GARDENS
To print out a full-size entry form click here: MOSAIC_Contest_Flyer
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June 16, 2013
Howdy Gardeners!
Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads out there!
A special thanks to those who spent yesterday playing in the dirt, and revving up their favorite power tools at the garden!
If you were there, here is a recap of what went down…if you were not then, here is what you missed…
Garden Work and Play Days = Amazing Results!
Our Garden Work and Play Day was priceless. It was a perfect day to spend the entire morning (and some of the afternoon) in the garden! More than 20 people showed up to help with the enormous task of spreading more than 13+ yards of mulch throughout the perimeter of the garden AND building a portable farmer’s stand!
More than 16 yards of mulch was delivered on Friday, just in time for our Garden Work and Play Day. With just a handful of people, approximately 13 yards of mulch was wheel barreled into the back gate and spread throughout the perimeter garden beds. I am grateful to those who diligently worked to get as much mulch as humanly possible onto the beds that day. There are nothing but hotter days approaching and the newly-laid mulch will effectively aid in retaining moisture in the beds and help keep weeds at bay! So many thanks to all the hands that helped get the job done!
While mulch was moving all around the garden, several highly-skilled adult volunteers guided the cart-building process along with kids from the Olivet’s Boys & Girls Club and some of our young garden members. The children learned how to use tools such as screwdrivers, ratchets and hammers while effectively working as a team to get the job done. In just three hours, the team had assembled a well crafted farmer’s stand. A many thanks to our adult volunteers for taking the time and for donating most of the materials needed to build a great veggie stand! The stand will benefit the garden in so many ways for seasons to come!
Extra, Extra!
There are several hot pepper plants and watermelon plants located near the center water pump. Feel free to plant a few in your plot or take a few home. Thank you to the members from the Pottstown Middle School for sharing!
Don’t Forget, Open Garden Days Each Tuesday!
The garden is now open every Tuesday from 6:00 – 7:30 PM! Our experienced assistant, Tina Anderson, is at the garden during this time and is willing to share her vast knowledge in gardening with YOU! She’ll answer any questions you may have and offer up helpful hints to improve your gardening experience! I have learned so much from Tina since she joined our garden gang and you can too! Meet her at the garden on Tuesdays!
Volunteers – Come One, Come All
The MOSAIC Summer Youth Program begins tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM. We are still in need of 4 volunteers who are willing to commit to 2-4 hours during the summer to help facilitate class or two. Please contact me via email or by calling (484) 300-2410 to sign up!
Please Take Note:
While everyone’s gardens are coming along quite nicely, the areas directly around the beds were pretty ‘weedy’ on Saturday. It is essential that we all pitch in to weed the walking paths, along the fence and directly round each garden bed as much as possible. Weeds spread quickly, so please take time to look around…remove any random grass patches or weeds you see while watering and weeding your plot. The fruit, vegetables, flowers and herbs will thank you for it! J
On another note,
Please do not park directly in front of the William E. Boalton Plumbing Company located right across the street from the garden (416 Chestnut Street). They need a space for customer parking and have asked that we not park there Monday thru Saturday. Mr. Butz, the company’s owner, has been helpful in allowing some of us to use his electric along with his bathroom…so let us all be mindful of his request to save a little room on the street for Boalton customers.
Here’s to the garden!
Laura
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May 20, 2013
Happy Monday Everyone,
I hope you had a productive yet relaxing weekend…here’s what going on at the garden….
Saturday’s Work and Play Day Rocked!
We had more than 30 people show up to weed, plant and fellowship with other garden members! The Olivet’s Boys and Girls Club was well-represented that day. They had several staff members and youth members at the garden weeding their plots and the plots of other members, displaying a great example of what teamwork looks like! The children worked hard, learned a few things about gardening and enjoyed spending time with garden members, Ms. Hannah, Ms. Mary Beth, Mr. Ross and Ms. Barb along with the Olivet’s staff!
The beekeeper was also there sharing information about the garden colony. He explained and showed us how the queen, her eggs and larvae are cared by the worker bees. It is an amazing process!
Saturday’s Garden Work and Play Day was a great day of conversation, teaching and learning for all who attended!
The Garden (and Beyond) Network
We have many different organizations and businesses represented at the garden this year! Take advantage of the opportunity, on garden days and random days, to get to know your fellow gardeners and anyone else stopping by. You may land a job, get a referral or just build a new, healthy and long-term relationship!
