The Virginia Lovers' Gourd Society is honored and excited to be a part of the State Arboretum of Virginia's Plant A Row program, a public vegetable-growing project that gives a portion of the harvest to local food banks. VLGS will take charge of the arbor in the designated area to grow edible and inedible gourds. Informational signs will be posted among the plants for visitors to learn about gourds and about the science of cross pollination, or lack thereof. All edible gourds will be given to a local food bank, and the inedible ones will be available at the Virginia Gourd Festival, Nov. 1 & 2, 2008.  The arbor looked kind of ragged before we started work on May 17, but life got better once the ground was tilled and debris taken away to compost piles. The State Arboretum of Virginia is also known as the University of Virginia's Blandy Experimental Farm. It's street address is 400 Blandy Farm Lane, Boyce, VA 22620 [Rt. 50, just outside of Winchester as you head toward D.C.]. Go to http://www.virginia.edu/blandy to learn more about the Arboretum!
 

Dig a wide, deep hole so 1/2 of the dirt taken out can be mixed with compost and lime to form the base of the hole.		Cover the amendments and mound up with the remaining dirt, making a round shape with a rim.

Plant 8-9 seeds in a circle around the mound, but inside the rim.		Make markers so you remember what you planted! Janice is wearing her gourd thinking cap!