Dear Gardeners and Community Members,

What a beautiful summer we are having! Howard Area Community Garden has some news to share about all the exciting projects going on around here.

Katje Sabin, former garden coordinator of HACG, is back in the garden as our beekeeper and HACG is hosting her thriving honeybee colony. We are grateful both for the bees and their keeper!

Bees are not the only non-human animals thriving in our garden. This summer, the Lincoln Park Zoo Conservancy Urban Wildlife Institute is monitoring the wildlife that visits our garden. On their first visit, the wildlife monitors were astonished to find no evidence of rats in the garden. They attribute this to the amazing work of gardener Kim Chaudoir, who single-handedly trapped out a thriving rat colony. We can't wait to see the results of this project, which will tell us how many birds and other non-human animals that visit the garden. See more about this project at: Urban Wildlife Project

The Parkway boxes along Juneway are now completely renovated and repaired thanks to Paul Bick. We are growing food to share with the community. Gardeners extraordinaire, Scott Wenthe and Michael McColly have been planting gorgeous perennial pollinators along the parkway as well. Even better, our community partner Family Matters, through their teen summer program--which this year is focusing on the theme of Operation Beautification--is helping to maintain and water the vegetable boxes and the parkway plantings. 

Katje Sabin hosted a vegetable seedling sale this year to raise money for HACG. She also donated all unsold seedlings to HACG gardeners.  HACG gardener, Stephanie Bravo, also gifted us some gorgeous flowering plants and seeds donated from her workplace, the Chicago Botanical Garden. Thank you for sharing your bounty, Katje and Stephanie!

Howard Area Community Garden hosted several vegetable seedling sales this year--garden Coordinator Molly Doane and garden volunteer, Okie Handke, grew the starts from heirloom seed under lights in the basement of Jarvis Square Pottery before sending them to the greenhouse at Little Spring Farm in Wisconsin to get some real sunlight. Seedlings are provided at low cost to the community and at no cost to low-income gardeners. Unsold seedlings were planted in the HACG Parkway boxes and donated to the Hello Howard Grow-to Give Program. Proceeds from the HACG plant sales defrayed the costs of the new information station--see below!

You may have noticed that Howard Area Community Garden has a beautiful new Information Station on the Hermitage Street side of the garden. Thank you, Paul Bick and Dylan Crow for lending your skills, and to Paul Bick for donating the materials. You can check out the Information Station to find out about volunteer opportunities and events. (Mark your calendars for the 2nd Annual Community Garden Walk on Saturday, August 10. More info coming soon).

Let's face it, there is nothing better than getting our hands in the soil when we have the opportunity. We wish there were many more community garden plots in our neighborhood so that we could garden together in greater numbers. Fortunately, you do not need a garden plot to garden with us. We have many volunteer opportunities. You can join us on our volunteer days or email us at howardgarden@gmail.com for other opportunities. Here are the scheduled volunteer workdays--organized by HACG gardener Stephanie Bravo-- for this season: 

• 7/21: Sunday 2pm-4pm 

• 8/03 Saturday 10am-12pm 

• 8/18: Sunday  2pm-4pm

• 9/7: Saturday 10am-12pm

  9/15: Sunday 2pm-4pm 

 

Dear Gardeners,

 

Chicago’s very first orchard planted by the Chicago Park District is right here in Rogers Park at Triangle Park.  And we are inviting you to attend and participate in two Fruit Tree Maintenance Workshops.

 

When:                                    Saturday, March 20^th

                                                        &

                                               Saturday, March 27^th

Time:                                     10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Where:                                  Triangle Park

Address:                               1750 W. Juneway Terrace or 7710 N. Hermitage

                                              (Both addresses will get you to the same place)

Cost:                                      Free, Free, Free

 

Contact:                                Eva McCann with any questions

Contact information              evamccann1228@gmail.com

                                             Willye White Park Advisory Council 

 

 

Gardening in Strange Times

Hi Gardeners!

This is Molly reaching out to you all across the internet in these strange times.  I'm sorry we couldn't have a garden opening or a spring sale this year where we could all meet each other. I hope you will all be patient with me as I try to step into Katje's shoes or follow (pretty far behind) in her footsteps. She did such an amazing job as the garden coordinator here! I'm just getting familiar with all the systems she set up, including this beautiful blog page. I can't duplicate Katje's crackling energy but I'll try to post updates now and then.

