Sunshine Community Gardens

3 June, 2021

www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org

Gardener's Picture page

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Micah 6 of Austin Food Pantry

Our bountiful spring/summer harvest has begun! Please consider donating surplus harvest to the Micah 6 Food Pantry. Details below:

• What is Micah 6 of Austin? -- Micah 6 of Austin is a network of faith communities in the UT campus area that partner to promote social justice. One of their projects is a food pantry, which primarily serves working people who struggle to provide basic necessities for themselves and their families. Micah 6 of Austin also has programs and resources to support homeless individuals.
• More about Micah 6 Food Pantry -- Open twice a week --Thursday 6pm to 7pm & Saturday 10:30am to 11:30am. Most of the year Sunshine garden supplies produce for the Saturday pantry only. When donations increase over the summer a Thursday delivery is added.
• Sunshine's contribution to M6 Food Pantry -- Due to Sunshine gardeners' generosity, M6 Food Pantry is known for its high quality fresh vegetables. Last year Sunshine gardeners donated 4,355# of produce to the pantry. In addition > 800# of non-perishables, like canned goods, dry beans and rice were donated. So far this year, 716.5# fresh produce and 90# of non-perishables have been donated. HUGE THANKS!
• How can you help? -- Donate produce! --- Now that the Sunshine trailer is open, you may place your produce in either the refrigerator or in the cool room at the south end of the trailer. There are both plastic and paper sacks available in the cool room if needed. If you prefer not to enter the trailer, you may place your produce in the M-6 cooler on the trailer porch and a volunteer will move it inside.
• Another way to help -- Donate non-perishables -- place items like canned goods, dry beans, dry rice on the table in the cool room.
• One more way to help -- Join our team! -- Urgent need for Thursday afternoon produce delivery persons starting June 10th --For more information contact Dana Kuykendall (danakuykendall4311@gmail.com). -- Additionally, if you are interested in gardening in the Micah garden in front of the trailer please contact Walter Kuhl (kuhlwalter088@gmail.com).

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Zone Specific Workday - Zones 3, 4, 5 - Saturday June 5

Several zone coordinators will hold workdays for their zone this Saturday. Work will be on projects specific to each zone such as maintaining common paths or weeding water station areas. Each zone coordinator is emailing their zone with specifics. This will be a great way to get in service hours on projects beneficial to the area where you garden. If you have questions, contact your zone coordinator. Zones coordinators holding workdays are:

• Zone 3 9:00a-noon Luda Voskov (lvoskov@austin.rr.com)
• Zone 4 9:00a-11:00a Ila Falvey (ila.falvey@gmail.com)
• Zone 5 9:00a-11:00a Mary Gifford (mgifford@gmail.com)

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Wonderful, useful information from Patty Leander

Ila Falvey reports

I checked with Patty about harvesting potatoes because the soil is so wet. She said: "Potatoes this spring might be a bit iffy with all the rain. If yours are an edible size then it might have been smart to go ahead and get them out of the ground."

https://travis-tx.tamu.edu/2021/06/01/the-june-vegetable-garden-by-patty-leander/

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All Gardeners Meeting Recap

By Kerry Drake - Secretary

Thank you to all who attended the All Gardeners Meeting on May 15th. It was wonderful to gather again outdoors and see our fellow gardeners. We had 50 people in attendance, a quorum.

President Steve Uecker highlighted events of the past year at the garden, noting the strangeness of it being a pandemic year. As such, meetings turned to Zoom and volunteer hours were modified. We managed to provide an "in house" plant sale for our gardeners, thanks to SCG alums Jeff and Jen. We expanded our cordless trimmers and mowers and purchased a compost grinder. There is a new weather station at the garden. And we have a new Assistant Treasurer Position.

Carol Limaye, outgoing treasurer, reported that the garden is doing quite well financially, and if we don't experience a drought this year, we will be in great shape. Donations to sponsored charities like the Central Texas Food Bank were quite generous, thanks to our gardeners.

Carol Limaye was honored for her years of treasurer service to the garden with a bouquet of hill country flowers and a pepper plant of appreciation. Thank you, Carol, for all your volunteer work at the garden!

Steve Uecker, outgoing president, was presented with a pepper plant of appreciation. Thank you, Steve, for serving as president!

Kay McMurry presented the plot report. Our waitlist is the highest it has ever been, and quarter plots are the highest in demand. Marsha Riti and Isabelle Encela discussed our expanding social media presence and outreach. Marsha offered to help any gardener wanting to communicate to other gardeners through the Slack app.

Since we had a quorum, we were able to ratify the site rules amendment, which is a language change to plot size, measuring in square feet. There were also language changes to the Waste Disposal Policy and the plot compliance enforcement. Steve explained the committee formed to explore a Code of Conduct to help give gardeners communication tools to work together.

The slate of candidates for President, Vice President and Treasurer prepared by the Nominating Committee was presented, and the candidates introduced. Paper ballots were cast at the meeting and online voting remained open for five days. Candidates for the Nominating Committee were received and Polly Porter, Ila Falvey, and Steve Uecker were elected. Ila Falvey gave hearty thanks to the many people who have kept the garden running smoothly and encouraged other gardeners to step up and volunteer to be a part of this garden community.

Note: for more specifics of this meeting, look for the minutes, once approved, to be posted on the garden website.

Addendum: Summary of Election Results:

• President - Jim Willmann
• Vice-President - Steve Camp
• Treasurer - Debra Mariano
• Out-going President - Steve Uecker
• Officer continuing in position (elected May 2020) - Secretary - Kerry Drake

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Shishito Face - By Kerry Drake

The "face" was made with vegetables from Kerry's garden.

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Needed Service Hour Tasks - June 2, 2021

To help keep gardeners aware of wha service hour tasks are needed, an attempt will be made to keep this list current.

Priority (Tasks specifically needed)

1. Mowing, Mowing, and MOWING! (With the rain and warm weather, the grass has gone wild. Mowing outside and inside of fence line along 49th St and Sunshine Dr count as TSBVI hours.)
2. Weeding fence line along 49th St. and Sunshine Dr. (TSBVI)
3. Digging up khaki grass. (TSBVI) (Board has authorized to count as TSBVI hours)
4. Weeding granite paths in raised bed area and edging border. (TSBVI)

TSBVI

1. Removing hackberries and Johnson grass growing in cyclone fence around Sunshine. (Please try to dig out as much of the roots as possible. Hackberries should be cut off as deep below ground level as possible.)
2. 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 has 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.)
3. Weeding granite paths in raised bed area and edging border. (Try to get out roots - particularly the bermudagrass along west side by garden plots.)
4. 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.)
5. Mowing between fence and street along 49th St. and Sunshine Dr. along and 10' inside fence. (Frequent mowing will be needed this time of year.)
6. Picking up trash in compost area and along fence lines.

Regular

1. Mowing (Please check area around trailer and greenhouses. Frequent mowing will be needed this time of year.)
2. Maintaining common paths.
3. Mowing and cleaning up overgrown/messy areas in common areas.

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

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Weeder Content

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