Sunshine Weekly Weeder Newsletter
27 May 2015
www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org
Farewell to our Outgoing President.
Message from Ila
Sunshine Community Garden strives to be a community that works and plays together. I believe it is one of the few community gardens in the country that is managed entirely by volunteers.
We have approximately three acres to garden thanks to the generosity of TSBVI and in return we have the responsibility to maintain the property. I want to thank everyone who contributes to making Sunshine the wonderful place that it is. I am delighted with the slate of candidates and am sure that Sunshine will continue to shine even more brightly.
All Gardeners Meeting
and Election of a New President, Vice President, Treasurer, and a Director.
Saturday 30th May 10:00 am
For more information on the candidates go to the Sunshine website for bios on each person running for office.
After the election formalities there will be an open forum on organic pest management with Wizzie Brown from the Travis County Extension. Bring your questions, your damaged leaves/stems or be prepared to show your pest problems on a garden walk-around! Refreshments will be provided.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Wizzie Brown is an Extension Program Specialist- IPM with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. She received her Bachelor's of Science in entomology from The Ohio State University and a Master's of Science in entomology from Texas A&M University. After leaving Texas A&M, Wizzie worked in structural pest control before taking a job with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Austin.
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Urban IPM
Twitter: @UrbanIPM
Blog: agrilife.org/urban-ipm/
Service hours due June 30th
To clarify what needs to be done the following excerpt comes from the current SCG site rules.
Service Hours must be worked and recorded by gardeners by the defined semi-annual close of each of two service semesters. YOU WILL BE BILLED FOR UNWORKED HOURS. The following excerpt from comes from the current SCG Site Rules:
SERVICE HOURS
- Full plots: 8 hours per six month season. Half plots: 4 hours per six month season. Quarter plots: 4 hours per six month season. Unworked service hours are billed at $30 per hour for first two hours, $10 per hour for subsequent hours.
- For each plot, regardless of size, one additional hour each season is due in service to the member-ship between Sunshine Community Garden and TSBVI. A $50.00 fee will be assessed for this hour of unworked service.
- While the garden seasons run from Feb. 1 to July 31 and Aug. 1 to Jan. 31, service hour periods run from Jan. 1 through June 30 and July 1 through Dec. 31. This is to simplify billing.
There are two deadlines for completing service hours June 30 and Dec. 31. The cutoff for service hours is one month before gardening plot fees are due. That is, service hours run one month ahead of the actual semester end.
Volunteer Opportunity
Want to help support our Micah 6 community project? We need harvesters and drivers.
Get your volunteer hours in before June 30th.
Sunshine Community Gardens regularly delivers fresh, organic vegetables to the Micah 6 Food Pantry which serves those in need. Presently, we are harvesting and delivering on Saturdays. Harvesters gather either Friday afternoon or evening or 7:00 AM Saturday, and one or more gardeners take the produce to the Food Pantry that is located in the basement of the University Presbyterian Church (near UT on San Antonio Street) by 9:00 AM. As our produce increases, we will also harvest and deliver on Thursdays getting the produce to the pantry by 3:00 PM. Harvesters harvest Thursday morning for the afternoon delivery. Harvesters and drivers receive credit towards the required service hours per plot.
Gardeners are encouraged to donate herbs and vegetables from their gardens, at any time, but especially right before delivery day. Gardeners can place vegetables in the Cool Room or in the refrigerator in the trailer. Vegetables should be cleaned and bagged. Bags are available in the Cool Room. In addition, we have a system for "flagging" gardeners' plots so that designated donations can be gathered by the harvesters while gardeners are away on vacation or are unable to harvest their gardens. Gail Reese will review this procedure during the All Gardeners' Meeting this Saturday.
Peggy Seaquist and Dana Kuykendall coordinate the schedule of harvesters and drivers. It is hoped that a volunteer would serve one Thursday or one Saturday a month. At this time, contact Peggy Seaquist at 512 426-3166 or Dana Kuykendall 512 496-6575 (after June 19th) to get on the schedule.
Workday scheduled for May 30th at 8:00 am.
A workday led by Janet Adams will be meeting at 8:00 am at the garden. Contact Janetfor more information.
What is Micah 6?
Micah 6 is a Food Pantry which has been active since 2005. Gardeners from Sunshine Community Garden have been donating vegetables to the Pantry since 2005. In 2007 Sunshine gardeners started the garden area beside the Hoop House to grow food exclusively for the Micah 6 Food Pantry.
Where does the name Micah 6 come from? It comes from a scriptural text, "What does the Lord require of you? To do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God." Micah 6 is a coalition of eleven churches in the neighborhood of the University of Texas. Their mission is "to work together to identify and meet the needs of the homeless and the impoverished in the University of Texas campus area." These churches support one food pantry and a clothes closet as well as provide shelter on freeze nights, and fulfill other needs for assistance.
The Micah 6 Food Pantry is one of the largest distributors of food from the Capital Area Food Bank distributing some 8,000 to 10,000 pounds of food per week. Close to 400 individuals per week receive food from this food pantry. In 2012, the CAFB named this food pantry "Agency of the Year." Other food is received from local grocery stores such as Trader Joe's, Randall's, and Whole Foods.
Yes We Can
Join us in The Happy Kitchen to preserve your tomato harvest!
SATURDAY, JUNE 20th from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Canning safety demonstration from 11:00-noon, followed by open access to shared processing and canning stations. If you want a dedicated canning station, one just for yourself, you are welcome to bring your own equipment.
Where: Sustainable Food Center (2921 East 17th St, Building C)
What to Bring: tomatoes; clean pint or quart-size canning jars
with new or reusable lids; seasonings or other ingredients
Cost: $14
Contact: amy@sustainablefoodcenter.org for more information.
What to Plant in June
All Month: Malabar Spinach, Okra, Southern Peas, Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkin.
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
- Compost Coordinator - Janet Adams jartdaht@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
