The Gardening Group

 

The Gardening Group is interested in promoting food production, neighborhood service and Fun in River Road. Contact Wendy and Pat, 463 8471, for more information.

Please fill out the survey. There are lots of fun potentials in the 'hood with gardens!!

Summary of Garden Interest Group Meeting thanks Wendy and Pat for hospitality April 6, 2004

Attendees: Wendy, Pat, Than, Jan, Margaret, Arden

Further Discussion of Ideas Presented in Previous Meetings:

Garden “Pod” work groups based on energy barter system.

Yard Clean-up for Seniors.

Neighborhood vegetable/food garden at local site, maybe a church, to contribute to local church soup kitchen with garden group acting as advisors.

Enlistment of local service or educational groups (scouts, school clubs) to assist with and learn from such projects.

Timely Tips for Garden Website page: this month Than will write about season extenders; Margaret to write sometime about soil amendment.

Discussion of New Ideas:

Beautify River Road as a future project.

How to encourage more interest in gardening interest group: start with work party, devise survey, plan garden tour.

First work party to be at Arden and Margaret’s home Sunday, April 18. They will work on details and write up a paragraph describing where, when, anticipated tasks, and what tools to bring. Jan will announce it on website. Also, members present at meeting will call to inform people who expressed interest in gardening at earlier Summits.

Event - Garden Tour in RR neighborhood. Possible formats include “open gardens” any time on given day during given span of time; scheduled bike and van tour. Possible added incentives: educational presentation at each or some gardens; garden crafts displayed for show and/or sale. Emphasis to be on informal enjoyment of gardening efforts, styles, and ongoing development. We are not emulating KLCC and this is not a fund raiser.

Survey to gauge interest in ideas as discussed above to be written by Wendy. Survey to be filled out by participants at potluck April 17 and work party April 18. And???

Next meeting will be Tues., May 4, Wendy and Pat’s, 317 Howard Ave. Time change: starts 7:15 p.m. Meeting to be concluded before 9 p.m. Submitted by Wendy

These notes from Wendy on March 25

We invite anyone with an interest in gardening to attend. We are not at all a closed group! We're especially interested in feedback as to what your gardening interests and needs might be. The last meeting we discussed ideas for the group's focus: We would like to serve as advisors, when desired, for community and/or family gardening projects. With that in mind, one group member has already offered a hands-on pruning class, and another has presented a worm box workshop.
What would you like to learn more about? What could you teach us? We hope the garden interest group will be comprised of the entire spectrum, from beginners to experts.

Other ideas we've discussed include setting up pods of garden work sharing. Pod members would help each other with a project. Time given and time owed would be tracked and people would have help with those larger projects that sometimes seem overwhelming.

Suggestions have included a kind of Habitat for Humanity model, where a group could spend several hours restoringan overgrown yard for a senior citizen or someone disabled from illness, for instance. Another would be to provide expertise for a community group which might be interested in starting a food garden for a new or ongoing meal program.

In addition, we have decided to offer a gardening tip or two for newsletter readers. When you come to the meeting, we invite you to bring a question or offer a timely tip.

This Month's Tips:

Soil structure is very important. Workable soil is made up of clustered soil particles called peds, containing clay, silt, sand, and organic matter. Macropores between the peds improve permeability, drainage and aeration. Micropores within the peds improve water holding capabilities. If you work with your soil or even walk on it when it is too wet, you will destroy this structure! The soil becomes compacted, and will resist root penetration and water movement! It can take months or longer to recover! Now, we have had some unexpected dry weather, and some of us have been able to garden, especially in raised beds. But this is still the rainy season! If your soil sticks to your shovel, it is too wetto dig. If you can mold soil in your hand into a worm or wire, it is too wet to work. If the soil crumbles when you try
to mold it, you are good to go. You can dry out areas that you want to develop by covering them with tarps or plywood on a slant for a couple weeks. You can use raised beds which improve drainage and aeration. These beds dry and heat up faster. Remember not to walk where you are planting. Raised beds allow for paths from which you can reach to do planting and weeding.

Weeds are a subjective designation. There are many young edible greens nature is providing us right now: chickweed,
young dandelions, and lamb's quarters. Check herb books for medicinal uses of herbs/weeds like catchweed bedstraw and plantain. Chickweed makes a great winter cover crop.

Cats to most of us are marvelous creatures. But they do seem to love to travel into our nice soft beds to do their business. Some people have had luck with using fences from pruned branches or chicken wire, cocoa beanmulch, stands of rue, or covering bare areas with rose or blackberry canes (watch out; they have to be dried and very dead!) or dried bamboo. Since many of us love the songbirds as much as we do cats, we invite you to try "belling" your outdoor hunter.

Season extenders will be more timely in a few months. But some of us may be on the lookout for materials likewood framed windows. If so, we will make a list and get it out there for spring cleaners to recycle.

Happy Gardening! Hope to see you at our next meeting! - Wendy