Dundee Community Garden Update

Hello Dundee Community Gardeners and friends,


Welcome to our New Garden Members! We had a great turn-out at our New Member Orientation, and also for our Spring Ground-Breaking on Saturday. We got the garden cleaned up and one community (food pantry) bed planted with cool-season greens, so we are going to hold off on having another group work day until Sat. April 30. On April 30 we have our gardening seminar at 10 a.m, and at 11 a.m. we'll have a group work-day and plant the annuals in the flower beds.

New Garden Guidelines: We have some changes to our 2011 Garden Guidelines (attached). An important change that we want all members to be aware of:

"I will harvest my crops when ripe. I understand that if I do not regularly pick my produce when it is ripe, my plants may be harvested by other garden members during group work nights, and my ripe produce will be donated to the Food Pantry."

This change came about because we saw so much excellent produce last year that rotting, un-picked, in people's plots. Since our work nights are Monday nights, our members have all weekend to pick from their plots-- and if you let us know NOT to pick from your plot we can honor that-- but we'd like to see more produce from the garden getting used.

Watering Reminder: Just a reminder that we ask our members to follow the watering guidelines, which include using a watering can and water from the rain barrels whenever possible.

Mowing: We are looking for another member or two to help our current volunteers keep the garden mowed! It would involve bringing your own lawn mower up to the garden. If you can help, let us know!

Dundee Community Garden Gardening Workshops: Thank you to Vince Huebert for leading last weekend's gardening seminar on preparing your soil, and what to plant when. And thanks to our sponsors, Bread Oven and Blue Line Coffe, for the excellent refreshments! For links to the handouts from Vince, go to:

Planting a Home Vegetable Garden www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM819.pdf

Small Plot Vegetable Gardening www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM870A.pdf Small Plot Vegetable Gardening

Garden Soil Management www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM820.pdf

Planting and Harvesting Times for Garden Vegetables www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM534.pdf

Future Dundee Community Garden workshops are listed below.

COMING DUNDEE COMMUNITY GARDEN EVENTS (open to members and friends of Dundee Community Garden):

Saturday April 30, 10-11 a.m. Workshop at A.V. Sorenson: Crop Rotation, Companion planting, and Natural Pest Control (free)

Refreshments provided by Blue Line Coffee and the Bread Oven.

11 a.m. Work-day at the garden: we'll be putting annuals in the flower beds.

Sunday May 1, Tour of Rebecca Bloom's organic farm in Honey Creek, Iowa

Meet at DCG to carpool/caravan at 12:45 (leaving at 1 p.m. sharp!) or meet us at the farm at 1:30 p.m.

Tour a small organic farm and purchase herbs, veggies and flowers for your garden from Rebecca Bloom, owner/organic grower of BloomsOrganic.

The tour of Fertile Crescent Farm will include a walk around her growing areas, high tunnel production, and the passive solar home she uses for processing vegetables and starting the seedlings. Rebecca has plants of all kinds, including herbs, cole crops, lettuces, tomatoes, eggplants and peppers, many of which are heirlooms and other unusual varietals. She also has interesting and unusual flowers. Rebecca supplies vegetables to top Omaha restaurants, sells plants at Whole Foods Markets, and sells vegetable and starter plants at the Benson Farmer's Market.

Address: 27124 Ski Hill Loop, in Honey Creek, Iowa (near Mt. Crescent Ski Area and Hitchcock Nature area)

Directions: Fertile Crescent Farm is on Ski Hill Loop north of the Mt. Crescent Ski Slope, which is a west turn from the Old Lincoln Highway (#183).

That loop is the 2nd gravel left off of Old Lincoln Highway. Those who are driving are welcome to give Rebecca a call and she will give very easy-to-follow directions--the farm isn't hard to find. Rebecca's #s: 402-639-7365 (cell) or 402-455-1890 (home)

Saturday May 14, 10 a.m. Workshop at A.V. Sorenson: New Varieties-- Cool Crops for Small Gardens (exploring some of the new smaller varieties for small gardens) (free) Refreshments provided by Blue Line Coffee and the Bread Oven.

11 a.m. Work-day at the garden

Saturday May 21 Dundee Spring Fling We'll be sponsoring a plant and seedling swap, and we'll be selling home-made sturdy tomato cages as a fund-raiser.

Coming in early June: Shed-Raising Party. We'll get a crew together to build a covered tool rack/sign board. If you are handy with tools and would like to help build the shed, contact Curt Hickman at curt3@cox.net

COMMUNITY EVENT:

Beginning Vegetable Gardening Workshop/Demonstration Series, with UNL Master Gardeners. The Master Gardeners are offering a series of free demonstration classes on beginning vegetable gardening May 7-June 18. See attachment.

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