Buckets of Bounty

Ken Askew carefully tends his thriving bucket garden.

Planting and taking care of a vegetable garden is hard work. Anyone who has done this successfully knows this as a fact.

But the first bite of your homegrown tomato makes it all worthwhile, says Ken Askew, a resident of Murphy Medical Center Nursing Home. This year Ken planted a "bucket garden".

Ken had always grown his own tomatoes when he lived at home. When he mentioned this to Amy Moody, the Nursing Home Administrator, she thought this was a wonderful idea, and wanted to help make it happen. Ken's friend, Bobby Clayton, donated the plants and potting soil and a nursing assistant named Zeb got the plastic buckets. Soon the tiny tomato, pepper and cucumber plants began to grow.

You could generally find Ken outside "fussing over his babies". He was always making sure they didn't get too cold. You could catch him keeping an eye on the weather. Pat Berrong, the nursing home's administrative secretary, rigged up a watering hose for Ken to manage independently. David Roper helps with the watering as well.

Each day residents of the nursing home would purposefully stroll or wheel by the door of the solarium, checking on the garden's progress.

Ken estimates he spends at least an hour a day tending his garden. "It makes the time go faster", Ken said proudly pointing to his crop. Watering his crop carefully, Ken has perhaps the prettiest tomato plants around. Ken was ambitious his first year, planting seven buckets of different types of tomatoes. Being a country music fan, his favorite is the "Dolly Parton" variety.

Ken also planted burpless cucumbers in two buckets. Metal cages support the trailing cucumber vines loaded with curling cucumbers.

His sweet banana peppers and bell peppers are doing especially well. If you are in the mood for chili, he also planted spicy habanero peppers!

This year's harvest promises even more, with plenty of green tomatoes remaining to ripen. Ken estimates he has harvested from 10 to 12 pounds of tomatoes, and "no telling" how many cucumbers.

Ken also takes care of the houseplants in the solarium and the lobby. His green thumb is evident with lush greenery and blooms everywhere!

Like most proud gardeners, Ken will tell you he's already planning for next year's garden. "I hope to make it bigger," Ken said with a smile. "I can't wait till next year."Murphy Medical Center operates Murphy Medical Nursing Home, Good Shepherd Home Health & Hospice, Urgent Care Center and Peachtree Rehabilitation and Athletic Center (PARC). Murphy Medical Center is a 57- bed hospital, a 120-bed long term health care facility, with a 14-bed Alzheimer's Unit and a 24-hour, physician-staffed, emergency room.