Sunshine Weekly Weeder Newsletter
4 February 2016
www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org
Reminders!
Reusable garden items - If you have reusable items to donate for other gardeners leave them in front of the tool shed. DO NOT leave these items by the dumpster. Waste Management won't empty the dumpster if there is anything in the way.
Pine Shavings - We are receiving regular drop-offs of untreated pine shavings from a local wood shop. These are left in the green plastic bins inside the hoop house and are free for gardeners to use in their plots.
All Gardeners meeting - Friday, March 4th 4:30 - 5 (day before the sale).
Spring Plant Sale - March 5th , 9 am - 2 pm
More information - Sunshine Web site
Volunteers needed:
We need volunteers interested in writing labels for the plant sale herbs. We need 5-6 people with legible handwriting willing to endure hand cramps in service of the garden. If you are interested contact Jennifer Woertz at jen@enjeneer.com.
Watch your email for volunteer opportunities the week of the sale. We'll need cashiers, compost baggers and much more.
Sale Schedule
- Monday - Tents arrive and are set up. Tables and chairs are staged.
- Tuesday - Plants from Gabriel Valley should arrive.
- Wednesday - Plants from Gabriel Valley should arrive. Herbs will be moved from TSBVI greenhouse to our greenhouse.
- Thursday - General cleanup and readying of the pass-alongs.
- Friday - Compost arrives. Vendor move-in. Start bagging compost. All gardeners meeting from 4:30-5. Pre-sale of plants to gardeners who have volunteered to work the plant sale.
- Saturday - Volunteers arrive 6:30 am. Last of the vendor move-in from 7-8:30. Band load-in. Doors for sale opens at 9. After sale ends at 2, relocate all remaining plants to our greenhouse.
- Sunday - Unofficial plant sale 9-2 ish. We will need volunteers to be cashiers and provide other assistance.
Tomato Early Planting Tips
We can cheat a little in the early part of the spring season by starting with larger plants that are ready to start bearing fruit and by getting them out before the danger of frost has passed.
Start your transplants indoors a few weeks earlier than normal, say 10 weeks rather than 6 to 8 weeks, or buy transplants really early when garden centers offer them to uninformed, anxious, impulsive customers. Do not put them out in the garden yet. Transplant them into larger containers and keep them indoors until it is time to plant them into the garden. By continuing to move an early transplant up into larger containers you can have a flowering tomato in a gallon pot when other gardeners are still pulling those spindly little specimens out of a six pack.
A conservative planting date is about the time of the average last frost for your area. You can cheat on this date by about 4 to 6 weeks with the following tip. Plant the tomatoes as you normally would down the row. Then place a milk jug filled with water on the north side of each tomato plant, right up against the stem of the plant. This allows for the plant to still receive the full benefit of the low, south oriented winter sun. During the day the sun will heat up the water in the jugs. At night this heat is slowly released, warming the plant and preventing cold injury.
To further protect the plants make a hoop tunnel down the row by driving 3/8 inch sections of rebar into the ground every 5 feet or so down both sides of the planting row. Orient each rebar spike at about a 60 degree angle leaning toward the center of the row, and leave about 4 inches sticking above the ground. Place each pair of rebar pieces about 3 or 4 feet apart across the row. Slip a section of half inch PVC onto each pair of rebar spikes to form a hoop over the row. Cover the row of hoops with clear plastic, securing the edges with soil to hold it in place. Leave the ends open on warm days to prevent overheating inside the plastic tunnel. Secure the ends to the ground with bricks or boards on cold nights.
Micah 6 - How to Contribute
Many thanks to gardeners who contributed to our donations to the Micah 6 Food Pantry last week. We were able to donate 64 pounds last Saturday. The previous week (1/23) we took 33 pounds.
Is that broccoli or cauliflower about to go to seed?
Have you had enough of your greens including spinach?
Needing room for onions or potatoes?
Any contributions to the food pantry are welcomed. There are plastic bags in the cool room. Please put vegetables ready for donation in the refrigerator in the trailer. Deliveries are made early Saturday mornings.
If you will be away traveling or have some unexpected challenge that keeps you away from your garden and want to donate, let us know what we might harvest from your garden. We usually harvest on Thursdays or Fridays. Contact either Dana Kuykendall at kuykendall@austin.rr.com or Mary Gifford at mgifford@austin.rr.com.
Fermentation Class
Looking for a way to preserve some of your harvest?
Join us for a free fermented foods demonstration on Saturday, February 13th at 1:00 pm. Sunshine gardeners will be explaining how to make fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha. Fermented foods have been show to have many health benefits, and are a great way to put up extra produce from your garden for longer storage. And they taste great! This class is open to the public, so feel free to invite anyone who may be interested.
For more information, contact the SCG education committee at sunshinecgeducation@gmail.com.
Mother Earth News Fair
On February 20th & 21st Mother Earth News will be hosting a Fair in Belton Texas. The fair will have fun-filled, hands-on, Sustainable lifestyle events. Find more information on their web site - http://www.motherearthnewsfair.com/.
Officer and Zone Coordinator Contacts - Sunshine Garden
Officers
- President - Jeff Monks garden@jeffmonks.com
- Vice President - Jim Willmann jhwillmann@gmail.com
- Secretary - Shannon Posern shannonposern@gmail.com
- Treasurer - Caroline Limaye scgtreasurer1@gmail.com
- Director - Michael Hall fibercable@austin.rr.com
- Director - Kay McMurry scg.plots@gmail.com
- Director - Katy Davis katydavis@austin.rr.com
Zone Coordinators
- Zone 1, Martin Morales marmoral512@gmail.com
- Zone 2, Katy Davis katydavis@austin.rr.com
- Zone 3, Ludmila Voskov lvoskov@austin.rr.com
- Zone 4, Ila Falvey ila.falvey@gmail.com
- Zone 5, Mary Gifford mgifford@austin.rr.com
- Zone 6, Charlotte Jernigan charlotte@cybermesa.com
- Zone 7, Jing Li jingli80@yahoo.com
- Zone 8, Irina Kadukova irina@austinshrooms.com
- Zone 9, Kerry Howell casonhowell@gmail.com
- Zone 10, Christopher Schroder christopher.s.schroder@gmail.com
Other Coordinators
- Weekly Weeder Newsletter - Margaret Powis purslane2013@gmail.com
- Plant Sale - Michael Hall fibercable@austin.rr.com
- TSBVI Liason & Volunteer Coordinator - Janet Adams jartdaht@gmailcom
- Plot Rental - Kay McMurry scg.plots@gmail.com
- Compost Coordinator - Janet Adams jartdaht@gmail.com
- Compost Tea - Jennifer Woertz jennifer.woertz@urs.com
- Education Committee - Shannon Posern shannonposern@gmail.com
- Carpentry & Repairs - Robert Jarry r.jarry@sbcglobal.net
- Water Leak Repairs - Steve Schulz sschulz784@aol.com
- Tools & Wheelbarrows - Bob Easter beaster1@austin.rr.com
- Compost Tea - Jennifer Woertz jennifer.woertz@urs.com
- Website Coordinator - Sharon Rempert scgardenweb@gmail.com
Record Service Hours Online - the Virtual Green Binder