The following organizations are active at the garden and have information and resources you may find useful: Olivet’s Boys and Girls Club, The Penn Foundation, Grumpy’s, Bell Rouge Salon, the Pottstown Karate Club, Developmental Enterprises – Pottstown Training Center, 7th Day Adventist Walnut Street Church, the Pottstown Middle School and Genesis Housing. Some of our members are lawyers, chemists or just darn good gardeners that have a lot to offer!
Some of our organization members offer free and discounts services, while others offer grants and loans to downtown Pottstown homeowners for home repairs! Getting to know other gardeners and MOSAICCoomunityLand Trust members could benefit you or someone you know! The garden provides an opportunity to make connections that could change you life!
Now Open – Weekly Garden Days Begin Tomorrow, May 21st, 6-7:30 PM
Each week, our wonderfully-knowledgeable Garden Assistant (Tina Anderson) will be at the garden to answer any questions you have about gardening. Tina is a gardener at heart and has a good understanding of what it takes to have a successful growing season. Tina also has fun tips on how to maximize your garden space! Please visit the garden and get to know Tina and more about gardening during this time!
Garden Work & Play Day – Saturday, June 1st, and June 15th, 9 AM-12 Noon
We will continue our bi-weekly quest to share ideas, pick some weeds, harvest some early risers such as thyme and rosemary get “caught up” on things happening around the garden. Come on out, don’t miss as opportunity to make new friends, check out our bee family or to help clean up around the perimeter of the garden!
Home Gardening and Beautification Contest
We still need more entries! We are only half way there for the minimum number of entries needed to have a solid contest. There are still copies of the entry forms are in the shed. Please feel free to take a couple to give to people who express interest or stick it in a neighbor’s door whose flower boxes deserve the ultimate praise! Entry deadline is June 20th!!!
Have Extra Grocery Bags??? We Need ‘Em!
Please bring any extra grocery bags you have floating around at home to the garden. We can re-use the bags to carry home our hefty harvest throughout the summer. You can put the bags under the weigh station until we find a home for them.
Which reminds me…
Don’t forget to weigh the items you have harvested and record the totals on the sign-in log sheets! THIS IS SUPER-IMPORTANT for our records!
We NEED VOLUNTEERS
Summer Youth Program - I can’t stress that enough! We would love to have you or your family member or your neighbor, even a co-worker help out this summer. We need facilitators and general volunteers to help out. Committing to 2 sessions takes just 3 hours total of your precious time! If every member could make the commitment, we would have more facilitators and volunteers than we could use this year…imagine that?!
Garden Handy Person, - We are looking for a volunteer handy man (or woman) to care for the little things around the garden, such as pumping up the wheel barrels, occasional sweeping and to fix other things in the garden from time to time. Do you know of someone who would love to help out? Please let me know.
Keep Your Garden Tidy - We encourage everyone to lend a hand in keeping the garden tidy. Please sign up in the shed to help in watering the perimeter area around around the garden, sweeping the main walkway and patio areas and taking out the trash. It takes someone special to do it – and that special someone can be you this week!
A neat and tidy garden is essential to the overall success of everyone’s plot! The area around each plot needs tending along with the beds bordering the fence. Take time while at the garden to look around, there is always something that needs to be done. Please spend the extra 15 minutes it takes to do it!
Our plots are looking wonderful, let’s help to ensure the entire garden looks just as good!
Thanks so much.
See ya’ at the garden,
Laura
“Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.” - Anais Nin
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Hi everyone! I hope your having a wonderful day.
Just a few quick reminders, upcoming events and helpful hints regarding the garden…
Upcoming Events:
Open Garden Day
Saturday, May 4th, 9-11 AM - Marybeth will be at the garden during this time to answer any questions you may have about your garden plot, such as what to plant from seed and what should be started at home prior to planting or to simply provide a helpful hand. Please take an opportunity to visit the garden during this time; pick some weeds and Marybeth’s brain while your there! 
Garden Work & Play Day
Saturday, May 11th, and May 18th, 9 AM-12 Noon. We will be handing out free plants to our garden members! We will have vegetable plants such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and herbs along with more seeds to plant. Come join us and fill your garden plot with new all the new items to plant! We also need volunteers willing to help out at the Garden Party at the park (that same day) located one block away on Chestnut and Washington Sts. Please plan to pitch in over there as well!
Home Gardening and Beautification Contest
We need more entries! Copies of the entry forms are in the shed, please feel free to take a couple to give to people who express interest or stick it in a neighbor’s door whose flower boxes deserve the ultimate praise! The entry deadline is June 10th!!!
