Cherry tree blossoms mark a new beginning

I wanted to report that the cherry tree was removed from the garden yesterday. The impact of seeing the tree being cut down really hit me as Gabriel and I were getting things ready for the crew to arrive yesterday afternoon. The cherry tree had probably been a part of the garden for over 30 years and had provided us with beautiful blossoms every spring. It was hard to believe that such a large tree that had been a fixture of the garden since its early years would be gone in just a few hours.

While it was difficult to see the tree come down, our concerns about the fungus damage were confirmed yesterday. Over half of some sections of the base of the trunk and and an upper branch were damaged and the crew foreman expressed concerns that it could have fallen down in heavy winds.

Fortunately, the crew was very respectful of the garden and took
special care to avoid damaging surrounding plots. While the work was
being done, Gabriel and I pruned a large collection young branches
from the cherry tree that were just beginning to bloom. We've left
them in the garden to share with everyone. Please feel free to take a
few branches.

We'll be making plans soon to re-design the area of the garden where
the cherry tree once stood. We had to remove most of the other plants
that surrounded the tree to minimize potential damage and to make it
easier for the crew to do its work. We went ahead and planted two of
the fucshia plants in the back patio area and need to figure out where
the other plants go as we develop our plans for the center garden.

I want to to make sure that everyone who is interested has an
opportunity to contribute their ideas for this project. Please stay
tuned for more details and to learn how you can get involved.

Bluegrass & BBQ at the garden!

It was a real treat to hear the bluegrass trio Walking in Sunlight perform at our annual garden barbecue on September 12! Special thanks go out to Greg, Nathan, and Eva for serenading us with their beautiful harmonies and guitar and banjo playing, and to Nigel for hooking us up with the band.

We had a really great time that day -- enjoying bluegrass on the back patio, delicious food from the grill and potluck, and having fun hanging out in front of the garden.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this event a success, including: David and Josh for handling the barbecue, Rick for taking photos and assisting with set-up, Gabriel for helping pick up some of the food, and Chandler for giving me a hand with the clean-up. A big thank you to Raven, Theo, Maizie, and Ian for the bubbles and wonderful chalk drawings on the front sidewalk!

We had a lot of leftover burgers and hot dogs so I froze them and figured we'd have another cook-out before the end of the year maybe after our fall workday (probably the first weekend in November). Stay tuned for an announcement.

Check out some photos from the event. See you next time!

Tree well planting on Saturday, February 27

We got a bunch of free plants from the City that will allow
us to finish the tree well planting project surrounding John Muir
Elementary school that we started a couple of weeks ago.

Volunteers are needed to help finish the job by planting the tree wells
with drought-resistant, flowering plants on the Webster Street side of
the school. If you'd like to help, please meet at the garden at 10am
this Saturday, February 27. If it's raining at that time, we'll
re-schedule.

Questions? Give me a call at 902-9537.

2010 Membership Dues Needed by March 1

A belated "Happy New Year" to everyone!

With the start of 2010, it's time again to collect annual membership dues for the garden. Your dues help pay for needed supplies, ongoing maintenance, and unexpected expenses. 2010 membership dues are needed by March 1.

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 and the Page Street tree wells, 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 -- over 50 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 to keep their plots (and the area surrounding them) weeded. All gardeners are encouraged to come to every workday and are expected to participate in at least one of them.

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 March 1 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!

Tree wells take bloom on Page Street

Have you walked by the garden along Page Street lately? Last Saturday, a group of garden volunteers worked to transform the tree wells on Page Street that border John Muir Elementary School by planting them with beautiful, drought-resistant, flowering plants.

We've been interested in adopting these tree wells for many years because they've been neglected and are often used as trash cans and dog toilets. Now they are planted with rosemary, mexican sage, bush daisies, and California native plants like Zauschneria. The plants are small but should fill in the tree well spaces nicely, help to discourage trash, and create a beautiful natural corridor along the block.

Special thanks go out to all who helped make this transformation possible: Bridgit, Gabriel, John L., June, Mary G., Matthew, Richard, and Steve. Check out these photos from the tree well planting workday.

The plants for this project were purchased at a deep wholesale discount using garden membership funds. But we're working now to try to get donated plants from the city to finish planting the tree wells along the Webster Street side of the school. I'll keep you posted as these plans progress.

By adopting these tree wells, the garden is making a commitment to take care of them, including watering them during summer months, pruning and weeding them as needed, and painting over graffiti. We've deliberately chosen low maintenance, drought resistant plants to minimize this work. Let me know if you are interested in becoming a part of the tree well team. Thanks!

Help Page Street bloom!

Volunteers are needed to help transform the tree wells surrounding John Muir Elementary School, with beautiful, drought resistant, flowering plants. Please let me know if you are interested in lending a hand.

Over the past few years, we have talked about adopting the tree wells that surround the elementary school to help beautify the neighborhood and extend the garden beyond our gate. This winter we're going to make that happen.

Right now, the tree wells are often full of trash and routinely tagged with graffiti. We 're planning on planting them with plants that will thrive in this environment, discourage trash and graffiti, and add beauty and greenery to the block. Now is the perfect time to get started on this project because the rainy winter months will help ensure that the new plantings get off to a good start.

No date has been set yet for the planting, but I wanted to send out an email to begin recruiting volunteers. We hope to complete this project in the next month.

Let me know know if you are interestred in helping out. Thanks!

End of the year garden deadline approaching

The end of the year is approaching and this is a reminder that all gardeners who aren't planning on actively gardening during the winter months are required to prepare their plots for the season.

To be clear, there are many things you can grow during the winter in the Bay Area and I don't want to discourage anyone from doing that.

But if you aren't planning on doing so, you are required to either sheet mulch your plot or grow a cover crop. Gardeners who don't take care of this by the end of the year will have to give up their plot to someone on the waiting list. Sheet mulching your plot or growing a cover crop will keep weeds under control and also help to improve the quality of your soil.

You'll find step-by-step instructions for sheet mulching tacked on the bulletin board at the back of the garden and here:

All the supplies for sheet mulching are in the garden: manure is under
the blue tarp in the front, cardboard is in the toolshed, and there are
a couple of bales of straw by the apple tree.

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.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!