COMPOST IS RESTING

Please do not add anything to the compost bin. 

The good bacteria are now doing the maturing job.
Happy winter to all the good bacteria!

Excellent team work!

Sunday's perfect weather (11.13) helped our 1710 garden clean-up day! 
With rakes, dustpans and plastic bags we collected dead leaves. We removed the furniture, fixed dangling wires and put away our sunshade. 

Thank you to:
Allison, Esme, Adam, Pauline who shared her rich ricotta and blueberry cake, Rusty, Liam, Stephen, Shurnette, Olisha, Dimitri, Sam, Claudia and Sue who energized all of us with coffee and delicious peanut butter cookies. 

Photos by Pauline Shapiro

 

Garden Clean Up

Leaves are falling, the garden parties are behind us for now and it's time to prepare our garden for the winter!

Let's get together Sunday November 13 to collect old leaves - we'll keep some for our compost -, remove our sunshade and put the furniture away (much to the chagrin of the felines that have elected our backyard as their kingdom...).

Let's meet in the backyard at 10:30am. Bring heavy duty gloves or any gloves; dress for the weather.

Those who can't join the working force are welcome to show their appreciation for the volunteers' commitment by warming their hearts with some coffee or tea! 

   See you on Sunday November 13 in the backyard!

Daffodil bulbs planting spree

Thanks to two residents over two dozen donated Daffodil bulbs

have made their way to our building. These bulbs must be planted soon to have wonderful results this coming spring.
A small group is meeting on Tuesday 10/4 at around 2:00pm. Want to join? Want to pitch in but at another time? Some bulbs can be planted later. What's your availability?

Leave a comment here to coordinate!

Outside beds and hellstrips

Thanks to all the shareholders who enthusiastically worked on the outside beds and the E 18th Street and Avenue H hell-strips (strips of dirt between the sidewalk and the street). 

 

We fertilized all the beds with a special Fall fertilizer, removed the dried leaves from the hell-strips and fertilized them. A generous watering helped the fertilizer seep into the dirt.

Now our outside beds are ready for the Winter!  
See you in the Spring to put grass seeds and ground cover down to improve them more. We are tired of our outside beds and hell-strips being used as garbage containers!

Compost bin is open

Our tumbler is ready to be fed new kitchen scraps!
Please follow guidelines. Do not add the so called "compostable bags". Thank you all!

Compost tumbling help needed

Hi to all black gold lovers!
We need somebody to pitch in once a week to tumble the compost. It takes only 5 minutes at most and some muscles. Anybody willing to do that?

Compost update

Thank you to all residents that are actively participating in composting kitchen scraps to help our garden.

Please make sure you do not add anything to the compost bin when you see a  “CLOSED” note on it. It disrupts the maturing process and we'll never be able to have a finished batch.

Please contact this blog for more information.

Thanks for your cooperation.

Big maggots in our compost

It sound yucky, but in fact we have been 'blessed' with Black Soldier Fly maggots!

They thrive on scraps rich in nitrogen and help our compost enormously.

Please read more here:

https://gardenclubofcamaswashougal.org/2015/10/25/composting-with-black-soldier-fly-larvae/
There's an NPR link with some interesting twist on how to use BSF...

Garden Party 2016 photos, video

Our party was a total success, with gourmet food and fun music. Thanks to all who organized and helped!

Click on the links below to see images and a fun video.

Photos
Garden Party August 2016 album

Video - courtesy of Amy Sara Clark
https://goo.gl/photos/jAWTT9GsBcpeYHoHA

What goes in the compost tumbler

WHAT TO ADD TO COMPOST


GREENS
(materials rich in nitrogen - N -) 

- fruit & vegetable scraps
- coffee grounds & tea bags
- manure & bedding ONLY from plant eating animals
- green plants
- garden trimmings
- fresh leaves & flowers
- grass clippings

BROWNS
(materials rich in carbon - C -) 

- bread & grains
- egg shells
- nutshells
- corncobs
- food-soiled paper towels & napkins
- shredded newspaper
- fall leaves, twigs & woody prunings
- dry plant material
- straw & hay
- pine needles
- potting soil

Tuesday 8/2 - processing mature compost

This summer we had a hard time getting our compost to ripen.

