Community Field Day and Children’s Book Drive

Pottstown’s Community Field Day will be held this Saturday, August 27^th from 11:00 AM until 2:00 PM  at the Chestnut Street Park at Washington & Chestnut Streets in Pottstown (rain date is Sunday August 28^th from 11:00 AM until 2:00 PM).

The Field Day is a day for families to spend time together learning more about low-cost, outdoor and indoor activities available in our area. There will be games, activities, and information about many Pottstown organizations, so plan to make field day part of your weekend!

Mosaic is also collecting used books for children and teens for a book giveaway event to be held at the Pottstown FARM market in mid-September.

If you have books you would like to donate, please drop them off at the Mosaic table at the Community Field Day event this Saturday or the children’s activity table at the FARM market, Thursday evenings anytime between 4:00 to 8:00 pm. The table is located at the Ellis Building (next to the Army Navy Surplus Store on High Street.)

Thank you for helping us build a better community!

Sunset Fridays and Other Garden News!

Happy Thursday!!!!🙂

GARDEN DAYS

Sunset Fridays! Mosaic is looking to try something new!  We are hosting a set of Open Garden Days each Friday evening from 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM. We are super-excited about spending time at each location on Friday evenings.  Plan to chat with your neighbor about gardening and other cool things, work in the garden, listen to music and enjoy a light snack while visiting.  Here’s the line-up:
Friday, July 15 6-730 PM at the 423 Garden location 

Friday, July 22 6-730 PM at the 615 Garden location

Friday, July 29 6-730 PM at the Barth Garden located at 467 West Walnut Street (West side of Pottstown)

MOSAIC has Weekly Office Hours

Weekly office hours will begin Monday, July 11 from 1 – 4 PM.  A Mosaic representative will be in the office each week to answer any questions and provide information on our garden projects and housing initiatives.

GARDEN CONTEST

The home garden contest in Pottstown received 31 ENTRIES this year!  Astounding news! Garden judging and the awards ceremony for our entrants and their guest takes place this month!  Stay tuned for the official announcement of our winners in next month’s newsletter!

Mosaic Community Gardens CANNOT GROW WITHOUT YOU!

The Mosaic Gardens are buzzing with activity this year!  That said, please be sure to visit your garden regularly in order to weed, water and care for your plants in order to reap the best harvest this year.  Your garden needs to be watered at least 3-4 per week in order to survive in this heat!  Remember to water before 10:00 AM or after 3:00 PM to avoid “cooking” your plants (not good).  Also, the perimeter beds need care too!  Each gardener is responsible for weeding their own plot but also ensuring that the area around their plot is weeded too.  Many areas of the garden, at each location need TLC…please keep that in mind each time you visit.

Calling all public speakers, facilitators, organizers and other creative people!!!  Your help is needed for information sessions, workshops and summer activities.  Mosaic is flexible and will work around your schedule.  Come share your talents with the rest of the world (or at least share it with the folks at the gardens)!  Workshops can be held anytime during the year!

Mosaic continues its quest to recruit garden committee members and volunteers!  Our next garden committee meeting date for July is in the works – we hope you will attend!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED to assist with the following tasks at the gardens:
423 Chestnut Street Gardens

One bench and two picnic tables/benches need a handy person to show them some love.  Mosaic will provide all of the supplies in order to make the gardens furniture beautiful again once we know what’s needed!

Purslane everywhere!  The gardens need additional weeding around bed borders and in common areas.  Please visit the gardens to help weed.  Purslane is hardy, edible “weed” but it is infamous for choking out other plants!  Please keep that in mind.  EVERYONE has to help in order to avoid a garden takeover!
615 Chestnut Street Gardens

Same goes for this location.  The gardens need additional weeding around bed borders and in common areas.  Please visit the gardens to help pull weeds. EVERYONE has to help in order to avoid a garden takeover!
Mosaic plans to sell surplus produce from each of the gardens to benefit our programs! We are looking for a few good volunteers to run with our produce cart this summer!  Join this fun activity happening several days throughout the growing season! The produce cart allows us to sell any surplus vegetables donated back to the gardens, to teach youth members how to build a business selling produce on a small scale and gives the garden an opportunity to provide area residents with information regarding their health and wellness.

