Sunshine Community Gardens

Summer is coming and hot weather is tough on crops. These tips and tools help keep your garden vegetables alive, grow bumper crops, and save water and time.

1. Water deeply so plants develop deep roots searching for water. The deeper the roots the healthier and more productive the plants. Keeping only the top two to three inches watered causes the plants to have shallow roots.
2. Use a drip system to deliver deep watering.
3. Use a moisture meter to determine the depth of your watering.
4. Keep soil covered with leaves or pine straw.

I just completed reinstalling my drip irrigation system. I have used the drip system for over 12 years. During the summer I only water once or twice a week, but water deeply. The moisture meter is the key to proper watering.

Note:

Bob Easter recommends these companies if you want to order drip irrigation tape and fittings. He reports, "These are the best prices I have found and their service is great."

https://www.berryhilldrip.com/Drip-Tape-Irrigation/

https://www.dripworks.com/drip-irrigation/irrigation-kits

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Garden Tasks

24 February, 2022

Greetings Gardeners!

Just in case you haven't gotten the message - Saturday, February 26 workday is cancelled!

Last Saturday boasted beautiful weather, but not a lot of volunteers! Please help out with last minute chores! Contact Janet Adams (jartdaht@gmail.com) for details.

Even with the bad weather we had a pretty good crowd last Saturday! 2 more to go before the plant sale thanks to all for braving the elements! Priority task is cleaning up for The Plant Sale in March. Contact Janet Adams (jardaht@gmail.com) for details.

One of our gardeners believes that they came into contact with some poison ivy while gathering leaves at the south end of the leaf pile! Please observe common sense and caution when collecting leaves or chips. We have no way of vetting what landscapers dump except by asking them not to dump certain items. If you are worried about poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, wear long sleeves, gloves, mask etc. and decontaminate post activity. As far as I know this is the first gardener that this has happened to.

We are running into a problem with hose connections. Please do not connect hoses with aluminum fixtures to our brass faucets. These two metal alloys will chemically bond, effectively welding them to each other. If you have them connected now, be aware that if there are problems with the faucet, your hose may have to be cut in order to get it off. Aluminum hose hardware is generally silver in color. If unsure, ask your vendor or read any literature that comes with the hose.

Priority (Tasks specifically needed):

1. Maintaining common paths and common areas. If you have plants extending into common paths, trim them. The common paths are designed to allow the biggest wheelbarrows that we own to traverse them unimpeded.
2. Mowing and maintaining perimeter fence line inside and out.
3. Sunshine Community Garden was fined a few weeks ago for the dumpster being over filled. Please help us to avoid this by following a few simple guidelines.
   1. Fill the dumpster from the back (under the hinges) to the front. If you put stuff in the front, it tends to stay there.
   2. If you think the dumpster is full, contact me (Steve Camp, I'm there a lot) or Randy Thompson. We can usually compact stuff to make more space.
   3. Follow the rules regarding what goes into the dumpster and what does not, there's signage close by.
   4. If the dumpster actually does get full before pick up day, I'm working on finding a spot where we can store a reasonable overage, to be loaded after the dumpster is emptied.
   5. If you're done with your project, please close the lids.

TSVBI:

1. Weeding paths in TSBVI garden and wood chip areas on west side. (This is normally needed. Try to get out roots. Be sure to smooth out paths after weeding to facilitate TSBVI students moving around garden).
2. Picking up trash in compost area and along fence lines.
3. Cleaning street curb gutters of dirt and debris build up. (At places in the curb gutter along Sunshine Dr. and 49th St., soil and debris has built up and grass beginning to grow. Scrape off with shovel and put in wheelbarrow. If debris is gravel can be put in low places in parking lot. Otherwise, put in dumpster.)

Regular:

1. Mowing (Please check area around trailer and greenhouses.
2. Maintaining common paths. (Gardeners are required to maintain a 2' strip of common paths adjacent to their plot.)
3. Mowing and cleaning up overgrown/messy places in common areas.

Note: TSBVI hour tasks can also count as regular hours.

Your Zone Coordinator may have more tasks than are listed here. Contact them if you feel that you have run out of things to do.

Slow Down..You're on Garden Time! Enjoy!

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Weeder Content

Please submit weekly weeder articles, photos, and recipes by Wednesday to both Co-Editors:
Maria Beach at dr.maria.beach@gmail.com

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