High Elevation Gardening Web Log "Blog"

The first bed came to be when gardening friend Jacki Hainsworth found an inexpensive raised bed that you can work at while standing. We ordered one from Charley’s Greenhouse Catalog. Cynthia Katte and I put it together with some help from Ed Decker, and it was planted with greens and herbs that were used by the home in meals.

To raise tomatoes, residents planted several in self-watering pots obtained from Gardener’s Supply Catalog. These are great containers for tomatoes because the roots stay moist and the tops are hot and sunny. Theses pots are good for anyone in a wheelchair or who has to sit to work. The two residents who planted them were both in electric carts so I raised the pots up about a foot for easy planting.

Several years ago we purchased two sheep troughs for planting. They turned out to be not only beautiful but useful. One was painted with flowers by a former resident’s mom as a memorial to her, and then planted with her favorite geraniums and many other beautiful annuals. The second trough was planted initially with potatoes. The potatoes were harvested and eaten at our end of the season harvest picnic and the trough was then planted with garlic which was harvested this year. Again, Ed Decker helped prepare the troughs by drilling holes in the bottom for drainage. The troughs are also good for those who want to sit while gardening.

We completed the sensory pot project last year. Many of our residents have sensory limitations such as decreased hearing, vision, and even touch. We purchased four large plastic pots and planted them as theme pots for sight, touch, taste and smell. These pots were placed to allow residents to easily interact with the plants growing in them.

Last year, Wayne Daily drew up plans for a sitting raised bed. This year our goal was to have it built. We had some left over redwood from the gazebo that was built last year, but the cost of building it was still prohibitive. John Gordon came to the rescue.

John supervises community service work for the Coconino County Probation Department. He has a crew of carpenters that need to do community service projects and many gardening projects have benefited from their talents. In addition to work at hospice, they have helped the Juniper Street and Southside community gardens and the Flagstaff Youth Garden for MNA. They have also participated in the Community Farmers Market selling reclaimed wood furniture. The program is financially supported by the Coconino County Board of Supervisors (Matt Ryan and Liz Archuleta in particular) and the Flagstaff Community Foundation. Coconino Parks and Recreation provides space for their work at Fort Tuthill.

Thanks to John, we now have a sitting raised bed at hospice. John’s group is also building a lattice birdhouse screen for us to improve the view from the gazebo. Instead of looking at the street, the view will be of wonderful donated birdhouses mounted on the screen.

Besides the raised bed, we’ve had help with several other projects. Tom Rogers from the Construction Management Department at NAU put in a cement walkway for the garden several years ago. He remembered our gardens and sent word of a small greenhouse that was available from Coconino Community College. A crew from CCC led by Rick Emry and Joe Costian not only provided us with a greenhouse, but made sure it got placed on our property safely.

We’ve had help from many other groups - churches, schools, Boy Scouts, Flagstaff Youth Corp, AmeriCorp, and hospice and Master Gardener volunteers. Many others have contributed money and materials. Warner’s Nursery has provided a 10% of proceeds day for us for several years and this year Flagstaff Native Plant and Seed joined them.

Because of all the generous support of the community of Flagstaff, we have been able to put in the garden with minimal use of funds from Northland Hospice. It is important that donated funds be used for patient care needs. The residents, families, staff, and volunteers have shown their appreciation by spending their free time in the gardens that are blooming from April to October.

It takes a village!

By Loni Shapiro
The author is a Master Gardener volunteer for Coconino County Cooperative Extension. For more information about the Master Gardener program, call 774-1868 ext. 17 or visit our website: highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.