Right now, we are in COVID times. This means we should take precautions in the garden. It is pretty easy to practice social distancing at HACG. Remember to give each other lots of space and to  wear masks when interacting with other gardeners so that we protect each other as best we can. If you would like to read more about gardening and COVID precautions, please see the link on the right sidebar of this blog.

Meanwhile, the water is on at HACG and it is time to plant cold season crops. This is a good time to plant peas, lettuce, chard, kale, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, bush beans, beets, radishes, and turnips. I've noticed that the garden is already bursting with perennial plants like mint, sorrel, and onions. I see some beautiful strawberry plants developing and lots of raspberry canes. I'm amazed by how many expert gardeners there are here and at the variety of the expertise they bring from their places of origin.  I will write a blog about that later!

PAYMENT: Please see the links to pay the annual plot fee on the right sidebar of this blog. I know many people are facing hardship this summer. If that is you and you would like a scholarship to cover the annual fee, please email me at howardgarden@gmail.com so we can get you connected with one. If you are a gardener with extra financial love to give, please use the donate link on this page to contribute to a scholarship fund. In any case, please let me know one way or another that you are returning to the garden this year. If your lot is not worked by June 15 and I have had no news of you I will figure you've moved on.

If you are interested in gardening at HACG for the first time, please email me, Molly, at howardgarden@gmail.com to check availability and select a plot before you register or pay. 

Projects: This year I would love to replace the raised beds on the pedway and plant flowers between the boxes to beautify. If you are interested in helping with the pedway project, please do let me know. You can donate your labor and time and/or your hard-earned money at the link in the sidebar if you wish!

Leadership Team: Please let me know if you would like to help with garden plans, visions, and volunteer marshalling and management! It would be lovely to work with you. And the garden needs you.

Greetings!

We aren't really using this blog page, except as a general community information site (and plot payment/donation link). So we will answer a few FAQs here instead:

Can I have a plot? 
To get on our waiting list, please send an email to howardgarden@gmail.com with your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address.

You're on Howard Street, right?
No, you're thinking of the wonderful Peterson Garden Project HELLO!HOWARD garden. If you want to garden there, please visit this page: https://petersongarden.org/garden-with-us/

Oh, you're that cute little garden by the tracks?
No, you're thinking of the charming Dubkin Garden, which is one of the Chicago city park gardens. You can find out more about them by visiting their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/DubkinParkCommunityGarden/

Can I volunteer with your garden?
Oh, YES PLEASE! We love our community volunteers! Please send an email to howardgarden@gmail.com for more info

Can I pay my garden fees online? How much are they?
It's a minimum of $15 per year to garden at HACG, but we ask that those who are able pay a bit more, up to $75 if possible. And if you can't do the $15, please contact the garden coordinator by email at howardgarden@gmail.com or call (470) 228-1725; nobody will be kicked out due to lack of ability to pay. If you want to pay online, please click on the PayPal link to the right of this post.

What's up with the boxes on the parkway?
A few years ago, when the Howard Theater community garden was closed, they donated many raised beds to our garden. We have been growing herbs, flowers, and vegetables in them for anyone to enjoy. Please feel free to pick from these outside boxes, but try not to destroy the whole plant. We try to plant things that will grow back and continue producing for the entire season. Everything is raised organically, but of course please exercise caution and wash your produce first before enjoying it.

Notes and Closing Day

Greetings to the gardeners and friends of HACG!

The biggest news I want to share is that we were chosen as one of eight recipients of a 2016 Chiditarod grant! We were gifted $3000 to help improve and expand our public parkway program and meeting space. This will cover additional improvements that should benefit the whole neighborhood. (Check out http://www.chiditarod.org/ for more info on this fantastic organization!)

We have also been selected as a beneficiary of a University of Illinois volunteer program, so we will have some extra helping hands on Closing Day. (More info on the GIVE Program: https://orgsync.com/92551/opportunities/1489487/occurrences/3474733)

Closing Day (our last 2016 workday) will be on Saturday, October 29, 2016, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

ALL GARDENERS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND THIS WORKDAY! Even if you can only stay for a few minutes, come check in with the coordinator to review your plot, share your concerns, and ensure your space for the 2017 season.

It's hard to believe the season is almost over! It's time to put our beautiful garden to bed for the winter. Tasks include weeding (in plots and public areas), mulching, trimming trees, fence repair, tool cleaning, collecting garbage, and clearing/grading the area for the new deck.

