Jim Fair
Michele Peek was watering her community garden plot during milder temperatures this afternoon. Peek said the availability of water and a garden angel named "Joe" saved her harvest during the record-setting heat in late June and early July.
Jim Fair
Michele Peek sifts through the leaves to show the purple eggplant she inherited from another gardener. Peek has been taking care of the plant since it was put in a holder on her plot.
Jim Fair
Somebody is going to have a healthy rhubarb harvest. This is the only rhubarb plant being harvested in the community garden.
“We were out of town during the heat wave (all-time record high 107 degrees on June 30) and I believe there was an angel named “Joe” watching out over my garden,” Peek said.
Peek’s plot is among the healthy ones at the Community Garden near Greer Memorial Hospital. Her carrots are vibrant, she has harvested tomatoes throughout the summer, the beans are beginning to sprout flowers and her jalapeño and bell peppers are taking shape. “I’m growing the jalapeno peppers because my husband loves them and they are good for salsa,” Peek said.
A surprise plant of eggplants is growing on her plot. “I noticed it was on my plot and I’ve been watering it and now it has a purple eggplant,” Peek said.
Her broccoli didn’t take hold. “I was told I planted it too late but I wanted to try anyway,” Peek said.
Peek said she intends to continue her gardening adventures the next season. “It’s a lot of work but it is rewarding,” she said.