News

Open plots are still available. Tell your friends and family!

Work Days – Please join the garden members for a couple of scheduled work days in March!

First scheduled date: (TENTATIVE: MARCH 7 DATE pending verification from Our City Trees)
Watch for email updates this week, but contact Mary Williams to be put on her group list to receive more information.

From VP Mary Williams about March 7 tree trimming class from Our City Trees and work time-

Are you interested in learning how to trim trees so they will grow into a pleasing shape?

Next Saturday, March 7, Our City Forest will demonstrate how to trim the trees that were planted last year. Arrive at 8:45 for coffee, and the demonstration will start at 9:00.

After learning the basics you can trim trees and earn time credit towards your six hours of garden maintenance.

Please RSVP to Mary Williams at marymgnhill7@gmail.com

Second scheduled Date: Saturday, March 21, 9-11 am.

First Day of Spring! Group time to work around the pollinator garden! Just show up at the garden. We have some weeding tools, but feel free to bring your own in case we need more. RSVP if you like so we can have a rough idea of how many people to expect.

Weeds

Thanks to everyone who has come to the garden to tackle the growing weeds. If you haven’t been able to make it to the garden yet, please get there soon. Some plots have many weeds in them and some have tall weeds in the pathways around the plot. Please note that weeds in your own plot and weeds in the narrow pathways around your plots are a gardener’s responsibility and do not count as work day hours. Please stop by your plots soon and see if your area is in need of care and maintenance.

The recent rains have made it much easier to remove weeds- for now! It will dry out quickly and then the job will be much harder.

Extra jobs for work hour time:
Here are some locations to start working for your six hours of work time hours. When you have some hours completed, please sign the work reporting sheet in the shed or email the garden with your time completed and that will be forwarded to the work day coordinated. There are a couple of helpful tools for weeding at the garden: hula hoe (like a rake, but with an edge for scraping weeds), 12″ weed cutter hanging with hand tools for digging out weeds, etc.

Work focus areas
Most pressing needs:
*three sides of the pollinator garden still need weeding (east, west, and south)
*parking areas (inside and outside of the gate)
*help out weeding in the raised bed area to assist ADA gardeners
Other work:
*the pathways edges around the compost bins
*most wide gray pathways have weeds
*wood chip areas near the children’s area and the pergola structure where we have classes
*between the two sheds

The weather has been wonderful and it has been delightful at the garden!

FREE SEEDS! Evergreen Supply had seeds with an expiration date of December 31,2025 that they could no longer sell. They are still good, so they gave them to us and are located in a box in the shed. Be thinking of your early spring planning and planting schedule! Some people start seeds at home to get them growing so the birds don’t snack on the newly planted seeds or you can try planting and covering with some wire baskets, etc.

EXTRA PLOTS AVAILABLE! We still have some plots in most areas of the garden. Reply to this email if you are interested and we can let you know of plot numbers that are currently open. (Maximum of three plots per gardener allowed at the garden)

The Garden Policies and Bylaws have been revised with some new informaiton that all gardeners need to be aware of. Please read the documents carefully before sending in any registration forms or payment.

Registration form and proof of residency (if needed) can be scanned and sent as a pdf to the garden email address or printed and mailed to the post office box. For email- please scan and make a pdf copy with all signatures for owners on page 2 and helpers on page 3. Then email the completed form to the garden email address. Payment can be sent by Zelle as explained on the registration form or mailed with a check or money order to the post office box. New gardeners need to include a proof of residency form- a statement with your name and address on it, etc. Forms and payment are due in our mailbox by January 31, 2026.

Registration can only be accepted if you have completed your work hours for 2025. Plots can be opened up for new gardeners if need be if work hours are not complete. If you have unfinished hours from 2025, please make it a point to get the work done earlier in 2026 before mailing in any registration forms. Your previous plot location is not guaranteed if work hours were not completed.

Winter Garden Maintenance 

Garden plots need to be maintained over the winter and early spring. Please go by the garden from time to time and removed any weeds in your plot and pathways. Better yet, use your plot for winter crops. Also, there should be no bare dirt in your plot or weeds will sprout. You can cover the soil with cover crop or straw.