Draft of Agreement with MG

agreement between franklin county OSU MG & Sycamore Hills Community Garden

OSU [Master Gardeners] agree to

1. teach/consult/diagnose problems
2. weed/maintain/clean areas
3. assist with harvesting and taking food to pantry
4. take photos and send digital files to Amy via email
5. amend and stir compost
6. create art in the garden with children (specific projects)

SHCG agrees to
1. Keep schedule for help days shared on SHCG public and online calendar
2. REGULARLY CONSULT MGs FOR GARDENING ADVICE AND ASSISTANCE
3. Maintain positive working relationship in which work goals and expectations are clear

Kroger Community Rewards Idea

Just received another great funding idea from Dick:

FYI Using the Kroger Community Rewards program might be a way to fund the Sycamore Hills and/or city wide gardening program. I have not checked out what it takes to get listed as one of their approved donor sites. Dick

Attention Kroger Shoppers! Kroger has initiated a new Kroger Community Rewards (KCR) program for providing financial support to non-profit organizations, and the Waste Not Center has enrolled in the program.The funding directed to each organization enrolled in the KCR program is based on the money spent at Kroger stores (including for gift cards to other stores) by members of each enrolled organization, starting May 1, and running to April 30, 2010.I f you shop at Kroger you can help raise funds for the Waste Not Center through your purchases. First you need to have a Kroger Plus Card or you can get one at any Kroger store (they are free). Then you enroll in the KCR program on line using the following steps. I enrolled personally to verify the process and it took only 3-4 minutes. However, if you have difficulty enrolling, I can help you the next time you are at the Center.
· To start, have your Kroger Plus card handy or get one at a Kroger store before you begin this process.
· Begin registration at www.krogercommunityrewards.com
· Click on Welcome!Sign in/Register
· Click on Sign up today in the New Customer box on the right hand side of the screen.
· Sign up for a Kroger Rewards Account by entering your zip code, clicking on the Find button and then the Select button for the store that you shop at in the list of those in your zip code, entering your email and password, choosing any email subscriptions you want (if any) and clicking on Confirm.
· Confirm agreement with terms and conditions.
· Watch for an email from Kroger with the subject: “Last step to activate your account”. Click on the link provided in that email.
· You will be directed to a page titled: “Your Kroger.com Account Has Been Activated”. But you are not done – keep going with the next steps. Click on Click here to login to your account.
· Click on Edit Kroger Community Rewards Information and input your Kroger Plus card number (12 digit number on your card). Click the “save changes” box at the bottom.
· Update or confirm your personal information. Click the “save changes” box at the bottom. · Enter our organization number 81946 in the box and click on the Search box to bring up the names of organizations.
· Select Central Ohio Sustainability Alliance (the organization that operates the Waste Not Center), and click on the “save changes” box.
· To verify you are enrolled correctly you will see Central Ohio Sustainability Alliance on the right hand side of your information page. You are done at this point and may click on (Logout) in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

How much money will the Center receive?Each quarter Kroger will award up to $1,250,000 to all enrolled organizations. The amount awarded to any given organization will be based on the percentage of spending by members of that organization in comparison to that of all other enrolled organizations. Purchases made at any Kroger store (even outside Columbus or Ohio) with your Plus card count toward our spending amount.So, if you are a Kroger shopper, please take 3-4 minutes to help us with this. Its free money! Sign up by May 1.We will report to you each quarter on the amount of money we receive from the KCR Program.Thanks in advance for your help. ********************** PS: One does not need to be a member of the Waste Not Center to have his or her purchases count towards the Center’s spending amount. So if you have friends or relatives (in or outside Columbus) that are willing to support the Center, ask them to sign up using the above procedure.

CG update for newletter and SHRA meeting 5/3

As of 4/21/09 these are the SHCG updates that will also be shared at the next SHRA meeting:

1. We have donations already starting to come in and want to make more community partnerships. Letters asking for donations that are out: Costco, Oakland, Mr. Mulch, Strader’s Garden Center. Letters thanking for donations: Wild Birds Unlimited. Please tell us your other ideas and connections.

2. Entrance idea for funds out. We have approximately 10 people willing to help. What great support!

3. Nature Hills Nursery Winner was announced on 4/17, and we were not selected. A calendar to share information of this kind of information is now on our blog.

