Sunshine Weekly Weeder Newsletter
30 October 2013
www.sunshinecommunitygarden.org
A Big Hand to Volunteers
8 plots were cleared off - to be rented.
The hero of the task was Clint Winters and his heavy duty tiller. He worked for hours clearing off the plots. Helpers included Kay McMurry, Rennee Fleishman, Ila Falvey and David Campbell. Tirelessly clearing plots by hand were Steve Schulz, Jeff Schulz, Joe Zhou, Sean O'Brien, Phil Wiley, Marie Taylor, and Jimmie Schneider.
A Sad Note for Sunshine
Sad news, Jenny Malin, who was a Sunshine Gardener, died in a car accident this past Saturday. Her garden is just north of the compost piles.There are more details about the accident in this Statesman article and also some fond remembrances of Jenny in the comments.
There will be a remembrance event for Jenny's Austin family and friends, which will occur this Friday (11/1/13) from 6-7pm in the First Unitarian Universalist Church Sanctuary located at 4700 Grover Ave.. Website
Message From the President
There are several gardens at Sunshine that appear to be untended. To me this is not an issue of compliance vs. non-compliance but a question of whether or not the person is a gardener at Sunshine. To be a gardener, one has to garden. Now is the ideal time to gardening with the arrival of cooler weather and rain. If you have a valid reason why you cannot garden at this time there is a provision for you to leave, and when you are able to garden again you will be at the head of the waiting list. Just let a member of the board know.
To have a plot at Sunshine should be a pleasant experience. If the zone coordinators and/or Board members have to continuously badger you to maintain your garden, then you should give up your plot so that someone else can have an opportunity to garden.
Gardening in Texas is not easy and we are "blessed" with two growing seasons. Maintaining and growing is a continuous process. My goal is to have a community of gardeners who enjoy gardening and do so.
Gardeners Thinning Perennials? - Consider Donating Extras to the Spring Plant Sale
Fall is a good time for dividing perennials and many other plants. Consider 'passing-along' your extras to Sunshine Community Gardens for the Spring Sale and Fundraiser. Bring your 'pass-alongs' to the hoop house that's white with green trim. If you'd prefer to pot up your offerings at Sunshine, we'll soon have pots and potting soil available.
If you have tropicals that you'd like to donate it may be a bit tricky to successfully overwinter them at Sunshine (when and if we have a freeze this winter) so consider potting them up now but bringing them in a little closer to the sale.
Compost piles are heating up!
We have started a new compost pile to the south of the existing one. Please put your compostables in the small pile and do not add anything to the large pile or take away any compost. It needs to cook. We will soon be getting a few hundred pounds of compostable materials each week from the East Side Compost Pedallers. Also, please take all the inorganic material to the dumpster when screening and taking compost for your plot.
TSBVI Transplants for Sale - Last Chance
The TSBVI winter garden transplants' sale has been moved to the hoop house. There is a good selection of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower (including Veronica, the green variety that looks like it came from outer space), Brussel Sprouts and Pansies. Plants are $1.00 each, please leave the money in the money box.
Homemade Fire Ant Destroyer
This recipe comes from Howard Garret via our own Sunshine gardener, Cheryl Hazeltine.
1 Gallon Water
1 TBS Blackstrap Molasses
6 TBS Orange Oil
A dash of dishwashing detergent
Mix well and pour over mound in the morning or evening when the ants are active.
Who Are All Those Relatives?
Ever looked at Aunt Mabel and wondered how on earth you came to be related to her? The same goes for cabbage. Next time you visit Sunshine or the grocery store look at the various forms of Brassica oleracea (the cabbage family). The wild cabbage of the Mediterranean and Britain now graces tables and gardens in forms as diverse as cabbage, kale, collards, broccoli, kohlrabi, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, romanesco, chinese broccoli, broccoflower and even colorful ornamentals. The big payoff of the species is it contains more phytochemicals with demonstrable anticancer properties than any other vegetable. Even our rabbits love eating them.
Water and Rabbit Problems
Contact Stewart Nichols if:
- You see any leaks in the garden irrigation system contact Stewart at sgwater@math.austin.tx.us.
- If you have suffered a rabbit attack on your garden, Stewart's email is elmer@math.austin.tx.us.
What to Plant in November:
Early - Mid Month: Carrot, Mustard, Chard, and Turnip
All Month: Lettuce Kale, Spinach, Radish.
Thought for the week
...a whole life passed on a piece of earth fifteen feet square, part of which is dedicated to a gravel path, seems a somewhat narrow existence. But, after all, what is narrow?
Alfred Austin, 1894
Officer and Zone Coordinator Contacts - Sunshine Garden
Officers
- President - Ila Falvey ila.falvey@gmail.com
- Vice-President - Janet Adams jartdaht@gmail.com
- Secretary - Berk Bettis dolrsdad@aol.com
- Treasurer - Jack Reynolds scgtreasurer1@gmail.com
- Director - Michael Hall fibercable@austin.rr.com
- Director - Kay McMurry scg.plots@gmail.com
- Director - Emily Tisinger etisinger@gmail.com
Zone Coordinators
- Zone 1, Jody Trendler jody.trendler@gmail.com
- Zone 2, Katy Davis katydavis@austin.rr.com
- Zone 3, Ludmila Voskov lvoskov@austin.rr.com
- Zone 4, Ila Falvey ila.falvey@gmail.com
- Zone 5, Mary Gifford mgifford@austin.rr.com
- Zone 6, Charlotte Jernigan charlotte@cybermesa.com
- Zone 7, Jing Li jingli.80@yahoo.com
- Zone 8, Irina Kaducova irina@austinshrooms.com
- Zone 9, Cheryl Hazeltine cph@austin.rr.com
- Zone 10, Christopher Schroder christopher.s.schroder@gmail.com
Other Coordinators
- Weekly Weeder Newsletter - Margaret Powis purslane2013@gmail.com
- Plant Sale - Michael Hall fibercable@austin.rr.com
- TSBVI Liason & Volunteer Coordinator - Janet Adams jartdaht@gmailcom
- Plot Rental - Kay McMurry scg.plots@gmail.com
- Carpentry & Repairs - Robert Jarry r.jarry@sbcglobal.net
- Water Leak Repairs - Stewart Nichols sgwater@math.austin.tx.us
- Tools & Wheelbarrows - Bob Easter beaster1@austin.rr.com
- Website Coordinator - Sharon Rempert scgardenweb@gmail.com
Record Service Hours Online - the Virtual Green Binder
