Sweet Potato Slips

My sweet potato slips are getting started in jars on my window sill.  These were grown in my garden last year and have begun sprouting in the garage.  They are the small ones that never got eaten. 

Welcome to the Dunwoody Community Garden website!

We are beginning our 2012 gardening year.  If you are a new member, Welcome. 

We have memberships available at this time.  Please join us for another year of digging in the dirt.

 

Garden Sprites

 

Board Meeting Minutes

Board Meeting Minutes

Dunwoody Community Garden

The regular meeting of Dunwoody Community Garden was duly called and held on September 11, 2011 at the Greenhouse at the Brook Run Garden at 7:00 p.m.

Present were: Don Converse; Rod Pittman; Angela Minyard; Muriel Knope; Theresa Meschede ; Susan Wynn; and Nicole Maslanka

With the approval of the directors present, Don Converse acted as Chairman of the meeting and Nicole Maslanka (newly appointed Secretary) recorded the minutes.

Treasurer’s Report: The Treasurer (Angela Minyard) gave a brief report noting $4,165.00 as available balance as of 9/1/2011.  Current allocated funds include: $103.00- St. Pat’s Community Garden (balance of their own money); $500.00-Emergency funds for the Dunwoody Community Garden; $911.00- Remaining Food Pantry Team allocation; for a total of $1,515.00  in remaining allocated funds.  This leaves $2,650.00 in available funds to the Garden.

Minutes from prior meeting had been previously approved by the Board and distributed to the membership.

As there were Board positions needing to be filled (e.g., co-chair and secretary) , nominations were made for both positions and filled by Muriel Knope (Co-Chair) and Nicole Maslanka (Secretary)

As this was the first meeting of the newly elected Board for 2011, there were a number of issues discussed:

1. As part of the discussion of the Garden’s budget, it was noted that of the $1000.00 previously allocated to the Greenhouse, there was now a negative balance of funds.  Noting that there were planned improvement projects being supported by the Dunwoody Women’s Club Club (Shade Garden), and Dunwoody Garden Club (Pollinator Garden) it was suggested that there was a need to have  a budget submitted by the Greenhouse team for consideration.

Action Item: An operating budget will be requested from Diana Woods

2. At present there are 69 active garden members.  Given a $50.00 per year membership fee this is an annual generated budget of $3,450.00.  It is clear that there are many generous donations of time and money being provided to the Garden for its maintenance and it was deemed important to determine the Garden’s actual operating costs.

Action Item: Nicole Maslanka was appointed Chair of Committee to determine value of in-kind services of Garden members as well as actual dollar value donations to support operation of existing garden. Rod Pittman and Theresa Meschede will assist in collection of this data.  Data will be used to support grant submissions and updates to the City regarding our services to the community.

The group agreed a simple method for keeping up with volunteer hours would be implemented at the garden (volunteer hours posted on a calendar, etc.)

Team Leaders  will be requested to submit expenses and volunteer hours on a (frequency to be determined)  basis to the Board for inclusion in grant applications etc.

Action Item: Muriel will contact team leaders and request a “state of the team” report prior to the next Board meeting

It was noted that we should also keep track of all education outreach activities such as lectures conducted by Rod Pittman and others to various groups as well as assistance to school gardens and new community gardens.

3. There was extensive discussion about the newly formed school garden team and its affiliation with Grow Dunwoody.  This will be clarified with Rebecca Barria prior to our next meeting.

The formation of teams and their official recognition by the Garden was briefly discussed and a mechanism to formalize this will be examined as part of the review of our by-laws.

Action Item: A By-laws Committee was formed to review the current bylaws and address the following areas (Muriel Knope; Nicole Maslanka; Susan Wynn):

Membership-(should there be a secondary level such as “friends of the garden”; “Turn Key Plots” to encourage new membership (will examine cost of these versus current plot)-there are 11 plots available

Team Food Pantry Allocation of Space (Garden and Greenhouse)

Process for Creating Teams: Reporting of Team Leaders to the Board, Funding of Teams, Goals and objectives of the teams, etc.

4. The Board Members requested contact information which will be distributed to them as an Appendix A

5.  It was agreed that the Garden would participate in the Food Day Tour.

Action Item: Muriel will organize Food Day activities with assistance of Theresa Meschede.  Don Converse and Muriel Knope will be listed as the contact person for the event.

