Sunshine Weekly Weeder Newsletter
2 December 2015
www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org
Annual Holiday Potluck and all gardeners' meeting.
Saturday, 5th December, 5:00 pm in the portable.
There will be a short gardeners' meeting followed by our annual holiday potluck. Come meet your fellow gardeners and enjoy talking about gardens and gardening. You know there's nowhere else you can do this without eliciting yawns from your listeners.
Please bring side dishes and desserts to share with other gardeners.
The board will provide the entree (subs & pork) and beverages.
Volunteer Hours
Now is the time to make sure you've done your volunteer hours.
Hours must be completed and entered in the Virtual Green Binder by 31st December if you do not wish to be charged.
Site rules require gardeners with a full plot to work 1 hour for the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI), and 8 hours for communal parts of the garden per season. There are two seasons per year.
Fees for unworked hours:
- TSBVI hour: $50
- Regular hours: $30/hr for first 2 hours and $10/hr for subsequent hours
To clarify a few points:
- Hours gardeners worked on the fall plant sale count as TSBVI hours. This is not on the list of tasks that can be done because the sale has already passed. Those gardeners that worked on fall plant sale must record the hours if they have not done so. The hours include the time preparing the seed pots and planting the seeds as well as time spent at actual sale. The sale is actually a TSBVI event and we provide the labor.
- Gardeners must record all TSBVI hours worked(including those above required hour) as TSBVI hours in the Green Binder. We need to track all hours worked because we treat them as a volunteer time donation to TSBVI which helps with Sunshine's tax exempt status. TSBVI hours above one, recorded in Green Binder as TSBVI hours, will automatically roll over as credit for Regular hours so gardeners don't need to worry about losing any credit.
Volunteer Workday - Get Your Hours in Now!
Workday
There will be a workday this Sunday, 6th December, 1:00-3:00p. The special project will be cleaning communal gardens at front gate and on the southside of the trailer. Workday leaders will be Ila Falvey (Zone 4 Coordinator) and Kerry Howell (Zone 9 Coordinator). For more information email Ila or Kerry, their email addresses are at the bottom of this newsletter.
Tasks that can be done for Service Hours
If you are unable to attend the upcoming workday the following tasks can be done.
- For TSBVI Hours
- Mowing and edging as needed along Sunshine and 48th streets - inside and outside of fence
- Removing hackberries and weeds from fence line on Sunshine and 48th streets [Do not remove vines]
- Maintaining garden at front gate [Will be special project on 12/6 workday]
- Cleaning up in compost area
- Weeding TSBVI Garden paths [Try to dig out nut grass at roots. Stirrup hoe works well for other weeds. Smooth out and pack any "divots" created.]
- Adding woodchips on west side of TSBVI Garden by sidewalk
- For Regular Hours
- Mowing as needed areas other than fence lines along 48th and Sunshine streets
- Removing hackberries from fence lines other than along Sunshine and 48th streets
- Maintaining flower beds and gardens around trailer
- Cleaning trailer
- Maintaining common areas - particularly common paths
- Removing weeds inside greenhouses
- Clearing vacant plots [Need to identify plots]
- Cutting large woody stems (okra, sunflower, etc) in compost pile into 2-3 ft lengths)
- Removing Kakhi weeds
- Weeding/cleaning edges of granite path from parking lot to trailer
Service hours for fall season must be completed and recorded in virtual Green Binder by 12/31.
Remember if it isn't written down it didn't happen.
Cookbook Blog
Sunshine Community Garden Cookbook Project - We are starting a recipe blog and we need your recipes. Each month, we will be showcasing one of our talented gardeners and one of their culinary masterpieces. If you have a recipe you would like to submit, please complete and submit this form. You can also contact Shannon Posern at shannonposern@gmail.com.
Classes & Events
Beekeeping 101: What's the Buzz?
December 10, 2015
Travis County Extension Office
Cost: $15.00
Must RSVP by December 9, 2015 at 2 PM (Central time)
RSVP to sacarrasco@ag.tamu.edu
you will receive a confirmation email once you are on the list.
Seating is limited, so register early
Pay at the door- CHECKS ONLY (NO CASH ACCEPTED!)
Location: 1600-B Smith Road, Austin, TX 78721
Program as follows:
- 4:45-5:30 Registration
- 5:30-5:35 Welcome
- 5:35-6:25 Honey Bee Biology & Behavior
- 6:25-7:10 How to Get Started: Beekeeping Equipment Essentials
- 7:10-7:15 Break
- 7:15-8:00 Buying Bees, Installation & Basic Set up. Where Do I Get Bees?
- 8:00-8:45 Annual Management
- 8:45-8:55 Ag Land Tax Valuation for Honeybees
- 8:55-9:00 Evaluation & Wrap Up
The program will be co-presented by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agents and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Master Volunteers.
Questions? Call 512-854-9610 or 512-581-7186
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 - Michael Hall fibercable@austin.rr.com
- Director - Kay McMurry scg.plots@gmail.com
- Director - Vacant
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, Jing Li jingli80@yahoo.com
- 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 - 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
- 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 - Stewart Nichols sgwater@math.austin.tx.us
- Tools & Wheelbarrows - Bob Easter beaster1@austin.rr.com
- Compost Tea - Jennifer Woertz jennifer.woertz@urs.com
- Website Coordinator - Sharon Rempert scgardenweb@gmail.com
Record Service Hours Online - the Virtual Green Binder
