by Al Johnson, Co-chair, Earth and Climate Ministry

Allie’s Organic Garden is tended by UUCWC’s Earth and Climate Ministry to provide vegetables for local food aid programs. We harvested in December with the help of the children from the Children and Youth Family Ministry, who braved the cold and the threat of rain. The garden has now been put to rest for the winter. As part of good land stewardship and sustainable practices, we have planted cover crops of clover and grasses on all early harvested beds. This will provide added fertility for next year’s crops.

We distributed all forty-five pounds of our sweet potatoes to the Rolling Harvest Food Rescue, operating out of nearby Gravity Hill Farm in Titusville. We also gave Rolling Harvest forty pounds of our carrots. Twenty pounds of carrots went to the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, and we donated the last thirteen pounds to the “Free Store” operated by Homefront at their Lawrence headquarters.

This year’s harvest was truly an all-church effort. The Grounds Committee has been depositing fall-raked church leaves onto the garden; Denny Rogers grinds them up so they can more quickly contribute to the soil’s fertility. There have been noticeable soil improvements from the compost derived largely from the home kitchen scraps many of you have contributed to our compost bin. As well as helping with the harvest, the children also helped plant sweet potatoes in the spring. Volunteers helped weed, thin carrots and water all summer long and helped harvest the crops.

Thanks to all who made this year’s garden a success in providing food to those in need in our area. Our collective actions are a testament to our Unitarian Universalist principles.