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April and May were busy months in the apiary. The season began with five hives successfully overwintering, all of them looking strong and healthy. Their success also allowed for a split to be made, rebuilding the hive that had been lost in January. A sincere thank you goes out to our 2026 sponsors for supporting our apiary program: Queen Sponsors (Full Hive): Donna Cattano & Israel Simoes Pat Sanders Dawn Ford & Fran Carbone, in memoriam of Dominick Carbone Worker Sponsors

Late May to early June is when spring mania breaks out in the garden. It's the time when everything begins happening at once. The first batch of lettuces planted in early April are almost ready for harvest. Onions and peas are well-established, the garlic shoots nearing their peak; the beets have fully leafed; cucumber vines are off to the races with dill and zinnias sprinting alongside (these last two for purposes of pest control pollination). Then there are the carrots a

Why is ECI holding a fall fundraising campaign? For 10 years ECI’s volunteers have nurtured and expanded the gardens, bee hives and the composting program at St. Joseph’s Villa. Like any home, upkeep is essential. Irrigation, soil, bed construction, trellising, composting, new plantings, bee hives and greenhouse are all interconnected and need to be supported and maintained to insure the overall system’s good health. Volunteers do all the work and more hands (and backs and

There’s the queen bee circled in red. As you can see, it’s not so easy to pick her out in the crowd of workers and drones. It’s not as if she’s wearing a cape and crown. This year we’ve made it easier than ever to become a behive sponsor. We now have three levels of sponsorship: Queen Bee: Full-Hive Sponsorship - $500 As a Queen Bee sponsor, you’ll receive: Welcome email with program information about the beekeepers and your hive Your sponsorship will be highlighted on bee

Tuesday morning is when I usually pick up compost from a few neighbors and haul it over to St Joseph's Villa. Tuesday morning is also when the garden crew turns out in force so, after I unload the compost and turn the pile a few times, I like to help out in the garden for a while. This was a busy week, amending the soil, transplanting trays of seedlings from the greenhouse, building a trellis for the cucumber beds. Fortunately we've had a great group of volunteers on hand t