Hello Members,
The gardens are looking so nice. Many are harvesting for the food bank already.
Upcoming Work Party — Saturday, May 6th: 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. Assignments will be given at the gazebo from 7:15 to 7:30.
Please let us know if you will be attending by replying to this email so we can plan accordingly.
Our garden year begins on May 1 and all plots start fresh with 4 hours required by April 30, 2024 and 2 of those hours are required to be completed by Dec. 31. Don’t procrastinate — come Saturday! As a reminder the garden will be closed Saturday morning to the general membership during the work party and will open at 9:30.
Orchard Work Parties: The Orchard work parties are 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..
May 1st summer planting deadline: May 1st is the deadline for summer planting, we will be walking the entire garden for compliance. Remember the 4 foot rule, all Corn, Artichokes, Asparagus and Sunflowers must be planted at least 4 feet in from the border boards.
Broccoli, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, and Cauliflower: Cole crops have exceeded their time in the gardens as they attract aphids and disease. They are required to be removed from all plots by May 1.
Pathways: When chipping pathways, please weed pathways first. Don’t chip over weeds. It will cause more issues down the way.
Zinc in garden soil: Zinc is an important soil nutrient but too much zinc can harm plants and cause growth to be stunted. Zinc, like most heavy metals, does not leach out of soil and will build up over time. Our native soil in this region contains more than adequate levels of zinc according to soil tests performed by Wallace Labs. Testing of some plots have shown high levels. Be sure to check fertilizer labels and avoid any that may contain zinc such as Ironite, Azomite, Miracle gro and other blended fertilizers. Our fertilizer recommendations based on soil tests performed in the garden can be found at https://lbcg.org/amending-your-garden/ . Contact us at info@lbcg.org for any questions.
Garden Reviews: All plots will be reviewed on the first week of every month with a 2nd review in 1-2 weeks. 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.
Picnic and BBQ: Save the date, July 29th, 2023. More details are coming up. Does anyone have access to a fireman’s grill for the BBQ? If you are a Long Beach firefighter or know of one that could reserve and check out the grill for July 29th, please respond to this email.
The amount of produce contributed to the Long Beach Mission and other charities was amazing this year. Those of you who contributed your 10% and more should feel very good about this at a time when so many are struggling. Thanks for Food Bank Contributions.
Happy Gardening!
Greg Marcotte