As our garden enters full Harvest season and Autumn rains start to fall, we look back at a 2023 season and appreciate the many opportunities to learn from each other, gather and celebrate community, and create a joined patchwork of fruitful garden plots.
We are thankful for all of you who have participated in work parties, workshops, the annual City of Arvada Garden Tour, and our music and potlucks in the garden. We have loved seeing all of our returning and new gardeners thriving this season and hope you plan to return next season! Keep an eye out for an Intent to Return Form in our next newsletter.
Upcoming Events
Coming SOON! Next Wed Sept 27, 6 pm
Final Music and Potluck in the Garden
We will be joined by Alberta Singer Songwriter John Hewitt.
Please RSVP HERE by this Saturday for our Upcoming Final Music and Potluck in the Garden so we know how much food to secure for the grill. Please bring a side and come ready to celebrate another fabulous garden season!
Musician BIO: John Hewitt is a modern songwriter standing on the legs of the heavy hitting inspiration before him. Taking influences from Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Van Morrison. John's music represents a student who has adapted everything he's learned from his teachers. Making Edmonton his home since 2018 he has taken the touring circuit and local scene by the reins and shows no signs of slowing down or giving up. "American Hotel" his first Alberta release was shelved due to the pandemic, but for John like many others this became the most creative time of his life. Writing and recording an additional 4 albums worth of material he celebrated in April 2022 with a sold out triple album release show at the Station on Jasper. Since then he has performed the Canmore Folk Festival, Wild Oats & Notes, Millwoods Canada Day, New Moon Folk Club, Northern Lights Folk Club, Lethbridge Folk Club, Nickelodeon Folk Club, Whitefish Songwriter Festival (One of two Canadian Acts to be invited to perform) and the Black Rose Acoustic Society in Colorado Springs where he has been invited back to headline in October 2023. In December 2021 John Released "Dead lovers" Which has had considerable airplay on CKUA and in December 2022 released "Life Blood & Tears" which hit the top 40 on Campus and College Radio Canada wide. John tours in a number of lineups so be sure to follow this troubadours endless schedule of highways, living rooms, festivals and folk clubs.
Event Recap
Aug 23, 6:30-8:30 pm: Volunteer Service Day at the Garden
Many thanks to Jason Anderson and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and Rose Roots Special Projects Lead Patty Sacks for rounding up 40-50 kids and adults to help Rose Roots Community Garden to help weed our common areas. The four teams worked well with the leaders and, together, were able to pull many many wheelbarrows of weeds within the garden and along the south fence.
The work is much appreciated by garden leadership and gardeners alike and we hope we were able to inspire a good number of the young people to become future gardeners!
Aug 23 Volunteer Service Day Memories
Garden Harvest for those in Need
Please continue to bring your surplus garden harvest to the barn where we collect and deliver it to those in need. Collection occurs on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the Community Table Arvada Food Bank and the Veggie Van. Reach out to us Here if you find you don't have time to harvest and would like some help ensuring all of your veggies go to a good cause!
Produce Donation Report from Alyson Katz, Food Donation Lead:
Community Table Donations: 166 lbs
Veggie Van: 203.9 lbs
Total Produce Donations: 369.9 lbs
Westside Landscaping Project Update
The trees and ground cover so lovingly planted by so many volunteers are thriving and will soon be irrigated in a partnership with the City of Arvada. Big news: The West area has been added to the garden defined space in the Use Agreement Denver Urban Gardens (DUG) has with the City of Arvada. This was done after the grant and proposal our garden team put together and we've just received word! Just like the garden, it is a space managed by DUG and cared for by the community! We have grown!
Giving Back to Your Garden Community
As we wind down the season, we will begin to plan for next season and we would love to hear from anyone who would like to get more involved in garden leadership roles. Our monthly meetings require about an hour commitment and we have a great crew. If you're looking to get involved, reach out Here and we will provide more information on positions available. The season runs from planning meetings starting in February to the end of October and leadership roles are typically a commitment of between 1 and 2 seasons.
Plot Clean Up
We require that all plots be cleared out by Oct 31. If you plan to return, feel free to leave your plot in a tidy condition but no need to clear things that are still growing. If you plan to come back Fall is a good time to plan garlic and spinach.
We expect a large dumpster to be delivered in the next few weeks so that all gardeners can dispose of large items that can't be mowed like sunflowers. The rest of your organic matter we would love for you to place in a pile next to the compost piles on the West Side. We will have a sign up to direct where to place items.
Voices of our Gardeners
"I would like to acknowledge two people that have helped me keep the Herb Garden in plot #79 full of plants and looking good. Each spring we need to replant the annuals and divide the overgrown perennials. Last fall, Jill who gardens in plot # 56, removed two wooden boxes that were falling apart. She replaced them with composite boxes that she donated to the herb garden. It was a hard project to do. Aaron, who gardens in plot # 73 , worked the soil in the two large boxes and added new organic soil. He also planted garlic in the herb garden last fall for harvest this summer. (I am curing the harvested garlic for the food bank now and have replanted that area with crops for fall.) In addition, Aaron provided and planted four types of basil, and a sage that he grew from seed at home. He also purchased and planted a new rosemary and lavender plant to replace those that had died over the winter. I would like to thank both of these gardeners for helping me with this garden." -Deb Harris, August 2023
Garden Gratitude
Thank you to Gary Williams for securing an Electric Mower for the garden.
Thank you to Jack Daniels and Jim Richards for adding much needed irrigation lines to the West Side project.
Thank you to the City of Arvada for supporting the Westside Landscaping Project and especially the City Irrigation Team who have offered to add a stub to the irrigation line we installed that is metered for the garden, so we can water the trees and shrubs on the West side. Thank you to Denver Urban Gardens for supporting the project logistics.
Thank you to Jason Anderson and the wonderful volunteers from Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who did a wonderful service project at the garden.
Special Thanks goes to Laura Bennett, Shannon Sawyer, Christie Morin, Tom Glum, Alyson Katz, and Katie Meis for serving as new leaders this season. We appreciate all that you do and with such enthusiasm and gusto!
Mark your Calendars
Tues Oct 10, 6 pm: Final Monthy Garden Meeting for the season
Sat Oct 21, 9 am: Final Work Party to put the garden to bed.
Happy Harvest Season!
Rose Roots Leadership Team
Laura Bennett, President
Erin Newton, Vice President
Administrator, Shannon Sawyer
Tom Glum, Treasurer
Christie Morin, Membership Lead
Gary Williams, Operations Lead
Jim Richards, Operations Lead
Patty Sacks, Special Projects Lead
Team Leads
Alyson Katz, Produce Donation Lead
Katie Meis, Pollinator Garden Lead
Deb Harris, Kiosk Designer
Karel Hemler, Food Bank Plots Lead
Karissa Devore, Events Planner
Judy Newton, Community Outreach
Amy Ahrent, Social Media Lead
Catherine Camacho, Youth Team Lead