Legacy Garden

As Milo was finishing up his Independence Training Program at the Colorado Center for the Blind, his mother and step-father arrived from California on June 17 with the armatures of three sculptures in the back of their pickup, and his grandmother flew in later that day. Over the next four days they toiled under the trees of the legacy Garden in 80-plus degree heat and were interrupted by a rain storm.

Milo’s grandmother, artist Deborah Manetta, 83, led the way, while students and staff joined family members to help complete the installation.

Our Legacy Garden planting is complete, helped again this year by our partners with Arapahoe County Master Gardeners and of course all the rain in the past few weeks. (Actually, all the rain has made it difficult to plant on some days because the ground was too wet.)

(Editor’s Note: This email was forwarded to Director Julie Deden from JoAnne, one of the Arapahoe County Master Gardeners we’ve worked with for many years. The Master Gardeners have been working with our students since early May to prepare the Legacy Garden and begin planting. JoAnne gives a great summary of Tuesday, June 13’s activities and, indeed, of the season thus far. BTW, we’ve had a lot of rain for the Colorado Front Range this year. A lot of rain!

During the latter part of August in Colorado, and into the first week or so of September, we are all going crazy about Western Slope peaches. They are big, they are juicy, and they are to die for. They are in the supermarkets, the farmers’ markets and many from the Front Range make the trip across the Divide to get a case or two, and maybe even attend the Palisades Peach Festival. They end up in cobblers, pies, crisps, freezers, and we have heard at least one reported instance of homemade peach ice cream. Some folks never get around to any of that, but eat as many as two to four fresh peaches a day during this period.

Our students really dig in at the Colorado Center for the Blind. We don’t simply teach rote skills, but nurture the confidence and curiosity in our students to continue to problem-solve and learn new skills. That’s how they learn to “Take charge with confidence” so they can live their lives in pursuit of their dreams instead of always following a pre-planned, memorized route. If you only follow memorized routes, you’ll only go to where you’ve already been.

Please support our students and our programs on Colorado Gives Day, Tuesday, Dec. 4!

No matter what the calendar says, it’s the first week of summer. The temps are in the 90s, the garden is being planted and summer staff are shadowing their ITP staff counterparts. Friday 25 teenagers (summer students) begin arriving and on Monday the elementary Confidence Camp kids start too.

So here’s another first or two. Above, Amber uses a spade for the first time out in the garden. When asked if she’d dug with a shovel before she promptly answered, “I’m about to.” And then she proceeded to do it. In the process she and classmate Annette planted this year’s pumpkin and zucchini hills.

It’s yet another sign of spring when the Arapahoe County Master Gardeners first arrive to work with our students in the Legacy Garden. Of course, everything starts with getting the soil ready for planting and, after our spring rains, that means pulling out the eager weeds already leaping up. Tyler, Annette, Abdi, Tucker and Brad took first crack at it on Tuesday. Next week planting begins!

Master Gardeners and students joined forces one last time in mid-October to put our Legacy Garden to rest for the 2017 growing season. There were still a few things to harvest, mostly walking onions and mint, but the rest was clean-up. Still, it was a bright fall day and great to be outside and enjoy a few laughs and good work.

Thanks again to our Master Gardeners. It was a great season!

Delma Taylor and her husband Ed have been attending our Senior Program for longer than anyone. Delma was the one who’d lost her sight, and Ed came for support and to give it as well. A few years ago Ed’s sight failed too, and they kept coming.

Ed passed away in April and, the day after Memorial Day, Delma and her son Ron came with family to plant a Peace Rose in our Legacy Garden. Duncan and some of the seniors came out to the garden as son Ron and great-nephew Isaac (shown in the photo above) did the digging and the planting.

We send our sympathies to Delma and the taylor family for their loss, and thank them for the honor of having Ed’s memorial rose in our garden!

It’s still too chilly for tender basil and eggplant and jalepeños, not to mention tomatoes and tomatillos and thyme, but it was a great morning to plant seeds in our Legacy Garden with Arapahoe County’s Master Gardeners! So that’s what happened – Jen and Carina’s 1st hour Braille classes went out first, followed by Tech classes with Chip, Chris and Showe.

By next week, the night airs will be considerably warmer, and we’ll be able to put in our plants. For now, it’s exciting – the growing season is definitely underway!