Sunshine not-necessarily-Weekly Weeder

05.01.12
 www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org


VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR SEVERAL IMPORTANT TASKS AT SUNSHINE

We need gardeners to volunteer their time and effort for several specific tasks at Sunshine Gardens to support our sponsor, contribute to our community service project, and represent our garden to visitors. All of these can be counted toward your service hours.

Help the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired!

The School for the Blind and Visually Impaired has requested help in maintaining their spring garden. If you are interested in any of the following, please contact Mike Meyer (meyermic2001@yahoo.com) to sign up for a task and a date.

1. Weeding the crushed granite paths and raised beds of the TSBVI plot.
2. Weekend watering.
3. Placing compost on the potatoes.

Please record all hours worked as regular service hours in the virtual or physical green binder, as the TSBVI requirement has been revised by the Sunshine Board. Thank you in advance to everyone that volunteers. Sunshine’s relationship with the School is very important, and your efforts are appreciated!

Micah 6

Volunteers are needed for the Micah 6 Garden to keep up with planting, maintaining, and harvesting the crops for the Micah 6 Food Pantry. The Micah 6 Garden is one of Sunshine Garden's main community service projects and lately they have been struggling to find volunteers. Linda Franciscone is now coordinating the garden, taking over for Nancy Seibert. Contact Linda (lfrances16@hotmail.com), if you would like to volunteer or would like to learn more about the food pantry garden and what tasks need to be done.

Tour Coordinators

We need gardeners to volunteer to coordinate garden tours. School groups, classes, and organizations contact the garden to ask if they can schedule a visit to tour our community garden, or Sunshine is one of the stops on one of the annual tours of community gardens in the Austin area. If you are interested in helping coordinate garden tours or acting as a tour guide, contact Michael Hall, (fibercable@austin.rr.com).

THE SUNSHINE BOARD - RECENT CHANGES

There have been some recent, and not so recent, changes in the membership of the Sunshine board of directors.

Suzanne Erickson resigned as treasurer, and Suzanne Bradford was appointed to position of treasurer. Suzanne Bradford has served on the Sunshine Garden Audit Committee.

Michael Hall was appointed to the director position left vacant due to the resignation of Nancy Seibert.

Suzanne Erickson was appointed to the director position left vacant due to the resignation of Linda Booker.

MOSQUITO SEASON

The weather has been warm this spring so mosquito season is likely to start early. Mosquitoes transmit several diseases, including: West Nile virus, encephalitis, malaria, and also heart worm in dogs.

To reduce the health threat and general nuisance of mosquitoes, home owners and gardeners should do all that they can to eliminate breeding sites for larvae. Mosquitoes can breed even in standing rain water that has collected in a discarded soda can. Dispose of or properly store containers such as old tires, buckets, cans and bottles that can collect and hold rainwater if left outside. Drain water from flower pots, bird baths, rain gutters, pet dishes, etc. at least once a week. Children's wading pool should be emptied and stored indoors, or turned over, when not in use. Also, keep outside pipes, hoses, and faucets in good repair with no leaks.

Check the Texas A&M article: Mosquito Control Around the Home, Publication E-333, at the AgriLife Bookstore for more information.

SUNSHINE GARDEN COMPOST AREA

The Willman Brothers, Jay and Jim, and Jay’s tractor (that he kindly brought to the garden as ours has been in the repair shop for months) have spent many hours cleaning up our compost pile.

Garden waste is either compostable or non-compostable. The compostable waste should be placed in the appropriate compost pile, and the non-compostable waste placed in the dumpster.

