Composting

You will see we moved the big compost pile to the east of the compost bins. When cleaning out your plot please, put all compost matter that is larger than 1/4" diameter on that pile, anything smaller can go into the compost bins. When the compost bins are healthy (receipt below) we will slowly add this large matter to them for the worms to eat and brake down for us.

Feed the compost bin your house scraps! (NO dairy, meat/bones, pet droppings or animals products for it will attract pest to the pile and can spread disease)  It wants coffee grounds and grass clippings! 

Worms will make their way the compost pile to start eating when we create their ideal home.

Ideal home:
*food scraps adds nitrogen (NO dairy,meat/bones, pet droppings or animal products for it will attract pest to the pile and can spread disease)
*coffee grounds for the worms loves their coffee, too
*grass clippings adds Nitrogen
*shredded! paper or biodegradable cups/egg cartons.... adds Carbon
*leaves adds Carbon 
And
*stirring the organic matter once a week (a pitch fork from the shed works best) the more it is stirred(adding oxygen) the quicker it will break down for us to add to out plots!

*watering it (worms like dark, cold, moist homes) there will be 2 5 gallons buckets by the raing bins. fill'em up and pour over the compost if it is dry. THe gardens and compost like a good rain now and then.

Maintaining a carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratio somewhere around 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen is ideal for a quality composting. We need more nitrogen for you'll see we are good on carbon with maple leaves.

The more we add the more it will heat up and the quicker it will break down!

 Please help build us a home!

Love,
the worms

Garden TLC

Today April 29th and Tuesday May 1st  we will work on:

* cleaning up the perennials under the two silver maples. Removing leaves and cutting back last years growth and placing behind the raspberries. We placed a lot of leaves on the walkway so taking the wheel barrow around by the rain bines seem to work best.

*picking weeds/crabgrass! and liter

*cleaning out the remaining beds that have last years growth in them still. Keep your eyes open for small seed signs, sticks that are marking a row...... and baby perennials, some folks have started gardening! If there is fencing up, pols, sticks,rocks.... or tomato cages in a garden plot please leave them in theat plot, garden planning is in motion!

Today I am going to pick up some t-pots, rop and mulch to pretty up the perennial beds for MayDay! We will be putting the t-pots and rop up to keep feet off the gardens. I am thinking of keeping them up this year all and maybe winter for the plants don't enjoy being stepped in general :) 

Community Wok Days!

Our Community Work Day will be Tuesday evenings 5:30 -7pm! 

 Looking forward to seeing you all and reconnect this coming Tuesday May 1st!

We may add another community work day if folks are not able to make this one.  I will post when I am heading out there, though I am there a lot so just come on out or send me a text if you'd like 612.554.6656.  Also, please feel free to come and go on your own. After today's gardening I will post what we are working on and what we are working towards so you all can come and work when it works best for you. 

Compost

The May Day Green  Team is donating 1 to 2 yards of compost to the garden the Saturday after MayDay on May 12th!  Stay tuned for time!

I am still waiting to hear back from the city bout their compost delivery date and time. I'll post as soon as possible.

 Rule of thumb is to wait till Mothers Day weekend or the weekend after before planting seedlings.  Seed planting well that's up to you :) My spinach was in before the big historical April snowstorm and more seeds are going into today.

MayDay Gardening

Happy Saturday!

I'm heading to the garden now, today and Sunday I'll be there to clean it up for the MayDay event next Sunday!  If you are looking for something to do come and join in the sun today and tomorrow!

Community work days!?

I will be in the garden today of and on cleaning up some litter, leaves and cutting back on perennials. Come join this weather and get some earth on your hands!

Send me an email of days and times that would work good for you to meet once a week and work in the garden as a community!!!  I'll post the days and times soon!  We are looking for 1 to 2 days a week to meet up and care for the garden.

Compost days will be posted soon!

Seeds in the shed!

Hello Gardners!

I think spring is here to stay!?Though i'd say it's a bit to early yet, I picked up some seeds from the MN Horticulture Society last week. They will be placed in the shed! Please, feel free to use what you need and leave what you don't for the next gardener.

Spring or Winter?

"No winter lasts forever, no spring skips its turn." -Hal Borland 

20" and more to come on Wednesday!

seeds tomorrow

The weather was bad when the seed gathering event was so it is happening again tomorrow from 3 to 7pm! I will be going!  Please, send me an email or text msg by 3 pm on seeds you are interested in. I will post what I find.

Final Plot Map

3437 Community Garden Plot Map

The garden is filled with new and returning gardeners! Welcome to all!

Powderhorn Park

15th Avenue South

2) Janet  Count                                                                              1A)Michael Robison
4) Rachel Holm                                                                             1) Jessica Jacobson
6) Bretton Fobes                                                                           3) Lynn Beuning
6A) Graham Charlton                                                                  5) Adabell
8) Leah                                                                                        7)Deb
10) Nicole/ Dan/family                                                               9) Emily D.
12) Ashley  Huebner                                                                   11) Rowen
14)Michelle Vidovio/Mike Wolf                                                 13) Caitlin O'Fallon
16) Michaela Fogelman                                                              15) Kim and Chris
18)Emily Roembach-Clark/family                                             17) Malinda/family
20)Shelby                                                                                   19)Heather/family
22)Lesley                                                                                    21)Mike/Juliet
Blackberries 24)Nikole Stephenson                                            Raspberries Plot

Snow=Nitrogen

A quick read on how great this snow is for our garden!

https://www.adn.com/our-alaska/article/blanket-snow-poor-mans-fertilizer/2008/10/09/

I'll stay in touch with a couple days in mind that we can start cleaning up the garden or should I say mother nature will keep us posted on when this will be happening!  Hey, how great we all got in the garden when we did to get our plots and connect with familiar and new faces!  

Hope you all can do some playing in the spring snow! Snowshoeing tomorrow morning..... 

Seeds

Tomorrow I will be going to pick up seeds at 3pm from the Minnesota Horticultural Society!  Please, send me an email of seeds you would like me to look for.