4. Coordination to have the support of the OSU Master Gardener program is underway. We are sort of the guinea pigs for this!

5. The city wrote back. I heard from a new person, Maureen, and I hope she will be supportive; our previous city contact, Tina was very nice and enthusiastic about our idea. She included the agreement to put community gardens in the park. Things to consider:

• Water taps are an option from the division of water and power, public utilities dept? How much would that cost? What would it look like? Would we be able to get drip irrigation and a hose spigot? Bill says one CG was allowed to turn on water over the summer, but we would have to check that it is potable.
• Maureen is willing to have a meeting in the park May 1. This is great! I would like planners, trustees and Bill Dawson to be there. Would other neighbors being there help or should we save that for later?
• Maureen asked for SHCG to contact the “Northwest Area Commission”? Who are they? Upon my research I found that we do not have any representation for our area-so they do not exist. She wanted us to meet with them because: "parks often have competing space for programs, we ask the groups that have oversight of the area plans to review and provide direction to the Department." She will be getting back to me about this issue.
  I want SHCG to meet with NWCA to get their support. I have emailed them about a presentation.
• I called Bill because the agreement states that CG work has to be done as outlined by "the Franklin Park conservatory." What is the outline? He is not sure what this means either.
• The agreement states that power tools can be used with written approval-what is the process behind this?
• The agreement states that any fees that are charged have to approved-what is the process behind this?
• What are the city's maintenance standards that we are to adhere to?
• What about my friends of the park question? I am going to go for it because Bill says it will be incredibly helpful to realizing our vision. Need four other people to sign up. I am hoping the three garden coplanners and Tom, as the SHRA president, will join on. This is in the works.

6. I volunteered for another CG kickoff event to learn how others have organized their garden. It was incredibly helpful and I have posted photos and paperwork on the blog: http://sycamorehillscommunitygarden.blogspot.com/ .

7. I found our community connection to donate veggies/fruits to within the Plant a Row for the Hungry program: Clintonville Beechwld Community Resource Center.

Email to NWCA

northwestcivic@yahoo.com Hi, NWCA! I live in the northwest area of Columbus and I am writing to you for two reasons. The first is that I would like to tell you about my neighborhood's new homeowners association website that we would appreciate you adding to the "Other Area Association Websites" on your blog. It is http://www.sycamorehills.us/. We have a wonderful community with a very active residents association and special programs like the Sycamore Hills Pool, Sycamore Hills Community Garden (SHCG) and Mothers of Sycamore Hills (MOSH) that we would like NW residents to know about. Secondly, I would love to come to a NWCA meeting on Wednesday night to present information about the community garden. At the last meeting I attended, I spoke with Bill Carleton (because it is a garden in a park) about it after the meeting was over and he said that this is something that the association would be interested in hearing about. Thanks for your time and all you do for the community,Amy

Email to Midwest Living

Hello, I am an avid reader of Midwest Living, and I am writing to inquire about possible funding or awards for community initiatives. I (with the help of many other community members) am in the process of creating the first community garden within the parks and recreation department in Columbus, Ohio. We need funding and support to make this happen, and I would love for Midwest Living to get involved. Please let me know if this is something you would be interested in and I will write back with more details. Thanks for your time and consideration,Amy

Images from LAMC Kickoff Event

Raised raised bed

Table they created together
Slideshow presentation

Fence Activity for Kids

Garden design and plot assignments

Cistern to collect water

Entrance Research

Here is my organizational chart to facilitate the workdays. I was busy the other day thinking about possible plantings for the entrances. I am looking for deer resistant perennials.

SHRA Entrance Pictures

Hi Amy:
I have the pictures downloaded to my PC. I will try to contact you to find out how to attach them to this blog. Thanks.
Jim Hetzer

Our First Letter Out!

LAMC Community Garden Kickoff Event Documents

This weekend I volunteered as an OSU MG at the Leave a Mark Church's community garden kickoff event. It was really great to see how another community garden organizes and creates community. I think we should fashion some of our documents and our kick off the same way!

Fundraiser


Release of Claims Form


Gardener's Agreement

Handout for Day of Kickoff Event

(other side)

Eating Healthy Information Sheet

The last sheet has a whole story behind it. One of the gardeners lost 70 lbs just by incorporating fruits and vegetables into her diet. Now she is so inspired she wants to help others by teaching a series of classes. Her story was so inspiring and her dedication to helping people learn how to utilize what they grow in the garden is a fantastic idea.

