Memorial Day weekend. The garden came alive. I was very impressed with all the planing that took place.
It's starting to look like a garden.  All our efforts are starting to take root. Many thanks for all that have
planted. We have 9 gardeners so far,  not bad for the first year in my opinion.

Howard

A couple weeks ago I put up a trellis for the snap peas to grow on.  I planted some cucumbers that will use the same trellis.
The snaps are sprouted and headed for the trellis.  I'll train the cukes to do the same.
Today I planted 4 heirloom varieties of tomatoes., Amish paste, Mortgage lifter(we can only hope), Cosmonaut Velkov and  Prime Time.  Also planted some bell type peppers of different colors and some California giant Zinnias.

Pulverized lime was added to my plot so that the tomatoes have enough calcium, also added was blue  green algae for trace
elements.

I'm so excited to have a garden that gets full sun all day long.

We should consider a harvest festival.

Howard

Galvanized fence. 5' X 350'
Fence posts. 6' X 40 pieces.
Water hose 3/4" or 1". Also need fittings. 200'
Wheelbarrow.
Garden wagon.
Rototiller.
Garden tools, shovels, rakes, hoe, trowels etc.
Buckets.
Compost.
Weed barrier 24".
Flowers and vegetable plants.
Surveyor stakes and nylon string.
Post hole digger.
Wooden pallets to construct a compost bin.

video from Penn State ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4zoPm2Eu2Q&feature=player_embedded#!

It was a great week for the Greenwich Community Garden.

Earlier in the week 4/20/10 I met with Mayor David Doonan and Leo Flynn the
village DPW supervisor at the garden. We discussed what the garden needed from the
village DPW.

I asked for ideas on how to flatten down the foot traffic paths that
had been laid out with stakes and strings. Leo suggested a tamping machine
that the VDPW had and could be used to do the job. We also discussed the need for wood
chips and lastly a trash can for use by the garden.

When we arrived for the on-site meeting on Thursday 4/22 the paths
were tamped down, the wood chips and trashcan had been delivered.
Many thanks to the Village DPW.

Julie requested a space for the interfaith youth group.
The interfaith group will grow veggies for the food pantry. They now
have the entire upper right quadrant to plant. They are scheduled to plant on May 15th.

Also present were Pam Fuller, Tracy Frich, Mayor Doonan, Judy Doonan, the Crawford family-
Dan, Emily, Jackson and Penelope.

Everyone pitched in and we got the weed barrier down on the main paths.
We got almost all of it covered with wood chips.

We also picked up rocks and glass from all over the garden.

I staked out a 10' X 20' plot for myself and a 10' X 20' plot for Pam.

We need to schedule another meeting ASAP.

Howard Tedder
858-6855
htedder@nycap.rr.com

P.S. If you read this please respond to the post with your name and contact info
so we can get a mailing and phone list together. Thanks

I visited the Community Garden site today, took some measurements
and staked out two rough paths for foot traffic through the garden.

I staked out a 3' wide path dividing the parcel into 4 quadrants.

Leaving 3' around the entire parcel(as required by the village), the usable
gardening area is 123' by 96'. 

There is a minimum of over 8000' Sq/Ft. available for gardening.
This gives us a minimum of 40 plots measuring 10' by 20'.

As I said the 8000 number is a minimum. There will be irregular sized plots
around the edge of the parcel. I calculated we could have as many as 54
10' by 20' plots, but I tried to leave room for a tool shed, picnic table,
areas for composting and rock storage, etc.

Another rough calculation gave me a circumference of the garden area of approx. 350'.
This cuts the cost of the fence as reported by Tracy F.( thanks for gathering
the per foot costs) by half.
We will need a fence gate somewhere on the permitted that connects with one of
the the traffic paths.

Perhaps we could all get together before the next official meeting to discuss
the latest developments. If you get a chance go down to the site please go.
let me know what you think of the layout so far.
If we do get together at the site, I would like to start laying out plots. Ed and
Mayor Doonan have offered to help.

Time is getting short.........lets keep going.

Howard









I visited the Community Garden site today, took some measurements
and staked out two rough paths for foot traffic through the garden.

I staked out a 3' wide path dividing the parcel into 4 quadrants.

Leaving 3' around the entire parcel(as required by the village), the usable
gardening area is 123' by 96'. 

There is a minimum of over 8000' Sq/Ft. available for gardening.
This gives us a minimum of 40 plots measureing 10' by 20'.

As I said the 8000 number is a minimum. There will be irregular sized plots
around the edge of the parcel. I calculated we could have as many as 54
10' by 20' plots, but I tried to leave room for a tool shed, picnic table,
areas for composting and rock storage, etc.

Another rough calculation gave me a circumfrence of the garden area of approx. 350'.
This cuts the cost of the fence as reported by Tracy F.( thanks for gathering
the per foot costs) by half.
We will need a fence gate somewhere on the perimiter that connects with one of
the the traffic paths.

Perhaps we could all get together before the next official meeting to discuss
the latest developments. If you get a chance go down to the site please go.
let me know what you think of the layout so far.
If we do get together at the site, I would like to start laying out plots. Ed and
Mayor Doonan have offered to help.

