Sparrow House Ministries
"because every person is valuable"
Sparrow House Victory Garden
Sparrow House Ministries has always needed a better supply of fresh produce for the families we serve, and for a few years we have wanted to have a garden to benefit the pantry. With the award of a grant from The Colorado Garden Foundation, and the support of many within the community, we are on our way to making this a reality! This garden will be in a secured area behind the pantry, operated by groups and individuals within the community, and the produce will go directly to the families served within the pantry.
What is a Victory Garden? During World War II, Herbert Hoover established a program designed to encourage Americans to produce more and consume less, urging people to live simply and also placed an emphasis of volunteerism. Americans were urged to produce their own food, planting vegetable gardens in their backyards, churchyards, city parks, and playgrounds. Herbert Hoover declared that, "Food will win the war" - therefore the name Victory Garden was established.
America may not be in a world war at this time, but we do believe in this concept and value of producing our own food- with an emphasis on volunteerism.
Scroll through to see the progress
February 2022
Awards Ceremony for the Colorado Garden Foundation
Eric Munoz, Mathew Biszak, Jim Fricke, Veronica Jacoby, Joel Jacoby
The old playground, full basketball court, tree stumps, and old chainlink fence had to be torn out.
Most of the playground equipment was salvaged and re-homed!
Ground work>>
Sparrow House is so thankful to live in a community that pitches in! The City of Lamar helped to get the lot cleared, Prowers County helped with equipment, and then dirt was hauled in and leveled to the correct slope for drainage by Dewitt Excavating.
Finally...a clean slate!!
Then a new fence!!
Hat's off to the guys that put it up in 100 degree plus temps!
Next...digging holes and hauling in gravel.
Per the advice of our agronomist, to promote proper drainage for the raised beds and reduce salts, we drilled 6 ft deep holes every 2 feet, and backfilled with gravel.
Everything is a lot of work and planning!
Meanwhile..inside the church...assembling the garden beds. First- getting the plastic off both sides of every single panel, more planning, then assembling.
Nuts and bolts galore!
And the making of the soil!
Prower's Enterprises mixed dirt, sand, compost, and then coconut coir for us.
Coconut coir will help aerate and retain moisture and last for 7 years, while the soil in the beds are naturally starting to establish their own little ecosystem.
Again- a LOT of work! The coir came in blocks that had to be broken up before adding to the compost.
A little dirt never hurt anyone - we have learned for sure!
Getting the first bed placed and filled was a learning curve! The beds are 31 feet long, brought out in 2 sections and then assembled together. But each bed has to be leveled on it's own so that the drip irrigation evenly distributes and doesn't puddle - not to mention for the sake of the stability of the beds.
Some volunteer laborers from our town...
priceless!
We believe an easy way to show appreciation for volunteers is to feed them!
Men from Advantage Treatment Center are regularly giving back to the community by helping at Sparrow House and we appreciate them!
Here, a volunteer is cutting down and cleaning up old shrubs that will be used in the bottom of the beds.
Each bed is set, then layered with cardboard, chunks of wood and branches, then straw/junk produce/paper shreds, etc., then the soil and the last thing will be mulch or wood chips on top to prevent weed growth and help retain moisture.
Volunteers from Fort Lyon Supportive Residential Community.
They were a blessing!
A picture of the garden nearing completion but more to come!
In the meantime- getting seeds started inside under grow lights so we can have a jump on the growing season after the last frost.
Plenty of tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and flowers for pollinators!
And a little education and fun...
Students, Olivia and Piper are learning how to plant a variety of seeds for the garden. They will get to follow through and learn all the processes of growing and harvesting, while serving those in need.
We find great JOY in investing into the next generation!
On the homestretch to finishing....
After a LONG wait - FINALLY the drilling of a NEW WELL, the pump being set, and all the water lines for the drip irrigation ran to each bed. Water is a blessing!
And then, last week of June and planting begins.
A lot of help from above and good people too
- over 800 plants were sown!
Fruits
from labors of love..
