Sunshine Weekly Weeder Newsletter
18 March 2015
www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org
Award
Tim Miller of Millberg Farm, Kyle, has won the state-wide Blue Legacy Award Producer for Water Conservation. He began his farming career growing produce at Sunshine (formerly ACG). He will be given the award at the State capitol on March 26th about 3:30pm. Tim wins the award for 25 years of not pumping any aquifer water, as he practices dry land farming, and for conducting water conservation workshops. Tim relies on natural rainfall only.
We should keep Tim's accomplishment in mind as the watering season approaches.
Volunteer Opportunity
Pick Up Organic Produce for the Compost Pile
There is an opportunity to pick up discarded organic produce for Sunshine's compost pile from the Natural Grocers at 3901 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78751.
If you are willing to do this, please contact Ila for more information.
Garden Tool Use
Now it's springtime it's also time to get the garden
ready for the next season's crops. In order to prepare
the soil you may need to dig. It is important to use
the right tools for the job. One reason is that it is
easier on the gardener, the other is that it is easier
on the garden tool. A pitchfork for example is used to
move light loads (leaves, straw, dead plants, etc.).
It is not a digging tool. You can tell a pitchfork from
a digging fork by the tines. A digging fork has
straighter, thicker tines than a pitchfork. The
pitchfork has curved thinner tines. While you can use
a digging fork for moving light loads, it will be far
less efficient. However, you cannot use a pitchfork for
digging as the tines are not designed to pierce and
carry soil, and will bend and possibly break. So before
you start digging make sure you are using the right
tool.
Here are a few more commonly used garden tools and their uses. A digging fork is called a spading fork in this example.
New Book
A new book, by Elizabeth Murphy "Building Soil: A Down-to-Earth Approach" (Cool Springs Press), will be released at the end of March. Building Soil has one basic premise: in order to grow healthy and productive gardens, farms, and communities, we have to grow healthy, living soils. To learn more, visit dirtsecrets.com/building-soil.
"As a companion to the book, I've started a website and blog, Dirty Little Secrets (www.dirtsecrets.com), which I hope to grow into a comprehensive resource for living soil lovers. Stay tuned for articles and blog posts ranging from the cover crop wonders of daikon radish to featured farms from around the world."
What to plant in March
Mid - Late month: Lettuce, Mustard, Radish, Beans, Corn, Cucumber, Eggplant, Peppers, Pumpkin, Squash, Tomatoes.
Officer and Zone Coordinator Contacts - Sunshine Garden
Officers
- President - Ila Falvey ila.falvey@gmail.com
- Vice-President - Janet Adams jartdaht@gmail.com
- Secretary - Ginny Heilman gheilman1@gmail.com
- Treasurer - Jack Reynolds scgtreasurer1@gmail.com
- Director - Michael Hall fibercable@austin.rr.com
- Director - Kay McMurry scg.plots@gmail.com
- Director - vacant
Zone Coordinators
- Zone 1, Jody Trendler jody.trendler@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 Kaducova irina@austinshrooms.com
- Zone 9, Cheryl Hazeltine cph@austin.rr.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
- Carpentry & Repairs - Robert Jarry r.jarry@sbcglobal.net
- Water Leak Repairs - Stewart Nichols sgwater@math.austin.tx.us
- Tools & Wheelbarrows - Bob Easter beaster1@austin.rr.com
- Website Coordinator - Sharon Rempert scgardenweb@gmail.com
Record Service Hours Online - the Virtual Green Binder