Time is getting short.........lets keep going.

Howard


















 










 

My apologies for not getting on the Community Garden bulletin board. I found myself procrastinating over and over but I do want to communicate. Perhaps one of you who is savvy and comfortable with it, like Howard, could make sure this email gets posted there.  Many thanks.

Tracy Frisch 692-8242

FENCE
Here's the info I got from WIll, the Garden Organizer at Capital District Community Gardens:
We use 14 gauge, welded wire mesh fencing that is 5 ft. high, secured with the green metal fence posts that you can pound into the ground with a mallet. (also easy to come by – usually sold in bundles of 5) What we do to deter woodchucks is bend the fences into an “L”.  The bottom leg of the fence only needs to be about 1 ft, which should be oriented to be facing out and at a slight downward angle.  Then over time, your gardeners should cover the bent portion with some dirt or mulch, etc.  We find that this prevents the chucks form digging under the fence, although some have been known to climb, which defeats the fence all together.  Also, this fence will be 4 ft high and obviously cannot keep out deer, however it should not be too much of a concern during the warm months of gardening. If you feel very inspired or have a larger budget, chicken wire should be wrapped around the bottom of the exterior.  This should also last you for many years.

And the estimate from Aubuchon:
14 gauge wire mesh, 5 ft. x 600 ft. $755.94
120 posts: $682.80
2 ft. chicken wire (rabbit fence): $227.85
Total: $1,666.59 - They offered a discount so that the ACTUAL TOTAL COST would be $1,499.93.

I can try other stores if desired.

RULES
We decided on the following simple "rules" at the last community garden meeting:

No chemical pesticides (insecticides, fungicides, weedkillers).
In individual garden plots, no invasive plants, such as brambles or horseradish, and no bushes or trees.
Turn off the spigot and return the hose and community garden tools.
Remove trash (such as plastic, paper, and other garbage) from the garden.
No smoking in the garden. Tobacco carries a virus that also infects tomatoes.

Will, the Garden Organizer at Capital District Community Gardens, also sent me this:
Attached is the gardening handbook that we are currently using here at CDCG.  Most if it is fairly self-explanatory, but if you do have any other questions, feel free to get in touch with me.  In regards to the rules, I personally feel that the main points on the front page are most important, closely followed by prohibited items and “weed warning” information.  I strongly encourage you to ensure that those prohibited items are not allowed in your young garden because they will prove to be a long-lasting and persistent nuisance for many years.



 

The Hudson Valley Seed Library strives to do two things:

   1. to create an accessible and affordable source of regionally-adapted seeds that is maintained by a community of caring gardeners; and,
   2. to create gift-quality seed packs featuring works designed by New York artists in order to celebrate the beauty of heirloom gardening.

In 2010, we will be offering over twenty-five varieties of locally grown seed. Most of our varieties are rooted in the history and soils of New York or are chosen because they do well here. Every year we plan on growing additional varieties on the Seed Library farm and contracting with organic and certified naturally grown farmers in the Hudson Valley and upstate New York to grow even more varieties. Our membership program provides a way for backyard gardeners to make a vital contribution to this effort. By 2014, we aim to be 100% New York grown.

http://www.seedlibrary.org/

Seed Savers Exchange.

Since 1975, Seed Savers Exchange members have passed on approximately one million samples of rare garden seeds to other gardeners. We are a non-profit organization of gardeners dedicated to saving and sharing heirloom seeds.

http://seedsavers.org/

Hello All Gardeners,

On March 1st we would like to hold our first Community Garden Planning Meeting. It will be Wed 7pm at the Village Hall in Greenwich.

As you might have seen on the Greenwich Village Website, under the "Community Garden tab", some village land has been chosen in Mill Hollow. The village work crew put water in for the Garden last fall. The soil has been tested. And one of our local farmers, Bill Ellsworth, has graciously agreed to plow this plot for us in late March and/or April.

We would like to get anyone interested in being part of the Garden to come together and do some planning.

The plan thus far: there will be a larger section that will be sectioned into individual plots for individaul gardeners. Some of you met last fall to discuss this idea and others attended the tours of the Community Gardens in Salem and Cambridge. Both great Gardens, by the way.

And there will also be an "Ecclesia Garden" which means, Church Garden, for which the Greenwich Interfaith Youth Group will be responsible for. This Garden will be available for anyone who needs food in the Greenwich Community.

Many have felt this Community Garden would be an exciting community effort. It offers a great opportunity for people to meet and to talk "gardening", to share different ideas and tips, and of course, it provides a place to grow your own food. For now, we would just like to get the Garden in and get it going. If it becomes popular enough we can see if we want to make any changes after the first year and see where we want it to evolve. Sounds good to me, about mid February, to get focused on gardening and the spring.

As the leader of the youth group I plan to provide some leadership to help start the "Ecclesia Garden". But we are looking for some other folks to provide some leadership and form a work team for the other aspect of the Garden. Maybe you would consider sharing leadership at different phases of the project?

So please come and share ideas, get involved, and eventually sign up for a plot . Hope to see you there.