There are plenty of great opportunities available for all skill-sets and areas of interest!  Our need for additional committee members and volunteers has never been greater, the benefits and rewards have never been better!

Please sign up to support the “growth” of the Mosaic Community Land Trust Community Gardens today!

It’s EASY!  Simply reply to this email or visit our Facebook or website to sign up or to receive detailed information regarding all of the opportunities to support Mosaic Community Land Trust and Mosaic Community Gardens!

We also want to take the time to thank XL Insurance, Allegheny East Conference Seventh-Day Adventist Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Hope Community Church, The Hill School, Cub Scout Pack 263, Colonial Gardens, Genesis Housing, National Penn Bank, Pottstown Area Health and Wellenss Foundation, Pine Hill Tree Farm, First Presbyterian Church and a boat-load of neighbors, families and friends for your support of and work in the gardens!

See Ya’ at the Gardens,

MOSAIC CLT

New Community Garden at Barth Elementary

In partnership with the Pottstown School District and funded by a grant from the Pottstown Health & Wellness Foundation, Mosaic Community Land Trust is pleased to announce the opening of a new community garden at Barth Elementary School. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held June 10th, and the planting of the first garden plots took place that same day.

The following day, volunteers from Barth and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, along with gardeners from the neighborhood, built a new shed, composting bins, dug a space for a new butterfly garden, and weeded and planted the garden beds. A big THANKS to all those who came out to the garden both days!

Stop in and see this wonderful new space in our borough! If you are interested in gardening there (or at either of our other two gardens), there are still a few spaces available to lease. Contact our gardens manager, Laura Washington at wash5000@msn.com.

Volunteers Needed This Week!

Hello, Mosaic Members!

We need volunteers from among our members and friends this week to finish last minute preparations at the gardens. If you are able to help, please let Laura know as soon as possible (wash5000@msn.com):

423 Chestnut Street

• Each of the picnic tables need to be sanded (in small areas) and resealed/painted in order to last for seasons ahead (2 picnic tables with bench seats)

• The new tool shed floor needs to be painted/sealed in order to keep moisture out

• Clean, organize and sweep shed

• Spread wood chips to complete the rear garden walkways – Volunteers are working to spread this Tuesday at 10 AM.  I plan to be the ‘team lead’ during this volunteer effort.

301 Walnut Street

• A ‘retaining wall’ made of pallets needs to be build behind the newly-painted mound of succulents in order to keep the plant waste, asphalt and other debris off of the house next door to the garden.  There are two small pallets already located there in addition to fence scrap in hopes that someone can put these items to good use.

• Spread mulch in order to move the leftover pile from the volunteer day, Rock the Block – Volunteers are working to spread this Thursday after 5:00 PM. Also, pick up any litter or debris located in the garden and sweep the driveway.  We need a ‘team lead’ as I am unable to attend this evening.

615 Chestnut Street

• Move large items (over 50 lbs) from the shed there to the tool shed located at 423 Chestnut Street (volunteers who can heavy lift and have a truck – there are about 6 items and shouldn’t take longer than about 30 minutes with two people)

• Clean, organize and sweep shed

Open Garden Days – Saturday, May 14 & Sunday, May 15 from 11 AM – 2 PM

• Experienced gardeners/CLT members are needed at each open garden day to greet new members, assist them with completing any paperwork and helping them to get acclimated to the garden, the shed, compost area and garden combination locks.  Volunteers are also needed to answer any questions members may have about the gardens and/or CLT.  I am planning to be at the 615 Gardens on Saturday and at 423 on Sunday.  We will need at least one other person at the opposite garden that day if possible.

Please let us know of your availability to help and a hardy thanks to all the members, volunteers and leaders in our organization!

We are truly grateful!

Back by Popular Demand!

Missed last weeks seed planting workshop?

Join us next Wednesday evening, March 16th from 6:30-7:30 for a repeat of the seedlings workshop. You will leave that night with newly planted heirloom vegetable seeds for your home garden or community garden plot, and all the information you need to raise those little seeds into strong plants for your garden. The workshop will held at the MOSAIC office, 10 S. Hanover Street.

The workshop is free, so bring a friend and join us! Register for the workshop by contacting Tracy Purdy (tracy.purdy@temple.edu) or Laura Washington (wash5000@msn.com). SEE YOU THERE!

