Lots of activity continues on the Pope Farm Homestead, now home to the Forward Garden. Construction began on a new walk-in cooler which was ready to store vegetables before distribution by the end of July. The Garden hosted its first volunteer group from a local business with four staff from Exact Sciences and several others have followed suit including a middle-school group from the Lussier Community Education Center. They’ve been there three times so far as well as members of the local community who’ve been recipients of some of the Garden’s produce. Since May, the Forward Garden has harvested and donated 3,915 pounds of produce to 5 different pantries in the Madison area! This includes 173 pounds of cabbage, red onions, white onions, jalapeños, tomatoes and cilantro. Are you hungry for salsa yet? Some of this bounty was used to make salsa for camp at Lussier. The Garden has also wrapped up its harvest of spring succession broccoli for a total of 1,057 pounds distributed to four different pantries in July. The end of broccoli harvest is coinciding with the start of onions, pole beans, tomatoes and peppers.

This means that tending and harvesting will continue to keep folks working at the Garden busy. Many of you have invited friends, family members, neighbors and classmates out to help. Thank you!

We encourage you to keep it up so that the Forward Garden first year is a fun, productive, safe, community-based success.

The Forward Garden volunteer work schedule is Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Wednesday mornings from 9-11 a.m. All are welcome to participate – no registration necessary. Visit MAFPG’s website, Facebook Page, and Instagram to stay up on what’s happening with the gardens. Or contact the Forward Garden’s Farm Manager, Matt at Matt@foodpantrygardens.org or 530-650-5301.

The Forward Garden’s “Wish List”

Forward Garden at Pope Farm Homestead is in need of the following items (below). If you have any of these things and want to move them along to good use, please consider donating them. Contact Forward Garden’s Farm Manager, Matt at Matt@foodpantrygardens.org or 530-650-5301 to arrange a drop-off time.

These items are in no particular order.

• Gardening gloves
• Rubber boots – assorted sizes for youth groups to use during field trips (Some of the younger volunteers are concerned about getting their shoes dirty!)
• Folding table(s)
• Angle grinder for sharpening hoes and other tools
• Tarp(s)
• Pop up tent or other shade structure
• Digging shovels
• Shelves
• White board + markers or chalk board + chalk
• Chicken wire or hog fencing for trellising vegetables
• Metal fence posts (5-8 ft long)
• Orange cones and/or flags