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. 

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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.

 

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Garden Sprites

 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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DNC Compost Workshop

“Compost Happens!” Get Rich…Soils Saturday, August 27 from 10:30-11:30 AM Dunwoody Nature Center, 5343 Roberts Dr., Dunwoody 770.394.3322 Learn how to turn lawn clippings and other yard waste into “black gold.” Adults of all ages are invited to attend this DNC naturalist presentation on how to turn lawn clippings and other yard waste into “black gold”. Passive and active backyard compost practices, the compost food web, and a variety of containment methods will be explored in this multi-faceted program. Fee: DNC Members $3/Non-Members $5. Pre-registration is required online at www.dunwoodynature.org <http://www.dunwoodynature.org/> by August 25th due to space limitations.

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Rain Barrel Workshop

Date: Saturday, August 13th

Time: 10-12 am
Location: 430 West Trinity Place (behind the jail) in Decatur

Cost: $49.00

We will show the power point,  “Atlanta-All Tapped Out”. Everybody leaves with a finished recycled rain barrel. You have the choice of white, blue, grey (olive barrel), or terra cotta (olive barrel) recycled barrels.

To RSVP: call 404-829-2647

therainbarreldepot.com

www.waterandgrits.com

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Board Meeting

Next board meeting is Thursday, July 28 from 3:00 to 4:30 pm at Goldberg’s Deli in Georgetown Square.

We welcome anyone to attend, although we don’t set aside time for public comment. We do, however, always welcome feedback. You can leave a comment on our blog, email us (membership@dunwoodygarden.org), or talk to any board member in person.

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How and How Much to Water

Watering is a topic I regularly hear come up at the garden, so in an attempt to answer some of the questions floating around, I dug out my favorite gardening books, consulted Google, and hounded some veteran gardeners.

How much water does a 4 x 8 garden bed need?

There’s no exact answer because watering requirements depend on the type of crops, air temperature, wind conditions, type of soil, delivery method (e.g., overhead or irrigation), and on and on. Although the rule of thumb is one inch once a week, the actual answer can get pretty long and complicated.

So here’s a short(ish) answer instead:

• Water your 4×8 bed planted with fruit and seed crops (e.g., tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, corn, beans, squash, melons) with four green watering cans every four or five days. That’s less than twice a week. These plants like to send down deep roots, so they need heavier, but less frequent waterings. Too much water will produce leafy, beautiful plants, but will decrease fruit production.
• Water your 4×8 bed planted with root, leaf, and head crops (e.g., carrots, beets, radishes, lettuce, chard, spinach, cabbage, broccoli) with one and a half green watering cans three times a week. These plants develop shallow roots, so they need lighter, but more frequent waterings.
• Water seeds and new transplants lightly and daily until they are established.
• If we get a good rain, skip a watering. Supplement for light showers.

Where did these magic numbers come from?

These calculations are based on Mel Bartholomew’s watering chart in his book, Square Foot Gardening, and assumes a sandy soil type (e.g. Farmer D’s Planting Mix). Water penetrates sandy soil quickly and deeply, but it also dries out faster. As soil type progresses from sandy to loamy to clayey, it retains water better and needs heavier, but less frequent and slower waterings. For example, a primarily clay garden bed would need ten cans of water every week and a half delivered by irrigation; pouring it quickly on the compacted clay would result in run-off and wasted water.

Watering Tips:

Water the base of the plants. Leaves don’t need water; roots do. Try using an olla, an ancient irrigation method, to concentrate water delivery to the roots; ollas are easy to make with two clay pots and a bit of adhesive.

Water in the morning or evening when cool. Watering on a scorching, blinding day can actually burn the plants leaves because the water droplets magnify the sun’s rays. Also, more water evaporates when it’s hot and when it’s bright.

Water deeply. If you encourage the plant’s roots to grow deep, where the soil retains more moisture, you will have to water less frequently. Shallow watering encourages shallow roots, which means the plant will need more frequent watering, since the top layer of soil dries out more quickly.

Amend your soil. Compost is essential; it helps soil retain moisture, it breaks up compacted soil so water can penetrate more deeply, and it delivers important nutrients to your plants to keep them healthy. If your soil is sandy, consider adding OMRI certified coir to your soil for added water retention or even a small amount of clay. No matter what your soil type, cover crop to add organic matter back to the garden bed.

Mulch. Mulch absorbs solar energy and prevents water loss by evaporation. Try spreading woodchips, burlap, shredded paper, gravel, seashells, peanut shells, cocoa shells, or wheat straw in your garden plot.

Let the soil dry out a bit. More plants die in Georgia from overwatering than from drought. Soggy soils prevent root development because there’s not enough oxygen. Also, fungus is more likely to grow on a moist surface.

Plant southern heirlooms. Many of the southern heirloom varieties were created before modern irrigation systems were developed, and therefore, require less water.

Don’t worry about mid-day wilt. Sometimes wilt is unrelated to water. For example, tomatoes stricken with blight and squash attacked by borers may wilt. If the plant is healthy and still wilted in the cool morning hours, then it needs more water.

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