Community Garden work day 11-15-14

We will have a work party in the garden this coming Saturday 11/15/14 from 8:30 until noon to do some clean up, weeding and bed preparation. Please stop by, even if you only have an hour or so. We can always use your help.

What do Peas, Chard and Compost have in common?

They will all be coming together tomorrow at the Community Garden!

Big news for tomorrow, 9/27, 8 am - 10:30.

We've had compose delivered, so we can now improve one of the beds for a new row of peas and to also move in the chard.

In addition to great veggies, this will free up one of the raised beds for the Onion Project!

Confused? Interested? Come join us an learn more!

FALL IN THE COMMUNITY GARDEN

                                  

FALL IN THE COMMUNITY GARDEN
During the warm evening hours on September 3rd Copper Community Garden volunteers met to plan a fall planting schedule.

The first thing to be noted was our great communicator - volunteer - irrigation manager and friend, George Chimiklis had moved to Stockton. He will be vastly missed here as he was the glue that kept us together and on task in addition to communicating to all about activities in the garden. We miss your daily presence George.

This fall we hope to accomplish the following tasks:

• 1. Plant two lettuce beds.
• 2. Move the strawberry bed.
• 3. Plant peas along the North fence.
• 4. Plant cover crops in the tomato rows.
• 5. Plant a row of winter greens.
• 6. Do the onion project.

The Onion Project

Over the past 2 years, the Community Garden has enjoyed great success in growing more than three thousand onions and distributing them to families in Copperopolis through the Food Pantry.

For those in the community who have interest - we start by buying onion seed and grow our own 'starts'. These are transplanted into two of the raised beds for maturing. When they've reached a good size, we prepare the rows, and have "Onion Planting Parties": Simply make a small hole, insert the onion plant and pat it nice and snug.

We know there are many in our community who only need to be asked to help, so here is our ask - if you would like to help:
* germinate the seed,
* transplant into the raised bed (sore backs need not worry, the beds are 2 feet high!)
* help prepare the rows for planting (around Nov)
* join in the Onion Planting Party

You need only stop by on a Saturday morning or give me a call.

We will be expanding our volunteer base this fall and winter. It would be good to have persons, families and groups take on specific tasks in the garden.

If you know of a student who needs a Senior Project, please advise us about that. We are working in the garden every Saturday morning from 8:00 until 10:30. Come see us. You also may contact me at 785-1808 to discuss issues and ideas. Thank you to all of the volunteers who make the community garden grow.

Richard DeBusman and the Community Garden Volunteers

Community Garden work party...

We welcomed back Richard last week, and made some very good progress getting caught up on various chores.   Most importantly - the tomatoes and bell peppers were sprayed with calcium to prevent blossom-end rot, as our soil in the garden is notoriously calcium poor.

Chaitan's oriental 'yard-long' beans have produced a nice crop, which were picked to encourage more.  Two eggplants are ready for picking, as are some bush beans.   Tomatoes are being harvests as friends and neighbors stop by to check out the garden.

Stop by to say hello, chat or help with our experiment to 'burn' out the morning glory by using semi-clear plastic.

Some folks will be there at 8 am.  Come whenever you are comfortable - See you Saturday morning!

Richard/Carla/George

Community Garden Work party 8-16-14

Hello all!

The new water meters are doing the job - and the tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and beans are (finally) thriving!

We do need to get several of the fallow rows under plastic so we can try and burn out the weeds.  We also want to put the chard which is currently in pots into one of the two (mostly) unused boxes.

Oh....let's see....there was something else I was supposed to remember.

Hmm...

Oh yes!  Our leader has returned from the Great White North!   Please come by on Saturday, 8:30 am, to welcome back Richard Debusman!   

Richard/Carla/George

 

 

Community Garden work party 7-30-14

I thought about not sending this email, but then realized it just wouldn't be right.

After all, Mom taught me to share - so it wouldn't be fair to keep all the fun to myself!  ;)

We'll gather at the garden on Wednesday evening, July 30, to:

• rescue the bush beans from the Malevolent Morning Glory, 
• check on and cheer the t'maters as they seem to be doing well, 
• mow a bit and then spray with Vinegar and Citric Acid.

For the Future - onions are done, with all the seed heads picked clean (Thanks, Carla!).   

Next we'll take two weeks to pull out the weeds, do a spray of vinegar and Citric Acid, and then lay down the clear plastic to try and burn out the Morning Glory roots.

We can use any starts you may have of squash and root crops (turnip, rutabaga, etc)

Your help is always appreciated!  Your stories are eagerly anticipated!

The Copper Garden Folks:

Richard/Carla/George

Morning work party at Community Garden 7-26-14

Work party 7-26-14 ay 8:30 am.

 

We'll try to get out before it's too hot, but we've some 'catching up' to do.

Anyone with working water meters which you are no longer using, please bring by the garden as 3 of ours have gone down in the past 2 weeks.

Thank you for your consideration.

Richard/Carla/George

 

 

Community Garden work party

Brief work  party tomorrow morning at 9 am. (7-19-14)

Joy has over a dozen 'very special' acorn squash plants we want to get in the ground - she will bring them by sometime after 9:30.

At last glance, the strawberry and bush beans were doing well but needed help to fight off the invasive weeds and grass.

If interested in checking out the garden, the tomatoes were looking very good last week, and the bell  peppers were ready to start setting flowers.

See you tomorrow! 

Richard/Carla/George

 

 

Community Garden clean up

Remembering Rick Nelson's song, "Garden Party", we'll get together tomorrow night to 'have at' the Morning Glory and try to figure out what's happening to the irrigation on Chaitan's Oak Tubs.

