Here is a nice document with ideas on planning your garden layout, i.e., “what to plant where”

Click the link below.

Plan Your Garden Layout

And, how can you control the insects that love your garden just as much as you do??

Click the link below to learn more!

Trap-and-Mulch

 

In order to support our Harvest for Hunger initiative the Education Work Group requested a few changes be made at the Garden. A new area near the back gate was selected for them to begin their task of growing vegetables using grow bags and boxes. A few changes to the layout were suggested and the Construction and Facilities (C&F) Work Group was tasked with making them happen.

In the last three years, plots 41 and 49 have not produced well because of tree roots. It was decided to remove these plot frames, layer the area with wood chips, and move a picnic table to that location. The area near the back gate was then set up with pallets to use under the grow bags. Originally only one of the plot frames was going to be installed near the back gate. Once work began it was obvious that a better use of space and resources would be to install both frames. These new plots could then be used by the Education Work Group for the hunger initiative in addition to their grow bags and boxes.

Four members of the C&F Work Group met the evening of May 13th to make the changes to the garden. All work except for one plot frame was completed that evening. The final plot frame was finished on Sunday after obtaining lumber for each end of the frame. A few more pallets need to be found, but that will only take a few minutes to install. Thanks go out to Mike, Rich, Debbie, and Bill for their hard work in making these changes come about. Also thanks to Noreen for her help in obtaining supplies to complete the job.

Some of you may have noticed that the first compost bin is now empty. We can thank Kelly from the C&F Work Group for completing that task.

Bill
C&F Work Group Leader

Hi Everyone!

For those who don’t know, I oversee GACG Recycling. Due to the items I have found in the blue Recycling can and the black Garbage can, I feel I need to clarify what goes where!

Recycling =
(1) ANY PLASTIC item WITH THIS ♻️ SYMBOL and ONLY with this ♻️ symbol! NOTE: Not all plastic plant containers have the recycle symbol. Please check! While I greatly appreciate the people who are making the effort to recycle, it makes my job harder when I have to go through everything to check. The city will NOT take plastic items without the symbol.
(2) ANY GLASS item
(3) ANY METAL item
(4) ANY ALUMINUM item

Garbage =
(1) Obvious trash…paper, garbage, half eaten hamburgers etc.!
(2) WEEDS!!! Weeds do NOT go in the COMPOST BIN, EVER!!!!!!
(3) Any PLASTIC item WITHOUT the recycling symbol!

I have recently found recycling in the garbage can and garbage in the recycling can. I also found, of all things, ROCKS! I’m seriously hoping that little people put the rocks their parents pulled out of their plots into the garbage can, and not a plot holder. Rocks can be either put along the fence or, since I collect interesting rocks, you can put them over by plots 3 & 4 (the raised plots) and I will either take them or move them to a better location than the garbage can.

Other comments:
NEW PLOT HOLDERS: I say this in the kindest way possible, you cannot plant tomatoes before the end of May or early June in the Cleveland area, and the recent cold spell is the reason why. I pulled out a couple of the plant signs on the tomatoes I saw the other day, and to the plot holders credit, there was information about HOW to plant but NO mention of WHEN to plant! Jo Ann Bartsch is out Master Gardener and if anyone has any questions, she is the one to go to! She will be happy to help anyone with any garden question and she is even willing to meet you at the garden to see what your plot problems may be.

Jo Ann’s email is: jabartsch@att.net

Several gardeners, myself included, have noticed there are a few people who have not visited their plots to clean them and plant early crops (peas, lettuce, kale, spinach, etc) OR to just clean them up so that the weed spores from the weeds in their plots do not infect their neighbor’s plots! There have already been a number of complaints with several people suggesting we evict these plot holders now. My answer to that is we must follow the policy we all signed and give these few a chance to abide by the rules.

I then feel it is necessary to remind those few plot holders that this year there is a VERY strict policy concerning keeping plots WEED FREE, WATERED, & HARVESTED. Please read the rules, which you signed and agreed to abide by.

May is fast approaching and you will need to have your plots cleaned out very quickly. A deadline has not been established as yet but that will be coming soon. If you have found that the commitment to GACG is too great, please let me know ASAP, as there are many people on the waiting list who want a plot.

Rhuby, our resident Killdeer, is sitting on 4 speckled eggs, in sun, rain, cold, she sits there to warm her brood! She has given the Honor of her nest this year to plot 51. She is pretty tame considering she and Ralph, her mate, have chosen a busy garden to build their nest, but she is VERY protective of her eggs. While she is a novelty, she still is a sentient being (my yoga practice comes to light here!) and she deserves her privacy as much as possible. The plot holders around her are very careful not to intrude more than is necessary but I have witnessed perhaps new plot holders with kids get a little too close. If frightened, she will leave the nest, flapping her wings to attract the “invader” to follow her and not hurt her eggs. If you approach her, do so slowly and quietly. Pictures can be taken but please use your focus to enlarge the shot from a distance and don’t go right up to the nest. Rhuby (named by the Harvan’s of plot 51 because of their rhubarb!) and Ralph have been with us for 3 years and we hope they stay as they are a wonderful addition to GACG!

On that high note (killdeer, killdeer!) I wish you happy gardening and peace!

Bee