Sunshine Community Gardens

17 December, 2020

www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org

Gardener's Picture page

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Thanks Y'all - A Few of Many Member Recognitions for 2020

Submitted by Charlotte Jernigan

Starting with a special thanks to our seven SCG Board members for all that they do, the Micah 6 Food Garden Team (another 5-6 people) and the Compost Area Team. Then we have the Tools/Mowers/Trimmer guys, the Education Team, our volunteer plumbers, welders and carpenters, the Zone Coordinators and Holly who does the Weeder. And thanks to Jimmie -- he does a little of everything but won't confess to any of it!

These and so many more are a few of those "always on campus" people who volunteer at Sunshine as if it were their parttime jobs.

2020 TBVSI Garden Helpers

Due to the pandemic, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TBVSI) student activity has been extremely reduced for all of 2020 and staff needed to be redirected to other activities. This meant many more fallowed beds than u sual for the TBVSI Garden. Fallowed ground needs TLC to avoid weeds or "desertification". These beds needed top mulch with alfalfa or leaves and planting of a cover crop such as clover or rye to optimize the microbiome or to serve as green manure.

Happily, a few stalwart SCG members stepped up to work in the July heat, and again in the Fall chill, with quarantine restrictions. The TBVSI Garden beds were cleaned and mulched for shut down, cleaned again in November and some were seeded with a rye grass cover crop in December.

A hearty thank you goes out especially to Robert Jarry and Jim Willman who tackled the plumbing and carpentry repairs for the TBVSI hose hangers and to Susan Prosperie, our resident perineal & natives expert, for defining a trimming plan for each perineal bed. Her guidance was combined with the hard work of the following SCG members who each took on one or two beds for TLC:

• Jim Willmann
• Susan Prosperie
• Robert Jarry
• Paige Dunlap
• Linda Booker
• Allan Burris
• Susan Kramer
• Summer Shuckahosee
• Amy Schaefer
• James Collins
• Juan Pedro Maestre

Plus others whose names I lost track of - so sorry - but you know who you are!

Crafts People

Ray Porter

After only 30-years (!) our resident welder, metal artist and general fix-it guy, Ray Porter, cut and re-welded the SCG Trail security bars so that the two sides align for lock. It was worth the wait! Especially the Micha 6 Food Pantry Team and those of us who feed our campus-cat, Sunny, every day "we thank you" Ray for finally making it possible to open and close the trailer lock without standing on our heads!

Gail Reese

Gail put her sewing skills to work and made a beautiful new cushion for the TBVSI pergola bench. So welcomed by all who use this as a rest and contemplation area, especially on hot days.

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Please Donate to Micah 6 for the Holidays

Submitted by Dana Kuykendall

Now is the perfect time to donate any of your extra produce to the Micah 6 Food Pantry. Every Saturday morning at 9am, a volunteer from our community garden delivers a donation of healthy, organic produce to the M6 Food pantry.

Sunshine Gardens has a long history of serving our community and the need is greater than ever. People are relying on the food pantry to help feed their families during this pandemic and our contributions are greatly appreciated. I want to salute all of our garden members for their work in planning, growing, harvesting, and delivering our produce every week. Also, it is important to recognize the incredible generosity we have received from fellow gardeners from their own plots. It is one of the best years we've ever had.

If you want to donate from your own plot, please put your donations in the cooler on the front porch of the trailer. It is checked everyday and the produce is transferred to inside the trailer. Please remember to only donate clean, fresh produce because the volunteers have a lot of work to get it ready for the clients at the food pantry.

This year, Saturday, December 26, the food pantry will be open. We are also very happy to deliver any shelf stable pantry items for the holiday food drive when we make our weekly fresh produce delivery. Please consider buying and donating non breakable packaged food ( no glass) such as can goods, beans, peanut butter, packaged milk and juice that requires no refrigeration.

Thanks everyone for a very successful year.

Dana Kuykendall

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Longtime Sunshine Gardener and Iris Grower Passes

Longtime Sunshine gardener Don Freeman passed away December 7 after an extended illness. He was 88. Don's passion was Irises devoting his entire plot to growing over 90 varieties. Each spring, Sunshine gardeners marveled at the beauty of his Irises which were frequent blue ribbon and best-in-show winners at Iris shows throughout central Texas. Active in several Austin garden clubs; Don was a founding member of the Austin Iris Society and Travis County Master Gardeners Association. When it became difficult for Don to come to the garden to maintain his Irises, the Sunshine community responded as described by Sunshine gardening neighbor and friend John Braziel:

"Some three months ago, Don's son brought Don over to the garden to give us neighbors OJT on how to care for his Irises. Mary, our Zone Coordinator, coordinated his visit with Jim, Jimmie, Walter, Iris, and me. It was our last visit. He spent an hour with us demonstrating his method of preparing his iris beds for the winter season and next blooming season. A month later Ila initiated an invitation to his friends at the Austin Iris Society to come help us. We all had a field day in preparing his beds under the watchful eye of his Society friend, David. Don was very proud of our results, claiming his beds had never looked better."

"Although he was always proud of winning the Best Iris in Show at Zilker Botanical Gardens, he never personally boasted. He would, however, boast about his Irises. He had a name for each plant. Juicy Fruit was my wife's favorite. We were neighbors for eight years at the garden. His greetings were always either encouraging or complimentary and always given with a big welcoming smile. I would take photos of his flowers, when in full bloom, and share them with him and many of my friends. He was always very grateful for any communication we shared. He was a Master Gardener but also was a Master of Kindness and Gentleness. He was a dear friend I will always admire and remember with fondness."

Sunshine and the Iris Society will maintain Don's irises through their blooming this spring.

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2020 Volunteer Hours to be Completed by 12/31/2020

Need TSBVI Hours? -- Weeding Khaki Weed Counts

All creatures (and plants) great and small deserve a Happy Holiday this year - except khaki weed. Khaki weed remains a pervasive problem at Sunshine and to encourage its removal, the board has approved weeding khaki weed counting as TSBVI hours for the fall season ending 12/31. Khaki weed has a tap root so try to get it out. All khaki weed (and burrs) should be put in the dumpster.

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The Benefits of Compost Tea? - Another Perspective

The December 10 Weekly Weeder had an article about the benefits of compost tea. Randy Thompson submitted the following two articles for a different perspective on the benefits of compost tea.

https://www.finegardening.com/article/the-jury-is-still-out-on-compost-tea

https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2019-08-14-compost-tea-miracle-product-or-snake-oil

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Weeder Content

Please email your article or suggestion to Holly Gilman by end of day Wednesday.

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