Garden Committee is Recruiting!

Happy Leap Year 2016!

With a very busy garden season ahead, Mosaic is going all out in its quest to recruit garden committee members and volunteers! Meetings will be held once per month, beginning mid-March (day and time TBD).

Here’s what we have in store for the 2016 season and as a garden committee member/volunteer, here is what you can be a part of and the great part about it is that there is NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED. Our experienced committee members will provide you with the tools and knowledge needed to help others:

Mosaic is building its newest community garden at Barth Elementary School located on the west side of Pottstown – There will be approximately 20 additional garden beds available for families in the Pottstown area to learn, grow and enjoy more fresh produce at a fraction of the cost in local grocery stores! There will also be several beds to be used as an educational tool for the students who attend the school! We need your support in the following areas:

• Disseminating information about the gardens to the families who live within walking distance of the school located at 467 West Walnut (late-March). Information to include membership packet, construction timeline and committee contact information.

• Assistance in recruiting volunteers (families, school students, churches and corporate volunteers) to lay top soil and mulch, assist with building a shed and to create the 20+ garden beds being built (early-April).

• Speakers and organizers needed for information sessions, workshops and summer activities. Information sessions will take place in April, workshops and summer activities will be scheduled throughout the entire growing season (May-October).

Mosaic’s two downtown community gardens and its permaculture garden will be up and running, providing more opportunities to educate and support families than ever – Our existing 50+ garden beds will be available to families again this year for planting more, learning more and enjoying more of the produce grown each year! We are looking to provide families with support and additional education in order to become the great gardeners they dream of being!

• Assistance in recruiting volunteers (families, school students, churches and corporate volunteers) to lay top soil and/or mulch throughout the already established garden beds and perimeter beds (early-April).

• Turn compost in order to sift out and lay the ready-to-use compost and to aerate other compost from last season at each of the three garden locations (late-April).

• Speakers and organizers needed for information sessions, workshops and summer activities. Information sessions will take place in April, workshops and summer activities will be scheduled throughout the entire growing season (May-October).

• Produce Cart – We are in need of a few volunteers to run with our produce cart this summer! Join this fun activity happening several days throughout the growing season! The produce cart allows us to sell any garden surplus vegetables donated back to the gardens, to teach youth members how to build a business selling produce on a small scale and gives the garden an opportunity to provide area residents with information regarding their health and wellness.

There are plenty of great opportunities available for all skill-sets and areas of interest! Please consider joining our community garden committee or signing up for one or two of our much needed volunteer days!

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME? – you ask? A special gift pack is given to everyone who turns out to be an awesome facilitator, garden committee member or a volunteer event organizer this season! Check it out:

Each new garden committee member who attends 90% of our meetings during the growing season and signs up to support/organize at least two volunteer opportunities will receive a Mosaic Community Gardens T-shirt of their choice, a Mosaic Community Gardens apron, standard tote bag and a beautiful Mosaic mug along with a chance to win a free Mosaic CLT garden membership at the garden location of their choice for the 2017 growing season!

Each volunteer who organizes and rallies a troop of volunteers that provide support in the gardens for one day or more will receive a Mosaic t-shirt, the jumbo Mosaic Community Gardens Garden Ambassador tote bag and a Mosaic CLT car magnet along with a chance to win a free Mosaic CLT garden membership at the garden location of their choice for the 2017 growing season!

Each volunteer who facilitates one informational session or workshop will receive a Mosaic T-shirt and tote bag along with a chance to win a free Mosaic CLT garden membership at the garden location of their choice for the 2017 growing season!

Each person who assists/supports our summer programming for at least 6 of each 2-hour session during the growing season will receive a t-shirt, gardening apron, a JUMBO tote bag along with a chance to win a free Mosaic CLT garden membership at the garden location of their choice for the 2017 growing season!

Our need for additional committee members and volunteers has never been greater, the benefits and rewards have never been better!

Please sign up to support the “growth” of the Mosaic Community Land Trust Community Gardens today!

It’s EASY! Simply visit our Facebook or email Laura Washington (wash5000@msn.com) to sign up or to receive additional information regarding all of the opportunities TODAY!

See Ya’ at the Gardens,

MOSAIC CLT