Rose Roots Newsletter June 2026: Digging In!

Water management and pest control are two of the most critical challenges in organic community gardening. Both are hot topics for our June Newsletter!

In this Issue:

• Pest Control - Beneficial Nematodes are here!

• Help for Water Usage

• Veggie Van Plots

• Coming Up (Lots of Good Stuff Ahead!)

• This & That

Pest Control - Beneficial Nematodes

If you've been getting hot under the collar every time you see a yellow and black striped cucumber beetle nibbling on one of your cucurbit plants, you're not alone. However, we've got great news. A team of volunteers, led by Patty Sacks, braved a chilly Sunday morning at the garden to spread 10 million beneficial nematodes into the soil at Rose Roots. 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 stage of development, preventing egg laying, and limiting crop damage. It's an organic solution that should dramatically decrease the number of damaging beetles at the garden.

A huge shout out to the gardeners who came out to help! It was a labor intensive job requiring volunteers to water the plots first, then spray in the nematodes, and then water again. All that watering also means you won't need to water your plots for a couple more days! After that, to maximize the effectiveness of nematodes, the soil should be kept moist by watering every 3-4 days. The first couple of weeks are most critical as the nemotodes do their initial work. Moisture meters in the shed can help gardeners monitor soil dampness during this period. Instructions for use of the moisture meters will be posted in the shed, but they're simple to use - just set the button on the bottom of the device to "moist" and put it in the soil. If it reads in the green or blue, you don't need to water!

In addition to the nematodes, you can use light row covers and organic treatments to protect plants from beetles. Here are some other resources:

• DUG has helpful tips about pest management here

• CSU Extension Office's page on Insects and Pests

Water Usage Update

You can also use those water meters any time to help you know when your plot needs water. Last year, our garden used a total of 247,000 gallons of water, and with drought conditions we've got to cut that amount by 20%. Now that our plants are established, you don't need to water more than every third night. This helps reduce water waste while still meeting the plants’ needs. To further conserve moisture, add multiple inches of mulch or straw around plants. Mulching reduces evaporation and keeps soil temperatures stable.

It’s important to remember that failure to follow water restrictions can lead to fines for the garden. Please take a moment to read the signs around the garden regarding water usage, and help keep our garden compliant.

Dedicated Veggie Van Plots

The Veggie Van begins to pick up from Rose Roots later this month! Keep an eye on the chalkboards for pick up days and times.

This year, we introduced dedicated plots specifically for the Veggie Van project. These plots - 5E/W, 14, 20, 21, 23, 45, 59, 78E, and 109E - will soon be marked by signs. These plots are growing vegetables and flowers that will be donated to the Van, which supports local food access.

You can earn volunteer hours by watering and weeding these donation plots, especially during June and July when plants and weeds are actively growing. Keeping these plots well maintained ensures a steady supply of fresh produce for the community.

Coming Up

Several exciting projects and events are planned for the coming months:

• Look out for an Evite for a work day on July 11th from 8 AM to 12 PM. Get your volunteer hours and keep the garden looking beautiful.

• Australian band The Heart Collectors will play at the garden amidst their US tour! Their 60’s and 70’s inspired folk and roots music includes atmospheric electric guitar, melodic banjo, bowed mandolin, and haunting cello. You'll want to mark Sunday July 26th on your calendar now, so you don't miss them. Peaceful Creations, a local ice cream truck housed in a VW bug will be on site too, so bring cash to enjoy treats and support a local business.

• Volunteers from the LDS Church will be joining us in a massive volunteer effort on Saturday September 19th and we are thrilled about their help! Leadership is currently creating a work plan to ensure we host a productive and enjoyable day that has long lasting benefits for the garden. We hope gardeners will be present for the day to welcome volunteers and work alongside them.

• Sunday September 20th will be the last music event of the season. If anyone is interested in financially sponsoring the music events, please reach out to garden leadership.

• Look out for bike racks, coming soon to the gardens, thanks to a donation from the City of Arvada!

• We will soon have security cameras keeping an eye out over the garden. Returning gardeners will recall the rash of vegetable thefts that occurred last season when veggies were ready to harvest. While the garden installed warning signs around the area last year, the next step is cameras. If you experience or witness theft, email leadership@roserootsgarden.org or reach out to a member of the leadership team immediately.

• Check out the calendar on the website for updated information on all upcoming events.

This & That:

• Thank you to everyone to came out on Saturday May 30th for our work day! See some photos from the event above. We got so much done prepping the garden for the season including prepping and planting the beds for the donated beds for the Veggie Van!

• Big shout out to Osiris Mancera for the valuable contributions she has brought to the garden, including so many veggies starts for the donation plots pictured above! Garden President Laura Bennett tells us that Osiris’ relationship with DUG has opened up opportunities that were not available before, enriching our community’s gardening experience.

• A colorful and heartfelt thank you also to our Chalk Board sign volunteers Amanda, Stephanie and Carla who have designed and placed the stand-up placards around the garden. The chalk boards are not only full of timely and important information, but they look fantastic as well! Gardeners, make sure you check these out, as they contain critical info from your leadership team in between newsletters! Each board is different, so wander around to see them all when you visit.

• Shout out to the City of Arvada for the amazing job they just did trimming our trees around the garden. The City has only four full time arborists responsible for 15,000 trees!

• If you aren't getting the Evites and the Newsletter (via email) reach out to leadership@roserootsgarden.org  

And finally!

Q: What did the Jedi say to the tree?

A: May the forest be with you.

Happy Gardening,

Rose Roots Leadership Team

Laura Bennett, Erin Newton, Tom Glum, Patty Sacks, Aaron Amaya, Gary Williams, Dan Graumiller, Jim Richards, Jack Nix, Osiris Mancera, Beth Green

Please contact Michelle, Newsletter Editor, HERE with newsletter additions, corrections, comments, compliments, gardening tips or humor.