Honey Bee Update
Last week, I lent Lee a helping hand in caring for the bees. According to Lee, the hive is young and has to be fed at this point in order to be successful throughout the rest of the year. Lee asked that I check to see if the queen was out of her shipping cage and had become part of the family. If she was, the cage had to be removed and a honeycomb tray needed to be added into the hive. My son and I put on our veils, took a deep breath and started our investigation!
The queen was out of her shipping cage and the worker bees got straight down to business. Nikko and I managed to remove the old cage and excess honeycombs in order to slide in the additional honeycomb tray. We also fed the bees a container of a sugar/water mixture, the container was empty when we got there so the bees were thankful for that! All-in-all, it was an exciting experience for me and my son! He removed bees from the excess combs and put them back in the hive, filled the feeding container and held a honeycomb tray with about 300+ bees on it (or so it seemed) in order for me to complete the task! It was lots of fun and neither one of us were stung through the entire process!
Things to Keep in Mind
We encourage everyone to lend a hand in keeping the garden tidy. Please remember to weed the perimeter area around your plot on a regular basis. This will aid in helping successful growth of your garden. The area around each plot needs tending along with the beds along the fence. Take time while at the garden and look around, there’s always other ways to help out – like picking up trash, weeding the perimeter garden beds or tidying up in areas around the shed. Our plots are looking wonderful, let’s help to ensure the entire garden looks just as good!
Please use discretion when providing others with the garden combination lock code. Only the people listed on your garden plot registration who plan to visit the garden without you should have the combination. Please send me an email if you would like to add others to your registration form.
Lastly, I have several books on gardening that will be left in the shed for everyone’s use. Please feel free to flip through the pages if you need a little help while your there.
Thanks so much.
See ya’ at the garden,
Laura
“Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.” - Anais Nin
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Thanks to all who supported this program in one shape or form. Hannah Davis (Member/Mosaic Communty Land Trust) |
We are one step closer.
What’s Next?
The infrastructure work is progressing nicely! Next on the “menu” is a new chain link fence around the gardens. But before the fence can be built, it has been determined that the land needs to be graded and leveled. We will add large gates at the back of the property to allow for large equipment.The front of the property will have a small gate situated between the old stone pilars. Solar motion sensor lighting will illuminate the gardens at night.
We Can Make a Difference….
as we teach the young people of our community the beauty of growing their own veggies and the healthful benefits of eating a “just plucked carrot” that they have grown themselves! The lessons of team work, partnerships and respect for nature are added benefits and that’s no small potato!
If you have an interest in volunteering to help set up the Steering Committee and/or you would like to make a monetary donation or help raise funds please contact me, Katy Jackson, at the email address below. Your interest will be greatly appreciated.
Donations are tax deductable!
Contact us at: pottstownclt@gmail.com
The CLT will be partnering with the Pottstown School District, The Borough, Genesis Housing Corp., whose landscape architect, Al Gryga of DePallo Design & Planning has developed the site plan…
Check the Pottstown Community Garden Conceptual Site Plan Here
Thanks to Judy Memberg and Al Gryga for their AWESOMENESS !!
Community Organizing
- Community gardens increase a sense of community ownership and stewardship.
- Community gardens foster the development of a community identity and spirit.
- Community gardens bring people together from a wide variety of backgrounds (age, race, culture, social class).
- Community gardens build community leaders.
The CLT’s Community Garden Committee is headed by Washington Street Corridor resident Katy Jackson. Other members include: Andrew Kefer, Mary-Beth Lydon, Andrew Monastra, Al Gryga, (DePallo Design & Planning, LLC, Judy Memberg (Genesis Housing Corporation Eric Schmidt (Colonial Gardens, and Joanne Waddell (President, Pottstown Garden Club).
Hi!
My name is Emma and I am interested in supporting the community gardens in Pottstown. I have signed on for your news letter.
Thank you!
Hi Emma,
I’m learning wordpress and your comment was delayed, sorry ’bout that! Thanks for your interest in supporting the Gardens!! Definitely keep an eye on this site and we’ll be putting out calls for volunteers. THINK GREEN.
Hello! I am definitely interested in volunteering for the community gardens in Pottstown. How do I get involved?
Thank You!
Hi Lynne! Thanks for your question. We are working on fencing for the gardens now. There won’t be much more activity again until the Spring. BUT subscribe to this blog site for regular updates. We’ll post volunteer opportunities here! Thanks so much.
Amazing! This blog looks exactly like my old one! It’s on a completely different topic but it has pretty much
the same page layout and design. Wonderful choice of
colors!