Over the past couple of weeks we hosted a few demonstrations to show members how St. Andrew's gets its water. The idea behind this was to show people how much time & effort goes into filling the barrels, with the hope that members would gain a greater respect for our water supply and might become a little more conservative when it comes to water usage. With 26 participants in total, I’d say these demonstrations were a great success! Both new and seasoned members took part, and while there are still a few others who haven’t yet participated, by the end of the season every single one of our members should have taken part in filling the barrels at least once. **Quick reminder that barrels are filled Tuesdays, Fridays & Sundays, by scheduled volunteers only; members are not permitted to fill the barrels unless they've been scheduled to do so.
Now that everyone’s got their plots planted, this is the perfect time to get your garden schedules sorted. There isn’t much else to do right now other than wait for your plants to grow, but you should still be coming to the garden regularly for maintenance. Weekly check-ups (minimum) to maintain your plot & pathways is the best way to keep on top of any weed or pest issues you might have. It’s much easier to pick a few weeds every time you come to the garden than it will be to have to start all over again after a longer absence.
Scheduling garden visits into your routine makes it much easier to stay on top of things, and you will get far more out of your gardening experience in the long run. Some of our gardeners like to come to the garden every morning; others come by after dinner, when the sun has cooled and made working in the garden a little easier. Already have a packed schedule with activities throughout the week? Why not make stopping by the garden on the way home part of the activity, get the entire family involved in growing their own food.
This is also a great time to make sure our pathways are neat & tidy. That storm a few weeks back has made mulch much easier for us to come by, so this is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the situation. When you’re doing pathway maintenance, there are a few rules to live by:
- Rake back any existing mulch
- Dig up any weeds or grass
- If your plot is in one of the areas where the pathways are higher than the rest of the garden, we suggest digging up some of the soil in your pathway and adding it to your plot. The soil under those paths is fantastic for growing, mulch & cardboard have been decomposing there for years and it’s going to waste under our feet
- Add a healthy level of mulch to the path
Reminder that we’ll be hosting our first Maintenance Day of the season on June 11th, starting at 9:00 a.m. Closed-toe shoes & a water bottle are a must; for those who will not be participating, please refrain from working in your own plot until the afternoon that day, so that all tools & equipment will be available to those in the work party.
Have a great week!