I'm trying to arrange a delivery of wood chips to cover paths and the areas around the public beds. 

I will also try to get a few loads of leaf mulch to dig into beds and boxes, so it can rot over the winter into beautiful compost for the spring. We did some research and consulted with a soil scientist who told us that this is BY FAR the best possible way to build up our deplete soil. It will take a few years, but it will be worth it (not to mention a LOT cheaper and more eco-friendly than packaged compost!). 

There will be fencing supplies on hand, if your fence or gate have become damaged or need to be replaced.

We will supply tools, gloves, snacks, water, coffee... and maybe the preliminary plans for our new deck. We will also distribute jars of our beehive's first honey harvest, thanks to beekeeper Mark Brouwer, as well as some potatoes from our community box... and perhaps a few other surprises.

Feel free to bring friends and family members along (kids, too... we'll have some special jobs and treats just for them!).

Some other notes:

• NeighborSpace will be turning off the water on or around October 23 (to avoid frost damage). 

• Remember, you MUST have your plot cleared of all weeds, wood, decorations, and other objects before November 15. This includes any walkways or sidewalks that are next to your plot! Failure to clear your space before this date means that the plot will be reassigned. You may continue to grow winter crops (herbs, kale, etc.), but everything else needs to be cleared.

Come join us for our last community garden workday, visit with your neighbors, and celebrate our 2016 season on a beautiful fall morning!

Happy autumn,

Katje

Deck Demolition

As you might have noticed, our plant sale landed on the coldest May 14-15 in recorded Chicago weather history. We still had a lot of fun, and we sold over half of our 1300 plants (the rest were distributed among our gardeners and planted in our public parkway boxes, so no plants were discarded). We made a little over $1000, which means we will have enough money to build a replacement meeting area!

8 a.m. Saturday, May 14, 40 degrees F… brr!

Why do we need to replace our deck? Because the wood has rotted, broken, and become a haven for rats. We will create a new meeting space, but first we need to demolish and remove the old deck. The demolition date will be 9am-1pm Saturday, June 11, 2016.

We have volunteers from GreenCorps Chicago coming to help out (many thanks to Neighborspace!), and removal support from Ald. Joe Moore's office.

We need as many helping hands as possible to get this project done in one day, so if you can spare an hour or two, please come pitch in!

Bring work gloves if you have them (we have some loaner pairs, too). Please wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and closed-toe shoes. We could also use crowbars, hammers, and other implements of destruction. This is probably NOT a good day to bring small children to the garden, but teens and other family/friends are welcome.

Many thanks for your continued support, and see you in the garden!

Seedling list for the Spring Plant Sale

WOW! We have hundreds and hundreds of seedlings that will be available for sale on May 14 and 15 at our garden (the corner of Hermitage and Juneway, only two blocks north of the Howard Red Line stop). I thought I'd take a minute to type up a list of the seedlings we have already, so you can start imagining what they will look like in YOUR garden this year!

TOMATOES:
Stupice, donated by Territorial Seed Co. (early)
Brandywine, donated by Craig Lehoullier
Dwarf Sweet Sue, donated by Craig Lehoullier
Dwarf Emerald Giant, donated by Craig Lehoullier
Speckled Roman, donated by Craig Lehoullier (paste)
Constuluto Genovese, donated by the Chicago Botanic Garden
Abe Lincoln
White Tomesol, from Baker Creek
Yellow Pear (cherry)
Black Cherry, donated by Craig Lehoullier (cherry)
San Marzano, donated by Chicago Botanic Garden (plum)

PEPPERS:
Sweet Red California Wonder, Burpee (sweet bell)
Jalapeño, Seeds of Change (hot)
Fish Pepper, collected by Katje Sabin (hot, variegated)
Golden Star Bell (sweet bell)
Anaheim College, Territorial Seed Co. (medium hot)
Ascent Hybrid Hot Thai (hot… we mean it!)

SQUASH:
Black Beauty Zucchini, Garden Harvest Supply
Gagat Patisson, Baker Creek
Zephyr Zucchini, collected by Katje Sabin

KALE:
Russian Red/Ragged Jack, seed donated by Baker Creek
Starbor F1 Hybrid, Johnny's Select Seeds donated by the Chicago Botanic Garden
Scarlet, Seed Savers Exchange
Vates Blue Scotch Curled, Seed Needs

SWISS CHARD:
Bright Lights, from Territorial Seed Co.

