Solar Ovens Event

Attention gardeners and garden supporters !

Mark your calendar! Sunday Sept 9th.
Simi At The Garden is hosting a solar oven cooking demonstration. Bill and Melinda of SunFlair Solar Ovens will be here from 1 pm to 3 pm.

Come on over to the garden and taste some deliciously prepared food cooked by the sun.

Solar ovens are great for camping, picnicking, disaster preparedness, or just fun. You can even sterilize water for drinking.
No fuel to mess with, no electricity needed. Just the power of the sun!

 
SunFlair Solar Ovens are portable, and affordable.



Join us for this FREE event!

Seeds ,Seasons and Hot Water

It's approaching the end of the growth season for many plants in the garden. Some are starting to bolt and others already have. Tomatoes are starting to blush and soon will be full on ready! Lots of squash and pumpkins in every direction.

There is a great article on Organic Gardening site that gives you great information her us the link it's approaching the end of the growth season for many plants in the garden. Here is the link for
How to Save Seeds for Next Season  

With the Weather being so Hot gardener beware 

HOT days means HOT water in your hose. If watering mid afternoon; BE CAREFUL!
Water sitting in a hose does get hot enough to scald your plants, and you.. Run it off in an open area of your bed before watering directly. Do not run it off into the pathways unless you, and your neighbor, like to weed.
Check with your neighbor first.

"As noted by the NSRC project, hot water can damage plants, leading to stunted growth or even death. According to gardening expert Ellen Brown of Sustainable Media, hot water has the potential to melt away the coating on a plant's leaves or severely damage the plant's cellular structure. With reduced leaf coating or damaged cellular structure, the plant is unable to retain moisture; as such, it dehydrates and eventually dies. When applied to soil, hot water can kill beneficial microorganisms essential to plant growth and damage shallow root systems."

Read more: The Effects of Hot Water on Plant Growth | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_7644347_effects-hot-water-plant-growth.html#ixzz2101oCXZg

Flowers for the garden- Help wanted

The City of Simi Valley is doing a makeover of the flower beds in front of the library entrance.
All of the plants in the photo will be removed.
The Busy Hands Gardening Club; Shar Lugo, President, funded and planted the large center bed. The club is donating these plants to the Garden.
We will need a truck, a bunch of 5 gallon containers, and a half dozen volunteers, garden will provide tools (shovels etc).
We just received notice that they have to be removed by the 24th of July.
Who would like to join in on this. Please let Salina know ASAP.

Important Information

Attention garden members!

 



  
Note #1
If your garden has been sitting idle, then your privileges are at risk.
Effective July 1st, all gardens not in compliance with garden rules will be red flagged. If efforts are not taken to remedy, then you are at risk of foreclosure. If life circumstances preclude you from devoting the amount of time necessary to create and maintain your garden, then you should reconsider.
After July 1, all garden rental refunds will be prorated.
We do have a wait list. If you are not ready, there are others who are.
Please let us know.

Note #2
Please remember to lock the gate behind you when entering or exiting. All members should have keys.
Key code combo on vehicle gate will be changed this weekend. You will no longer be able to gain access thru large gate without permission from management.

Note #3
Some are still not remembering to turn water off when leaving. We will be posting signs by the shed and exit in order to remind all.

Note #4
Watering excesses. There are some that are still open watering. Watering onto the pathways only encourages more growth of the Bermuda grass. Bermuda grass is getting out of control in some pathways. It is the responsibility of gardeners to keep this undesirable grass at bay. Your neighbor may not like that you are watering it. Be considerate.

Ramdom Garden shots

 I love walking through the garden and taking random shots

 This one looks like the branches are hugging the plant

 Creative and useful ways to use stuff that would other wise be tossed

 Yum I see pickled Beans

 The Marigolds are playing hide in go seek

 Beautiful artichokes

 Lettuce yummmm

 Sauerkraut !

The Badlands are " Lookin" Good

 Vast but the peeps at the garden are really putting there time and effort into making this area work. Read about the stuff in progress below....

Badlands hummm it should be called

"Future Prime Properties"

1. (Plot in southwest corner) Dig soil down about 2.5 feet over the entire garden plot to break through the hard pan layer and loosen the compacted soil.  Place the soil back into the excavated pit.  Do not add any soil amendments to the soil.  Rototill the soil.


2. (Plot just north of Plot 1) Dig soil down about 2.5 feet over the entire garden plot to break through the hard pan layer and loosen the compacted soil.  Place the soil back into the excavated pit.  Rototill the soil.  Place 4 to 6 inches of horse manure on the surface of the soil.

