MENTOR’S STEP BY STEP GUIDE Remember your introduction to gardening? Remember who you went to for advice after the research? Some homeowners do not know anyone who gardened. They might have lived in apartments & had no reason to learn about gardening. And then there are some homeowners who are such good gardeners that they should be my mentor! Our role is to respect the differences & be accepting. 1st YEAR BEFORE WORK DAY • Track the sun all day long so they know how long an area receives sunlight • Walk the property with them to determine problem areas (sloping toward the house, building debris in garden area, etc) • Explain compost - what it is, what it does to a garden, how to incorporate it. Families need to take their share from the donated pile & dig it into their garden before work day. Kids can be a help. • Review the type of garden they want & colors they like. Keep garden to the front of the house & small. There is time to expand next year. WORK DAY • Choose plants from those donated - fill one double newspaper page • Plant with the homeowner. They should have added the compost prior to work day. • Water the plants. Tell them how often to water to establish the garden. Kids like this part. DURING SUMMER • Email, call or a visit is nice • Remind homeowner to water & weed. • Show them what deadheading is. FALL WORK DAY • Demonstrate how to put a garden to bed for the winter 2nd YEAR • After the 1st year homeowners take compost, these 2nd year homeowners can take some for a new garden or add to existing garden. Time to plant veggies? • On work day, trim dead branches on shrubs, trim perennials, plant annuals • During summer - email, call, visit. Remind homeowner to water, weed & deadhead • Fall – put garden to bed. Trim & clear dead plant material. 3RD YEAR • Divide perennials to plant in pots for new homeowners or build additional garden around the house. Share plants with friends & family.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 22:18:59 +0000
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