The Lucknow Sentinel, 1978-09-06, Page 13vested from this garden
nickname for one of the
residents who loved to
work in the garden and
did work in it most of the
summer. He's a tiny man
of about 60 who has spent
the last 40 years of his life
in institutions.
"He's so good with the
hoe. I've never seen,
anyone who can hoe
better than he can except
for maybe my mother. He
can• even hoe around
delicate vegetables like
onions where you have to
be careful not to damage
the bulbs," says Mary
Anne.
All the residents Mary
Anne has had working
with her have been good
at weeding and picking
peas and beans. She says
she has had no
disciplinary problems
with any of them at all. It
took a couple of weeks for
her to get their trust but
after that they were okay.
Lennis Bedard, Mary
Anne's supervisor, says
she spoiled them and they
are going to miss her.
DONATIONS
Mary Anne and another
Junior Farmer took a
whole day at the outset of
the project and travelled'
all over the county to
stores, garden centres
and co-operatives asking
for donations of seeds,
fertilizer, etc. for the
garden. They got a very
good reception and once
the small garden from
the year before at the
Centre was ploughed
again right from scratch
and made bigger,
potatoes, cabbages,
tomatoes, radishes, swiss
chard, beets, onions,
cucumbers, musk
mellon, beans, peas and
even gourds and or-
namental corn for
decorating the wards,
were grown.
Mike . Miller and Len
McGregor of the Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture
and Food office in Clinton
visited the garden to test
the soil and give advice to
Mary Anne oil what to
grow and what fertilizers
to use, etc.
With the project ending
on September 1, the
vegetables did have a
short growth span and the'
drought affected the
growth of some of -the
corn and cauliflower.
There is six • or seven
lengths of hose for the
garden but it doesn't
reach as far as the end of
the plot where the 25 rows
of sweet corn are planted
and tap water isn't as
good as rain water
anyway, says Mary
Anne.
Overall though, she
would say the garden was
quite healthy and one'to
be proud of.
Some days Mary Anne
had only one resident
working with her and
other days she had 'as
many as seven. They had
a garden tractor and two
rotary tillers to work with -
as well.
On the days it rained,
Mary Anne helped at the
Centre's farm doing
chores. There is a barn at
the Centre with rabbits,
calves, chickens and two
ponies. This harbors
another area of training
for the residents who also
do ceramics, contract
work, laundry and
cooking.
SOLD PRODUCE
Mary Anne ,says the
garden project was not a
big financial success this
year but it was successful
in terms of giving
pleasure to the residents
and getting the com-
munity involved. She
tried to keep prices
, competitive but many
people wanted reduced
rates. Most of the
vegetables were sold
privately or to staff at the
Centre. Some of the
produce was sold through
the Red and White store
in Goderich and some
was also sold at the
Antique Show held a few
weeks ago at the Centre.
Mary Anne will still take
orders for onions,
tomatoes and sweet corn
over the phone (524-7331).
PROFIT FOR NEXT
YEAR'S PROJECT
Mary Anne was chosen
over three other Junior
Farmers who applied for
the garden project job.
She worked a 40 hour
week at a little better
than minimum .wage and
hopefully this work will
be available again next
year for two more
students. This year the
Centre picked up the tab
for the project but the.
Junior Farmers may try
to reimburse some of
Mary Anne's wages and it
is hoped that the profit
from the project will take
care of most of next
year's wages.
Junior Farmers is a
social club for people
aged 15 to 30. Most of the
members are from
farming communities
and county meetings are
held at the Agricultural
offices in Clinton. Mary
Anne gives reports at
A
TREASURE
TROVE
IN
THE
WANT
ADS
these meetings on the
garden project.
The motto of Junior
Farmers is community
betterment and Mary
Anne thinks this is
reflected quite well in the,
garden project. Just the
fact that the Junior
Farmers are involved at
the Centre, widens the
circle of outside people
interested in helping at
the facility. In fact, the
Junior Farmers are
entering two residents
dressed up in old
costumes riding in a four
seater buggy pulled by
two ponies in the Plowing
,Match parade in Sep-
tember - a continuation of
their interest in the
Centre.
Mary Anne will return
for her second year at
Fanshawe College... --in
September' to continue
studying broadcast
journalism. She is
anxious to get back to.
school but glad that she
had the summer ex-
perience of working • on
and piloting- a new
project, one which will
continue to give summer
employment to others
and enjoyment and
training to residents over
the years encouraged by
co-operation from the
whole county.
Lueknow Sentinel, Wednesday, September 6, 1978—Page 13
Frances Papernick and Earl Switzer (Dusty) are two residents who have
worked in the Bluewater Centre's garden all summer. They ' were very
helpful says Mary Anne Alton, the Junior Farmer who headed the garden
project which involved growing vegetables and selling them for a profit to
buy more garden equipment and hire two more students next year to work in
thegarden with the residents. (Photo by Joanne Walters)
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