Sunshine Weekly Weeder Newsletter
16 October 2013
www.sunshinecommunitygarden.org
Thanks to Those who Volunteered
Rabbit capture - Several gardeners have volunteered to help to place wire around the base of the tool shed. Thanks. Anyone else interested? Contact Ila.
Revision of Site rules and bylaws - thanks to those of you who have volunteered. Any other volunteers? Contact Ila.
Rain Update from the Editor
I got 6 1/4 inches of rain during the last week at my house.
Anyone else have any totals to share?
My vegetables are thriving and I don't have to spend hours a week nursing them on life support with water. Of course not only our vegetables will grow but also those plants we choose to call weeds. The bright side of that is that the soil is soft enough to allow relatively easy weed pulling.
Potluck Lunch
Micah 6 will hold a potluck lunch at Sunshine Trailer on Sunday, October 20 from 1-3 pm. All Sunshine gardeners are welcome; please bring a dish to share!
We are celebrating our fellowship and contributions to the Micah 6 Food Pantry. So far this year Sunshine volunteers have grown, harvested, and delivered over 1700 lbs of food, benefiting the less fortunate in our community.
Please RSVP to Susan Hoberman at susie124@sbcglobal.net.
Micah 6 Donations
Micah 6 gladly accepts donations of food from gardeners.
Micah 6 supplies several food pantries with fresh vegetables for those who need help. If you have any extra vegetables you would like to contribute, please leave them in the trailer refrigerator (if perishable). Non-perishables can be left on the table in the office on the right as you enter the trailer.
Homemade Fire Ant Destroyer
This recipe comes from Howard Garret via our own Sunshine gardener, Cheryl Hazeltine.
1 Gallon Water
1 TBS Blackstrap Molasses
6 TBS Orange Oil
A dash of dishwashing detergent
Mix well and pour over mound in the morning or evening when the ants are active.
A Recap of Site rules at Sunshine Gardens
The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) generously allow the gardeners at Sunshine have gardens. We are on their land and we have an annual license agreement with TSBVI. Our site rules incorporate the major requirements of our contract with the TSBVI.
Item 12 of the agreement addresses Property Maintenance
Sunshine is required to submit a written schedule and plan for maintaining the property. This written schedule and plan is fulfilled by the Board stating that we follow the site rules.
At a minimum, per our agreement, we have agreed to keeping the property free of litter - boxes, cans, buckets, and containers not in actual usage as part of the gardening activities, keep the weeds under control and the grass cut and maintain the property in a neat and tidy manner.
Sunshine's land consists of the compost area, the garden's common areas / flower beds, the common area surrounding the gardening plots, and the plots (including the Micah 6 plot and the TSBVI plots.)
It is part of a Zone's responsibility to maintain the area around individual plots in their zone and everyone should contribute to the joint maintenance. Have you ever done any zone maintenance?
Each Gardener should ask themselves:
- If they have helped maintain the compost pile and the Garden's common areas.
- Have they ever done any garden maintenance?
- Have you gardened your plot? Have you kept it free of weeds and are you regularly tending it?
Water and Rabbit Problems
Contact Stewart Nichols if:
- You see any leaks in the garden irrigation system contact Stewart at sgwater@math.austin.tx.us.
- If you have suffered a rabbit attack on your garden, Stewart's email is elmer@math.austin.tx.us.
Rodent Control
It was suggested at the all gardeners meeting that we obtain several feral cats (neutered, of course) to live at the garden and control rodents. Any comments?
What to do in October:
Early month: plant Arugula, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chinese Cabbage, and Kohlrabi
All month: Beets, Chard, Collards, Garlic, Kale, Mustard, Multiplier onion, and Radish
Thought for the week
More and more I am coming to the conclusion that rain is a far more important consideration to gardens than sun, and that one of the lesser advantages that a gardener gains in life is his thorough enjoyment of a rainy day.
Margaret Waterfield, 1907
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, Christopher Schroder christopher.s.schroder@gmail.com
Other Coordinators
- Weekly Weeder Newsletter - Margaret Powis purslane2013@gmail.com
- 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
