Member Update for August 10, 2014

Hello gardeners, what do you think of this beautiful weekend in the Finger Lakes?

The garden is looking really great lately, thanks to the hard work of our members. The perennial garden is free of weeds, the grass is mowed nicely, many beds are tidied up after produce is harvested, and the expanded compost pile is cooking away on this season’s additions. The beautification crew did a great job with the flowers around the Community Garden sign.

You may have noticed that the accessible beds are in their permanent places. Now everyone can help fill them with topsoil and make sure they have a good thick layer of mulch around them so that gardeners in wheelchairs can get their hands dirty in that topsoil! If you’re at the garden and have a few minutes, please fill a wheelbarrow with topsoil or mulch and add it to the accessible bed area. Most of the raised beds can always use a bit of mulch around them, too, or weeds pulled around them. Those weeds have an annoying way of getting through too-thin layers of mulch, don’t they?

There’s been some evidence of something, possibly deer, chewing on some crops. The board is planning on using natural deterrents to try to keep the deer out of the garden. As always, please let us know if you see signs of any sort of pests in your raised bed.

Speaking of pests, it looks like the fungus that got to so many tomatoes last year is back. Remember, to help prevent the spread of the fungus, remove diseased foliage promptly and dispose of it at home, NOT in the garden’s compost pile. Allowing plenty of space between your tomato plants can discourage the fungus, too.

What sorts of delicious dishes have you been making with your harvest, gardeners? Got any recipes to share? Email them to pygarden@yahoo.com and we’ll include them in the next member update.

You may have noticed that beds 10 and 25 have been weeded thoroughly. The Arc of Yates will be experimenting with growing garlic in these two beds, which are quite wet much of the time. Good luck, Arc of Yates!

Finally, the Community Garden Annual Meeting is this upcoming Saturday, August 16, from noon until 2:00 P.M. at Milly’s Pantry on Main Street. Please bring a dish to pass—something from your garden, perhaps? This will be a casual meeting where we will share ideas about how to improve the garden, meet fellow gardeners, and vote on leadership positions within the garden itself. If you’re interested in joining the Board of Directors, this is your opportunity! If you can’t make the meeting but are interested in joining the Board, shoot us an email at pygarden@yahoo.com.

Happy growing!