Action Item: Fall clean up days will be scheduled prior to this event.  Dates suggested were October 15/16 and October 22/23. (dates and number of days to be finalized) FINAL DATES SELECTED ARE October 15-16, 2011

6. A current controversy surrounding county compost use (which can be obtained for free) in the organic garden was discussed.  Rod Pittman has had the soil evaluated as well as Farmer D’s organic compost evaluated.

Action Item: Susan Wynn will compile the reports obtained by Rod on both products and gather any additional information regarding the county compost that is required to determine its safety for use in an organic garden

7. Discussion regarding current management of Domain Name and email was discussed

Action Item: Angela Minyard will take over email to main organization. We will assess how to assure continued payment for Domain name currently paid for by Rebecca Barria’s husband.

8. A request was made by Bettina Smalley to borrow garden tools for her school garden preparation activities.  It was agreed that this was ok.  Don will coordinate.

9. Interest expressed by anonymous donor to support digging a well for the Garden with a $500.00 contribution was discussed.  This was tabled for further discussion at a later time. At present the City Master Park Plan includes this activity.

10. Current “quid pro quo” activities of the garden for the city for use of land were reviewed.  At present these include: growing plants for the city.

11.  Don has been approached by the Citizens for Dunwoody to make a presentation to the Board on the Bond Referendum.  More information to follow.

12. Development of a Grant Writing Team was discussed and will be addressed as part of the development of a Plan for the Garden

Status of the above action items will be reviewed at the next Board Meeting.

The Board meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m. by Don Converse.  Next meeting will be October 12, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. at Rod Pittman’s house:

4343 Village Oak Lane

Dunwoody, Ga 30338

Food Day Open House Oct. 24th

In conjunction with Food Day, the DeKalb County Board of Health and others are coming together to showcase the innovative urban agricultural activities of our county, with a week of open houses at urban agricultural and garden sites in DeKalb County.  The Dunwoody

Community Garden will be part of this tour.

Our open house will be Monday, October 24, from 2-6 pm. Guides will be present at both the garden and the greenhouse during these times. No tickets needed. Stop by and see what we’re growing.

Author in our Garden

One of our members, Pattie Baker, recently published her book, Food For my Daughters. You can buy it here.

Product Description

 

Food for My Daughters: what one mom did when the towers fell (and what you can do, too) includes thought-provoking stories, versatile recipes, and actionable tips about what you can do to grow food, community and knowledge, and to better prepare your children (and yourself!) for a changing world. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of every copy of Food for My Daughters will be donated to help grow food for those in need. Go to www.foodformydaughters.comto hear excerpts and see a video release about the book.

 

About the Author

 

Pattie Baker is a writer specializing in sustainability, and an urban farmer who grows food, community, and knowledge for those in need. She has been published in Edible Atlanta, New Life Journal, and Urban Farm magazines, and blogs at http://www.foodshedplanet.com. She lives in metro-Atlanta with her husband and two daughters, who keep helping her “learn as she grows.”

 

 

 

ADA Beds Coming

Project to assist people with disabilities is part of an effort to improve the greenhouse area. Diana Wood is spearheading this project. Read the complete story here.

New Board of Directors

CHAIR: Don Converse (term expires 8/13)

Muriel Knope (term expires 8/13)

Nicole Maslanka (term expires 8/13)

Therese Meschede (term expires 8/13)

TREASURER: Angela Minyard (term expires 8/13)

Rod Pittman (term expires 8/12)

Susan Wynn (term expires 8/13)

