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"Where flowers bloom,
so does hope."
Lady Bird Johnson
WESTBANK COMMUNITY GARDEN NEWSLETTER
JULY 2017
WHAT TO PLANT IN JULY
From seed: Amaranth, BlackEyed Peas, Corn, MalabarSpinach, New Zealand Spinach,Okra, Pumpkin, SummerSquash, Winter Squash,Cataloupe, Watermelon
From plants: Eggplant,Peppers, Tomatoes
BEEHIVE UPDATE
Roger Grape and I installed ourbees into their new home onMay 13th, and so far they arethriving! Harper Bee, thuscrowned by the winner of ourrecent Name the Queen Beecontest, is hard at work layingeggs, and the worker bees arebusy building comb, gathering
THANK YOU TO PHILLIP!
A big thank you to Phillip (plot12) for donating his unusedtumbling composter to thegarden, bringing our grand totalup to four! A few compostingreminders:
Remember to give the binsa spin or two as you goabout your gardeningAdd brown material alongwith your green materialsTear or cut up your plantwaste as small as possiblebefore adding to the bins --this will greatly speed upthe processGive them some water if it'sbeen very dry recentlyI know it's a bit of pain, butplease weedwack or handcut weeds that grow underand around the bins. Whereweeds are undisturbed, fireants flourish!
SUMMER COVER CROPS
nectar and pollen, raising theyoung, and all the other myriadtasks that go on inside a hive.
For the time being I am doing myweekly hive inspections onTuesday mornings. Please emailme if you are interested inarranging a "ride-along" to seewhat's going on in there upclose! We have an extra suit andgloves specifically for thispurpose. (See our Amazon wishlist if you would like to help usout with procuring a couple ofsuits for kids!)
NAME THAT PLANT!
For knowing that these hard,fuzzy things were fresh almonds(Prunus dulcis) Deika (plot 7)wins the $10 gift card to BSN!
Photo courtesy of Creative Commons/Pixabay
Heat got you down? Have travelplans that won't allow you toenjoy all those fruits of yourlabor? Did your tomatoes justtake a fatal blow from leaf-footedbugs, or did your squash plantssuccumb to cut worms?
Whatever the reason, if you'relooking for a reset button, or atemporary way to take a bit of abreather, have you consideredplanting a summer cover crop?Plants such as buckwheat,clover, and black-eyed peas fixnitrogen into your soil,rejuvenating tired soil with freshnutrients and helping prepareyour plot for successful fallplanting. These crops will stillneed to be watered -- especiallyat the beginning while seeds arestill germinating, and aggressiveweeds like bermudagrass stillcan't be ignored -- but it'ssomething to consider. Here's ashort video by John Dromgoole
The contest is taking a monthoff. Our year of BSN prizesponsorship has ended, so I amworking on lining up a newbenefactor.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Saturday, July 1: WaterConservation for the BackyardGardener at the NaturalGardener, 10am
Sunday, July 2: Intro to OrganicVeggie Gardening at the NaturalGardener, 10am
Monday, July 10: AustinOrganic Gardeners' Club hostsGardening Q&A at the ZilkerBotanical Garden
Saturday, July 23: Lady BirdDay at the Wildflower Center.Free admission, special eventsfor the whole family
Wednesday, July 27: Take YourHouseplant For A Walk Day
Tuesday, July 25: Free StartingSeeds Indoors workshop at theNatural Gardener, 10am
about summer cover crops. Ifyou try it, let us know how itworks!
TITLE SPOTLIGHT
Feeling stuck in a veggie rut?Check out this brand-new titlefrom Elizabeth Orsini, whichfeatures 250 mouth-wateringvegetarian recipes -- fromappetizers and sauces to mainsand sauces -- that prove thatgrills are for so much more thanburgers.
COMPOST BIN CONVERSION
We were lucky enough to scorea few hours of communityservice hours from a local teen afew weeks ago. He began theprocess of converting our oldcompost bin into a standinggarden plot! Still to do is: (1)remove weeds at the bottom ofthe remaining two-thirds of thestructure -- and put in a yardbag, not in the tumbling compostbins, (2) install boards to coverthe mesh at each open end, and(3) fill the remainder of the spacewith fresh soil and compost. Ifyou have some time and energyto spare, feel free to chip in withany or all of these steps! I'm notkeen on the idea of an officialwork day until cooler weathercomes, so as much of this wecan do piecemeal as possible,the better. (But if you know ofany strong teenagers looking fora few hours of communityservice this summer, pleasecontact me!) Thanks, everyone!
FRIENDLY REMINDERS
Please don't add weeds (bermuda grass, nut sedge, etc.) to ourcompost. It doesn't get hot enough to kill the seeds. Put them in ayard bag instead.
The big trash can near the compost is to store dry, or brown,compost material. Feel free to bring dry leaves, pine needles,ripped up cardboard, etc. and keep in the can so we can keep ourcompost properly balanced. (It has holes drilled on the bottom soif rain gets in, it won't stay there and rot our material.)Newsletter contributions welcome! (Recipes, growing tips, photos,articles, etc.) Send to [email protected] communicate with your fellow gardeners, use the listservaddress [email protected] you fill up a yard bag, you can either bring it home (if yourneighborhood has yard waste pickup), or leave it by the front gateand Alex will take it. Thank you!
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