Finally, thanks to Scott's regular compost tumbling every other day, and balancing the C/N (Carbon/Nitrogen) ratio we will soon be able to sift the mature compost, give it a home and our tumbler will be ready to accept new scraps.

We'll be in the backyard by the tumbler on 8/2 after 12pm. If you want to join, shoot an email/comment.

New plants have a home!

We dug, removed some ivy, brought compost from the back yard and gave our four beautiful azaleas a new home!

In the backyard we have some fabulous juniper by the old tree stomp and conifers planted in bed #1 and bed #4!
Go smell the pines!

We have a planting date!

Hi everybody, we are going to plant the remaining azaleas and conifers tomorrow, Tuesday 7/19 at 7:00pm. Meet us by the main entrance on Avenue H. Bring gloves!

our garden grows in brooklyn

We were given some great plants via Alessandra Galletti, a landscaper architect who works for PPS and as a free lancer and Stephen Hanson, one of our gardeners.

We received four big azaleas, two large conifers - a Mungo pine and a Norfolk - and some pretty shrubs. Yesterday morning a crew of three people cleaned the area under the tree in bed #8 (see map), shoveled some compost from bed #3 in a barrel and planted two azaleas. We watered them and later the rain helped settle everything in. 

There is more to plant. Do you feel ready for a work out as you beautify your garden? Join us - Sunday 17 - in the afternoon. Comment on this post if you want to put your name in.

Bring gloves!

Early Bird Garden Clean Up

See you at 8:30 am tomorrow - Friday 17 - to clean up the garden and hoist our sun sail. Bring gloves!

Bamboo invasion

trimming all the new bamboo shoots in bed #1 is very important: it's spreading too much and it needs to be kept in constant control.

Powdery mildew on garden and home plants: a healthy approach

How to make our plants look great without spreading toxic stuff around!

Powdery mildew is a common summer problem on many types of vegetables and cut flowers.
But most powdery mildew can be avoided or cured with inexpensive, homemade remedies that have been proven to work as well as or better than commercial fungicides. Powdery mildew thrives when foliage is dry and the weather is warm; wind spreads the spores to other plants. In fact, powdery mildew spores can’t germinate or grow when foliage is wet, so overhead watering is sometimes recommended as a preventative on highly susceptible crops.
If left unchecked, powdery mildew will cause leaves to turn yellow, die and fall off. Following are some of the remedies and products available for preventing powdery mildew:

A better bed

The Avenue H bed on the corner with E18th Street got beautified! Thanks to Ivy, Henry, Matthew and Claudia.

Non-Toxic Pest Killer

From Nancy, our Fiske Terrace Association neighbor:

Our gardening season is now in 'full swing'! Everything is coming up.

Roses and Iris and Peonies and, and, and ... a few pests may be coming up too.

I've done a little research into insecticidal soaps and other de-bugging concoctions and have found an easy, non-toxic and cheap solution (play on words intended)!

Using a quart size spray bottle (clean reuse or inexpensive at Almac)  

mix:

1 tsp dish detergent

1 Cup Rubbing alcohol

1 quart water

shake and spray - this will kill mites and scale and should be sprayed on the areas you see any infestation.  There, you are ready to de-bug your plants - both indoor and outdoor!

Happy gardening!

Next Garden Day - TBD

Hi garden aficionados!
Our garden needs some shaping up. This is what needs to be done:

• sweeping leaves
• planting some bulbs that have been sitting in the garden under a bench for a long time
• transplanting some ground cover from one of the inside beds to bare areas outside
• hoisting the sun sail
• finishing the outside bed with stones on Avenue H/E18th
• trimming all the new bamboo shoots in bed #1. It's spreading too much and it needs to be kept in constant control.