2009 Nature Hills Nursery Green America Award Winners

Grand Prize Winner - Bridging The Gap, Kansas City, MO - $2500 Winner
First Place Winner - Two Coves Community Garden, Astoria (Queens), NY - $1500 Winner
Second Place Winner - Homewood Heights Community Garden, Austin, TX - $1000 Winner

We are thrilled and grateful for the hundreds of worthy submissions we have received and are very excited to make the 2010 Nature Hills Nursery Green America Awards bigger and better. We will begin taking submissions for the 2010 Nature Hills Nursery Green America Awards in September, 2009.

Clintonville Beechwold Community Resource Center

I found the pantry SHCG will donate produce to! YAY! I spoke today with Beth from CRC, and she is really looking forward to a partnership. She mentioned that a few other community gardens are interested in doing the same thing, so she will have a meeting for all of us sometime. This is a really great community resource and it is part of a long tradition of settlement houses.

Plant a Row for the Hungry Program

Our garden will participate in ScottsMiracle-Gro, Plant a Row for the Hungry program. They ask Americans to Grow a Garden and Donate Fresh Produce for Americans at Risk for Hunger. Click on the title of this post to go to a wonderful article full of good information OR click on this hyperlink to see an article about FPC.

Growing to Green Program at FPC

Click on this link to see how FPC supports community gardening in our area!

http://www.fpconservatory.org/growing2green.htm

There are wonderful photos to other gardens in Columbus to look at for ideas, as well!

My Reply to the City

Hi, Maureen,
Thanks so much for your reply, and I am looking forward to working with you further. I do want to mention to Tina that I am very grateful for all of her previous work and support. I have included Bill Dawson, the other SHCG planners, and the Sycamore Hills Residents Association Trustees in on these emails because they would also like to be involved in these discussions. I would appreciate a meeting at the park. I think that is a great idea, and I would love to use the actual park site to further our discussions. I would like to propose a morning meeting on Friday, May 1. Does that work for you? Lastly, I looked into contacting the Northwest Area Commission, but it seems that we sadly do not have representation for our area. Do you have any suggestions about this? I have been to the Northwest Civic Association meetings. I shared the garden idea to the president, Bill Carleton, Chairperson on the Parks committee and he was in support of it. I have been planning to make a formal presentation about the garden, gain the NWCA's support, and open up ongoing communication with them. Thank you for your time and consideration,
a

4/14 Email to Planners

Hi, Ladies!

I hope Linda is enjoying her vaca and NOT reading this email right now! :) Melody's vaca is on the way, so that means it will be Sue's turn soon! :)

I talked with Bill Dawson for a long time today in regards to what seems to be a HUGE discrepancy between our vision for a successful community garden and their vision for a "no issue for them" community garden. It was very helpful and here is what he said:

1. talk with NWCA to get their support. I plan to contact them today and set up a time to present at their meeting. I hope you will come with me!

2. find a representative from NWA. We do not have any representation for our area, so this will take some legwork. more support the better AND they speak directly to the city council, so this is important.

3. meet with Maureen at the park. I hope you can come to this too. Bill is going to come. He said It HAS to be more than me! I am inviting the SHRA board too, but I am especially going to get Tom there. Emphasize this is wanted by the community.

4. capture quotes from the neighbors in support of the garden. would someone be willing to do this? this would mean sending out an email or calling people to ask for quotes AND looking through the letters than came in aobut the garden and pulling quotes out (and then asking permission to use them.)

5. Apply for friends of the park status. I need your signatures. I need to get Tom's too!

6. If things don't work out with Maureen, we need to talk with Rachel, who is Priscilla Tyson's assistant, and then schedule a meeting with Councilwoman Tyson. We need to get her involved and ask for concessions. She is really behind projects like this. Also, we can get Charlita Tovares involved from the health aspect.

7. contact water and power about water access.

8. Prepare your case: Click here to see that information in the other post.

SHRA Entrance Makeover to Raise Funds

Hi, Everyone!

