You are the Best Mr. Bob!
Author: Advyon
Mr. Bob Rocks!
Something amazing happen today!
A year ago I didn’t even know Mr. Bob until he showed up at a vegetable (food) drive I was having to collected fresh veggies for the soup kitchens. That day he told me that he wanted to help me. He let me borrow his rocking John Deer Tractor with AC and sate-light radio. He gave me a large plot of land on his farm to grow vegetables for the soup kitchens but today he out did himself! I went out to his farm and I found out he’d built a greenhouse and a whole maze of planters with a beautiful fountain in the middle for me to use! They look amazing! I’m going to store my seed trays there. This year planting will be so much easier on his farm because we won’t have to bend down to plant! We can just use the handy planters! I was so happy when I saw all the wonderful things he’d done for me! The greenhouse is amazing (it even has ducks, real live ducks in it). Thanks Mr. Bob you rock and thank you to everyone who helps and supports me.
I couldn’t do this without you.
The ‘Magic’ Seeds….
I recently went on a wonderful trip to Walt Disney World in Florida, where I got a private greenhouse tour in Epcot. The gardener at The Land gave me lots of “magic” seeds and I learned many different and unique ways to grow plants. The Disney greenhouses were absolutely amazing! I saw so many different plants I’d never seen before! I learned many methods they use to grow things in their greenhouses. They use gutters to plant the lettuce in, created a “Tomato Tree” that set the world record for the most tomatoes in one year (32,000), and grow their brussels sprouts hanging with their roots in the air (no dirt!). I tried a cucumber that they grew in their greenhouse and it was really tasty! My little brother who won’t eat anything green couldn’t get enough. It was a blast, but I had another surprise.
There were a lot of interns working there and every time I met one, they presented me with a pack of “Disney magic” seeds. I got everything from Peperoncino to Fairytale Eggplant.
We just started the seeds in seed trays and hopefully the vegetables I grow will be as amazing as the ones they grow at Disney! Even if I’m only half as successful as them I know I will feed thousands of people with the seeds they provided to me. Thank You Disney!!!
P.S. If you ever go to Disney/Epcot be sure to sign up for the “Behind the Seeds Tour”. It is so amazing. Tell them Cabbage Katie says ‘Hi’.
Never Giving Up!!!
Gardening may be fun and easy, but it can also be hard at times. My garden in my neighborhood is exactly that, a challenge. If getting eating by mountains of fire ants (some piles are twice as big as the cabbages), having rabbits and deer use the garden as a restaurant, having vandals destroy it, and trying to raise money to fix the problems doesn’t sound hard, then I don’t know what does. Well, that is what we have to deal with to keep the garden going. I would hate to let it go, so I’m not giving up! We are going to fight the mountains of fire ants. Hopefully something will work (any suggestions please send them our way)! I’m keeping my fingers crossed! We’re also trying to find someone to donate a better fence, one the deer and rabbits can’t cross! Any offers to donate a fence would be sooooo appreciated! There is nothing we can do about the vandals but hope they don’t come back & hope they realize how many people this garden can help feed! I really hope I can keep this garden. I am not giving up!
One Step at a Time
Like many people may say, Christmas is a special time. For The Palmetto House this year, I am sure it was a great one! In early December, I received a letter saying The Palmetto House (the soup kitchen/homeless shelter I donate to) was struggling to keep their doors open. I was recently selected as a Build-A-Bear Workshop 2009 Huggable Hero. As well as a wonderful trip in which I was able to meet the 11 other honorees and participate in fun activities, I was given a generous donation towards my college education and my dream. After giving it some thought, I decided that I would donate $750 of the funds from Build a Bear to The Palmetto House to help them stay afloat. It just wouldn’t be the same without them to donate my vegetables to. I know what I donated was only a small portion of what they need, but I know it will help. They are still struggling and could use all the help they can get. These people have become my friends and I couldn’t bear to have them close the doors because of lack of money. They help so many people. I will keep them in my prayers that they find the money they need to stay open.
How to help your garden grow when it is freezing outside.