EGGPLANT:
Bride, from Territorial Seed Co.

HERBS:
Cilantro, from Burpee
Summerlong Basil, from Burpee

FLOWERS:
California Giant Zinnia, Ferry Morse
Thumbelina Zinnia, Ferry Morse
French Marigold, donated by Chicago Botanic Garden
Nasturtiums

Meeting Minutes, Español

Howard Area Community Garden

Reunión del Equipo de Liderazgo 27 de febrero, 2016

Los miembros del equipo de liderazgo que asisten:  Katje Sabin (coordinador), Kit Rosenberg, Chester

Kos, and Kathryn Wong

Anuncios

Jardín Día de apertura será el sábado, 17 de abril de 2016. Necesitamos un recuento sólida de los

jardineros que están regresando antes de esa fecha, por lo que el coordinador se comunicará con cada

jardinero. Los actos del Día de apertura incluirá la distribución de las enmiendas del suelo, semillas,

snacks, el pago de la cuota anual, folletos con el calendario jornada de trabajo / taller, y otras sorpresas.

Coordinador de jardín fuera de la ciudad a partir del 23 de abril al 1 de mayo. Los voluntarios se

asegurará de que el correo electrónico, teléfono, correo están cubiertos.

Finanzas

Ingresos y gastos:

Balance de cuenta al 02/27/2016: $ 1,839.08

Todos menos dos jardineros pagaron sus cuotas de 2015.

Nos estamos moviendo a un sistema de honor-deslizante lista de tarifas escala. La cuota se mantendrá

en $ 15 / año, pero se le pedirá aquellos con mayores ingresos que consideren contribuir más si pueden.

(Más información a continuación ...)

El Equipo de Liderazgo aprobó por unanimidad los siguientes 2016 estipendios del personal:

• $ 300 y jardín exención de cuotas para el puesto de Coordinador de Jardín (a Katje Sabin)

• $ 300 para el mantenimiento (a John Carter, que se encarga de la eliminación semanal de basura,

reparaciones menores, y la seguridad)

Una vez que tenemos un año de pagos de escala móvil, vamos a tener una buena idea de cuánto será

nuestros ingresos anuales, y podemos decidir si seguir pagando tanto para los puestos del

mantenimiento y coordinador son factibles.

De Negocios de Edad

Patrocinio: A partir del 12/15, el HACG y la HACC han forjado una nueva asociación! Kathryn Wong es

nuestro enlace HACC, y estará sirviendo en el equipo de liderazgo. Gracias, Kathryn! Ahora estamos al

día con nuestro requisito patrocinador Neighbor Space, y vamos a terminar todos los documentos

necesarios para llevar nuestro acuerdo con Neighbor Space hasta la fecha. Vamos a necesitar firmas

jardinero de este documento, y los recogeremos en el Día de Apertura.

Abejas: Nuestros abejas sobrevivieron al invierno y nuestros apicultores informan que se parecen

grandes para la temporada de 2016. Por desgracia, Rosemary Limoncello, nuestro principal apicultor, se

va, pero tenemos varios otros voluntarios listos para entrar en la posición, y ya han ofrecido a dirigir

otro taller relacionados con las abejas este año. El miembro del equipo de liderazgo Kit Rosenberg se ha

ofrecido para moverse en el terreno con las abejas, y trabajar con los apicultores para crear un jardín de

demostración de abeja que se puede utilizar para la educación pública y talleres.

NUEVO NEGOCIO

Reparaciones / mejoras, en orden de prioridad:

Nueva nave de almacenamiento: Jardinero Derek Schumaker amablemente donó un nuevo

almacenamiento Rubbermaid cobertizo para el jardín, pero el tiempo nos ha impedido la instalación el

año pasado. Tenemos que sentar una plataforma de cemento antes de erigirla; Kit Rosenberg organizará

esto. También, muchas gracias a John Beckman para proporcionar espacio de almacenamiento seguro

para nuestras herramientas y manguera de este invierno!

Las enmiendas del suelo: Tuvimos una entrega de seis yardas cúbicas de tierra de hoja (donados por

Derek Schumacher) y ocho yardas de mantillo árbol entregados al jardín otoño pasado. Tendremos un

período adicional de cuatro yardas cúbicas de margoso "mezcla magdalena" suelo entregado al jardín a

mediados de marzo (en las grandes bolsas de tela), así como la arena, el cual será distribuido durante el

día de apertura. Estamos pensando en continuar esta primavera y otoño calendario de enmienda del

suelo.