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Finished compost - this is our smallest pile. This pile is soil-like in appearance. This is our scarcest resource and should be used sparingly. There are sifters for this compost. The sifters should be returned to the tool shed and placed in the wheelbarrow area.
Limbs and branches – we have to have this pile hauled away as it takes too long to decompose. Only Sunshine’s limbs and branches should be placed here. Outside gardeners/landscapers are NOT allowed to leave this type of waste and occasionally need to be reminded of this.
Active compost pile – This is the pile that your old garden plants should be placed, unless they are very woody like okra and tomato. Additionally, several gardeners are responsible for food waste and coffee grounds pick up. This material is added to this pile.
Other pile – this pile is for weeds and woody garden plants. Bermuda grass should be put in this pile. Occasionally, if there is room, weeds that have mature seeds can be placed in the dumpster.
There are also two piles – one for leaves and the other for chips. Landscapers dump this material that most gardeners use as mulch to reduces evaporation.

To reiterate:
Please put trash into the dumpster, NOT in the compost piles.
Put garden waste in the correct pile in the compost area.
Let's all make every effort to keep the compost area organized and trash free.

Vegetables to Plant in early May

Amaranth
Snap Beans and Lima Beans
Beets
Chard
Jicama
Okra
Black-eye Peas
Pepper Plants
New Zealand Spinach
Summer Squash
Sweet Potatoes

Herbs to Plant

Basil, Chives, Cumin, Fennel, Lavender, Lemon Grass, Lemon Verbena, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme
GARDENING SEMINAR
Small Space Gardening
Saturday, May 19, 2012, 10am-12pm
Austin Community College South Campus, 1820 W. Stassney Lane, Rm 1130

This seminar is full of inspiring ideas to help you do much more with the area you have and make better use of the entire garden. You will learn how to design in layers, borrow your neighbor's landscape and use color, containers and creativity to add punch to small spaces. This class is sponsored by the Travis County Master Gardeners Association and the Travis County AgriLife Extension.

The class is free and doesn't require a reservation, but if you want to ensure a seat, sign up online at: http://travis-tx.tamu.edu/horticulture/.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
  • Board Meeting - May 8, 6:00pm - Garden Trailer
  • Workday - May 26, 8:00 - 11:00am
  • All Gardeners Meeting and Grill / Potluck Lunch - May 26, 11:00am

Contact Information

Jack McEvoy, President - scgpresident@gmail.com
Jeff Schulz, Vice President - vice-pres@sunshinecommunitygarden.org
Suzanne Bradford, Treasurer - scg4814treasurer@gmail.com
Sue Brownlee, Secretary - scgsecretary@gmail.com
suzanne Erickson, Director - lacasita88@gmail.com
Ila Falvey, Director - ila.falvey@gmail.com
Michael Hall, Director - fibercable@austin.rr.com

Coordinators & Chairs

Zone 1, Patsy Painter - patsy_painter@yahoo.com
Zone 2, Katy Davis - katydavis@austin.rr.com
Zone 3, Sheila Bartholomew - sheilab@concrete.com
Zone 4, Alan Marburger - alanmarburger@gmail.com
Zone 5, Mary Gifford - mgifford@austin.rr.com

Zone 6, Annik Jackson - anij@aol.com
Zone 7, Diana Dworaczyk - dianadworaczyk@aol.com
Zone 8, Felicia Kongable - feliciako@yahoo.com
Zone 9, Cheryl Hazeltine - cph@austin.rr.com
Zone 10, Emily Tisinger - dtisinger@austin.rr.com

Plant Sale -Michael Hallfibercable@austin.rr.com

TSBVI Liaison & Volunteer Coordinators
Mike Meyer meyermic2001@yahoo.com
Carpentry & Repairs - Robert Jarry - r.jarry@sbcglobal.net
Compost - Steve Uecker - steven_uecker@hotmail.com
Tools & Wheelbarrows - Bob Easter - beaster1@austin.rr.com
Maintenance Coordinator - Ila Falvey - ila.falvey@gmail.com
Website Coordinators - Kathleen Neville and Larry Olsen - lolsen@suddenlink.net

Record Service Hours Online - the Virtual Green Binder

To unsubcribe send a message to:scgsecretary@gmail.com
Sunshine Community Gardens
www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org