Work crew and results

Another Grant...but this one is for the backyard...

http://franklin.osu.edu/horticulture/mg-images/audubon-workbook-insert_5-28.pdf

Great Photos from CG on Hudson & 4th St.

click on the title of this post to go to the dispatch slideshow..

More people getting hands dirty in community plots

Dana Kilgore has long loved to garden, but a spreading black walnut tree and growing shade made her Clintonville lot decreasingly productive.

So this year, she sought a solution in a community garden.

After some searching, she signed up for a new garden at 4th and Hudson streets northeast of Ohio State University. Now, she's enjoying the fruits of her decision: early radishes and spinach, and some new friends.

"I've made lots of great contacts," Kilgore said. "I think I'll be back for many years if they let me, as long as we can keep it going."

Survival doesn't seem to be a problem for central Ohio community gardens.

The area, already home to more than 150, is seeing at least 20 new such gardens this summer, said Bill Dawson, coordinator of the Franklin Park Conservatory's Growing to Green program.

"It's just taken off this year, with the White House garden, with the economy, the 'green' movement," said Dawson, who is active in the American Community Gardening Association, which is based at the conservatory.

Trisha Dehnbostel, who oversees 12 gardens in the University District, thinks greater Columbus might have as many as 50 new gardens this summer. Her organization, Local Matters, encourages Ohio-grown produce and is trying to build a comprehensive list of area gardens for next spring.

"The movement is changing," Dehnbostel said. "Now, so many people are doing it to produce food or to give back to food pantries because of our economy. And so many churches and social-service agencies are getting involved; it's not just communities."

St. John's Lutheran Church in Dublin, for example, is opening a 25-plot garden next to the church at Rings and Avery roads, said Millie Heath, a church volunteer.

"We just decided to do something for the community and perhaps bring someone over to our services as well -- and if people have extra, maybe raise some vegetables for our missions," Heath said.

Although many of the summer community garden plots are spoken for, plots remain available for newcomers.

Dawson and Dehnbostel offer these suggestions for people just getting involved:
• Find a convenient garden. The American Community Gardening Association's Web site (www.community garden.org) maintains a list of gardens by ZIP code.
• Prepare to spend money. Some community garden plots are free, but most charge from $10 to $50 a summer to help offset costs.
• Don't overdo it. An 8-foot-by-2-foot plot should be large enough for a solo novice gardener; a 10-foot-by-15-foot plot, for a family.
• Take the basics. Some gardens have sheds and encourage members to share tools, but don't depend solely on others' equipment.
• Think water. Some gardens offer a hose or faucet, but others rely on gardeners to supply their own, either by carting it to the site or by installing a rain barrel.
• Expect company. Community gardens are designed to nurture interaction. Be prepared to be sociable and to participate in the gardens' activities, such as harvest festivals, farm markets and cooking demonstrations.
• Plan to work. A community garden plot should be fun, but it does require labor. Plan to stop by your plot two or three times a week, if only to weed and water. Many gardens have requirements about keeping the plots properly maintained.
• Plan to donate. Virtually all gardens encourage that a percentage of produce be given to pantries and charities; some require as much.
• Keep it simple. If you're new to gardening, start with plants that are likely to succeed: tomatoes, peppers, beets, radishes, cucumbers or potatoes.

Also be careful about plants such as gourds, zucchinis and pumpkins, which require a lot of water and room.

The most important recommendation, Dawson said: "Grow what you like to eat."

jweiker@dispatch.com

Grow your own
The Columbus area is home to 150 to 200 community gardens, with more opening every year.
To find a community garden near you, visit the Web site of the American Community Gardening Association, http://www.communitygarden.org/.

Entrances!

SHRA Entrances are done! :)

Hope you like them! We spent $394.55 out of the $1000 that would have normally gone to an outside contractor! That means the garden raised its first money ($605.45). The final work day was Saturday, May 9, and big big thanks go out to Sue Middleton, Jill, John and Max Gjamov, Roger Cherry, Kim Hugill, Jim Hezter, Annette Buckley, Holley Morris, and Melody and Dick Sexton for doing their part and kindly volunteering their Friday evening for shopping for plants or picking up 80 bags of mulch, as well as their Saturday morning spent weeding, tilling, trimming, fertilizing, transplanting, dividing, planting, shoveling, and mulching. On Sunday, I picked up the last 10 bags of mulch we needed for the N side and spread it. It was quick work.

On the first work day, April 25, Rosemary Sartor, The Gjamovs, Tom Kasberg, and Jim Hetzer prepared the beds by edging and weeding. This was key to have two days with a weekend in between. Sue and Amy continued the work on the Northside the next weekend.

We saved a lot of money through the generosity of Mr.Mulch and Oakland Nursery. Please let them know that you appreciate their support for SH when you go to shop there!