Tonight’s Meeting & Elections

Hello Gardeners, I’m looking forward to seeing you all at today’s fall membership meeting. We’ll gather at the garden and the meeting will start at 6:00 pm sharp. We will VOTE on two things: a change in the bylaws to allow for electronic voting AND the new board of directors. Our potluck will start at 7:00 pm. If you choose to participate in the potluck, please bring food to share, your own plates & utensils, a drink (sorry, no alcohol allowed in Brook Run without a permit), and a bag to take your non-compostables home. (I’m bringing pizza with a crust that rose all night and a tomato-basil sauce from my garden!) In the past, as a start-up garden, the board had to ask (or beg) members and volunteers to fill open slots, so I’m very happy that today will be our first actual election. We have nine candidates running for six positions. (Our board is made up of seven directors, but Rod Pittman’s term has NOT expired.) On today’s ballot, you will select up to six candidates, and the six candidates with the most votes will join Rod Pittman as our new board of directors. Can you believe we turn TWO on August 23rd? Our garden was born the moment I stood in a field of kudzu with two people who were then strangers to me: Pattie Baker and Bob Lundsten. We made a motley crew, but we shared a vision–and a sense of humor. I’ve enjoyed my role as founding member and chair, but it’s time for me to pass the reigns. I want to thank our members and volunteers for the thousands of hours you’ve collectively contributed to make this garden so special. Check out our original pitch to the community here and see for yourself how the space has transformed. Thanks, Rebecca Barria, Chair Candidates: ____ Don Converse   ____ Ellen Finnigan   ____ Carl Franklin   ____ Muriel Knope   ____ Nicole Maslanka   ____ Therese Meschede   ____ Angela Minyard   ____ Jennifer Petritz   ____ Susan Wynn       DON CONVERSE   Currently president of Citizens for Dunwoody, the parent of the community garden. Involved in the garden from it’s inception.  Share a plot with my wife Karen in the original section. Joined the board to fill a vacancy two years ago. Head of the grounds team. Participant on the compost team. Helped set up the storm water mitigation area, or what’s commonly called the rain garden. Participated in the garden expansion. Actively involved in interfacing with the city on garden issues. Participate in various projects around the garden.   Thank you for considering me as chair of the board of directors. I would hope to be able to incorporate the ideas and suggestions from the board and general members on how best to get the most out of the community garden in the coming year, and to map out a blue print for future years.  My goal would be to see that the Dunwoody Community Garden remains a model for other community gardens to emulate.     ELLEN FINNIGAN   I will accept the nomination. Thanks. I have been very busy this summer, but I hope to be more involved with the Community Garden in the fall. I am by no means an expert, or even a very experienced, gardener, but I’m learning. I work at the Atlanta Botanical Garden as an Education Assistant in Public Programs and am involved with the Edible Garden and Outdoor Kitchen there. I also teach writing online to homeschooled kids. I lived for five months in an intentional community founded by lay Catholics and focused on nonviolence and sustainability, where we grew 60% of our own food. I have a bit of marketing and communications background and am interested in working with the Food Pantry team.     CARL FRANKLIN   Prior to planting a garden this year at Dunwoody Garden, my gardening experience has been limited to growing tomatoes on the patio :-). However, I am very interested in health and nutrition and I feel that the organic food route is the way to go. I am keenly interested in learning more about gardening and feel that by participating with experienced board members, I can learn from them and become a “gentleman farmer”, and pass on my gardening knowledge to others.   I have lived in Dunwoody for fifteen years, after retiring from the U.S. Department of Labor as Regional Director of Civil Rights. I am a member of the “City of Dunwoody Committee”, participated on the Police Task Force Committee, and have served as a Marshal for the past three years for the Dunwoody 4th of July Parade. I am also a member of the Board of Corrections, Selective Service Board, Dunwoody Homeowners Association, and past treasurer of the North Forest Condominium Association. My wife and I are members of Rivercliff Lutheran Church.   My passion is supporting candidates for political office, quality education in our school system, and the Wounded Warriors Project. I love to play golf, read ( political books), and spend time with my family. My wife and I have one daughter and a granddaughter who live in Dunwoody. My granddaughter is in the sixth grade at Peachtree Middle School.     MURIEL KNOPE   I have been a member of the Dunwoody Community Garden since October, 2010.  I am delighted to be the steward of plot 45.  I also moderate our Google group.  In January 2011, I was appointed to fill an open slot on the garden board.  My goal as a board member has been and would continue to be to increase member participation in the garden. I helped to develop a new member information packet and organized our June “Evening in the Garden” event.  I participated in our spring clean-up initiative and worked at the plant sale at all three of its venues — the greenhouse, the Dunwoody Wednesday morning market and the Sandy Springs Saturday market.  I’m a member of the Three Sisters garden and have developed a healthy respect for the Cherokee who clearly know more about corn, beans and squash than I do.   I am grateful to the garden’s founders for their vision that transformed a forgotten field of kudzu into a vibrant community garden.     NICOLE MASLANKA   Currently Team leader for the Thieve’s bed.  I expanded the previous Thieve’s bed to join in the Team Pantry effort to increase harvest for those in need.  