Ralph Haynes' Garden

A Garden Full of Winter Greens at Ralph Haynes' Place.

Trumpet Flowers

FACT: Most folks that have lived in Milton a long time also have a gigantic bush of these flowers somewhere in their garden.

Farm to Table

Slowly the sustainable table or Slow Food movement is moving towards us in Milton, Georgia. Not that it didn't originally begin here sort of, as in slow food, but that's another story. It's all about getting back to basics, words for these economic times.

In any case, this CSA organization looks like something to certainly check out!

A few benefits of participating: CSA programs are a system that connects people who live in urban areas to an environmental and socially responsible source of food from a local farm. People who join the program receive a weekly or biweekly box of farm-fresh foods conveniently delivered to a neighborhood host site. Each week on delivery day the pick up site becomes a community hub for good food and healthy lifestyles as people stop by to pick up their organic groceries. The program provides a framework for a relationship that allows consumers and farmers to collaborate efforts in order to ensure and sustain a safe and healthy food source in their community.

I will fill you in on a little secret but, shhhhh....

I know someone who is putting together a 100% organic farm right here in Milton, Georgia with classes and outreach programs and all kinds of great opportunities and will hopefully open in the next six to nine months. It's taken many years to even get this far because of the strictest Federal requirements, State of Georgia and other regulatory issues. As soon as I hear more, I'll let you know. Our own backyard CSA!! This is groovy!

In the meantime, Look at Local Food Stop's Website HERE!

Milton Garden Club News

Some News from Sharon Murphy of the Milton Garden Club...

Hope you all are able to enjoy this gorgeous Fall weather! It is a great time to plant perennials, many of which are on sale right now. Don't be afraid if they look a little scraggly, at this point what you are looking for is a healthy root system that can withstand the winter. In the Spring you will be rewarded with a fabulous looking plant that you may have even forgotten about! If you are not doing any Fall vegetables then now is a great time to start preparing your soil for the Spring. Amend the soil with organic matter and let the soil rest throughout the winter.

The last Milton Community Market was a great success! Again, in the early hours they managed to fill the Scottsdale parking lot and their total contribution to Canine Assistants for this month only was $563, bringing the grand total to over $1,000! Isn't it so amazing that our little market was able to generate so much money for such a worthy cause!

The next Garden Club meeting is scheduled for Oct. 22 and will be held at the clubhouse in Highland Manor. Watch a demonstration on how to make seasonal wreaths and then participate in a bow making workshop. Also, will be raffling off the wreath so come prepared to purchase some raffle tickets! There will be a fee charged for the workshop to cover the cost of the bow and is $5.50 if you pay via internet and $5 if you pay at the door.

This will be our last meeting until January and I wanted to make it a little special so I am asking everyone to bring some wine and perhaps an appetizer. We will celebrate the club's success and chat about our future. For everyone who signed up to help on a committee, thank you so much! You will be contacted by the committee chair shortly. If you are interested in helping out but have not yet signed up we are always looking for volunteers so just send me an email and let me know where your interest lies.

Garden On!

Milton Garden Club

Milton, Georgia

Dis Ain't No Dog

Found them on Freemanville Road between Birmingham and Mountain Road. What kind are these exactly? I mean, now c'mon, you just don't find this type of yard animal in every city.

That's why we love Milton, Georgia!

Roadside Veggie Project A Success!

Today ends the tomato season at Milton resident Floyd Keisler's garden also known as Moss Hill Farm in Milton, Georgia. This week is the end of the cucumbers. Following are a few items available for a little while longer:

Summer yellow squash
Butternut winter squash
Red Kuri winter squash
Blue Hubbard winter squash
A little okra
Apples next week
Turnip and mustard greens in about 30 days

Folks have asked Mr. Keisler about using compost on your own flowers and garden spots. He says that "now is the time to put down at least 6 inches on top of the garden/flower area for it to incorporate into the soil, then in January or February put down another 6 inches on top of the ground. You will have your garden spot ready for summer if you do this without having to plow or prepare the soil in any other way. I have some almost ready, let me know if I can help in this area."

Mr. Keisler is selling a 50 pound bag for $2.00 or a trailer load which is 3 cubic yards for $125.00 delivered in North Fulton. A trailer load will cover a 10 foot by 30 foot area 4-6 inches deep.

He thanks everyone for making this year's project a success. You can reach Floyd Keisler at 770.815.2815 .

Ralph Haynes' Garden

Looking so nice.

HG would be proud!

Bobby Poole's Garden

Mr. Poole's garden is way up there in the yonder (see the red clay in the back). He has another one roadside right at the corner of Redd and Hopewell. Just a bit ago this little dock was put up and occasionally you'll see Mr. Poole down there just enjoying the shade tree as he watches his gardens grow.

Sometimes Mr. Poole sells his tomatoes on the honor system out by the road in front of his house.

Roadside home-grown vegetable stands are not as prevalent as they once were just a few years ago. But when you find one, stop and grab a few tamaters. You'll never find anything that tastes as good at Publix, or Harry's.

Support your local farmer.

Raymond Westbrook's Garden

A Perfectionist's Garden

Farmer's Market at Emory

As part of Emory University's Sustainability Initiative, they will host a weekly Tuesday farmers market, starting June 10.

Featuring fresh, local produce, meat, bread, cheese, and other artisan products, the market is open to everyone. Come meet local farmers and learn more about their sustainable production methods. The market will offer a range of fresh, local, organic and sustainably grown fruits, vegetables, and other products, to offer healthy choices conveniently to the Emory community. Some weeks, the market will also feature music and chef demos.

The market is sponsored by the Sustainable Food Initiative in cooperation with Emory Dining.

Garden Club Volunteers Spruce Up Milton Fire Station

by Jason Wright Appen Newspapers

Thanks to a number of committed volunteers, Milton's Fire Station No. 42 on Thompson Road now has gardens to drool over.All for free, and all saved from destruction.The plants came from the Windward Parkway property on which eatery Fire of Brazil once stood. As part of that restaurant's ambience, exotic and beautiful plants were installed, as were Koi ponds and other natural features.The land's new owner, Real Development LLC, was looking for a way to recycle everything it could from the property, so when Milton's Garden Club called asking if its members could take the plants to use at a city fire station, project manager David Barnett jumped at the chance."We said, go ahead, knock yourselves out," he said.And they did. On May 17, a force 20-strong of volunteers from the Garden Club, Chattahoochee High School and Real Development took out the plants and moved them to the fire station.

"They had gorgeous plants and stones," said Garden Club founder Sharon Murphy. "We were able to do so much."Each of the volunteers came with their own tools, and everyone even pitched in for mulch. There were no rototillers on hand, so every bit of work was done the old fashioned way -- with lots of sweat and lots help from friends.And seeing the community working to bring them a better home, Milton's own fire fighters pitched in to clean out weeds and plant new life at the older station.

Community volunteer and Garden Club member Abbe Laboda was on hand for the planting. She said it was amazing to see so many people chipping in just to make a community staple look a little bit fresher."It was so cool," she said. "We got the plants from Fire of Brazil and planted them at the firehouse. And we found a burning bush."

Barnett said the effort to reuse the precious plants was all part of Real Development owner Rob Forrest's plan in the community."All of our projects are kind of green," he said. "It's real easy to tear everything down in the world and build something new, but we try to take a different approach."

Real Development also let Milton's Public Safety Department use the building's sprawling layout for training."It makes us feel good that we can give something back," said Barnett.