Hello Gardeners,
It is June and Mother Nature continues to bless us with moisture! By now your garden is planted and it is time to watch it grow! As we approach summer solstice this month around June 21 our plants will reach for that extra sun exposure, as the summer solstice occurs at the moment the earth's tilt toward the sun is at a maximum. The solstice is the beginning of the astronomical summer and has been celebrated since ancient times as the longest day of the year. With an increasing diversity of color in the garden, we see the your creative ideas come alive while our community spaces are also in maximum growth mode.
You may also experience an abundance of weeds and start to see pests on your plants. Squash beetles are already out and eating the eggplants and tomato leaves. Here is a great article from CSU Extension that describes the squash beetle and some possible solutions to keep them at bay. Neem oil and Diatomaceous earth are both great ways and inexpensive investments for your garden.
Weeding: Just a part of Gardening
Weeds are inevitable and they love this rain! A few reminders:
Be kind to your neighbors and pull the Borderland weeds that want to creep into adjacent plots.
Weed the common spaces 2 feet out from your plot border to ensure we maintain the effectiveness of the weed barrier under the gravel. Note: Twice a year we apply a 30% vinegar solution to the walkway weeds, so help us save money and reduce required applications by pulling the weeds (and apply this time to your self-logged community service hours Here).
Pro Tip: For Gary and Jim's sake (who lovingly maintain our weed barrier) please weed only with hands, so we don't rip holes in the weed barrier.
Composting 101
Mark your calendars and meet at the garden pavilion for the workshops below.
Composting is essential and beneficial to the garden. Using the waste that is produced in all the gardens and turns it back into nutritious soil to be used by every gardener. The composting process is “simple” but can be daunting if you have never had the opportunity to compost.
The leadership team asked multiple gardeners about their thoughts on composting and discussed ways to ensure you have the tools to support this important community gardening activity. The overwhelming majority of gardeners are interested in helping with composting but did not know “where to begin”.
New this year, we are offering 3 “hands-on” composting workshops that will provide composting “101” and give each gardener a chance to get all of their questions answered around this process. We have structured the workshops to be informative and interactive. Julie Gleason will be leading these classes and is a master certified composter under DUG.
Workshop schedule: (please meet at the east compost bins)
June 15th, 6pm-7pm
June 20th, 6pm-7pm
June 24th, 9am-10am
Note: each workshop will count towards your 6 or 12 hours of volunteer/service hours. We are asking that each gardener give 2 hours of time to the compost pile of their required volunteer hours.
Please bring the following supplies to the workshop:
gloves
eye protection
long pants
work shoes (no sandals as we will be mowing and using sharp tools to chop compost)
Pro Tip 1: There are two composting piles (east and west). Bring a buddy, it is easier if you buddy up on the process and any of the scheduled service workdays will be a great if we can have teams that are “composting”.
Pro Tip 2: Please view our composting videos Here. This are a great source of information. If you watch them before the class, you'll have a great foundation of the basics.
Pro Tip 3: Please log your volunteer/service hours Here. We thank you for being such an amazing part of the garden community!
The TakeHome: Many Hands Make Light Work! A little work by each gardener in community spaces each visit will allow us to keep the compost piles at a manageable level as as community.
Give Back to your Garden Community
Featured leadership opportunity: Do you have a plot in the South East Quadrant? Check out our Quad Map Here to see what Quad you are in and let us know if you'd like to help bring gardeners together in your quad. Quad leads help new gardeners find resources and stay informed about upcoming events as well as encourage gardeners to help maintain community spaces in their quad. Email us Here if interested!
We are also actively looking for gardeners with skills in the following areas:
Website management and updates
Newsletter writer
Treasurer position for 2024
Community Outreach
If interested please reach out to leadership@roseroots.org. Only several hours per month are required of these positions and they are a great way to get closer to your garden community!
Upcoming Events
June 8th, “Work Party”, 6pm-7pm (meet in center pavilion inside garden)
June 10th, “West side pollinator planting”, 8am-11am (to avoid rain)
June 22nd, “Work Party”, 6pm-7pm (meet in the center pavilion inside garden)
The calendar continues to evolve so please check it regularly for updates. We are booking music in the garden, getting ready to collect vegetables for the food donation and have regular scheduled service hours the 2nd and 4th Thursday evenings of each month. These work parties are a great way for you to come meet your garden neighbors and help keep the garden community spaces beautiful!
Everyone is an integral part of this community and we appreciate all of your efforts so far this season. Each season brings unique challenges to our garden and we are always open to new suggestions. If you have any thoughts you wish to share feel free to reach out to leadership@roserootsgarden.org.
Make it a peaceful and enjoyable month as we welcome summer on the June 21st Summer Solstice.
We look forward to seeing you out at the garden,
Rose Roots Leadership Team