Sunshine Weekly Weeder Newsletter
18 August 2016
www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org
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All Gardeners Meeting 9/17 - Mark your calendar!
The next All Gardener Meeting will be Saturday, September 17, 10:00 am. Agenda will include site rule changes relating to plot compliance and the fall plant sale. Background on the site rule changes will be provided to members before the meeting, and the full agenda will be posted when finalized. Coffee, juice, and pastries will be provided.
The All Gardener meetings are a good time to meet and visit with your fellow gardeners, in addition to being more involved in the management of the garden. So mark your calendar to join your fellow gardeners on 9/17. If you have any topics you would like to see membership discuss, please contact Jeff Monks at garden@jeffmonks.com.
Fall Plant Sale Update
We have about 1,600 sprouts from our seed planting activity last week and more are coming up every day! We will have our first round of transplanting on Sunday at 11 AM. Please meet at the TSBVI greenhouse. Thanks to everyone who helped with the planting.
To see a list of all the interesting plants we will be selling go - here. Don't forget to tell all your gardening friends.
What to do in your garden after heavy rains
- Survey any plant damage. Take a survey of any leaf or stem damage that may have occurred. If there is minimal damage to leaves, you may be able to just remove them. Keep an eye on plants that have received moderate or heavy damage, the plant might be able to recuperate. Try to stake up plants that are now leaning. If the main stem of a plant has snapped then more than likely it is a loss.
- Try to avoid walking right next to the plants while the soil is saturated. During this time plants, and root systems, are very vulnerable to damage from stepping on them. Walking near plants can also cause soil compaction, which can limit root growth. This is not a big concern if you have a well-designed, raised bed garden where you can reach each plant without stepping on the soil that is near them.
- Check for any exposed roots due to soil erosion. If you find exposed roots, cover them with soil or compost as soon as possible. Do not let the roots dry out - this could be catastrophic to the plant.
- After a very heavy rain you may need to replenish nutrients. Having heavy water runoff can carry nutrients from the soil and completely wash them out of potted plants. Make sure to replenish these nutrients with fish emulsion or an organic all-purpose fertilizer. It is recommended to use the fertilizer at 1/2 the recommended amount.
- During the storm (or soon after) look for areas that may be draining poorly. You do not want areas of long standing water in the vegetable garden. This can be very bad for plants, and could lead to root rot. If you find areas that drain poorly, create ways to get the water to drain away from the vegetable garden.
- Eliminate possible slug or snail hiding places. Slugs and snails love damp places that have hiding areas. Remove any boards, stones, or other items that are laying around in or around the garden.
- Keep an eye on emerging weeds. Weeds love to pop up soon after a storm. The sudden charge of moisture to the soil will encourage weeds to spring up almost overnight. Put down some type of mulch to prevent weeds and to help ease soil erosion.
- Empty any containers that have collected water. Overturn any buckets, wheelbarrows, or pot saucers that contain rainwater. These are breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
- Keep an eye out for fungal or bacterial diseases. Damp, humid conditions are perfect for fungal and bacterial disease development. Diseases, such as powdery mildew, will spread very quickly in these conditions. Treat these diseases as soon as they are noticed. Waiting too long to act can mean serious trouble for your vegetable plants.
Weeder Content
Should you have any content to add to the Weeder email your articles or suggestions to pporter_scg@austin.rr.com.
Officer and Zone Coordinator Contacts - Sunshine Garden
Officers
- President - Jeff Monks garden@jeffmonks.com
- Vice President - Jim Willmann jhwillmann@gmail.com
- Secretary - Shannon Posern shannonposern@gmail.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
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, vacant
- Zone 8, Irina Kadukova irina@austinshrooms.com
- Zone 9, Kerry Howell casonhowell@gmail.com
- Zone 10, Christopher Schroder christopher.s.schroder@gmail.com
Other Coordinators
- Weekly Weeder Newsletter - Polly Porter pporter_scg@austin.rr.com
- Plant Sale - Michael Hall fibercable@austin.rr.com
- TSBVI Liason & Volunteer Coordinator - Janet Adams jartdaht@gmail.com
- Plot Rental - Kay McMurry scg.plots@gmail.com
- Compost Coordinator - Janet Adams jartdaht@gmail.com
- Compost Tea - Jennifer Woertz jennifer.woertz@urs.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
- Micah 6 Coordinator - Dana Kuykendall kuykendall@austin.rr.com
- Micah 6 Coordinator - Mary Gifford mgifford@austin.rr.com
- Website Coordinator - Sharon Rempert scgardenweb@gmail.com
Record Service Hours Online - the Virtual Green Binder
