Plums are ripe and ready for pickin'

Have you tasted one of the delicious plums from the back of the garden yet? The plums on the middle plum tree (bordering the southeast corner of the patio) are ripe and ready for picking!

All fruit at the Page Street Garden is available to members of the garden. Feel free to use the fruit picker on the long pole by the toolshed to pick a plum. Just position the basket of the fruit picker beneath one of the plums. Tap the branch and the plum should land in the basket. I'll also pick a few and leave them on top of the compost bin.

There aren't that many plums in the tree, so please just take one so everyone gets a chance to enjoy them. The fruit from the other two plum trees will ripen in a few weeks. I'll keep you posted.

New compost set-up and instructions

The Compost Team) did some work last weekend to catch up on all the plant material that has been accumulating in the compost area, and in general make sure the compost is progressing nicely. The main change we made is this: please use the left side of
the tumbler to add your kitchen scraps and non-invasive weeds. The right tumbler is now closed off to new additions and will be only opened to add water once in a while while it continues the decomposition process. A small tag has been placed on the right tumbler to remind you to use the left one.

Here is an overview of the compost area now, as you are facing it,
from left to right :


Left Wooden Box: Finished compost, ready to sift into your plot.

Right Wooden Box: Chopped up bulky plant material from what had accumulated, mainly the bamboo, mung bean stems and tall stems from the front of the garden, covered in hay.


Left compartment of Compost Tumbler: Newly started compost area, PUT YOUR SCRAPS HERE, as well as your non-invasive weeds. Remember to check the posted pics if you are unsure if your weed is invasive or not.

Right Compartment of Compost Tumbler: Resting compost, this compartment should not be added to.

Questions? Call Brent at 750-1570. Thanks!

Springtime bounty at the garden

The fava beans, kale, and chard have been doing great in the garden thse past few months. Gordon just harvested a big bowl of fava beans from his plot for a feast he was preparing and said the leaves from the top of the plants are also delicious for sauteeing.

How's your garden growing? Send me photos of the veggies you're harvesting, flowers you're growing, or your time spent in the garden. I'd love to post more photos on the blog and on the bulletin board in the front of the garden. Email photos to mccami@covad.net

Daily Show: Little Crop of Horrors

Check out this hilarious Daily Show send-up of the American Council of Science and Health (ACSH), which criticized Michelle Obama for planting an organic garden at the White House. Not surprisingly, the ACSH gets a lot of its funding from chemical companies that would love everybody to slather on the pesticides when they garden.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Little Crop of Horrors
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

Volunteers needed for garden teams

At last weekend’s workday we discussed a number of teams that are forming to take the lead on different garden projects.

Compost Team: Brent, Adam, Gabriel, Shawn, and Chad signed up for the compost team. They’ll work on devising a plan for maintaining our compost systems, including the new Compost Tumbler, and to develop signage and materials to help make sure everyone knows how contribute and use it.

Common Area Gardens Team: Steve Smith, Gabriel, Stephen Davidson, Laura, John McMahon, Shawn, and Meghan signed up for the Common Area Gardens Team. They’ll work on taking responsibility for watering, maintaining, and making improvements to the common area gardens.

Events Team: Gordon, John McMahon, and Michael signed up for the Events Team. We need more volunteers to help plan special events in the garden, including workshops, open-mic music performances, and garden barbecues.

Workday Team: I need volunteers to help me plan and prepare for workdays, including set-up beforehand and clean up after we’re done.

Communications Team: I’d love to have some help creating a more engaging blog and bulletin board for the front and back of the garden. Writers and photographer volunteers needed.

Art Projects Team: Gabriel is interested in developing some art projects in the garden. Laura and Karen signed up to explore ideas.

Please consider volunteering for one of the above teams or let me know if you are interested in lending a hand in some other way.

The garden is looking great these days! Help us build on this success by volunteering some extra time to the garden.

Thanks!

Strange Attractor at the Garden

The artificial flowers of Strange Attractor are currently cohabiting with native flowers at the front of the garden. The installation was created by Mang who was on hand at the garden for an opening for his project following our spring workday.

Check out Mang's blog for more photos and information.

Do you have an idea for an art project for the garden? Contact Gabriel at reconeix@hotmail.com to join the Art Projects Team.

Spring workday scheduled for April 25, 10am-1pm

Mark your calendars and make plans to attend our Spring workday on Saturday, April 25, from 10am to 1pm. We'll spend some time weeding the common area gardens, making improvements to the succulent garden up front, clearing out some of the junk that has accumulated near the tool shed, and working on other garden chores.

Brent will also lead another compost workshop, including demonstrating how to use the new Compost Tumbler, which he was able to get donated to the garden from the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council. It's critical that everyone attends this workshop to learn how to use the new compost bin and contribute to this important garden resource.

We'll take a break around noon for a meeting to discuss plans for the year and to talk about some new teams that are forming to take the lead on different projects in the garden. We really want to encourage everyone to contribute their talents and ideas to building community in the garden and helping to make it an even more special place for the neighborhood.

Finally, at around 1pm we'll be hosting an opening for Strange Attractor, the artwork installed by Mang in the California native plant garden by the front gate. Stay tuned for more details.

See you on the 25th!