3.  (Plot just north of Plot 2) Dig soil down about 2.5 feet over the entire garden plot to break through the hard pan layer and loosen the compacted soil.  Place the soil back into the excavated pit.  Rototill the soil.  Place 4 to 6 inches of wood chips and leaf litter on the surface of the soil.

4. (Plot just north of Plot 3) Dig soil down about 2.5 feet over the entire garden plot to break through the hard pan layer and loosen the compacted soil.  Place the soil back into the excavated pit.  Rototill the soil.  Place 2 to 3 inches of horse manure on the soil surface.  Then place 2 to 3 inches of wood chips and leaf litter on the horse manure.

5.  (Plot just north of Plot 4) Dig soil down about 2.5 feet over the entire garden plot to break through the hard pan layer and loosen the compacted soil.  Remove this soil from the garden plot.  Place branches, palm fronds, and logs in the bottom of the pit.  Place the soil back into the excavated pit.  Rototill the soil.  Place 2 to 3 inches of horse manure on the soil surface.  Then place 2 to 3 inches of wood chips and leaf litter on the horse manure.

6. (Plot in southeast corner) Dig soil down about 2.5 feet over the entire garden plot to break through the hard pan layer and loosen the compacted soil.  Fill the excavated hole with unscreened gravel to a depth of 1 foot.  Place all of the soil back into the excavated pit.  Rototill the soil.  Place 2 to 3 inches of horse manure on the soil surface.  Then place 2 to 3 inches of wood chips and leaf litter on the horse manure.

7.  (Plot just north of Plot 6) Dig the soil down 1 foot over the entire garden plot.  Then dig a 24 inch strip down the center of the bed to a depth of 2.5 feet.  Place the soil that was removed from the garden plot on either side of the center strip.  Rototill the soil on either side of the center strip.  Fill the center strip with logs, branches and horse manure.  Then spread 4 to 6 inches of horse manure on the surface of the soil on either side of the center strip. Then place 4 to 6 inches of wood chips and leaf litter over the entire bed (i.e., on the filled center strip and on both sides of the center strip).

8. (Plot just north of Plot 7) Do not dig the garden plot.  Scarify the soil surface with the tractor.  Place 4 inches of wood chips on the surface of the garden.  Place 2 to 3 inches of horse manure on the wood chips.  Then place 2 to 3 inches of wood chips and leaf litter on the horse manure.  Then place 1 ½ to 2 inches of soil on the wood chips and leaf litter.  Place 2 to 3 inches of horse manure on the soil.  Place 2 to 3 inches of wood chips and leaf litter on the horse manure.

9. (Plot just north of Plot 8) Do not dig the garden plot.  Scarify the soil surface with the tractor.  Place a vapor barrier on the surface of the garden.  Use the pitchfork to poke holes in the vapor barrier.  Place 2 to 3 inches of horse manure on the vapor barrier.  Then place 2 to 3 inches of wood chips and leaf litter on the horse manure.  Then place 1 ½ to 2 inches of soil on the wood chips and leaf litter.  Place 2 to 3 inches of horse manure on the soil.  Place 2 to 3 inches of wood chips and leaf litter on the horse manure.

10.  (Plot just north of Plot 9) Do not dig the garden plot.  Scarify the soil surface with the tractor.  Rototill the soil to a depth of 4 to 5 inches.  Do not add any soil amendments to the soil.

Compost Workshop and Notes from Bill

Joe-Bill-Jon with no H and Jeremy

Our fearless leaders

 

 Some tips from the Compost Workshop. There was a lot of talk on  temperature so I thought it was good that Jon gave us a few of the tips we need to keep in mind . Thank you 

Are these two passing a cheat sheet! 
 






 A few tips on temperature............................

•  After building the pile, turn it when temperature reaches 140-160 degrees.  
•  Move the material from outside of the pile to the center. 
• ·To kill most pathogens and weed seeds, it is desirable to keep the pile between 150 and 160 degrees for about 24 hours 
• 
  
• If the temperature of the pile does not reach 150 degrees in a couple days, it may be lacking nitrogen-rich materials or moisture.
• The compost is done when the original material is not recognizable and the temperature drops below 90 degrees. The compost should be a rich, dark brown material. It should have a sweet smell. 

     Don't eat it! No matter how sweet the smell! 

     That is my tip. I love fresh dirt when I see a pile or warm dark dirt really I want to roll in it. Strange but not to the gardener's!