Sunshine Community Gardens

30 July, 2020

www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org

Gardener's Picture page

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MICAH 6 Food pantry Feeds the Community

Story and Photo submitted by Dana Kuykendall

The total amount of donations in 2019 was 2296 pounds. For 2020 from January to July 25, the amount donated so far this year is 3,322. Sam Burr said, "No organization compares to Sunshine Community Gardens".

This year has been one of the best for donations and it has to be because of all the gardeners contributing produce from their individual plots. The pandemic has helped increase awareness of so many families needing more assistance in getting fresh produce and for all of to do our part in decreasing food waste.

In July, we delivered to the pantry on Thursdays and Saturdays, but starting in August, we will go back to Saturday morning deliveries only. Please continue to remember the Micah 6 Food Pantry if you have extra produce. We can also deliver non perishable items such as canned goods if you wish. Thanks to all for your generosity.

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Sunshine Water Use Explodes in July

Jim Willmann writes:

July Water Usage. From June 12 - July 15, Sunshine used 422,700 gallons of water which was twice as much as the 202,900 gallons used May 12 - June 11. While the weather was hot and dry during this period, the 422,700 gallons is still significantly greater than the 357,500 gallons used during a similar hot, dry 30-day period in July/August 2019.

What Gardeners Can Do. Every gardener should review their watering habits to be sure they conform with good watering and water conservation practices.

1. Avoid over watering. Over watering doesn't help crops grow better and wastes water.
2. Mulch heavily - Sunshine has a great supply of leaves. Not only do mulched crops do better in hot weather, but also exposing soil to the hot sun is bad for the soil.
3. Clear crops once completed and mulch or plant a cover crop until ready to plant fall crops. Continuing to water spent crops is a waste of water.
4. Avoid watering during heat of day when evaporation is highest.
5. Consider using soaker hose or drip irrigation systems.
6. Check hoses and connections for leaks each time water. If the faucet is leaking, mark the faucet in some way and email Steve Schulz (sschulz784@aol.com) about the leak. Most water stations have a turnoff valve on the pipe leading to the faucets. If a faucet is broken and leaking badly, turn off this turnoff valve and notify Steve. Important Note: If the leak is beyond the faucet, e.g., leaky hose, missing hose washer or broken faucet splitter, the gardeners using that hose or splitter need to fix the problem. Hose washers are being made available in tool shed for gardeners to use.
7. Always turn water off at the faucet and at hose end. The water pressure at Sunshine is higher than in residential areas and hoses left under pressure can burst.

Watering Rules. To promote water conservation and reduce water waste at Sunshine, Site Rule E.11 imposes the following watering restrictions:

1. Sprinklers are not allowed
2. Unattended watering is not allowed except for soaker hoses.
3. Soaker hoses may be left on unattended for no more than 3 hours during the daylight hours only at low pressure.
4. Irrigation systems must be maintained in good repair.
5. Hand watering should take into account wind and temperatures to ensure as little waste as possible.
6. Water timers are not allowed.

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Unusual Pepper Photos

Peppers grown & photographed by Jason Youngblood

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Unsolicited, Unidentified Seeds in Mail

Don't Plant Them

Ila Falvey receives notice about seeds from China and shares info with Sunshine Gardners.

There has been a news story going around that some residents are receiving packages in the mail from a source in China. The packages are marked as "jewelry" or some other object. When you open it, it contains an unmarked packet of seeds.

Here is the blog post about it. The USDA, Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller, and Dr. Ong at Texas A&M are all on the case. The major concerns are that these seeds are from invasive plants, and not understanding how people are being targeted for the mailing.

If you receive one of these packages, or knows of someone who does, please do the following:

1. Do not open or plant the contents. Keep contents contained in their original sealed package.
2. Report it via email to: Carol Motloch USDA-APHIS-PPQ State Operations Coordinator, carol.m.motloch@usda.gov
3. Your email should include your email and phone number, a description of the package contents, and label, and photos of the contents, package, and label if you can.
4. Put the seed and packing materials in a ziploc bag to safeguard the items. You will be contacted by USDA and given further instructions about collection.

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The Scourge of Bindweed at Sunshine

While the above bindweed may look like an "innocent wildflower", it is a scourge in the garden and takes relentless digging to get it out. Please remove this "pest of a plant" when you are also removing the khaki weed.

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Weeder Content

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