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Writer's pictureRose Roots Garden Leader

Rose RootZone Sept 2021 Iss. 2: Gardener Updates


A lush gardening season for all! Well done gardeners!

1. Gardener Reminders


Wed Sept 15, 5:30-7:00 pm: Upcoming Live Music at Garden: A garden favorite Laurie Dameron. Bring chairs, drinks, snacks and friends and family to enjoy our last live music of the season.

Note: The Appetizer Contest has been canceled due to lack of participation in pre-sign ups. Feel free to bring garden appetizers to share anyway!


Pre-Registration for 2022 Season Available

Thank you to the 20 gardeners who have filled out our Pre-Registration form. As a returning gardener or new gardener, you can fill out the Pre-Registration 2022 Form Here. Returning gardeners please fill out by Dec 31, 2021 and also fill out to let us know if you're not returning. We will start assigning available plots in March 2022 to new gardeners.

Thurs Work Party offering individual garden plot support

Service Hours

Just a reminder, 12 service hours need to be completed by Oct 31 per plot, or $7 per hour will be invoiced. Thank you for giving in any way you can! A September tally is forthcoming, and in the meantime you can check online logged hours Here.


Going forward, you can log your Service Hours Here as we will soon need to remove the barn logging book for final tallying.


2. End of Season Compost Pile

We are starting an end of season compost pile West of the barn. Please put everything in a pile outside the west side garden fence line including all weeds, produce from the garden and sunflowers and corn stalks. Keep an eye out for new signage showing where to place this end of season organic matter. We will be testing composting methods mixing in manure.


We may or may not have a dumpster available due to pricing, scheduling, waste management companies requiring annual contracts when we only operate seasonally, and communication challenges with Waste Management companies, as well as changes in City policies. We will continue to seek manageable rates. In the meantime we hope to make soil from our end of season organic matter!


Patty Sacks, VP and Westside Landscaping Project Lead

3. Westside Landscaping Project

Please bring leaves, grass cuttings and cardboard and drop outside the west side garden fence line for our Westside Landscaping Project by the end of September.

Update from the Project Lead Patty:

"Many thanks to those who dropped off cardboard and grass for the West Side "Lasagna" Planting Beds on Saturday, September 4. Garden volunteer Donna Neill and I added 10 lineal feet of the second layer as well as laid out the area for the commemorative sculpture. Thanks to the many gardeners who dropped off cardboard and grass clippings. We'll continue to work on these areas through the fall, adding a leaf layer and additional manure to ready the beds for planting in the spring. Work continues on site plan revisions and working with the City of Arvada to activate the Grant funding to enable payment for landscaping materials and trees.


Tribute sculpture site preparation
Donna Neill helping prep Westside Landscaping Project

4. Friends of Rose Roots: Plant-A-Tribute Tree Program

Thank you to those contributing! We are still accepting donations for trees that will be planted to the West of the garden. These trees will shade a Farm-to-Table community space and natural reflective walking paths along with planting beds and seating areas. Those being offered tribute will be named at the dedication. To benefit the Westside Landscaping project you can donate an individual tree, or become a Friend of Rose Roots at Four Sponsorship levels:


Gardener Donna with her Newsletter reading prize!

Friends of Rose Roots Sponsor Levels:


$200 Bronze Bumble Bee

$500 Silver Squash

$1,000 Golden Gourd

$2,500 Platinum Pepper


Donate-a-Tribute Tree with three years maintenance:


$300 Deciduous

$600 Evergreen


Please Contact Rose Roots Treasurer John Malito at john.malito7@gmail.com for more information and to support your community garden.




Community meeting on Westside Landscaping Project
Staking Westside Landscaping Project layout

5. Beneficial Nematodes-nema whaaat?!

We have ordered organic beneficial nematodes for Fall, and will order again for Spring spraying of the garden. As we saw an increase in pests this year, we have consulted local professional organic gardeners and will

These tomato hornworms can do a lot of damage!

be testing this endorsed method of organic pest control. Beneficial nematodes are naturally occurring, microscopic organisms (non-segmented round worms) found in soils throughout the world. They parasitize and kill insect pests in their larval or pupal stage of development preventing egg laying and limiting crop damage. So cool! They are like beneficial gut bacteria, but for soil!


To learn more, read about the Triple Threat organisms we ordered Here.


6. Garden Supply Inventory

If you'd like to help with our end of season garden inventory, please email us Here to help support our Operations team efforts to account for all our assets.


7. Leadership Org Chart 2021-22

Check out our Organizational chart showing the structure of our organization Here. The chart uses a “Servant Leader” model with the members at the top and the leaders supporting their efforts as a foundation. Via this model, we strive to support gardeners growing community.


8. September Financial Summary

  • Total Rose Roots 2021 Starting Budget—13,939.11

  • Total Expenses (Jan-August) —$4,816.95

  • Total Projected Expenses—(Sept-Dec)—$6,361.05

  • Total Reserve—$2,761.11

Please contact John Malito, Rose Roots Treasurer, with budget questions at 303.257.2516 or email us Here. You can find the complete budget on our website Here.


9. Gardener Feedback

“An inordinate amount of work goes into the running this beautiful garden.

Of the people passing by as I’m playing with my little piece of it, I get the feeling that the community around it realize how fortunate they are. Even this week, I was told by a family in the parking lot that they drive to the area just to see the changes the garden goes through and how it brightens their day.”


Thank You,

Sue Norman"

Tyler and Nicole, Pollinator Garden Leads

10. Focusing on Equity

The Rose Roots Leadership Team is exploring better understanding “outdoor equity" as defined with respect to parks and recreation.

There is, of course, always more we can do as a garden to support equity, but having reviewed the guidance in the links below, we were pleased to recognize that Rose Roots supports equity in many ways. For a start, we encourage people of all types and abilities to join. Below are just some examples of ways we support equity in our gardening community:

  • We don't discriminate. Anyone is welcome to garden at Rose Roots.

  • We offer accommodations to those who cannot afford gardening dues.

  • We offer accessible raised gardening beds.

  • We sponsor a Youth Program to engage young gardeners.

  • Mentoring - we mentor new gardeners who may not have much in the way of gardening experience.

  • We offer opportunities for all gardeners to access information and attend meetings.

  • We donate produce to distributing organizations.

  • We invite local community to engage through garden tours, open houses, educational botanical signage, workshops, and invite artists in residence.

  • We are working to improve outreach to other gardening communities by supporting DUG and engaging in forums with other gardens.

Learn more about Equity in Parks and Recreation Here.

Here is Arvada's definition of Equity as a value the city actively supports.


We always welcome other ideas of ways to support equity in our community. You can offer Feedback Here.

Community enjoy the Pollinator Garden and learn from the educational botanical labels

Check our Calendar Here for updates. If you made it this far, email us with the secret answer to the question: "What three things are requested from gardeners to prep the Westside Landscaping Project?" Please contact garden president Erin Newton with questions for the Rose Roots Leadership Team at Leadership@roserootsgarden.org.


Enjoy the final days of this beautiful gardening season,

Rose Roots Leadership Team

Community Table Food Bank donations
Veggie Van donations from Rose Roots, 2021


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