Winter workday re-scheduled for February 22

Sunday's (2/15) workday and workshop is cancelled because of
expected rain. San Francisco is in store for a big rain storm tonight
and it's supposed to continue pouring off and on throughout the day on
Sunday.

Please make plans to come to the re-scheduled winter workday and workshop one week later on Sunday, February 22, from 10am to 1pm. We'll take care of winter chores and Gabriel will lead a special workshop on building soil, weed control, and getting ready for spring planting.

Hope to see you then.

2009 Membership Dues Needed by February 15

A belated "Happy New Year" to everyone!

With the start of 2009, it's time again to collect annual membership dues for the garden. Your dues help pay for needed supplies, ongoing maintenance, and unexpected expenses. 2009 membership dues are needed by February 15.

Over the past year, we used garden dues to cover the expenses of a number of projects, including the purchase of new tools, plants for the common area gardens, supplies for the new bamboo fence, and food and other items for our workshops, garden barbecue, and other special events.

More people than ever before are anxious to join our garden -- 35 people are currently on our garden waiting list. Please keep this in mind as you consider whether to renew your membership.

Given the demand for garden plots we want to make sure that all members make a serious commitment to actively garden throughout the year. Gardeners agree to use their plots year-round on a regular basis and are expected to participate in at least one of the four annual workdays. I'd like to amend the garden agreement to require all gardeners to come to two workdays each year -- we'll be talking more about that soon.

Annual dues for the garden are on a sliding scale as follows (choose whatever contribution level works for you):

$12 – gardener
$25 – butterfly
$50 – sunshine
$100 – golden trowel
or you can choose your own contribution amount

If you are interested in renewing your membership for the garden, please send a check made out to "Page Street Garden" to:

Michael McCauley
881 Hayes Street
San Francisco, CA 94117-2614

I'm anxious to make garden plots available to the folks on our waiting list, so please let me know by February 15 whether you intend to renew your garden membership. If you plan on giving up your garden plot, I would appreciate hearing from you as soon as possible.

Give me a call if you have any questions (902-9537). Thank you!

End of the year garden deadline approaching

With just over a week left before the end of the year, I wanted to remind everyone that gardeners who aren't planning on actively gardening during the winter need to prepare their plots for the season by December 31.

Over the past month or so, a number of people have sheet mulched their plots or planted a cover crop, which will help improve the quality of the soil while keeping weeds in check (Note: Scroll down to the previous blog entry for cover crop instructions). Others have cleared their plots and planted winter crops. Most of the garden is looking ready for the winter -- there are just a few plots that are covered in weeds at the moment.

One of the other reasons we've gotten more strict about enforcing this rule is that the waiting list for getting a plot at the garden has grown tremendously in recent years. We currently have 32 people who are waiting to get a plot at our garden. This is the longest our waiting list has ever been.

It's hard to believe that 2009 is almost here. Please make arrangements to prepare your plot for the winter by December 31 if you aren't planning on actively gardening in the coming months. If you are actively gardening this winter, please be sure to keep your plot weeded and well maintained. Gardeners who don't make arrangements by the end of the year to take care of their plots will have to give up their plots to someone on the waiting list.

Preparing your garden plot for the winter

The winter months are the perfect time to grow greens like chard, kale, and spinach, or crops like broccolli, brussel sprouts, and root vegetables like beets. But for those who plan on taking a break during the rainy winter months, its also a good time to work on building up the quality of your soil.

Last Saturday, Brent led an informative workshop on preparing garden plots for the winter with the aim of keeping weeds under control while enriching soil for spring planting. Brent talked about a few different techniques, including sheet mulching and growing cover crops.

