Garden celebration marks milestone

Diane Goble, Correspondent | Last updated Jul 21, 2015 12:0pm0

Diane Goble count

Sisters turned out to celebrate the new Community Garden facility last week.

The members of Sisters Community Garden hosted a garden party last week to recognize all the people and businesses that have contributed to the success of this community project.

As honored guests meandered through the organic labyrinth located just southeast of the Sisters Airport runway, garden advisor Donna Parker took visitors new to the garden on a tour through the 44 planting beds showing off the variety of fruits and vegetables planted by community members, including children, with enough left over to be able to donate about 300 pounds of fresh produce to the local food banks every year.

In the background, against a threatening stormy sky that spared the garden and moved on just in time for the guests to start arriving, played The Anvil Blasters, a Western Americana band, with Jim Cornelius, Lynn Woodward, Jeff Wester and Mike Biggers.

Garden manager Marvin Benson told guests the story of the greenhouse - taking it from a dream to reality, and what a benefit it is to growing starter and vine plants that can't take our Central Oregon weather extremes or our shorter growing season.

Ruthie Douglas and her tireless volunteers had the garden all dressed up with tables and chairs scattered throughout the garden. There was a colorful tablecloth and a vase of flowers on every table, and a delicious buffet spread with foods made from local produce and delicious strawberry-rhubarb pie baked by gardeners made for a fun evening of good food, good company and good entertainment.

"This garden embodies the spirit of the community," Douglas said. "It was built by the generosity of the Sisters community- that is what we are recognizing this evening. I believe all this calls for a celebration!"

Community Garden vice-president Bob Lawton stopped the music to begin the program and asked one of the original members, Sue Stafford, to give a little of the history since it began in 2006. (See related story, page 13.)

Champagne was passed around, and Lawton asked all to raise their glasses in toast to Marvin Benson for all the work he has done in bringing this community together. Lawton then recognized some of the many people who contributed their time, money or support to make this beautiful oasis in the desert come to life.

The greenhouse structure has been a major accomplishment thanks to financial gifts from the Bensons, Sisters Garden Club, Sisters Rotary Club, the estate of Anne Keith, an anonymous donor, and a community grant from the City of Sisters.

The Meyer Family Trust "Cultivating Local Food Grant" provided funds for pavers and irrigation materials. Tim Clasen, "The Irrigation Guy," installed the sprinklers. Sisters Rental provided the use of equipment free of charge. Marshall Electric ran electric service from Marvin Benson's house to the greenhouse. Robinson & Owen Heavy Construction bulldozed the berms around the outside of the fence. A lot of plants, bushes and trees have been donated by various people and planted on the berms to provide a greater buffer against the winds that come sweeping down from the Three Sisters.

As the light began to dim, The Anvil Blasters played on and people hung around to chat and watch the sunset on another lovely day in Sisters.

Garden was a star during Quilt Show

Sisters Community Garden was in full bloom to welcome quilters and visitors to the "Quilts in the Garden" home and garden tour earlier this month - confirming its status as a true community asset.

For this second year as part of the tour, members of the Community Garden donated and prepared couscous, black bean salad, chicken curry, rhubarb/walnut bread and a variety of tasty desserts, all with products grown in their garden plots.

Ruthie Douglass, who does community outreach for the garden, and several other members helped serve lunch to the steady stream of guests who made their way around the tour route.

"I'm so grateful to the Quilt Show for letting us piggy-back on their garden tour," she said. "The funds we raised from this event last year helped us with some important needs for the new greenhouse. This year our watering system is a priority."

A variety of colorful quilts were on display on the fence that surrounds the garden and were a perfect compliment to the multicolored flowers and vegetables growing within. Guests were given tours of the garden area by go-to gardener Donna Parker, who described the variety of vegetables and flowers that filled the 44 plots and populated the newly built greenhouse full of tomatoes, peppers and other vine plants.

A couple of Community Garden members were also on hand selling their crafts. Lucy Chamberlain and her 10-year-old daughter Sienna were selling their decorative hand-painted garden rocks, flowerpot bells, and metal quails for the garden. Penny Elson had her beautiful heat-embossed, hand-colored garden note cards and gift bags available for purchase. All proceeds went to the Community Garden.

Visitors were pleasantly surprised by the variety of plants that can be grown in this region. Lunch conversations were about some of the amazing home gardens they had seen on the tour, not just the kind and variety of colorful flowers, but the creativity of the gardeners with all the amazing creatures and structures they add to their gardens.

"I've gotten some great ideas for my garden at home," said Gale from Wisconsin.

Garden manager, Marvin Benson, is very proud of the work that was done on the greenhouse. He said, "We are learning as we go about what we can grow and when, about soil and temperature and moisture, how to control the hungry critters and bugs." He says they don't use any pesticides: "We pull all the weeds by hand."

His son Benny Benson and Benny's wife, Julie, are the owners of Sisters Eagle Airport and donated the land on the property for the Community Garden.

"I'm so happy to see people growing their own healthy organic food and enough extra to share with the food bank," Julie said.

Benny was "happy to see a community asset flourishing." He said plans for next year include a bike path along the new road being put in to make a safe route from the garden into town.