Sunshine Weekly Weeder Newsletter
3 August 2017
www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org
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Celebrate our Renovated Trailer Porch
To help beat the heat, enjoy our newly renovated porch and chat with your fellow gardeners, cold lemonade will be provided to all gardeners this weekend. Stop by on Saturday and Sunday from 8-noon. Thanks again to the porch renovation team!
Monarch Butterfly Highway
A strip of land on either side of I-35 is being targeted for reduced pesticide use and butterfly weed planting. As we fall in that description possibly gardeners could find space for a butterfly weed plant in their plots. They may get them anyway as my plants are merrily reseeding just about year round.
The whole point of the exercise is help all pollinators and particularly the monarchs as their numbers are dropping precipitously. I-35 is an approximation of the traditional butterfly flyway from Mexico to Canada so re-establishing it as a viable pathway can help the ever decreasing numbers of Monarchs.
Links below with more information,
https://monarchjointventure.org/our-work/partner-projects/the-i-35-monarch-highway
http://blog.nwf.org/2017/06/interstate-35-monarch-butterfly-highway/
Fix-It Clinic at Recycled Reads
Just in time for back-to-school, your child's favorite backpack, pencil sharpener, or art supply box that's a little worse for wear can get a second lease on life. Bring your broken items to the Fix-It-Clinic at Recycled Read where volunteer coaches with repair know-how will be available to help you fix your favorites -- for free. RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fix-it-clinic-tickets-35085076408?aff=ehomecard
Field trip to The Texas Beer Company
We had a great time at the Texas Beer Company, a brewery in Taylor run by our own Katy Davis' son, Ian. Katy supplied the fresh vegetables and dip but we bought our own hats. Everyone there would recommend you visit. Stay tuned to this spot in the Weeder for our next outing.
Wise Rainwater Control for Central Texas
Saturday - August 5, 2017, 10 am - 12 noon
Zilker Botanical Garden
2220 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78746
Rain gardens, Rainwater Collection, Dry Creeks and Wetlands:
Drought one month, floods the next. Yes, you must be gardening in Central Texas! Can a homeowner control excess run-off from spilling into streets, storm drains and prized succulent gardens? What are some questions that may need to be considered before deciding to invest in any or all of the common options for water control? Join seasoned Travis County Master Gardeners Marian Stasney and Pat Mokry for a discussion on the practical aspects of taming excess rainwater, including functionality, location, construction and maintenance.
Seminar is free and open to the public. No RSVP is required.
Zilker park entrance fee is $2 per adult, $1 per child (ages 3-12) or seniors (age 62 & over), $3 for non-Austin Residents. Cash or check accepted.
For more information contact: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service-Travis County 512-854-9600
What to do in your garden in August
Plant vegetable seeds. Beans, corn, cucumber, garlic, potatoes,
shallot, summer squash.
Early
August: Okra, black-eyed peas, New Zealand and Malabar spinach,
winter squash.
Plant these vegetable seeds in pots or flats. Keep these "cool". Give
them bright sun, but perhaps some shade from the hottest afternoon sun,
or an "awning" made of 30% shade cloth. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts,
cauliflower, chard, Chinese cabbage, fennel, kale.
Late August: Collards,
endive, head and leaf lettuce, mustard.
Plant vegetable plants. Okra, New Zealand or Malabar spinach, summer or winter squash.
Plant herb plants. Mexican mint marigold, mints, oregano, rosemary, sage, wormwood (artemesia).
Plant annual flower/ornamental plants. Blue daze, celosias (cockscomb or plume), zinnia.
Mulch, mulch, mulch! If you haven't done so already, be sure all bare soil is covered with mulch, or compost with mulch on top. Avoid putting mulch or compost onto plant stems. Use about three inches total wherever possible.
Continue spraying all plants with seaweed regularly. Seaweed, with all its trace elements and hormones, can do more to help plants survive the heat than anything else, besides water and mulch. Spray on and under the leaves, early morning or late evening.
Weeder Content
Should you have any content to add to the Weeder, email your article or suggestion to pporter_scg@austin.rr.com. On normal weeks content should be received by end of day Wednesday.
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
- Spanish language contact - Andriana Prioleau gabp8dec65@hotmail.com
Record Service Hours Online - Green Binder