Sheet Mulching Instructions

You'll find instructions for sheet mulching posted on the blog as well as on the tool shed bulletin board. All the supplies you'll need for sheet mulching are in the garden: horse manure (there's a pile up front), straw, and cardboard and newspaper (in the tool shed). Here are the instructions for growing cover crops:

Cover Crop Instructions

Cover crops (also called green manure) suppress weeds, build productive soil, and help control pests and diseases. Plus, cover crops are easy to plant and require only basic care to thrive. Here are the basic steps to follow:

1. Remove all invasive weeds from your plot (oxalis, knot weed, crab grass – see picture of each posted on the top of the compost bin). Discard these invasive weeds in the green city compost trash can.

2. Aerate the soil in your plot by poking it with a fork spade.

3. Spread a ½” (or less) layer of horse manure over the soil in your plot (from the manure pile in the front of the garden).

4. Using the metal rake, gently mix the manure into the soil.

5. Spread the cover crop seed throughout your plot. You'll find seed in a jar in the tool shed. Try using 1 cup per square yard.

6. Using the metal rake, mix the seed into the soil.

7. Cover your plot with a very thin blanket of straw. If too much straw is used it will suppress the cover crop. The straw is used to hide the seed from birds and rodents.

8. Keep your plot watered until the winter rains start.

9. One month before planting towards the end of winter, chop the cover crop with pruners and mix into the soil. Cover with straw and wait for one month. Be sure to keep the plot watered. Remove the straw from plot on planting day. The straw goes into the garden compost bin not the green city compost trash can.

Winter Gardening Deadline

Please keep in mind that if you are not planning on actively gardening this winter, you are required to prepare your plot for the season by sheet mulching or growing a cover crop. Gardeners who fail to do so by the end of the year will have to give up their plots. We currently have over 30 people on our waiting list, so this rule will be strictly enforced. If you need help with sheet mulching or planting cover crops, contact Gabriel (572-5444) or Michael (902-9537).

Apples are ripe and ready to eat!

Earlier this week, I picked an apple from the smaller apple tree in the front of the garden to see if the fruit had ripened yet. I was happy to find out that the apples are crisp and delicious!

All fruit at Page Street is available to members of the garden. Feel free to use the fruit picker on the long pole by the toolshed to pick an apple. Just position the padded basket of the fruit picker beneath one of the apples. Tap the branch and the apple 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 apples in the tree, so please just take one so everyone gets a chance to enjoy them.

Unfortunately, we didn't get a good crop of apples this year on the tree in the very front of the garden. The apple and plum trees tend to produce fruit in cycles, and it looks like this was an off year for the front apple tree.

I'm hoping to get the City to do some additional pruning on the apple and cherry trees again before the end of the year. I'll keep you posted about that effort.

Summer fun at the garden party!

What started out as a foggy morning turned into a beautiful sunny day in the garden for our annual BBQ party on Saturday. Thanks to all who came out and helped make this day so much fun: Gabriel and Lynn for helping to set up and decorate the garden; John K. and Stephanie for taking charge of the barbecue grill up front; Zo for organizing the open mic performance on the patio; and Chancellor and John L. for helping with clean up at the end of the day.

We enjoyed some spoken word and especially great music this year with performances by Kim, Zo & Rick, Delano, and, of course, Aiden. Kenne gave us a glimpse into the future with tarot card readings. And we enjoyed a yummy potluck thanks to Lynn, Gordon, Darrow, Stevyn, and Anna!

Check out the photo page for some pics of the event.

We're already making plans for a Halloween bash in October. Stay tuned for details!

Garden barbecue coming up on September 13

Now that San Francisco's real summer has started, it's time to get ready for our annual garden barbecue coming up on Saturday, September 13.

Join us on the 13th from noon until 4pm for a garden potluck picnic! We'll have the barbecue set up out front and will supply burgers and hot dogs (including veggie versions) for the grill. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share with fellow gardeners. Throughout the afternoon we'll also feature open-mic music performances on the back patio. And we'll have bubbles and chalk drawing and other fun games for kids.

Volunteers are needed to help set up and clean up after this event. If you'd like to help out or if you're interested in participating in the open mic, please contact Michael at 902-9537.

This is a great opportunity to spend some time with your fellow gardeners and to meet others in the neighborhood. I hope to see you on the 13th!