We have some residents signed up to help, but we would love more. The dates for our SHRA entrance makeover will be:

4/25-Saturday-weed/edge/plan
5/9-Saturday-shop/plant/mulch/trash removal

This schedule makes it possible for families to participate both days without committing two weekends in a row. Please email me to let me know you are willing to help (even if it is just for an hour). This will help us to divvy up the tasks.

A Great Example of a Kick of the Garden Day from LAMCG

Greetings on this beautiful day!! I am emailing because you have agreed to set up a table at the Leave a Mark Community Garden Kick-off Event this Saturday . I would like to share some details. I am certain this weather will clear and our kick-off will be wonderful!! First, we will have AV available!!! If you would like 5 minutes to represent your program/service, please respond by Thursday. If you want to use power point slides, please send them with your reply (by Thursday). Secondly, please check the list below for spelling and accuracy. Send any corrections to me by tomorrow (Wednesday) 6pm.

On Saturday, please arrive at the property (4818 Parsons Avenue) around 10am to set up your display. We will have tables for you. The asphalt drive will be CLOSED during our event, so please use the dirt drive just north on Parsons to access the property. If you look to your left when you turn in you will see the garden!! The parking crew will be on sight to assist you.

Light snacks will be provided, however, you may want to pack a lunch. Schedule:11-11:25: Free time, arrival11:25: Call to shelterhouse (Jenn)11:30: Invocation (Steve)11:35: Introduce Nancy Peebles (Jenn)11:35-12:05: MG presentation (Nancy Peebles)12:05-12:15: Q&A12:15/after questions: Introduce Dee (Jenn)12:15-12:20: FPN info (Dee)12:20-12:25: MCCWJC (Sherry Tarlton)12:25-?: Other speakers if they want time12:30: Inform about other orgs/Release to tables (Jenn)12:30-1:30 free time1:30: clean-up and start to work in the garden

If there are any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. I thank you all so much for your support of this wonderful opportunity for Leave A Mark to serve the community. Jenn Stanke

Well, At Least They Got Back to Us

Here is the latest in the city communication. Notice no raised beds. Also, no fences. No permanent structures of any kind. They just want us to dig out plots in the ground, and that is it. I don't think they get it. Here is what I need to try to communication and help them envision all the benefits of a well planned community garden:

WHY A FENCE? This garden will be in an open field where deer, rabbits, gophers, and other wildlife will have the opportunity to devour the garden on a regular basis. Our goal for this community garden is to first and foremost, build community. What does community represent? It represents increased interaction between neighbors, the improvement our neighborhood, the creation of healthy food and eating habits, older generations sharing wisdom with younger generations. Additionally, the community garden will establish a service component to our neighborhood through our participation in Plant A Row for the Hungry program, which will result in the donation of food to local pantries. Other efforts are in the works to create teen participation and ownership of the garden which will include entrepreneurship and service. I can't imagine anything more deflating to our goals than residents volunteering time and effort to make the community garden viable, only to find it raided by area wildlife. Also, a well constructed and esthetically pleasing fence would create a defined boundary which would be of great assistance to the city employees who mow the grass in the park.

WHY RAISED BEDS? We want this garden to be as low maintenance and as user friendly as possible in order to ensure that it is sustainable over time. We want our efforts now to pave the way for future Sycamore Hills Residents to participate in the garden. Raised beds help us to accomplish these goals, especially in terms of keeping the garden aesthetically pleasing, weed free, and more accessible to gardeners who are elderly and/or young. We plan to have some beds that are raised high enough that a person could sit in a chair (or wheelchair) to garden. Furthermore, a chair position to curate the garden is in the process of being created within the Sycamore Hills Residents Association to help maintain this sustainability. Coordinating a community garden takes a large amount of effort and energy, and a garden without raised beds is a garden that takes an immense amount of weed control, reshaping of beds each year, difficulty in assigning plots, and communication of garden expectations and guidelines.

WHY A STRUCTURE? The goal for this garden is to grow community, and that includes members of the community that are and are not gardeners. The structure would provide a place for gardeners to hold demonstrations and meetings, as well as take a healthy break in the shade. A structure would provide a meeting space for other community members to meet, hold parties, book clubs, or bring their children for a walk. The structure would also have an important purpose of providing a means of water collection. The structure would be outfitted with gutters that would feed into water collection barrels. These barrels would not only provide the much needed water for the garden, but also provide a way to educate others about how they can collect water at their own homes.