Cubierta: Tenemos que reemplazar nuestro desmoronamiento, cubierta infestada de ratas.

Coincidentemente, tanto los jardineros en el espacio en que pueda vivir la nueva cubierta (bajo el área

sombreada de árboles a lo largo de Hermitage) han abandonado sus parcelas de este año ... qué

casualidad! Se necesitan voluntarios para este proyecto.

Contrato / reglas / propuestas de honorarios

Requisito de residencia: Los nuevos miembros tienen que vivir en la zona norte de Howard. (Chicago al

lago, Howard a Juneway). Esta regla NO se aplica a los jardineros que ya son miembros del jardín!

Control deslizante: La cuota de parcela se mantendrá en $15. Si el ingreso anual de la familia de un

miembro es $15,000- $30,000, la cuota de parcela sugerido es de $25. Si el ingreso anual es de $30,000-

$50,000, la cuota de parcela sugerido es de $45. Si el ingreso anual es de más de $50.000, solicitamos al

menos $45 y una donación adicional a medida que son capaces y dispuestos. Donaciones adicionales

son deducibles de impuestos y recibirá un acuse de recibo para sus impuestos.

Requisito jornada de trabajo: Cada jardinero (o un representante) debe asistir por lo menos dos de los

cinco días de trabajo durante la temporada de crecimiento, con arreglos disponibles para las personas

que no pueden asistir por motivos de trabajo o enfermedad. Si el jardinero no puede asistir a cualquier

taller, habrá otras maneras para el cumplimiento de su servicio al jardín (ofrecerse para el equipo de

liderazgo, el trabajo en otros eventos, ayudan con proyectos de construcción o mantenimiento, etc.).

Preparación para la temporada 2016:

Alcance:

Katje fue invitado a un almuerzo blogger jardín en el Jardín Botánico de Chicago, y conectó a la red con

otros coordinadores de jardín para encontrar formas de ayudar a nuestros jardines cooperativamente.

Ella también tiene un montón de información sobre la producción de tomate y la jardinería bala de

heno, y va a escribir como una entrada en el blog por separado más adelante.

También ha solicitado las donaciones de semillas, herramientas, y bocadillos para las festividades del día

de apertura. Ya tenemos cientos de paquetes de semillas donadas, en su mayoría de Neighbor Space y

Territorial Seed Company.

Ella ha creado una base de datos de una docena de voluntarios, los amigos del Jardín, que no quieren

ser jardineros activos, pero que quieren ser parte de nuestro jardín (tres de ellos se presentaron para

ayudar hielo transparente en Nochevieja!) .

El miembro del equipo de liderazgo Chester Cos y Katje asistieron a "Tool Up", un programa gratuito que

se ofrece a los jardines del espacio Vecino en febrero de 2016. El evento concluyó con una buena visión

general de las técnicas de resolución de conflictos.

El miembro del equipo de liderazgo Heidi Levin asistirá a la conferencia anual de la Asociación Jardín

Comunitario Chicago el 5 de marzo como representante de nuestro jardín. Gracias, Heidi!

Recaudación de Fondos - Venta de Plantas: Estamos trabajando con una escuela local para iniciar un

lote de plantas de semillero de varios vehículos populares. Otro jardinero, Anastassiya Suslik, se ha

ofrecido a crecer aperturas de flores. En la jornada de trabajo de mayo, llevaremos a cabo nuestra

primera venta de plantas! También podemos vender bocadillos y agua. Cualquier voluntario para esto?

Talleres: Nuestros apicultores ya se han ofrecido para hacer otro taller de apicultura. Cualquier solicitud

/ ideas para otros talleres durante el año?

Tuvimos una petición que alternamos nuestros días de trabajo entre los sábados y domingos. Así el

programa provisional actual es la siguiente:

                                     Día de apertura: Domingo 17 de abril

                                     Puede jornada laboral: Sábado, 14 de mayo (venta de plantas!)