I initiated the “shared cropping” initiative for the 3 sister’s garden as a model for those who might want to experience communal gardening for crops requiring more space.  I authored a grant to the Georgia Foundation to expand the pantry beds at St. Patrick’s for the food bank. It scored very well and will be resubmitted in October for re-consideration.  I assisted in painting the many rain barrels in the greenhouse as well as preparations for our first fund raiser.  I maintain plot #43.  Last year I also experimented with cool crop gardening in plot 3 while it’s owners were gone for the summer.   I have been a member of the garden since last October and been most impressed with the hard work and diligence shown by those responsible for starting the garden.  I appreciate consideration for a Board member position and would work to grow the financial resources for the garden through grant writing and fundraising activities. I would work with fellow Board members and garden members to create the infrastructure needed to support the services provided to those in need and to expand our reach into the community and school settings. I believe that Board members should be model stewards of the garden and be available to their membership to foster creative ideas, projects, and community initiatives by assuring transparent and open communications with all.  Thank you for your support.     THERESA MESCHEDE   My name is Theresa Meschede and I have relocated in the past year to Dunwoody with my husband Lou from Northwest Indiana near Chicago. We lived in our last house for 20 years where I had a garden every summer growing vegetables, herbs and flowers.  I was happy to discover the Dunwoody Community Garden near my home and have the opportunity to learn about gardening in the South and be a part of a community garden that gives back to others.   In addition to tending my own plot, I am a member of the Thieve’s Bed team and most recently joined the Three Sister’s garden team. I look forward to continuing my association with the Dunwoody Community Garden and thank you for considering me for the position of board member.     ANGELA MINYARD   As an original member of the board, I was responsible for designing the plan for the plots, paths and borders that were originally laid out, as well as the design for our current expansion.  I am part of the Greenhouse team and will contribute to the new pollinator garden there. I serve as Treasurer and maintain our Facebook page. My large home garden has vegetables, berries, fruits, herbs, flowers.  I am moving towards a more permaculture style garden with lots of perennial vegetables in addition to the fruit and berries.  Gardening is my main hobby and a big part of my life.     JENNIFER PETRITZ   My name is Jennifer Petritz and I am a long time resident of Dunwoody.  I’ve lived here since I was 5 years old, I went to the ORIGINAL Dunwoody Elementary! I still live in the house I grew up in, which I bought from my parents when they retired 7 years ago.  I am proud to be a Dunwoody resident and am amazed at how my hometown has grown and thrived.   I am also a horticulturist, though you wouldn’t know it to look at my tomatoes!  I have worked at the Atlanta Botanical Garden as a gardener and educator, at the Atlanta History Center gardens and most recently, I co-owned a garden design company;  By Nature’s Design.  I know a lot about ornamental gardening but am a newbie to the world of vegetable gardening.  I enjoy learning and growing in communion with others and I feel I have gained so much knowledge since joining the Dunwoody Community Garden.   I have a wonderful husband, Bill Petritz, and three terrific daughters who attend three different schools in the area; Vanderlyn, Kittredge and Peachtree.  I hope to pass on my love of all things that grow to my children.   Thank you for considering me for the position of board member,  I look forward to gardening alongside all of you.     SUSAN WYNN   I’ve had a garden everywhere I’ve had a home, but since I now live in a townhouse with space for nothing but a few pots, I was grateful to find the Dunwoody Community Garden.  My professional work involves health and nutrition and I try to keep up with national news on sustainable agriculture and food safety, so the health of our gardens is one of great personal interest for me. I’m no horticulture expert, but I have served on national and local boards of directors and have a little experience with organizational stewardship.  I’d be happy to help the Dunwoody Garden members chart their course into the future.     POLICY & PROCEDURES    Article IV: Meetings   Original Text:   4. At general meetings, decisions shall be made by a simple majority of the members present.   Proposed Change:   4. At general meetings, decisions will be made by a simple majority of the members present plus electronic votes that have been cast prior to the meeting by members not in attendance.  The board will determine how electronic votes will be cast.  Electronic voting may be in the form of e-mail, online survey, blog comment, etc.  The board will appoint an individual or committee to tally all votes.     POLICY & PROCEDURES Article V: Amendments Original Text:   Bylaws of Dunwoody Community Garden at Brook Run may be amended at any general meeting, when approved by two thirds of the members present. Notice of the recommended changes shall be provided to the members at least two weeks prior to the vote.   Proposed Change:   Bylaws of Dunwoody Community Garden at Brook Run may be amended at any general meeting (or electronically) when approved by two thirds of the members present plus electronic votes, or by two thirds of the membership as a whole if all are voting electronically. Notice of the recommended changes will be shared with the members at least one week before the vote.

Membership Meeting

Our fall membership meeting will take place at the garden on Sunday, August 21, from 6 – 8 PM.  We’ll vote on new board members and by-law revisions.  Meeting at 6 PM and potluck at 7 PM.