Sow, What’s New This Month?
July Recap
July was a whirlwind of creativity, community, and care at Mid Shooks Run:
Pressed-flower fundraising kickoff: gardeners gathered over a weekend to transform pressed blooms into beautiful cards!
Garden maintenance day: volunteers came together to repaint plot numbers, maintain tools, water our fruit trees and perennials, tidy pathways, and lay down even more cardboard and mulch—an afternoon of steady work and great camaraderie.
Summerfest: We joined our neighbors at Shooks Park for Summerfest 2025—bringing our garden’s energy into the broader community and raising $450 for garden infrastructure projects.
At the very end of the month, we saw the first black eastern swallowtail butterflies from the garden eclose.
Thanks to every helping hand and effort to make July bloom, and thank you to the Middle Shooks Run Neighborhood Association for hosting Summerfest 2025!
August Events
Brave Irene’s Poetry in the Garden
Saturday, August 9th
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Mid Shooks Run Community Garden
Community Constellations
Wednesday, August 13th
3:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Stellina Pizza Cafe
Monthly Maintenance - August
Saturday, August 23rd
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Mid Shooks Run Community Garden
August Announcements
New Plot Numbers.
To reflect the new plots added this spring, we’ve renumbered all the garden beds at Mid Shooks Run Community Garden. Plots are now numbered 1 through 50, and each plot may have a number that is different than it was at the start of the growing season. Check out the updated plot map on the Resources page.
Project Highlight: Cathy’s Tribute - A Bed of Berries and Gratitude
If you've ever picked a strawberry from the common areas of the garden, chances are Cathy had a hand in it. For years, she’s quietly planted strawberries to share with everyone — a gesture that’s become a sweet and beloved tradition.
This season, Cathy wasn’t able to get them in the ground herself. In her honor, we planted a 4'x4' plot with Yellow Wonder Alpine strawberries — a gourmet variety known for its tiny, creamy-yellow fruits bursting with flavors of pineapple, strawberry, and passionfruit. These everbearing plants are generous, resilient, and carry a bold flavor — much like Cathy.
The next time you're near plot 32, take a moment to admire this quiet tribute. And when the berries ripen, feel free to enjoy a few — Cathy wouldn’t have it any other way.
In Season at the Perennial Beds: August Edition
At Mid Shooks Run Community Garden, you can find an abundance of vibrant blooms and foliage that thrive year after year. Here’s what you’ll find ready to harvest in July in our perennial beds:
Artichokes. In the 2’x6’ experimental beds along the east fence - just south of the entrance to the community garden - you’ll find two Green Globe artichoke plants. Harvest artichokes before the outer leaves start to open, when they are 4 to 6 inches in diameter and feel solid and heavy.
Asparabroc. This unique hybrid combines the flavors and textures of asparagus and broccoli. It features thick, tender shoots similar to asparagus with small, broccoli-like florets at the tips. Find it in the stainless steel planters along the west-facing perennial bed.
A variety of flowers. These hardy perennials provide a colorful display while attracting beneficial pollinators to the garden.
Herbs like thyme, marjoram, lavender, lemon balm, tarragon, and sage are flourishing, ready to be harvested for culinary and aromatic purposes. Check out the south-west corner of our perennial beds, which community gardeners can help themselves to!
Lemon cucumbers. You'll know it's time to harvest when they’re about the size of a lemon and turn from green to yellow. Don't let them turn a deep yellow or they'll be overripe and have a bitter taste. You’ll find them in the northern end of the perennial beds in the corrugated metal raised bed.
Mexican sour gherkins (AKA cucamelons). These super adorable fruits look like mini watermelons! Harvest when they are about the size of a large grape but still firm to touch by twisting or cutting the fruits from the vine. Be careful not to damage the plants! You’ll find them in the northern end of the perennial beds in the corrugated metal raised bed.
Tomatoes. Six prolific, compact tomato plants are nestled alongside our artichoke plants in the 2’x6’ experimental beds. There are two each of Patio Hybrid (medium-sized, red fruits) , Patio Choice Yellow Hybrid (yellow cherries), and Fantastico Hybrid (mini plum fruits). Enjoy!
Walking Onions. Walking onions can be harvested throughout the season. In August, the bulbets make a great shallot substitute. You can also harvest the bulbets to plant in the fall so that you have your own crop of walking onions next spring.
Happy Gardening!
