Wagon Hill Farm Community Garden growing greater good

This is a quick reminder that we need help to build new beds this Saturday, April 26, from 1 – 4 (rain date, Apr. 27th 1 – 4). 

The current weather report says “showers” on Sat. and we’ll work unless it’s a downpour!  We hope to build and fill new beds with soil.  If you have a wheelbarrow and shovel you could bring, that would be helpful.  Be sure you have your name on any equipment you bring. 

Other items we could use:

Clean, unbleached cardboard with no tape, staples or glue residue on it. 
Newspapers WITHOUT colorful advertising flyers mixed in.

Each  new bed will have a layer of cardboard in the bottom and a sprinkling of chicken manure before being filled with soil.

A reminder to those of you who still need to pay for your beds that you can bring your payment to me that day OR put a check in the mail to me before May 1st.

Thanks and hope to see you on Saturday,

Kay Morgan, Membership Coordinator

Herb Society Annual Plant Sale TOMORROW, May 11th 9 AM to 1 PM at Great Bay Services, 2061 Woodbury Avenue, Newington, NH, across from the Fox Run Mall.
Plenty of time to buy plants in the morning and attend the WORK DAY in the afternoon!!

Garden Success through Organization and Design
Saturday, May 4th, 2013
10am – 11:30 am
Durham Town Council Chambers
Durham Town Office
15 Newmarket Road
Workshop Leader: Vin Dell’Ova, Master Gardener Intern and Member of the Durham Agricultural Commission
Contact for more info: Theresa Walker, Durham Agricultural Commission, 659-7226, theresawalker@comcast.net

As an integral part of this Sunday’s weed identification session at 1:30pm, we will not only be talking about weed management, but we will be actively managing (PULLING) weeds where we find them.

**If you have a “weed” that you are nurturing for some particular purpose (medicinal, edible, scented, poison, etc.), and which you intend to remove before it seeds or sends out new shoots, please let me know (and bed number), and it will be temporarily spared. Otherwise, all weeds will be removed for the common good. The intent is to do a sweep of all gardens if we have the time.

Our garden community work day comes around the third Sunday of each month, which by my calendar is next Sunday, August 19, noon to 3pm. This month’s theme, “Children and Other Pests,” will include two bonus attractions:

1. KIDS’ SCAVENGER HUNT: For the child gardeners (approx 3 – 12 yrs), Erika and Sandy have organized a garden scavenger hunt. Children will be given a plant/fruit identification map to go by. They will look for a garden in which that plant/fruit is growing, record the number of the garden, and then, once completed, come back for a quick check in, and a small prize (pinwheel, seed packet, and/or farmer’s market Snap coin). Older children may be asked to fill in a blank or two identifying something from specific gardens in more detail. If you have a child or children interested, please let me know as soon as possible (number and ages of children) so that organizers can have enough age-appropriate hunt-lists and prizes. Deadline for rsvp: Saturday, Aug 18, noon: John 285- 1513,johnhart603@gmail.com.

1. WEED IDENTIFICATION AND MGMT: For the adult gardeners, there will be a special performance in weed identification and management by the renowned Dr. Dirt of Durham. The weed tour will happen when a critical mass of gardeners has been achieved, possibly at 1:30pm. This will be a group teach-in involving all participants and their knowledge and experience. It will likely cross biological borders into insect and disease pests of plants. No reservation needed.

We have grown a lot of fresh organic produce in our individual beds this summer. Much has also been accomplished in the common garden on our work days, and most of us have made some new friends. We hope to see you and many children at Wagon Hill next Sunday!

John Hart