July Update

Summer greetings. Hope you survived the extreme heat!

Now that the temperatures are back closer to seasonal, here are a few items for our July update:

Post your photos and thanks on social media: As you know, we have all benefited from the generosity of Urban Roots Market Garden through the large selection of donated vegetables and flowers. Urban Roots indicated they would love to see the progression of your plants throughout the whole summer. Feel free to share photos of their plants in your garden on social media, using the hashtag #greatURGMgiveaway

https://www.facebook.com/urbanrootsgardenmarket/

https://www.instagram.com/urbanrootsgardenmarket/

Priorities for weeding common areas and a new protocol:

• The bed on Mary Hill Road is one of the priority areas for weeding throughout the summer. If we keep the bed weed-free, it will be easier to plant more perennials once the annuals have finished for the season.
• One of our new members (thank you, Gill!) has been on a crusade to eliminate the Swedish buttercup that has invaded the garden. You can help by removing any Swedish buttercup around your plot borders as well in other areas where it is pervasive.
• The foot path along the north fence is getting narrower and narrower. We can widen it again by mowing and clean it up by weeding along the fence and the beds under the arbor. Also, some of the old wisteria is growing up the fence and needs to be cut to the ground before it takes over.

A few members have already adopted a weeding project (e.g., removing Swedish buttercup and cleaning out lemon balm along the fence), but cleaning up the common areas of the garden will be easier if more members help and we use a focused approach. In order to cover all areas of the garden, we’re going to try a grid-type approach that divides the common areas into smaller sections for weeding.

To find the area(s) for you to focus on, stand at your plot facing east (the front bed along Mary Hill Road). The section of the front bed that aligns with your plot is the area for you to focus on. Now, turn toward the north (the path along the fence) and the same concept applies: focus your weeding on the section of the path that aligns with your plot. The same concept applies to the common area along the south fence as well as the common area along the west fence. See the attached PDF for a couple of examples showing areas that plot #12 and plot #28 would look after. This approach ensures that all areas of the garden are covered for weeding. It also means that there are 4-6 people looking after each section of the common area. Be sure to mark your volunteer work and time on the tracking sheet posted inside the shed door, as it counts toward the minimum required 8 hours of volunteer time for each member.

Composting: Our composting project has stalled, so we’re looking for two members who are interested in overseeing the composting. The task involves monitoring what is put into the compost bins, turning and aerating the compost, and ensuring the final product is available for use. Orientation will be provided. If you’re interested in learning about composting and overseeing composting in the garden, please contact us.

Plot inspection on July 15th: A friendly reminder that the next plot inspection is scheduled for July 15th. Our plot inspection process is published on the About page of our website.

25th Anniversary: As you may be aware, this year is the garden’s 25th anniversary. An improved Covid situation means reduced restrictions on outdoor gatherings, so there might be an opportunity for a social event near the end of August. Stay tuned!

And thank you to those who have already been volunteering their time by mowing, trimming, weeding, watering, and otherwise helping to keep the garden looking good. Now we’re looking for more of our members to help share the load. Thank you!

Happy gardening!