Here is that email:
Hello Amy, Director McKnight has asked me to oversee Community Gardens requests. I work with Tina and she forwarded me your last few emails. Attached is the adopted policy approved by the Recreation and Parks Commission. One of the items the Department cannot allow is raised beds or structures. You will also notice that we cannot supply water. We've been given no budget to adopt a new program and this leaves us no options. Have you had any communication with the Northwest Area Commission? Because parks often have competing space for programs, we ask the groups that have oversight of the area plans to review and provide direction to the Department. I can meet with you at the Park to discuss what can be done, if you would find that helpful. Just let me know. I will be out of town Thursday through Tues and back Wednesday, April 22. Maureen Lorenz Columbus Recreation and Parks1111 E. Broad St.Columbus, OH 43205Phone 614.645.3306Fax 614-645-8839mllorenz@columbus.gov

Update for SHRA meeting

I thought I would follow through on Tom's good idea to email discussion points about committee updates ahead of time.

For the SHCG:
1. Captain planet grant in to help make garden children fun and friendly with art and educational materials.
2. Fiskars grant and Aveeno grant did not award funding
3. Looking forward to healthy sprouts and Scotts grant submissions in October.
4. Waiting again to hear back from city, will write an email to remind them.
5. Currently a letter is being written to create community partnerships
6. Is it important to make it clear that no funding for the garden comes from SHRA?
7. Over 80 posts on blog.
8. Happy to see blog linked on SHRA website.
9. Would like to tell NWCA about garden, but think we should wait for more information from City--Tom says their annual meeting is coming up, first Wednesday of the month at Meadow Park (Jennifer Adair, president, dad lives here).
10. Macy's April fundraiser a possibility, but for next year.
11. Will have garden meeting for whole community once we hear back from the city.
12. Would like to break ground in May 2009!

others added:
entrance idea-1000 towards garden

Berries!

Strawberries, brambles are best fruits to grow in backyards
Sunday, April 5, 2009 3:48 AM
By JANE C. MARTIN

Plant strawberries in the spring for best results. Of all the fruit crops grown in backyard gardens, strawberries and brambles are considered the easiest to grow.

They require less space than other fruiting crops and produce fruit sooner. Both crops grow best in full sun and in loose, fertile soil that contains abundant organic matter. The soil should also be well-drained and slightly acidic, having a pH of 5.8 to 6.5.

Both crops have specific cultural requirements that take time and effort. Yet, over the long term, the reward of a good harvest makes it all worth it. Both also have some pest issues, but selecting disease-resistant varieties helps avoid some of these.

Strawberries are available as bare-root plants, and installing them in spring is best. June-bearing strawberries are spaced 12 to 24 inches apart, with rows 36 to 40 inches apart. Because drainage must be excellent for strawberries, they can be planted in raised beds or on ridges.

Avoid planting strawberries where potatoes, tomatoes or sod recently grew because insect and disease problems might arise. Mulch the plants with 3 to 4 inches of straw to conserve moisture.
Remove flowers for the first six weeks after planting, and remove all runners the first season.
This allows the plants to establish well and set flower buds for a good crop in the second year, with harvest from late May into early July.

One plant yields about a quart of berries during the first fruiting season. During the second and third seasons, berry production continues but drops off. Plans should be made to replant, overlapping the last bearing season with a new planting (in which flowers and runners are removed) for continuous production.

Some of the other cultural requirements for strawberries include weed control, irrigation, renovation (after each harvest) and winter protection.

Many varieties of berries are available, and it's important to find those that meet the gardener's needs for use (fresh or frozen), yield and disease resistance.

Brambles (raspberries and blackberries) are also suitable for home plantings. June is the month for harvesting red and black raspberries, followed by purple and yellow raspberries in July. July is the peak month for blackberries; fall-bearing red raspberries produce from mid-August up to frost.

These crops also begin producing fruit during the second season. They require more space than strawberries but are perennials that continue for many years as long as they're properly pruned and managed.

Many varieties of brambles can be considered. Among the black raspberries, Bristol, Jewel and Black Hawk are considered to be vigorous and productive.

