Continuity in the museum garden ...

It's May Day, and time to plant. The museum garden has been tilled and yesterday, board member Jim Secor and intrepid volunteer Trae Hall were at work constructing two experimental raised beds that will be part of the mix this year.

The idea for the beds was developed by board member Kylie Dittmer and museum manager Kathleen Dittmer; Trae (Chariton High School senior who has been our principal volunteer during the COVID-19 lockdown) was assigned the task of planning the beds and picking up the supplies; and yesterday, Jim was on hand to lead the construction effort.

Jim blames me for developing the museum garden idea in the first place --- during 2013; and I guess he's right. But like many "idea" people, I've usually managed to avoid doing any of the hard work. Jim was the chief gardener during the first years (while Kay Brown so ably tackled plantings elsewhere on the grounds); Kathleen and Kylie, aided by Karoline Dittmer, have been the principal gardeners for the last couple of years.

We've learned some lessons the hard way. The small valley where the garden is located is a critter highway, so now the garden is fenced once tilling and planting are complete.

It was a busy day elsewhere on campus, too. Board member Bob Ulrich, with an assist from Karoline,  assembled and hung gun racks in the annex to the Vredenburg Gallery's military section where we're (finally) going to pull together our collection of firearms and related artifacts. And the Yocom Farms show box arrived in the Pioneer Barn, thanks to Leland Shelton, who both donated and delivered it.

Ordinarily, we'd have opened to the general public today for our regular May-October season, but that has been pushed back (tentatively) until June 1. We'd like for all of Iowa to be "open" before taking that step. In the meantime, the "Virtual Museum" feature will continue on Facebook.

Here's a picture from May of 2013, the garden's first year, of Jim along with Robin Kennedy, in the foreground, who provided an early-spring assist in the museum gardens that year. Robin now lives in New Mexico, a little too far to travel for spring planting.