Sunshine Weekly Weeder Newsletter
10 August 2017
www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org
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Prevent Mosquitoes
Please make sure to get rid of any standing water in your area from the rain on Monday. Empty buckets, watering cans and anything that can breed mosquitoes.
Speaking of buckets - Thanks Victor Houle for the 100's of buckets you supplied to the garden.
Need Cardboard?
Did you know there is cardboard available in the green and white green house (the greenhouse with the compost tea)? It works well as weed barrier for paths. We also have plastic available in the tool shed. Now is a good time to cleanup your paths while the weeds are easy to pull out from the rain.
All Gardeners Meeting - Mark your calendar!
Saturday 9/16, 10:00 am
In front of the trailer porch
Feel free to bring food.
There will an update on the ACGA Conference, a financial update and more...
If you have any agenda items email Nick Sweeney at nick.sweeney@hotmail.com
Austin Organic Gardeners Club Meeting
Monday 9/14, doors open 6:30, meeting starts at 7:00
The speaker will be George Altgelt, founder and president of Geo Growers, will discuss Good Soil Nutrition and how healthy soil can prevent common plant problems. Reusing is even better than Recycling
ACGA Conference Report by Marilyn Landberg
July 27th - 30th at Hartford, CT
The July 20th Weekly Weeder's article "Top 11 Reasons to Love Community Gardens" pretty much summarized the main gist of most of the presentations and workshops I attended at the conference. (Learn, befriend, soil, projects, health, nature exploration in urban settings, teamwork, advocacy, networking, food culture continuation, and space to garden for those without access) It is obvious that SCG is adhering to the best practices that are standard for successful community gardens. Because we have been in existence for so long and have such a wonderful core group of experienced and dedicated members, our gardens are a prime example of a successful and efficient operation.
There were 2-1/2 days of workshops and presentations where I did learn more about healthy soil and soil supplements. I learned about medicinal herbs. I also learned that gardening is about more than just gardening. This was evidenced on the garden tour Jared and I attended on Saturday. We had three stops on our tour to New London and Mystic Connecticut. Our first stop was at New London High School where an ex-executive chef turned high school teacher was heading a culinary arts program. He had acquired $100,000.00 worth of grants and donations to build his gardens, commercial kitchen and aquaponics/hydroponics program where they raised tilapia and shrimp. His low-income students left the program equipped with the skills to enter a variety of careers. We visited Coogan Farm Nature and Heritage Center in Mystic, at their "giving gardens" headed by a passionate farmer whose life's mission was to make sure no child would ever go hungry in his community. Our final destination was to an inner city community garden whose focus was low-income ESL teens who learned life skills and leadership and healthy living.
There was a remarkable aspect to this gathering of like-minded individuals. In such a climate of political and governmental uncertainty on local and national platforms, and social negativity (hatred and prejudice toward disenfranchised groups), it was empowering and inspirational to be among such a diverse and engaged group of fellow conference attendees and presenters. There were architects, a retired policewoman, teachers, Ph. D. Fellows, graduate students, researchers, hospital administrators, herbalists, YMCA social workers, city planners, county agriculture extension agents, therapists, special education teachers, managers and directors. There were persons of all different ages, races, faiths, sexes, shapes and sizes from a wide range of regions. They all had a smile on their faces and were eager to share their stories and knowledge. They all had a sense of purpose and a demeanor of positivity. Their occupations, hobbies, careers and passions all involved gardening as a key component of their missions. The conference covered a wide variety of topics from the teaching of horticulture to culinary arts, to therapy, to social injustice, to food security, to alternative solutions to healthcare, to engaging a new generation to the joys of gardening; there truly was something for everyone.
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
