through and keeps moisture in.
Why farmers pray for rain!
Roma tomatoes are indestructible.
Drought followed by floods is no bueno for tomatoes.

So now that we're official farmers we'll remember all that stuff and move on to the fall crops. This summer we've planted okra because it will grow in anything and any conditions. We've also learned that they go from edible to ridiculously giant in the matter of a few days, so super regular picking. Any volunteers? Anybody? Anybody? Just kidding. In the near future we will be implimenting week long family or group garden adoption to do the harvesting, delivery, and maintenance. If you're interested shoot me an email at brandoncupitt@yahoo.com and i'll set you up with a week.

Living Word's August Serve Project will involve planting the fall crops. See their website for details.

April/May newsletter

2010-04-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

Get the Kids Involved

2010-04-26T05:55:00.000-07:00

May 2nd, 2010 is Lemonade Day! Last year was our family’s first year to participate in the nationwide effort to educate children about entrepreneurship and charity. This year we will be stepping up our lemonade stand and if you’ve got kids, we’d love some friendly competition. Kids are encouraged to donate their earnings to a charity, and guess where we’ll be donating?We’re sending our nickels and dimes to Roots! The expansion of the garden is the first step towards a fantastic vision that cultivates community, family, and produce. Roots will eventually come to serve recipients and volunteers alike by providing a safe, fun place for people to get their hands dirty. We have a children’s garden just waiting to be filled, and starting this month we’ll be saving for a playground for our Sproutlets to play while we work. Visit http://www.lemonadeday.org/ to find out more about the event, and visit Brandon with your lemonade money $$$!

c'mon rain

2010-03-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

Weather report:

Updated: 4 min 32 sec ago
57.7 °F
Light Rain Mist

Please Lord:
Slow and steady and not too cold tonight!

It's a dirty job...

2010-03-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

Manure anyone?

Thanks to Ms. Janine Blum and her horse for some truly ORGANIC fertilizer. Strangely all the folks she solicited for help were busy. Next time guys!!

IT'S ALIVE!!!

2010-03-17T19:11:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Angela Wilson of CCCC brought a crew of ladies out to the garden to help install a primitive irrigation system. They knocked that out in short order so we planted some beans. And...

Well, no lightning strikes, no pitchforks, no angry mobs storming the castle and no Igor but still a creation. This one from God. "It's a bean, get a grip!" Beans and tomatoes, anyone with good recipes leave them in comments or shoot an e-mail.

BTW. Angela, good to run into you at HLSR monday. I hope your longhorn showed well. Thanks to you and the rest for the help planting.

Plants in the Ground, Plants in the Ground...

2010-02-10T11:46:00.000-08:00

Thats Right. We hedged our bets against another hard freeze and got the tomatoes in the ground. Trellis is built for the pole beans ready for a March 6th planting with some friends from Clear Creek Community Church. General Larry Platt would be proud.

First tomatoes

2010-02-06T13:55:00.000-08:00

This is what we're talkin bout. 12 brand new tomato plants ready to serve the needy.

some pics from the groundbreaking

2010-02-01T12:04:00.001-08:00

thanks so much to everyone that helped make the garden a reality. we're up and running now! here are a few pics from this weekend:

So very tired..

2010-01-31T13:27:00.000-08:00

So there are a dozen adults, thirty youth and a hand full of children all going to sleep very well tonight. We have broke ground and it broke us back, but in the process we have built 2 forty foot beds and a smaller one for the kids. BIG thanks goes out to all volunteers! Pictures to be posted later..

This should probably be on Twitter, but I don't tweet, I Blog.

It's a big pile of dirt... and it's BEAUTIFUL!!

2010-01-29T07:07:00.000-08:00

Zana Jardina totally rocks. Her company was nice enough to give us this...

It made me do silly stuff like this...

This may remind you of something you've seen before.

In my own mind anyway.

2010-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

Click for a larger image

Breaking Ground

2010-01-27T00:48:00.000-08:00

Come either this Sat Jan 30th at 1pm or Sun Jan 31st at either 8:30am or 10:30am. Behind signature car wash at the corner of FM518 and 1266, right down the street from Hyde Elementary.