Oak Tubs - the central tub has standing water when the drip irrigation is on, so clearly it is 'stealing' water from the other two tubs.

Morning Glory - yes, it is bad and we need to "get physical" in order to give the tomatoes a chance to set their flowers.   We also should give them some calcium, to stave off blossom end rot - I do believe we have what is needed in the shed.

Beans - need to be picked, so bring a basket to take some home.  And the Morning Glory is no less aggressive on that end (north) of the garden.

I do appreciate all who've spoken with me to let me know they will attend.   Thank you for your support.

Richard, Carla and George

 

 

Community Garden needs your help pulling weeds

We didn't get too far along on pulling Morning Glory from the tomato plants, so we are asking for folks to come out tomorrow (Wed) evening at 7 pm.   Yes, it will be a very hot day - but we should get a 1-2 day break in here pretty quick.

We'll not keep you very long - and the work is focused on removing the Morning Glory which is now threatening the tomato plants which will...if given the chance...soon be setting fruit.

Hope to see you tomorrow night.

Cheers!

Richard, Carla and George

 

 

Community Garden work party this am

6-28-14

I just learned that Darryl (Jr) will be available to help lead a crew tomorrow morning for a bit.

The tomatoes which were planted first, first row on the left, are being attacked by Morning Glory.  I was able in my brief time there Wednesday to clear two plants, but we need to go down the row and be methodical.

 

 

Thank you for your consideration!

Richard, Carla and George

 

 

Community Garden work morning this am 6-21-14

Yep, missed getting this notice out and I didn't have the heart to put down 9 am (!) which is less than 45 mins from now.   Today is another busy day with wine tasting at the Town Square.

Richard and I will be at the garden about 9:15 this morning.  

On the List for this Week:

 

Wednesday work party at the Community Garden 7-8:30 pm

Good news!

We have plenty of trimmed red onions to send to the Copper Food Pantry for distribution on Thursday.  

And....we have an entire row of white onions that await harvesting!   So, come join us Wed eve for a bit of work, examine the new location of the raised bed and hopefully help transplant the sweet peppers.

Lots to look at and see - come for a visit!

 

 

Community Garden update

Lots of very good news this morning!

The 80' row of tomatoes planted about 2 weeks ago are doing well and show good color in their leaves.  We're going to hammer in a few tall, metal bars that will allow us to string wire to support all the cages as the plants grow about 3-4' tall.   That way the plants remain upright and the fruit will be easier to harvest.

The 50' row, planted a month earlier, is also doing well and will receive poles to maintain their cages as well.

Thursday, Jim Wilson dropped off his 'Special Blend' of compost, pond bottom sludge and Diestel Turkey compost.  It is dry, aged and ready to be used!

 

 

Community Garden work day this Saturday 6-7-14

Weekend workday will now be on Saturday mornings until we get a cool spell.

We will start tomorrow morning at 9:30 am and we want to be home before noon as it will be hot!

Yes, there will be a conflict with Copperopolis Homecoming - so grab your pancake breakfast early and come up to the garden to help out.

We've sweet pepper starts to plant, some weeding in the herb garden, and we also want to show off the beautiful tomato plants we got from Randy Metzger.   They were planted last week and are doing well.

Come take a look, bring a basket for stringless beans and check to see if there are any strawberries ready for picking.

See you tomorrow!

Richard and George

 

 

Community Garden stringless beans ready for picking

Feel free to stop by for some of the delicious, stringless, beans.  They are coming on strong now and need to be harvested 2x a week if we are to keep production up.

And as always, the Community Garden would love some volunteers.

Garden work day will change, beginning this weekend, to Saturday morning.   They will meet 5-31-14 at 9:30 am, and quit by 11:30.

Onions ready for the picking at Community Garden

After months of care and nurturing the onions at the Community Garden are ready for picking!
Please come by and help yourselves!
While there, feel free to pick a couple weeds too.

Community Garden update - volunteer help needed

We have tomato starts which are quite large and already have aggressive roots.  They are heirloom and Ace varieties, and both will produce large, meaty tomatoes.  They have out-grown their pots, and need to be planted before the heat puts them in shock.  They received a nice watering yesterday, and again this morning, and are resting in the shade on a nice bed of leaves behind the picnic table.

This week we are asking for help on Wednesday morning, 5/28, to prep the long tomato row (south end of the garden along the fence).  It's been tilled and needs only a final weeding and to have the sides shoveled up a bit.

Then, Wednesday night, we're asking all to come and help plant and water in the 35+ plants.

Community Garden work day 5-25-14

We ask our loyal garden volunteers to come out on Sunday at 10 am.   We've the opportunity to pick up at a very reasonable price some heirloom and Ace tomato plants.  Of course, we need to prep the beds into which the plants will go! :)

In addition, we're going to try to burn back some of the weeds that are over-hanging our healthy young veggies.

And, we'll have the weed whacker ready to go as well.

Hope to see you tomorrow.  Cheers!

 

George

Community Garden work day 4-6-14

This Sunday, 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm, we will be cleaning the row with bolted greens and preparing it to transplant tomatoes.

The rows which have the ground cover will be tilled in - for green compost.

Someone will be weed whacking and/or mowing between rows.

And any who would like to plant another row of bush beans can add to the two rows we currently have coming up.

It should be a fun day, with temps in the near-80s!

Come help, socialize or just enjoy the garden as it receives a Spring Cleaning!

George and Richard.