Sunshine Weekly Weeder Newsletter
21 May 2015
www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org
All Gardener's Meeting/Workday
Saturday, May 30
8:00 am Work Day, hosted by Janet Adams.
10:00 am, All-Gardener's Meeting
The short meeting will be followed by a Q & A about insects featuring Wizzie Brown, the county entomologist. Gardeners can also bring in samples of insect damage or the insects. There will be refreshments in the trailer both before and after the meeting.
Slate of Candidates
(See Bios of Nominees at end of this newsletter)
- President: Jeff Monks
- Vice President: Jim Willmann
- Treasurer: Caroline Limaye
- Director: Shannon Posern
Canning Class
There will be a tomato canning class on June 20 from 11-1 and then the actual canning from 1-3 at the Sustainable food Center. Cost will be $14. More info to follow. If you are interested in attending please let Ila know. Thanks
Compost and Compost Tea
Have you sifted compost recently? If so, you will have noticed the new compost screens. Thank you Robert Jarry for constructing them.
Compost tea will be returning shortly - stay tuned. Thanks to Jeff and Jen for doing this.
5th Annual Tomato Tasting and Potato Show-'n-Tell
Saturday June 13
It's that time again when the tomatoes start to ripen. Come join us for our 5th Annual Tomato Tasting Event. We will have paper bags in the trailer so you can drop off tomatoes starting on Thursday, June 11, or bring 'em on Saturday, June 13. Please label the bag with the variety and your name. We also need volunteers to help set up tables and slice tomatoes. If you're interested in volunteering, please contact Kay.
If you grew potatoes this year and would like to show them off, Please bring them to the tasting on Saturday. We will have a form you can fill out with the details of how you grew them.
- When: Sat. June 13
- Time: 9 o'clock. It is never too early to eat tomatoes...
- Where: Sunshine Community Garden, 4814 Sunshine Drive
Nominee Bios
From Jeff Monk, nominee for President
I'm a computer consultant, originally from Peoria, Illinois, and I first moved to Austin in 1998. I took a brief hiatus and moved to Chicago for a few years in the mid-2000s, but hated that and came back to Texas. I've been gardening seriously for about seven years, and am very interested in sustainability and permaculture design principles. Two years ago, I bought a 15-acre property near Lockhart that we're working to turn into a place for my larger-scale gardening pursuits (and eventual retirement) - so far, we've put in a fruit orchard, grape vines, and beehives. My girlfriend Jen and I built the brewing system and have been brewing the compost tea for the garden this spring, and have really been pleased with the response we've received (special thanks to Charlotte and Ila for coming up with the idea).
Being president at Sunshine would be a new experience for me - I've never been much of a "joiner", but Sunshine is a very special place, and I'd like to do what I can to keep it that way and improve it if possible. I'd like to see more "community" in our community garden - both among the gardeners here and between the garden and the general public. I think it would be great if we could occasionally have events with guest speakers on topics of interest to gardeners. I'm very open to any suggestions for additional things we can do (like the compost tea project) to physically improve the garden or to foster the development of a stronger sense of community here.
From Jim Willmann, nominee for vice president
I am an attorney and am retiring after 30 years as General Counsel and Governmental Affairs Director for the Texas Nurses Association, a professional association of registered nurses. I have been a Sunshine gardener since the early 1990s. I served briefly on the Sunshine Board in the early 2000's filling a vacancy that had occurred. I strongly believe in the role of Sunshine Gardens as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt charitable and educational organization. I was involved in establishing the MICAH 6 garden and have maintained a MICAH 6 plot since its formation. I also was involved in establishing the Tomato Test Plot and continue to assist with it. I believe most of us garden at Sunshine because of the community and as a way to relax from an otherwise busy schedule. The fresh vegetables are also nice. I would like gardening at Sunshine to be as enjoyable and hassle-free as possible. However, I also realize everyone has to participate if Sunshine Garden is to continue its past success and that includes following at least some minimum rules. My goal would be to strike an appropriate balance between the two.
From Carol Limaye, nominee for treasurer
I became involved in the financial management of Sunshine Community Gardens in 2008, when I was assistant to a former Treasurer, Jesse South. Our sponsoring organization, Greenlights, was ending its administrative support to nonprofits, and SCG had to do two things: 1) Set up its own bank accounts and accounting system and 2) obtain tax exempt status. Jesse set up the bank accounts and I set up the accounting system in QuickBooks. We then filed the necessary papers with the Texas Secretary of State and the IRS to get recognition as a tax-exempt nonprofit organization. Because of the outstanding efforts of many gardeners, past and present, SCG is financially strong as a stand-alone tax-exempt corporation. My priority as treasurer will be to maintain this status.
Currently, I am assisting the treasurer by getting the mail and depositing checks. I also served as Chairman of the Audit Committee. As a CPA and retired State employee currently working at Veterans Affairs as an internal auditor, I am a strong believer in financial controls. In order to provide transparency, I'll provide regular financial reports to the Board for inclusion in the minutes. The bylaws require the Treasurer to prepare an annual budget for approval by the Board. I will do this at the beginning of each year so the Board may consider and plan for special projects to improve the gardens. Any input from the gardeners are welcome. I really love the fact that Sunshine Community Gardens exists, as all of you do. The important thing is to keep it going.
From Shannon Posern, nominee for Director
Shannon Posern was destined to be a gardener - when she was little, her father, a master gardener, would tell her to go out to the garden for her afternoon snack. She has been with Sunshine Garden for two years. She is a graduate of Texas Tech and did graduate work in Dallas in government before coming to Austin. She now works for the Unitarian Church. She has served as board secretary of the Central Texas Crime Prevention Conference and is now on the Education Committee of Sunshine Garden, where her goal is to make the garden "as friendly a place as possible" and mine experts to share their knowledge about bugs, weeds, growing things, dirt, and best practices (somehow there must be a way to beat the squash vine borer!). She would also like to create more opportunities for social engagement among gardeners.
What to plant late May:
Cantaloupe/Muskmelon; Warm Season Greens; Okra; Southern Peas; Sweet Potatoes (slips); Pumpkin, Winter Squash, Watermelon
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
