Sunshine Weekly Weeder Newsletter
14 August 2013
www.sunshinecommunitygarden.org
Another Work Day for TSBVI Garden
Starting at 8 AM, Saturday, August 17. We will be spreading crushed granite on the pathways at the school's garden at Sunshine. Please come help and be sure to get your hour in for this season.
Questions? Janet jartdaht@gmail.com or 512-484-4731
Khaki Weed Alert
Cedar Stevens a Sunshine Gardener, <poisonivypixie@hotmail.com> wrote:
This is a great video. Early last year I did some initial experiments to find out how Khaki weed is best eradicated in our arid terrain. Let me tell you, her hand held tool is not gonna cut it at Sunshine! Spading forks are the go-to tool for this problem. When it first showed up it seemed like there was going to be an effort to eradicate Kahki Weed, but then it seemed we lost hope. Perhaps for good reason, but I'm not into fatalist attitudes!
This will take a very dedicated all-garden effort, but I would be happy to do a weeding demo in our garden for other gardeners to learn. Our situation has advanced quite a bit from where this video starts. All of our mats of KW have multiple taproots. This stuff has followed me home so I have more than one battlefield, grr!
If I could offer some strategy points, I would suggest we focus our efforts around the tool shed and work outwards from there. The infestation around the tool shed is where the seeds are getting transported via wheelbarrow to everywhere a wheelbarrow needs to go at Sunshine.
Right now the infestation is in full force. All the KW plants are in seed now, so anything we weed out is going to be reseeding itself as we dig it out. BUT it is still important to eradicate as many established taproots as possible. Also it is important to educate gardeners on how to combat the stuff so they will be vigilant next spring. Next spring we will still have to go after the seedlings, and the taproots we didn't get out.
The good news is that the seeds, though prolific, are short lived. They die after one season, two at best. So if we go after the established plants, we will remove most of the seed base that can re-infest. The yearling KW plants CAN be dug out with a hand tool. I think we can win this one.
Just think of all the neighbors who walk their dogs through Sunshine. Not to mention the gardeners who drive in, bike or walk in. We are all taking this KW infestation back home and points beyond. Hopefully we can do our part to not contribute to the problem!
Virtual Green Binder
Good news for gardeners entering their work hours or checking their work hours.
You can now check your hours without entering hours in. Go to the tab "Virtual Green Binder" on the website and a dropdown list will show on hover:
- > Hours Worked
- > Enter Hours Worked
Each gardener is expected to contribute an hour a month to Sunshine, if you're unsure what to do check with your zone coordinator and watch this space. In addition one hour per six months per plot is required to be completed for projects for Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Find out about Bee Keeping
There will be a tour of bee hives around town on August 17th. Ticket price $5.00 If you are interested here is the website for more info.
http://austintourdehives.weebly.com/
The Austin Cactus and Succulent Society's Fall 2013 Show and Sale
Saturday, Aug 31, 10am to 5pm
The 2-day event is free and open to the public with paid admission to Zilker Botanical Garden. It is very popular with gardeners of all ages. The show offers visitors a chance to see rare and beautiful cacti and succulent species from around the world. Vendors from Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico will sell native and exotic cacti and succulents, and hand-made pottery at reasonable prices. There will be a daily silent auction and hourly plant raffle of rare and collectible cacti and succulents. Educational information, literature, and expert advice will be available. Come and bring a friend. For more information about the Austin Cactus & Succulent Society and its programs, please visit www.AustinCSS.com
Thought for the week
What a [wo]man needs in gardening is a cast-iron back, with a hinge in it.
~Charles Dudley Warner, My Summer in a Garden, 1871
Things to do in August
All month: plant Cucumber and Summer Squash
Early to mid month: plant Corn, Eggplant, Pepper, Southern Pea, Tomato, Winter Squash
Fertilize (with organic fertilizers) after first fruit set for higher productivity.
Officer and Zone Coordinator Contacts - Sunshine Garden
Officers
- President - Ila Falvey ila.falvey@gmail.com
- Vice-President - Janet Adams jartdaht@gmail.com
- Secretary - Berk Bettis dolrsdad@aol.com
- Treasurer - Jack Reynolds scgtreasurer1@gmail.com
- Director - Michael Hall fibercable@austin.rr.com
- Director - Kay McMurry scg.plots@gmail.com
- Director - Emily Tisinger etisinger@gmail.com
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 jingli.80@yahoo.com
- Zone 8, Irina Kaducova irina@austinshrooms.com
- Zone 9, Cheryl Hazeltine cph@austin.rr.com
- Zone 10, Emily Tisinger etisinger@gmail.com
Other Coordinators
- 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
