A beautiful spring day… time to think about…. the third annual Friends of the Soldiers Home and Armed Forces Retirement Home Garden Project!

You can get your own garden plot on the beautiful, historic grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, D.C. In return, you help residents with their gardens, assist with general upkeep of the growing area or volunteer at other Friends of the Soldiers Home and Armed Forces Retirement Home programs.

Please contact Friends Garden Coordinator Ken Rubotzky at ken.rubo (at) gmail (dot) com if you are interested in participating.

Volunteers and residents have loved this program. The Washington Post Magazine article from one year ago documented some lasting friendships that resulted. See: http://wapo.st/1l6TXXk

New volunteers must complete two orientations before they participate. The first meeting is a two-hour session on general information about volunteering at the Home. The second meeting is 1.5-hour discussion on use of the garden space.

Upcoming options for the general volunteer meeting are this coming Saturday, March 22, from 1-3 p.m.; Friday, March 28, 1-3 p.m.; Friday, April 18, 1-3 p.m.; or Saturday, April 19, 9-11 a.m.

The second meeting will be held at the garden plots on campus. The options are: Sunday, March 30, 3:30-5 p.m.; Sunday, April 6, 1:30-3 p.m.; or Tuesday, April 8, 6:30-8 p.m.

We also ask that participants get on our Friends of the Soldiers Home volunteer e-mail list to hear about opportunities. People can get on the list by contacting Volunteer Coordinator Lori Lincoln at volunteerfriendsofsoldiers (at) mail (dot) com

by Kendall Bentz

Row of squash in the garden of Mr. James — photo by Kendall Bentz.

The second season of community gardening is in full swing at the Armed Forces Retirement Home.  Friends of the Soldiers Home volunteers have been hard at work tending to their garden plots and assisting AFRH residents in a variety of ways – from the planting and upkeep of residents’ plots to planting and maintaining an impressive, colorful flowerbed, to general upkeep of the garden area.

My wife, Carrie, and I assist resident Jessie James, along with volunteers Susan Webb and Kellie and Conrad Williams. 

This is my second year working alongside Mr. James, and while I’ve learned a lot, I still find myself struggling to keep pace with him.  He typically beats me out to the garden on Saturday mornings and is well at work by the time I arrive. He’s an octogenarian with high octane in his tank!

On a cool Saturday morning in early May, Mr. James and I prepped the ground for planting.  He tilled the plot twice to soften up the ground and then started marking out the rows. 

Mr. James tilling the garden in preparation of planting — photo by Kendall Bentz.

line and photo credits go to Kendall Bentz