We don't need to be all together to do any of the above, but what if met for a garden day this coming Saturday 5/28? Please reply with a comment to this post.

Good Garden Sale

It was a good sale day.
The weather tricked us into thinking it was going to be nice...it became winter cold and windy, instead. We all had to run upstairs to get jackets, scarves and hats. Yet, it didn't rain on us.
The toys sold quickly in the beginning of the morning. Everything else trickled down slowly, thanks to some quite shark-like lady, who kept roaming around bargaining things down...
We got rid of a lot of unwanted items and made $359. 
The garden thanks everybody's effort.

SALE flyers up

We need to put up flyers in the neighboring streets.
It's supposed to rain heavily this afternoon, so I suggest we do it tomorrow before the sale.

I know, it's a pain in the neck, but if we put them up today they'd be washed away.
Who's in?

New Mower!

The garden committee has purchased a new mower to replace our old noisy, gas guzzling, poorly cutting rotary model. As a bonus it will be easier to lift over the fence into our lawn beds. We also have a sharpening kit.


"This classic Scotts Push Reel Mower gives you the fuel savings of a manual mower and the wide cutting width of a power mower. Its unique rear wheel design helps reduce drag and improve maneuverability. Cutting Height in. 1-3, Blade Type 5-blade, 5-spider ball bearing reel, Rear Tire Size in. 6 tracking wheels, Cutting Width in. 20, Dimensions L x W x H in. 28 x 18 x 11, Front Tire Size in. 10 primary wheels. 20in. cutting width compares to a power mower 1in.-3in. height range and 9-position. QuickSnap height adjusters for easy-to-use cutting options. Easy to maneuver with 6in. rear tracking wheels. Durable 10in. composite wheels with radial tread tires for good traction 5-spider, 5-blade ball bearing reel has the optimal number of blades for ease of use and superior cutting. Durable heat-treated blades Welded reel hood protects overhanging plants and shrubs. Comfortable loop handle with foam grip."

Owner's Manual

The cicadas are coming

Billions of the chirping, red-eyed bugs are set to rise out of the ground across the East Coast next month for a once-every-17-years mating spree.
The insects — known for their loud, droning mating songs — will pop out of the soil in New York, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia when the ground warms to about 64 degrees.

That should happen sometime in May, according to cicada blog Cicada Mania.
 
PAT AUCKERMAN/AP

Garden fundraising sale

Sunday May 15

Empty your closet and support your garden
Join us in raising money for the garden with unwanted items cluttering your closet or baked items and drinks

We need people to:

· sort & price donations
· put out & pick up signs
· arrive early on sale day to set up
· work the sale
· pack up & clean up

For questions, volunteering offers or arrangements to donate your clutter on Monday mornings or Tuesday evenings.

write to:
1710garden@gmail.com

or post a comment on this blog 

Haiku 57 about the rose

wings flutter
on a moist petal
 rose nectar 

  Charmaine Chircop

Preparing for Spring

Our gentle winter is leaving and we are all excited about Spring. 

In the meantime, while waiting for flowers to bloom, 

we make sure that 1710 Ave H offers a safe haven to birds, 

and that the street trees have a better living area. Thanks to those who worked hard at the curb!

Shh...Compost is sleeping

Our compost needs to rest, so the big black tumbler is

Please use the green or the blue container next to it for your current food scraps. Thank you. 

 

Do we need to fertilize our trees (and how)?

'For all trees and shrubs: If needed, the best time to fertilize is late April or early May, or late fall once plants are dormant. The recommended fertilizer should be spread evenly across the soil surface. The amount of actual nitrogen applied should be 3 pounds (lbs) per 1,000 square feet.'

