It’s was a very dry July. As the month closed, the heat built as well! But THANKS to several members of the Pleasant River Garden Club, the Incredible Edible Gardens at the Milbridge Commons are thriving. Volunteer garden club members have organized a watering schedule so that the gardens at the Commons are watered as needed throughout the week.
You’ll notice that we have added small “pick/don’t pick” signs to aid people in knowing what’s ripe, as well as some simple hand drawn graphic signs created by Myriam Roy on how to pick vegetables without hurting the plant. These very helpful and friendly signs grace the Incredible Edible gardens at both the Commons and the Red Barn Motel. So far, visitors have been picking lettuce, beets, kale, chard, broccoli, peas, zucchini, herbs, and more!
At the Incredible Edible garden next to the Red Barn Motel, vegetables, flowers and herbs are their full glory. Farmers Michael & Myriam are supported by a small but steady crew of volunteers. Lettuce, beets, kale, chard, broccoli, peas and cucumbers have been coming on steadily, herbs are in abundance, and green beans are prolific! Roam through the garden, and you’ll find a little patch of celeriac, a hidden bed of cilantro in the far corner, ground cherries and tomatillos: all treasures that will be coming ripe in the coming weeks. 
Zabet has been working hard at establishing the children’s garden at the Milbridge Commons. Although no educational programs are happening this year, we have grand visions of making this garden a living laboratory for local youth to explore, learn, and grow! If you have children or are part of an educational program (whether that be through school, a homeschool network, or club), please reach out to Zabet! She’d love to talk to you about different educational opportunities that we can do together at the garden.
For instance: on July 24th, Incredible Edible hosted teens from the Youth Food Justice League Camp run by Healthy Acadia. The teens spent the morning at the IEM garden at the Red Barn Motel with Farmer Michael and Myriam. They went on a scavenger hunt to identify plants of all kinds! Finally, they harvested veggies to add to their lunch menu. Mid-day, they walked across town to the Milbridge Commons where they prepared themselves veggie wraps for lunch from their fresh-picked garden produce. They learned about the story of Incredible Edible Milbridge, and painted vegetable labels to be used in the children’s garden.