Cultivated brambles should be in full sun and at least 300 feet from wild brambles to avoid insect and diseases that often plague wild berry thickets. Planting in the spring is preferred over fall. Avoid planting where potatoes, tomatoes or eggplants recently grew.

The Ohio State University Extension has produced the Midwest Home Fruit Production Guide (Bulletin No. 940), a 148-page guide to backyard fruit-growing that includes cultural and pest-management practices for the small fruits, grapes, less-common fruits (such as papaw and quince), currants and tree-fruit crops. This bulletin is available at ohioline.osu.edu/b940/index.html.

Jane C. Martin is a horticulturist. Gardeners may find answers to their questions at plantfacts.osu. edu/faq.

The Columbus Dispatch: Growing Interest

From May to October, Tim McDermott can feast on an all-he-can-eat buffet of vegetables grown in his garden.

The Grandview Heights gardener even froze 70 pounds of produce from last season's harvest, including more than 50 varieties of vegetables.

While McDermott's harvest was plentiful, his costs were low: $60 on seeds, soil and fertilizer and $70 to rent a community plot in Grandview's Wallace Gardens.

"It's amazingly cheaper than buying food at the store," said McDermott, 41, a veterinarian. "A packet of lettuce seeds will cost you $2 and grow all the lettuce you need for five years, honestly."

During this gardening season -- and recession -- that's what vegetable growers might be hoping to hear.

A National Gardening Association survey shows 43 million American households plan to grow fruits or vegetables this year -- up 19 percent from 2008. More than half the respondents named grocery bills as a motivation.

"Everyone wants to start (growing vegetables); you cannot believe the number of folks," said Bill Dawson, coordinator of the Growing to Green community-gardening program at the Franklin Park Conservatory.

"It's more than a trend; it's almost getting back to the victory gardens" of World War II.
To yield such a large crop, McDermott starts growing plants under lights in his basement and cultivates "aggressively" in his 30-by-40-foot plot.

But with a space even half that size, gardeners such as Greg Hostetler, 33, have cut their spending on food.

For about $30 in seeds, Hostetler grows about a dozen vegetables using a 16-by-18-foot garden in the University District.

"I've always loved to garden," he said of his reason to start a backyard plot last year, "but it was money. I saved at least $15 a week on grocery bills during the main season."

Before new gardeners start dreaming of savings, though, experts advise that they first focus on
the realities of their soil.

"Typically, our soil is very heavy clay -- and not many things grow well in heavy clay soil," said Gary Gao, horticulture educator at the Ohio State University Extension of Delaware County.

To improve soil structure, gardeners can purchase new topsoil or amend the existing dirt with compost, adding fertilizers as needed to replace missing elements.

"That goes a long way toward food production and making sure the plants have the nutrients they need," said Trisha Dehnbostel, programming manager for Local Matters, a nonprofit group that advocates access to fresh food in central Ohio.

Compost can be purchased -- or, for more cost savings, made out of kitchen scraps such as eggshells and leftover fruits and vegetables.

From there, gardeners should think about which vegetables to grow -- not only the ones they like to eat, but the ones they can maintain through possible problems with growth, diseases or pests.

Even after a decade of gardening, McDermott still won't attempt to grow certain vegetables -- describing corn as "rotten" and carrots as "a misery."

But that still leaves him with salads of just about everything else.
asaunders@dispatch.com

Creating a Three Sisters Garden

From http://www.kidsgardening.com/ -

"In a three sisters planting, the three partners benefit one another. Corn provides support for beans. Beans, like other legumes, have bacteria living on their roots that help them absorb nitrogen from the air and convert it to a form that plants can use. (Corn, which requires a lot of nitrogen to grow, benefits most.) The large, prickly squash leaves shade the soil, preventing weed growth, and deter animal pests. The three sisters also complement each other nutritionally."

I would love to try this in our garden. Here is a link to directions, and the title of this post is a link to another resource.

Letterhead

I went to Kinkos and had 25 lovely professional looking letterhead sheets of natural paper printed out. Now we just need the letter to talk to businesses and organizations.

By they way, I saved the letterhead to a CD, had the very nice young man at the desk opened it on his computer, and printed out the paper for $.59 each. If I would have tried to do it myself, it would have cost $.20/minute on the computer, and $.99/paper.

Fiskar's Response About Breaking My Heart

Our Logo!

YAY to my cousin, the artist, Kate!