It maybe freezing outside but you can still help your garden grow. How? You can compost. Compost is using waste to create nutrients for your garden. How do you do it, is really is easy. When my mom cooks we take the vegetables and fruit scraps, coffee grounds, egg shells and place them in a big bin. When the bin is filled we take the bin to my garden and dump them in compost bin my dad and brother built. We dump the kitchen waste into the bin that also has dirt, newspapers, grass clippings, leaves that have fallen from the trees and the old plants that we pulled from the garden. We make sure it stays moist and about twice a week with a pitch fork we turn the compost and it slowly decays. When the compost is ready we will till it into future gardens. Below is a list of items that you can and cannot compost thanks to my Master Gardener Ms. Lisa! Give it a try, it cuts down on waste in our landfills and will really help your garden in the future!
Materials for Composting
Weeds (without seed heads)
Bread and Grains
Coffee Grounds and Filters
Tea Bags and Loose Tea Leaves
Egg Shells
Fruit / Vegetable Rinds, Peelings, etc.
Grass Clippings
Leaves (preferably mulched)
Sawdust from Untreated, Unpainted Wood
Straw
Sod
Wood Ash (moderate amounts)
Wood Chips
Paper
Newspaper
What Not to Compost
Butter
Oils
Bones
Cat or Dog Manure
Cheese
Chicken Scraps
Fish Scraps
Lard
Vegetable Oil
Diseased Plants
Mayonnaise
Meats or Meat Fats
Milk
Peanut Butter
Salad Dressings
Sour Cream
Evergreen Leaves
Charcoal Ashes (can be toxic)
Any Treated, Painted Wood and/or Wood Chips
Coated Paper
The Philanthropist
The philanthropist
Girl wins recognition for efforts to help needy, conserve water
By Brenda Rindge The Post and Courier Monday, July 13, 2009
She’s concerned about feeding the hungry and conserving water.
She has designed award-winning T-shirts and ice-cream bars and has been featured on the national news.
She’s also just 10 years old, but Summerville resident Katie Stagliano seems to have the golden touch.
Provided
Summerville residents Katie Stagliano, 10, and her brother, John Michael, 6, unload vegetables donated during a food drive June 26 that collected more than 500 pounds of fresh vegetables and canned goods.
It all started a couple of years ago when the Stagliano family — Stacy, a stay-at-home mom and Parent Teacher Organization president; dad John, who runs several businesses; Katie; and brother John Michael, now 6 — were going on a long road trip.
Stacy gathered activities to keep the kids busy, including an e-mail about the Nestle Flavorologist for a Day contest, which invited youngsters to invent original, appetite-engaging frozen treats.
People Magazine, Heroes Among Us!
From PEOPLE Magazine Click to enlarge
Katie Stagliano, 11
Summerville, S.C.
Last year Katie Stagliano planted a cabbage seedling in her family’s backyard. After it grew to an astonishing 40 lbs., Katie donated it to a homeless shelter. Two days later she returned to help serve some of the 275 meals (rounded out by ham and rice) made with her massive crucifer. “I’ve never felt so good in my life,” says Katie, now a fifth grader. “I thought, ‘Wow, with one cabbage I helped feed that many people? I could do much more.'”
So she started other gardens—in her subdivision, on donated land outside of town and on a field at her school. She then enlisted volunteers, from gardeners to her classmates, and a plant company donated seedlings. This year Katie and her crew have supplied soup kitchens with over 1,000 lbs. of squash, okra, cabbage and other crops. With the fall harvest, she’ll add another 4,000 lbs. “We are amazed, thrilled,” says Charlotte Carroll, 57, executive director of Palmetto House, a homeless shelter that gets twice-weekly deliveries from Katie. “It’s easy to have a canned food drive, but it’s unique a child would grow her own vegetables.” Says Elois Mackey, 48, who lives at Palmetto with her two kids: “She shows that children can play a big part in helping people. The vegetables she brought were delicious.”
Check Out Katie and Her Dream in People Magazine!
A Young Gardener Feeds The Poor
People Magazine
Heroes Among Us October 26, 2009
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20314021,00.html
Katie and the Cabbage Patch
Katie and the cabbage patch
Posted: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 8:01 PM by Daily Nightly Editor
Filed Under: Notes from the field
Kelly Venardos, Producer, NBC Nightly News
Every so often you come upon a story that stays with you. After working at NBC News for more than 16 years, I have a few of these gems tucked away in my memory. They sustain me through the news stories that aren’t necessarily pleasant or positive. Frequently, these stories involve children. This is one of them.