                                     Día de trabajo de junio: Domingo 19 de junio

                                    Día de trabajo de julio: Sábado, 16 de julio

                                     Día de trabajo de agosto: Domingo 21 de agosto

                                     Día de trabajo de septiembre: Sábado, 17 de septiembre

                                     Día de cierre: Domingo 16 de octubre

Comestible Proyecto Parkway: Katje y Kathryn y el Grupo Juvenil HACC planificarán y plantar las cajas

Parkway. Este año, vamos a construir retenedores para el mantillo, una nueva maceta triangular en la

esquina noreste (por el callejón), y crear la señalización permanente para fomentar los transeúntes a la

muestra y la cosecha de las cajas. También estamos construyendo una pequeña biblioteca libre.

Tenemos una donación de $263 destinado a este proyecto, así como un certificado de regalo de

Gethsemane de $100.

Con respecto a la avenida a lo largo del (Hermitage) borde occidental del jardín: Chester Cos se

preocupaba por el césped para toda la temporada de 2015, y se ha comprometido a seguir prestando

atención a la temporada 2016, así ... gracias, Chester!

Respetuosamente,

Katje Sabin

HACG coordinador

Seeds of a fundraiser

So my husband and de facto garden assistant Bill and I spent some time on garden things today, and I thought I'd let you all know what was up. First off, we pulled out all the bags and buckets of garden-related junk I'd stuffed into our storage unit last fall, and sorted out what needed to be dealt with.

I finished organizing our seeds, then packed up what we needed and headed out. First stop: the garden itself, where we collected a few buckets-worth of trash and litter, and I finally refilled the dog waste bag dispenser (donated by gardener Abby Falck, many thanks!). 

One bummer was that I cannot find any of the locks from the set I got last year; I think they may have all already been used/broken/lost, and now we are lockless. We were planning on updating all the locks to a single key soon, so now we will just distribute the new keys at Opening Day on April 17.

Then we headed to Devon Hardware, where I got some biodegradable seedling cells and good planting mix. Next stop: the greenhouse atop the science building at the university where Bill teaches. We spent the next few hours prepping the soil, setting up grow lights, and planting 256 cells of seeds (most had multiple seeds, so we have the potential for well over 1000 seedlings!).

The first four trays (32 cells each)

And the second four trays.

The vast majority of seeds we planted were tomatoes: beefsteak, early, cherry, paste, dwarf, green, yellow, red, heirloom, hybrid… even a white tomato! We also planted an entire flat of marigolds, quite a few zinnias and nasturtiums, about six different peppers (both sweet and hot), and some eggplants. And every seed was donated!

Bill giving the seeds a little drink, before they get stashed under the grow lights.

This is half the seeds, under one bank of three grow lights. 

In April, we will transplant those seedlings into pots, and then start more seeds (basil, zucchini, summer squash, kale, maybe a few more things). And on the weekend of May 14-15, we will hold our very first fundraiser plant sale! Mark your calendars and start spreading the word… we will have hundreds of organically grown herb, vegetable, and flower starts, ready for transplanting. 

Now I just need to figure out how all those flats of plants are going to fit into my dinky little Honda...

Tomato Talk and Seed Swap

A few years ago, I had the delightful opportunity to interview Lisa Hilgenberg, the lead horticulturist at the Regenstein Fruit and Vegetable Garden at the Chicago Botanic Garden. This February, I was kindly invited by Lisa to join a number of Chicago-area bloggers and journalists at a luncheon and lecture featuring tomato guru Craig LeHoullier, as well as diving into the annual Seed Swap.

Lisa Hilgenberg, CBG's Regenstein Garden's lead horticulturist, and guest lecturer, Craig LeHoullier

Before the lecture, we all had a chance to mingle and share some of our own garden stories with each other. I finally had the opportunity to meet Lamanda Joy, the force behind the Peterson Garden Project, as well as a number of other people who combine their love of writing and gardening. I'm very much looking forward to adding them to my list of regular garden blogs, and perhaps even luring a few of them to come teach at our garden.

A few pages from an old seed catalog that Craig shared with us

 Lisa led us to the subject of our discussion: "Tomatoes are the most dangerously sexy vegetable out there!" Remember, they used to be considered poisonous, and then were called Love Apples. She told us about her favorite variety, the Power's Heirloom, and gave us some seeds to try it ourselves, then introduced us to our guest lecturer.

Craig had recently launched his book, Epic Tomatoes: How to Select and Grow the Best Varieties of All Time, and shared some of his hard-won wisdom with us.

