Hello Members,
The gardens are looking so nice. Many of us are already harvesting and the food bank donations are growing.
Upcoming Work Party — Saturday, July 1: We have a lot of maintenance projects so if you are able to attend and complete at least 2 of your required Community Service hours (more if you bring additional workers) we would really appreciate it.
Please let us know if you will be attending by replying to this email so we can plan accordingly.
As a reminder the garden will be closed Saturday morning to the general membership during the work party and will open at 9:30.
Picnic July 29: Save the date, July 29 starting at 4 PM. Please join us for our annual picnic and get to know your garden neighbors. Please RSVP by replying to this email with your plot # and how many will attend. We still need a few more volunteers in the afternoon to set up tables, chairs and canopies. Please reply to this email to RSVP with your plot # and how many will be attending. We really need the RSVP asap to help us plan the event.
Orchard Work Parties: The Orchard work parties are usually every Tuesday from 5 to 7 and are by appointment only by signing up at the Gazebo. Also, individual appointments are available by contacting Alan Coles at: lbcg.orchard@gmail.com. Your help is greatly appreciated.
Hang Tags: Please remember to have your hang tag on you at all times. They’re checking at the front gate. Even if you bike in.
Over watering Suggestions from Alan Coles: You can help save the garden money and improve the condition of your garden’s soil by using water more carefully. Water is one of the most expensive items in the garden budget. Over watering can cause root damage and spread soil borne pathogens like phytophthora which destroy healthy roots.
Water by hand (it’s required by our rules) and around each plant’s drip line keeping the main trunk dry if possible. Make sure that water soaks into the ground and doesn’t run off or pool. Use a moisture meter that can be calibrated (cost about $35) and set it after your soil is saturated. While young plants and seedlings may need water fairly often, older plants with deep roots can go days without supplemental water. Cover bare ground with compost to hold moisture in the soil and cool the roots.
Speed in garden: Remember when driving in the garden, it’s 5 MPH only. Speeding could cause accidents if hitting someone.
Garden Reviews: All plots will be reviewed the first week of every month with a 2nd review in 10 days. Please be sure your plot is in compliance and dig out all weeds in the plot and pathways and be sure that there is no overgrowth of plants outside of your plot borders.
Thank You for the Food Bank Contributions: The amount of produce contributed to the Long Beach Mission and other charities was amazing this year. We are having a stellar year. Those of you who contributed your 10% and more should feel very good about this at a time when so many are in need.
Wheelbarrows: Wheelbarrows are expensive and take a lot of wear and tear so try to take care of them. Here are reminders about the wheelbarrows:
- Place wheelbarrows inside the green holders.
- Return wheelbarrows to the corner taken from OR if that corner has too many, take to a corner with less wheelbarrows.
- Place broken wheelbarrows in the NE corner of the garden by the Big Barn so we know it needs repair do not leave it in the garden corners.
If dumpsters are full, keep trash in your plot (not in a wheelbarrow) until dumpsters are empty. Do not place full wheelbarrows by the trash cans.
Happy Gardening!
Greg Marcotte