The Summit Street Garden: Brooklyn, NY: Spring 2015 Garden Tasks & Updates

Happy spring!

The first meeting of the Summit Street Community Garden was held on April 19, 2015. If you weren't able to attend the meeting or would like a refresher on what was discussed, here are some notes, as well as some spring photos of the garden.

GARDEN MAINTENANCE

Spring garden hour chores. Wondering what to do during your garden hours? Here are a few suggestions:

Check perimeters for trash, not only within the garden, but outside the gate, clinging to the borders.
Trim the grass by the beds where the lawnmower will not reach.

The lawnmower can't reach the edges of some beds and boxes.
Deadhead daffodils and other faded spring blooms in the borders.

Many of the bulbs in the border beds are in full bloom, but some are fading and need to be deadheaded.
Clear walkway weeds. Note: Part of the round patio has been adopted and is receiving special attention, so be careful in this area to make sure you’re not pulling up good things.

Path weeds (self-explanatory and ubiquitous).
Cut up compost contributions.

Screens on top of the compost. (Not pictured: Humming bumblebees.)

Compost. For compost success, the pieces need to be relatively small, if possible. If you don’t have time to cut up sticks and contributions, then place them to the side for break-up later. There are screens on top of the sections where you shouldn’t contribute. (Also, a note: This area is full of bumblebee activity.)

Lawn. The grass is done resting and the poles have come down.

The grapevine may have already been pruned.

Grapevine. The grapevine over the arbor is getting heavy and needs to be pruned. The wires will be tightened. If you’re interested in pruning but not sure how, talk to Claire for instruction.

Borders. Border work is going well. Six sections of the garden’s border beds are receiving attention, and there are some sections still available for adoption.

Water. Keep an eye on the water spigot. It seems to have been leaking.

Learning. There are some interesting workshops coming up from Green Thumb NYC. Visit the GreenThumb website and sign up for the email list for more information.

Remember the first day of spring?

Winter maintenance. Do we have to think about winter already? But this is a friendly reminder: The garden’s sidewalk is relatively shady and at a slight incline/decline, so the walking conditions can become a bit hazardous. Remember to try to keep the sidewalk clear during the winter. Options for a new de-icer that’s somewhat more paw-friendly for pets is being explored.

NEWS

This is especially exciting if you remember the old table.

We now have new tables (complete with flat surfaces) and chairs. Yay!

UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

Meetings. The garden meeting dates were set for the upcoming season. Meetings start at 11 am on the following Sundays and last about 30–45 minutes, followed by workdays. Meetings will have snacks! If you’d like to bring some, please do!

Sunday, May 17 at 11 am

Sunday, June 14 at 11 am

Sunday, July 19 at 11 am

Sunday, September 6 at 11 am

Sunday, October 18 at 11 am

Those interested in becoming new members should attend a garden meeting for an orientation. Once contact information is provided, a member will follow up with you about becoming a member.

Events. Dates were set for two upcoming fundraisers. A tag and bake sale will be held Saturday, June 13. The fall event, which may include music, a tag sale, food and possibly art, will occur Saturday, September 19.

WEB: BLOG AND NOTICES

Blog. This blog will most likely move to a new CMS, but the archives will remain here. Stay tuned for details.

Signs. To create signs for upcoming meetings and events, there will be shared PSD files so they can be easily updated as needed.

SPRING 2015 IN THE GARDEN

Below are some additional photos of the garden this spring, but it's best seen in person. Sign up for garden hours or stop by and enjoy the Summit Street Community Garden!