"I didn't choose tomatoes as my favorite vegetable," he insists. "The tomato chose me." People started sending him seeds they'd collected over the years, along with the stories that went with them. In 1990, he was sent the seeds of a tomato that had been given to the family generations ago, from the local Native Americans. Craig cultivated the seeds and found they grew a delicious, if startlingly ugly, tomato, and urged a seed sales company to carry it. They humored him, even though they thought the bruised-looking color would put people off. Today, that tomato is one of the most popular heirlooms around: the Cherokee Purple.

His big project these days is developing dwarf tomato plants that can be grown in containers, yet still produce full-sized fruit (he generously gave us some seeds for a few of these dwarfs; look for them in our plant sale!).

A few quick tomato tips that Craig shared during his lecture:
• You can plant dozens of seeds per cell in your seedling tray; barely cover them and use Saran Wrap to hold in moisture, flipping it daily.
• When you transplant, plant them deep (trim off the lowest leaves).
• Mulching is VERY important with tomatoes; it helps prevent splashing soil onto the leaves during watering, which is the cause of a number of tomato problems.
• Give at least 3 feet of space between plants, so air can circulate.
• The smaller the fruit, the less fussy the plant.
• You want to bottom-water your tomatoes and minimize wetting foliage.
• Consider planting your tomatoes in straw bales (I bought Craig's book on straw bale gardening; I'm happy to loan it to any of our gardeners).

Some of Craig's favorite tomatoes include:
• Cherokee Purple ("Fifty Shades of Purple!")
• Cherokee Green
• Cherokee Chocolate
• Lucky Cross (Little Lucky)
• Lillian's Yellow Heirloom
• Green Giant
• Nepal
• Sun Gold (yes, it's a hybrid, so you can't save the seeds… but it's "tomato crack")
• Brandywine
• Rosella Purple (dwarf)
• Dwarf Sweet Sue

After the lecture, hundreds of gardeners swarmed tables filled with seeds. I managed to elbow my way in and score a few more for our garden, and we'll distribute them at our Opening Day celebration on Sunday, April 17 (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.). 

Thank you, Chicago Botanic Garden, for your support of home gardeners and community gardens! I had a blast at this event, and look forward to applying what I've learned… and maybe I'll have a few seeds of my own to add to the swap next year!

Spring 2016 Leadership Team Meeting

Howard Area Community Garden

Leadership Team Meeting, February 27, 2016

Leadership Team members attending: Katje Sabin (coordinator), Kit Rosenberg, Chester Kos, and Kathryn Wong

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Garden Opening Day will be on Saturday, April 17, 2016. We need a solid count of returning gardeners before that date, so the coordinator will reach out to each gardener. Opening Day events will include distribution of soil amendments, seeds, snacks, payment of the annual fee, handouts with the workday/workshop calendar, and other surprises.

• Garden Coordinator Out of Town from April 23-May 1. Volunteers will make sure the email, phone, and mail are covered.

FINANCES

• Income and expenses

Account balance as of 2/27/2016: $1839.08

All but two gardeners paid their 2015 plot fees.

We are moving to a voluntary, honor-system sliding scale fee schedule. The basic plot fee will remain at $15/year, but those with higher incomes will be asked to consider contributing more if they can. (More info below…)

The Leadership Team unanimously approved the following 2016 staff stipends:

• $300 and garden fee waiver for the Garden Coordinator position (to Katje Sabin)

• $300 for maintenance (to John Carter, who takes care of weekly trash removal, minor repairs, and security)

Once we have a year of sliding-scale payments, we will have a good idea of how much our annual income will be, and we can decide whether continuing to pay for both the maintenance and the coordinator positions are feasible.

OLD BUSINESS

• Sponsorship: As of 12/15, the HACG and the HACC have forged a new partnership! Kathryn Wong is our HACC liaison, and will be serving on the LT. Thank you, Kathryn! We are now up to date with our Neighbor Space sponsor requirement, and will finish all the appropriate paperwork to bring our agreement with Neighbor Space up to date. We will need gardener signatures for this document, and will collect them at Opening Day.

• Bees: Our bees survived the winter and our beekeepers report that they are looking great for the 2016 season. Sadly, we are losing Rosemary Limoncello, our main beekeeper, but we have several other volunteers ready to step into the position, and they have already offered to lead another bee-related workshop this year. Leadership Team member Kit Rosenberg has volunteered to move into the plot with the bees, and work with the beekeepers to create a bee-friendly demo garden that can be used for public education and workshops.