This information is just for the record and might not be very interesting! The mulch was easier to get in bags for this endeavor because Mr. Mulch would have charged us two different $45 delivery fees for each entrance. The NN side took 22 bags, NS 18, SS 25 bags, and SN 25 bags=90 bags total. 30 bags fit in my car, and 25 in Jill and Sue's, but going in shifts throughout Friday evening to pick it up worked out really well as Mr. Mulch was very accommodating. Knowing all of this should save time in the future. We also planted a bunch of perennials that will hopefully continue to grow and thrive, so we can devote more money to annuals next year. In the future, we would also like to coordinate with neighbors who would like to contribute plants they have extra of in their gardens like hostas, daylilies, and sedum. We are going with a red, yellow, and orange color scheme at least for this year-every year will reflect on what worked and what needs to change. The butterfly weed and crocosmia are not available at nurseries during May, so we may continue to amend the bed throughout the summer with those perennials as they become available.

My Reply to the City after the Meeting

Maureen, As you suspected, the area needs to be behind the trees. The garden would not be very productive in the shade. I am glad that Tom was able to communicate on behalf of the SHRA a deep understanding of possible issues for the city. I hope that you heard the same sentiments from what I shared with you on behalf of the SHCG. I feel that the raised beds are an essential part of the success and low maintenance aspect of this garden-the alternative leads us with weeds, mowing issues, communication issues, boundary issues and/or an open pit of mud. I would be happy to speak to anyone on the multitudes of reasons behind raised beds for our particular garden, including a detailed plan for how they will be taken out if the garden is no longer active. Enjoy your break!Amy

Email after Meeting From Maureen

Amy, Thanks for meeting with me Friday. I did not do a very good job with the weather! I made this map of the area I think you are proposing for the community garden. I have not taken the proposal to the Director, yet. I do think the raised beds throughout could be an issue, based on past experience. We will review the proposal and might ask for a reduction in the raised beds. Tom also mentioned a performance bond. I'd like to avoid that, but it was a very serious understanding of what our issues could be and I appreciate that. The condition of the park also is most appreciated. I've attached a plan that shows where I thought you were proposing the garden. This nestles into the trees, so I probably have it wrong. Should I go out beyond the "landscaped area" to avoid the trees, shade, and neighbors. Let me know. Taking a few days vacation, but I'll be back in on Monday morning. Maureen

City Images of the Park

Good Ideas from our Fearless SHRA Leader!

Tom sent me an email with some good ideas for future SHCG endeavors:

"The SH Garden Club used to do these...

1. Hand out awards to recognize the investment folks have made in their yards.
2. Hold a plant / mulch sale on the common area with profits going to SHCG.
3. Organize a clean up day (few hours) at the SH Park and along Godown Road and /or hold a clean up walk going from the rail road tracks along the creek all the way to Godown Road.

All of these items would be great for the neighborhood and good to add to your efforts to increase interest in the community and the outdoors.
Tom"

NWCA Presentation

Email reply from Jen

Amy-- We can put you on the agenda for the June meeting (June 3). Our May meeting is very full. We do not meet in July. If that doesn't work-- our next meeting would be August 5. Let me know what works. Our plan is to add links to all of our neighborhoods and provide general information about hem. We will certainly link Sycamore Hills to our website--you can be our pilot neighborhood! Growing up in Wishing Well and Sycamore Hills, I know what a strong neighborhood it is. I also am a member of the pool and receive all of the event notices. Thanks for everything you do!~Jen

So, this means I will be doing a presentation on August 5. Linda has offered to help, and she also had a great idea to get kids and letter writing involved! whoo hoo!

Meeting with Maureen

We braved the rain for a minute or two to meet at the park, but ended up having the meeting at my house! It was a really productive meeting, and here is a summary in the email I sent to the city:

Hi, Maureen,

Thanks again for meeting with me and Tom in regards to the Sycamore Hills Community Garden proposal. I wanted to sum up what was said during the meeting for the benefit of the others not present, as well as to make sure we have everything correct, including the items we are going to follow up. Please let me know if there are any changes (CG=community gardening, SHRA=Sycamore Hills Residents Association):

The CDRP wants to make sure that the garden will be well maintained, and that there will not be any reliance on the city to do so. The City has had poor experiences with CGs in the past, and recently there have been an onslaught on phone calls from new Americans wanting to use the parks for food production. The City wants to avoid any sort of situation like this. Maureen was very pleased to see how strong our RA is and how we have years of proven experience maintaining a pool and collecting fees. She also mentioned that we have to get the insurance (how did I misread that?! in the agreement) but Tom said it can be really cheap, like $13/year.

Amy explained that she has been a part of CG around Columbus for years, and has developed this plan from everything that she has learned. This includes making sure that there is adequate support for a CG in the area, which is why she surveyed 230 houses and found out that 31 households are interested in participating in the garden. Amy also stated that she is taking this partnership with the City with the utmost care because she wants this CG to be so successful that other gardens to be able to follow in the footsteps of SHCG. She also made the case for the fence, raised beds, and hope for a structure to catch rainwater (and like today demonstrated, to have a simple covered area for the park for rain and sun protection).

Tom said the CG will have the SHRA support. This means that if the garden were to fail, a lease agreement will designate SHRA as responsible for any clean up. (Amy is morally never going to let this happen, but it is good to have the support so the city doesn't feel burdened.)

List of To-Dos:

Amy-present to NWCA and get their support, send Maureen the rationale for the structures, continue fundraising, creating community partnerships, and writing grants

Tom-just be awesome like he already is

Maureen-share info with City, and research water taps from garden club