Sunshine Weekly Weeder Newsletter
13 July 2017
www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org
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Porch Improvements
You may have noticed the caution tape and general disarray on the trailer porch the past few weeks. We've been working on some long-overdue repairs to the deck and canopy. The four corner posts holding up the canopy were almost completely rotted through at ground level (frankly, I'm not sure how it was still standing!), and we've been working on pouring new concrete footings for those posts to keep them stable in the future. While we're at it, we're leveling and straightening some of the structure to offset settling that has occurred over the years. Ray Porter contributed his metalworking skills to make some new, much stronger braces to hold the whole thing together, and when we're finished, the whole structure will be much, much stronger and sturdier than it was before.
Huge thanks to those who have helped with this project so far: Robert Jarry, Jim Willman, Randy Thompson, Jay Willman, Ray Porter and Steve Uecker. It would have cost quite a bit to hire a carpentry crew to do all this work, and we're very fortunate to have many very skilled volunteers willing to do the work, in spite of the hot weather!
Garden Etiquette
Welcome to our new members and hello to everyone else. We hope you feel welcome and feel the pride that members with longer tenures have in Sunshine. We are one of the largest community gardens in the United States. We are also our own non-profit. Run totally by volunteers. And we are all one of those. To make our garden a safer and more efficient place please consider the following to which we have all agreed:
Speed Limit
3 actually means that the speed limit is 3. This reduced speed is part of our agreement with TSBVI. It's not optional.
Dumpster
The dumpster is not for anything from outside Sunshine. Not even a little. No home garbage.
No building materials from your home or business projects. No yard waste from your yard.
Only Sunshine trash.
Compost
Absolutely NO khaki weed. It is starting to grow and will soon cover a lot of our common areas.
It is very difficult to control and we need to work together to keep it out of our plots.
If you are not sure what it looks like, please ask. It forms nasty burrs that will puncture a bicycle tire.
Please read the signs and follow their directions.
Different materials decompose at different rates.
Please add only what will decompose in our operation. That means
- no plastic
- no rocks
- no row cover/weed control fabric
- no inorganic material of any kind
- no wood
- no tree saplings
- no branches
- no bamboo
While some of that will decompose, it takes too long for our operation. Put it in the dumpster.
Whole plants take much longer to break down than pieces. Use the loppers and cut into smaller pieces.
Return all tools/wheelbarrows/screens to the tool shed.
Please leave the trash buckets in the compost area.
Compost Harvesting
Put trash in the trash buckets.
Put material that has not fully decomposed into the large pile next to the eastern fence.
Put rocks in the ruts in the roads or in the trash buckets, never in the grass. Mowers do not like rocks.
Do not create debris piles around the harvest pile. If it is not yet decomposed but will, it goes in the large pile by the fence.
Please remember that compost is a common resource and share accordingly. Thank you
Don't let your harvest go to waste!
Micah 6 Food Pantry deliveries are now twice a week on Thursdays at 3:00 PM and Saturdays at 9:00 AM.
Bring your donations to the Cool Room in the trailer or place them in the refrigerator at least a half hour before delivery time or any reasonable time before delivery day. There are plastic bags in the Cool Room for your use.
Our support of the Micah 6 Food Pantry has been ongoing since 2003. The Micah 6 Food Pantry is a coalition of eleven University of Texas Area churches. It is also one of the largest distributors of food from the Central Texas Food Bank.
Going on vacation? or don't have time to harvest?
Your garden will be harvested per your instructions and the produce will be donated to the Micah 6 Food Pantry. We are trying to simplify the procedure. We want to be sure that the gardens to be harvested are identified correctly and that specific instructions are observed. Therefore, we are asking those who wish to participate to:
- Place a flag (located in the corner of the Cool Room) in your plot.
- Fill in the information sheet on the clip board on the table in the Cool Room with your first and last name, plot number, start date to harvest produce during vacation, and end date to harvest produce at end of vacation. Add specific instructions on what to harvest and what NOT to harvest.
Please note: There is a SCG plot diagram on the clip board and one on the wall of the Cool Room so that you can identify your plot number.
Earn volunteer hours by being part of the volunteer team.
We do need volunteers to help harvest and prepare deliveries and/or to deliver. We are in particular need for volunteers to help with the Thursday harvesting/deliveries since we have just added that day to our schedule. Service hours will be awarded.
Who do I contact?
Contact Dana Kuykendall at kuykendall@austin.rr.com or (512) 496-6575 or Mary Gifford at mgifford@austin.rr.com or (512) 453-9742.
Officer and Zone Coordinator Contacts - Sunshine Gardens
Officers
- President - Nick Sweeney nick.sweeney@hotmail.com
- Vice President - Marilyn Landberg marilynlandberg@utexas.edu
- Secretary - Polly Porter pporter_scg@austin.rr.com
- Treasurer - Caroline Limaye scgtreasurer1@gmail.com
- Director - Bill Cason wccason@gmail.com
- Director - Lori Dobbin loridobbin@gmail.com
- Director - Randy Thompson jartdaht@gmail.com
Email the board.
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, Maria and Philip Wiley m.stroeva@gmail.com, philip9wiley@gmail.com
- Zone 8, Shannon Posern sposern@hotmail.com
- Zone 9, Kerry Howell casonhowell@gmail.com
- Zone 10, Christopher Schroder
christopher.s.schroder@gmail.com &
Karl Arcuri karl.w.arcuri@gmail.com
Other Personnel
- Weekly Weeder Newsletter - Polly Porter pporter_scg@austin.rr.com
- Plant Sale - Randy Thompson & Janet Adams jartdaht@gmailcom
- TSBVI Liaison & Volunteer Coordinator - Janet Adams jartdaht@gmailcom
- Plot Assignment - Kay McMurry scg.plots@gmail.com
- Compost Coordinator - Janet Adams jartdaht@gmail.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
- Kitchen Supplies - Anita Keese
anodekraft1@msn.com
(If supplies are needed for events, contact by email or at 512-773-2178) - Compost Tea - Jennifer Woertz jen@enjeneer.com
- Micah 6 - Dana Kuykendall kuykendall@austin.rr.com
- Micah 6 - Mary Gifford mgifford@austin.rr.com
- Website Coordinator - Sharon Rempert scgardenweb@gmail.com
Record Service Hours Online - Green Binder