NEW BUSINESS

Repairs/Improvements, in order of priority:

• New storage shed: Gardener Derek Schumaker kindly donated a new Rubbermaid storage shed to the garden, but weather prevented us from installing it last year. We need to lay a cement pad before erecting it; Kit Rosenberg will organize this. Also, many thanks to John Beckman for providing safe storage space for our tools and hose this winter!

• Soil amendments: We had a delivery of six cubic yards of leaf mulch (donated by Derek Schumacher) and eight yards of tree mulch delivered to the garden last fall. We will have an additional four cubic yards of loamy "veggie mix" soil delivered to the garden in mid-March (in big fabric tote bags), as well as sand, which will be distributed during Opening Day. We are planning to continue this spring/fall schedule of soil amendment.

• Deck: We need to replace our crumbling, rat-infested deck. Coincidentally,  both the gardeners in the space where the new deck might live (under the shaded tree area along Hermitage) have vacated their plots this year... talk about serendipity! Volunteers are needed for this project.

Contract/rules/fee proposals

• Residency requirement: New members must live in the North of Howard area. (Chicago to the lake, Howard to Juneway). This rule does NOT apply to gardeners who are already members of the garden! 

• Sliding scale: The basic plot fee will remain at $15. If a member's annual household income is $15,000-$30,000, the suggested plot fee is $25. If annual income is $30,000-$50,000, the suggested plot fee is $45. If annual income is over $50,000, we ask for at least $45 and an additional donation as you are able and willing. Additional donations are tax-deductible and you will receive an acknowledgement letter for your taxes.

• Workday requirement: Each gardener (or a representative) must attend at least two of the five workdays during the growing season, with arrangements available for people who cannot attend due to work or illness. If the gardener cannot attend ANY workshops, there will be other ways for them to fulfill their service to the garden (volunteer for the Leadership Team, work on other events, help with special construction or maintenance projects, etc.).

2016 season prep:

• Outreach:

Katje was invited to a garden blogger/writer luncheon at the Chicago Botanic Garden, and networked with other garden coordinators to find ways to cooperatively help our gardens. She also got lots of information on growing tomatoes and hay bale gardening, and she'll write that up as a separate blog post later.

She has also solicited seed, tool, and snack donations for the opening day festivities. We already have hundreds of donated seed packets, mostly from Neighbor Space and Territorial Seed Company.

She has created a database of a dozen volunteers, the Friends of the Garden, who don't want to be active gardeners, but do want to be part of our garden (three of them showed up to help clear ice on New Years Eve!).

Leadership Team member Chester Kos and Katje attended "Tool Up," a free program offered to Neighbor Space gardens in February of 2016. The event concluded with a good overview of conflict resolution techniques.

Leadership Team member Heidi Levin will attend the Chicago Community Garden Association annual conference on March 5 as a representative of our garden. Thank you, Heidi!

• Plant sale fundraiser: We are working with a local school to start a batch of seedlings of various popular vegetables. Another gardener, Anastassiya Suslik, has volunteered to grow flower starts. At the May workday, we will hold our first plant sale! We can also sell snacks and water. Any volunteers for this?

           

• Workshops: Our beekeepers have already volunteered to do another beekeeping workshop. Any requests/ideas for other workshops during the year?

We had a request that we alternate our workdays between Saturdays and Sundays. So the current tentative schedule is as follows:

                                    Opening Day: Sunday, April 17

                                    May Workday: Saturday, May 14 (Plant Sale!)

                                    June Workday: Sunday, June 19

                                    July Workday: Saturday, July 16

                                    August Workday: Sunday, August 21

                                    September Workday: Saturday, September 17

                                    Closing Day: Sunday, October 16

• Edible Parkway Project: Katje and Kathryn and the HACC Youth Group will plan and plant the parkway boxes. This year, we will build retainers for the mulch, a new triangular planter box at the northeast corner (by the alley), and create permanent signage to encourage passerby to sample and harvest from the boxes. We are also building a Little Free Library. We have a $263 donation earmarked for this project, as well as a $100 Gethsemane gift certificate.

Regarding the parkway along the western (Hermitage) edge of the garden: Chester Kos cared for the lawn for all of the 2015 season, and has agreed to continue to provide care for the 2016 season as well... thank you, Chester!

Respectfully submitted,

Katje Sabin

HACG coordinator