Blitz Volunteer Guides Gardeners
Just about everything had turned upside down this year, but thankfully our Garden Blitz project was still a success! And thanks to our dedicated garden mentorship coordinator, Margaret Franchino of Brown County Community Gardens, the mentorship program was a success. At the beginning of the pandemic, we saw gardening interests spike tremendously. With a little more time on our hands to dig into hobbies (and dirt!) that we've put off for so long, individuals and families sought to spend time outside, cultivate connections, and grow their food. Since the growing season has come to a close, Margaret reached out to interview a seasoned garden mentor, Cheryl Williams, and mentees, Michelle and Sean Eddy.
Cheryl Williams is a long-time Brown County Community Gardens Program volunteer who has been with the Blitz since it started in 2014. Over the years, she’s spread her enjoyment and knowledge of gardening to countless Green Bay community members, including through serving as a garden mentor through the Blitz mentorship program. This year, Cheryl paired up with Michelle Eddy and her husband Sean to get their Blitz garden off to a great start! Below, the pair shares more about their experience working together this season:
Michelle, mentee:
Why did you want a garden?
My family always had a garden when I was growing up and I have a lot of fun memories around caring for the garden. (However, back then, it felt like torture as it was a big garden that we had to work in every day. HA!!) We have wanted a garden for years but never felt we had a good place to keep one. About a year ago we had to take down a few trees in our yard and that opened up the perfect space. We love that we can grow our own food without chemicals!
Why did you want a mentor?
It’s been well over 25 years since I’ve done any kind of gardening and my husband Sean never had a garden growing up so I felt I needed someone who could refresh my memory and teach me the tricks of the trade that I’m sure I missed when I was young. We just decided if we were going to take this on as a lifestyle change we wanted to learn how to do it successfully.
What is one tip you've learned from your mentor?
I would say the biggest tip that we learned was how to plan out the placement of a garden. That was something I didn’t have to do before. When you think about starting a garden, it seems like all you really have to do is put the plants in the ground, but it’s so much more than that! We didn’t realize how much thought goes into planning for planting and then rotating your crop each year for healthy soil.
A favorite memory from this season:
It was so great having Cheryl as our source of knowledge and our cheerleader. She was always so excited about everything we did and she was so encouraging, assuring us that we had a natural skill for gardening.
Cheryl, Mentor:
How long have you been gardening and how did you learn?
About 50 years! I first gardened alongside my parents and grandparents; one of our big fall jobs as kids was vegetable processing for winter!
Why did you decide to mentor?
I was involved in supporting community gardens and in the Green Bay Garden Blitz, and it called for establishing a garden mentor program. I felt garden mentorship was the next step for the community gardens as well as providing mentors for the Blitz. The Blitz’s five-lesson program with an outline and the Extension resources makes it extremely focal and easy to accomplish!
Can you share one gardening tip?
Put down a weed barrier or mulch! It saves watering and weeding all season long, and if you use natural materials like compost and newspaper, it enriches your soil! Double win!
A favorite memory from this season:
I enjoyed seeing the Eddys working together. They both met with me together, chose veggies so they both had things they liked and brought their ideas for problem-solving (like avoiding bunnies eating their lettuces and what to do when you have just a few too many plants for your box!). This led them to replant crowded starts into planters on their deck together. They even started another garden at her workplace, and brought pictures of that plot to discuss differences!
Thanks to Margaret Franchino, Cheryl Williams, Michelle and Sean Eddy, and Brown County Community Gardens for cultivating and sharing this heartwarming garden story!
