​Posted by Debra Ann Matthews, first-time gardener, Montgomery County, Participant in The Russellville Urban Garden Project July 9, 2020  
 
⇜ ⇝ The community garden is a neat place to learn how to grow food for the community. And the bonus is that each participate can also take the same principles learned from the garden to a home garden. If you are special needs like I am, a raised garden is just your answer.

​Right now, we are celebrating having our new Russellville Urban Garden T-shirts.  They are also for sale for anyone interested in supporting the education and training that happens in the community garden. Jump on line at https://www.rugplogan.com/blog or go to FB @ Russellville Urban Garden Project  and pick up the $25 Box of Fresh Food from the Garden.  Leave a message for Director, Dr. Nancy Dawson. The Russellville Urban Garden Project thanks you for your support. Text our Hotline @ 270.847.8726.
⇜ ⇝ Take a look at the items below that you can pick up at the Farm. Stop by any Saturday at the Corner of 6th and Caldwell and get your fresh nutritious veggies…….
 
Regular Tomato $2 per pound
Heirloom Tomato $4 per pound
Cherry Tomato $4 a pint
Green Beans $3 per pound
Purple Potatoes $3 per pound
Kennebec Potatoes $1 per pound
Squash $1.50 per pound
Zucchini $1.50 per pound
Green Onions $1.50 per bunch
Candy Onions $1 per pound
Mustard Greens $1.50 per pound
Sweet Baby Watermelon $5
Crimson Sweet Watermelon $6
Sweet Corn $4.50 a dozen
Cantaloupe $3.50 each
Honey Dew Melon $5 each
Debra Ann Matthews is a part of Forbes Coaches Council and helps motivated job seekers and small businesses as a Certified Job and Career Development and Transition Coach. She is motivated to learn and grow her own healthy nutritious food as a way to help increase her personal wellness and decrease her current weight.
She is a professional resume writer as well and has been published along with 60 of her colleagues in, “Modernize Your Job Search Letters Get Noticed, Get Hired”. And if you can’t say it, as she likes to say, “Let Me Write It For You!” Connect with Debra Ann on linkedin at www.linkedin.com/in/letmewriteit4u or via her website at www.letmewriteitforyou.org.

Posted by Debra Ann Matthews, first-time gardener, Montgomery County, Participant in The Russellville Urban Garden Project June 15, 2020  
⇜ ⇝ Mulch, dirt, garden nails, OH MY! What does all of this have to do with gardening? Today’s garden lesson including watching my team use mulch, garden nails and flowers to plant and beautify our garden. It was great to watch our team make strides getting ready I have always felt that we need to garden. Teenagers helped the master gardener lay down huge pieces of garden fabric to avoid the weeds. It got hot fast but sitting under the big shade tree and having lots of ice, Gatorade, water, and snacks on hand helped move the morning forward.  
 ⇜ ⇝ Weeds, Weeds, Weeds, are indeed in season. It is possible that some weeds will grow bigger than a flower. Look under the tree and note that big ole weed to the left. I am gonna bring my hatchet next week to chop it down!  
  ⇜ ⇝ Did you know that there is lots of fun in the garden. Sometimes it’s all blues Saturday music and other times it other forms of music. Today we were able to jam to the smooth grooves of drumming. Tanya joined us today and played her favorite beloved drums.
 ⇜ ⇝ To get a grasp of the time that is had in the garden, and pick up some nice, nutritious veggies, tap into the work at the Russellville Urban Garden Program. Look on Facebook @ Russellville Urban Garden Project  and leave a nice message! 

Posted by Debra Ann Matthews, first-time gardener, Montgomery County, Participant in The Russellville Urban Garden Project  
​⇜ ⇝ I have battled with my weight my entire life, thinking that exercise and meal plans were the key to success. And in many times, I had success. I have lost 19, 18, 16, 32, 40, 40, 40, 40, 65, 30 pounds during my weight loss years with ‘you name it, I’ve done it’ weight loss programs. I have walked, learned how to swim, then swam the pounds away. I have hired one, two, three, four, five, six, personal trainers. Had one personal trainer train me for free for two years. I have mastered Zumba on my exercise ball and had a fitness coach walk me around a parking lot for 30 minutes, then mastered my best time of seven minutes. I have taken yoga classes, African classes, and hot yoga courses. WOW! And don’t’ forget about the years that I got up at 5 am and swam for three years. I have learned a lot about myself and have dropped so many dress sizes to regain them all again. Now you may wonder what does all of this have to do with gardening? I have always felt that we need to garden. If I weren’t afraid of animals and snakes, I’ve love to have a chicken house in my back yard. I tried to garden the first year that I purchased my house ten years ago. Nothing I planted came up except cabbage and Peter Rabbit ate it. I was, however, able to grow onions and baby tomatoes on my deck.
⇜ ⇝ Now just imagine planning the tribute to the United Colored Soldiers with Dr. Nancy Dawson to learn that she has an urban garden program aimed at helping women just like me to learn how to grow food. She mentioned that there are accommodations that can be set up to help women like me who have physical ailments to garden.
⇜ ⇝ Finally, my chance to learn. This summer thus far a group of us have how to plant, seed, water, and set up a garden to feed the community and the family all at once! At the beginning of the summer, I spent lots of time watching the group plant, cause physically I was not able to bend and knell to do it. I listened to the master gardener and direction teach us about tips for planting seeds of onions, greens, tomatoes, and flowers too. I learned some neat techniques such as pushing onions in a bale of hay. Also, if you just move the dirt back you can plant potatoes right in the ground. And guess what? Once the potatoes grow, you can store them right in the dirt. And if you leave them for long, they will reproduce more for next year! And guess what else I learned? I learned that a field of food that we are planting this season can feed the entire city!!
⇜ ⇝ Although, I could not do a tremendous amount of the hard labor, I feel just like a seasoned gardener pushing a few greens and potatoes in the dirt ¼ of an inch down. There are many things to learn in a garden from when to plant different seeds, growing food that people in the area want to buy and eat, having a marketing plan, and the art of saving seeds in times of crisis. We will be learning all these things and more during our growing and planting and harvesting season at the Russellville Urban Garden Program.
⇜ ⇝ Feel free to join our women and children education gardening project. And feel free to call the Russellville Urban Garden Program to come by and pick up your fresh garden veggies. We will pick it right off the vine just for you! Like our FB page @ Russellville Urban Garden Project .