So how do you know if your trees need fertilizer? A tree may need fertilizer if:
1) it makes very little growth, even though it is established and there is adequate rainfall;
2) its leaves in midsummer do not have a good green color, but are yellowish;
3) its leaves gradually become smaller, year after year;
4) its leaves turn to their autumn color and drop in August or early September.

Trees benefit from all of the elements, but usually respond more to applications of nitrogen. Often there is adequate phosphorus in soils from previous fertility.

Trees planted in a lawn will benefit from the same fertilizer as put on the lawn, so if you have fertilized the lawn last spring or early fall, there is probably no need to fertilize trees planted in it. If not, a complete fertilizer (one such as 10-10-10 containing nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium), put on with a fertilizer spreader at 3 or 4 pounds for each 100 square feet, should be adequate. Just make sure you don't use a lawn fertilizer containing herbicides for broad-leaved plants. Such fertilizer may damage or kill your trees. For trees not planted in lawns, you may also broadcast fertilizer on the surface. Research has shown this to be effective, reaching tree roots, even in lawns. Or you may choose to root feed.

A common method of root feeding for home gardeners is to buy spikes of tree fertilizer and drive these down into the soil. Another method is to make holes in the soil with a crowbar, or similar tool, and pour fertilizer into these holes. Holes should be about 18 inches deep and 1-1/2 to 2 feet apart. They should start about 6 feet out from the trunk of older and larger trees, and extend out about 6 feet beyond the spread of the branches. For younger trees, make holes about every two to three square feet

For a fertilizer containing 10 percent nitrogen (such as 10-8-6), use 2 pounds for each inch of trunk diameter, measured at waist height. So a tree with a 10-inch diameter should receive 20 pounds of fertilizer.

Another method of root feeding is to use a tube you attach to the hose. On the hose end is a container to add fertilizer tablets. Simply push into the ground, turn on the water, and the fertilizer solution is injected into the root zone. Use similar spacing as above. This is the method usually used by tree care professionals. Such wands can be found in complete garden centers, and specialty garden supply catalogs.

Feeling down? Then get dirty...Soil is the new Prozac

It’s official, soil microbes have been found to have similar effects on the brain and are without side effects of anti depressents or the chemical dependency potential. So if you are feeling a bit blue, get digging!
Mycobacterium vaccae has indeed been found to mirror the effect on neurons that drugs like Prozac provide. The bacterium is found in soil and may stimulate serotonin production, which makes you relaxed and happier.

Grow Your Veggies?

Anyone else interested in turning one of the back courtyard plots into a vegetable garden? I think this spring may be our chance, because the Norway Maple is down, letting in a lot more sun. Here's my idea about how to do it:

1. We'd dig up the ivy and other ground cover in the bed closest to the entrance/elevator. (I can't remember the number and can't find the map. Can someone help me out?) Do people think that will get enough sun? With the sun being much higher in the sky during the summer, I am betting yes. We could move the ground cover and shrubs that are there to the curb strip along East 18th Street, which we should try to revive.

2. We'd probably need to put some sort of chicken wire around it to keep animals out.

3. We'd need to figure out a way to determining who could be a part of the veggie club. I recommend this: if you volunteer to move some of that ground cover and prepare the soil both on East 18th and in the garden plot, you get a few square feet to plant. (The size of the individual plots will be determined by the number of participants.) We could do this over two weekends and make allowances for anyone who really wanted to partake but couldn't make either date.  

4. The exchange of ground cover for vegetables would be ideal from a cost perspective: we wouldn't need to buy much, or any, ground cover for East 18th ... and vegetable seeds are cheap. Plus, if the ivy is left where it is, I am worried it will burn from the excess sunlight.

Another idea: let's plant another tree on the East 18th Street curb strip ... perhaps move the bush that's there and put it there, to the south of the lamp post? Another tree would provide more shade for that section of the strip, preventing the new ground cover from burning.    

What do you think? Chime in on comments below.