Garden Stuff - Important and Exciting things just around the corner!

Dear Gardeners, Just want to send out a big THANK YOU to all the volunteers that joined us on last Saturday's workshop. Many of you spent your Saturday morning with fellow Glendaliens who just wanted to help the gardens grow. We were even fortunate to have Jeff, a good friend and neighbor of the gardens, host our very first workday breakfast with pancakes, coffee, fruit - the whole bit AND it was on his birthday! Together, with more than 20 volunteers, we were able to get a lot done on each side of the garden and we are truly grateful to have this kind of support! If you weren't able to attend, please check out some photos that our gardener, Melissa Wall, took at workday day... http://www.flickr.com/photos/melissawall/sets/72157627693796698/with/6156629431/ In other news, this is a last reminder about our workshop coming up on Saturday at 9 a.m. at Garden East (attached is a flyer). You can either RSVP by sending me an email, or 'attend' on Facebook here... http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=272606349430894 . We will also be testing out a potpourri fundraiser to see how much interest we can generate - bring some change if you want to donate to the garden! Side note - after the workshop I will be working with gardeners to bring down the compost pile at Garden East. If you want to help out and harvest some of the compost, you're welcome to join me in the fun - just let me know. Most exciting of all - Monterey West is going to have its own Grand Opening Ceremony on November 5, 2011 from 10 a.m. to Noon - please don't forget to save the date! All members of the community are welcome - we hope that gardeners bring their friends and family to celebrate our accomplishments at the garden. We're also going to use this event as a fundraising opportunity - we ask that all gardeners contribute to the cause by raising seedlings in small containers to sell at the event. We hope to start this now, in order to have 4 inch seedlings to sell - grow anything you want. :) Please inform your Garden Manager (Taryn or Joan) how many seedlings you plan to contribute. Remember, this will benefit the garden - what you put in ... is all that we have to work with. It comes full-circle! Community Event - The LA Community Garden Council (the organization who helps with insurance for our garden and who the land we garden on is leased to) is having their annual Gathering of the Gardeners event coming up on Saturday October 22nd from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. I have been to this event myself and it is quite a treat to meet gardeners from all over the county, enjoy delicious food together and commiserate. See the attached flyer for more information - I hope to see you there! If anyone has any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me at 818-359-0108. Thanks again and have a great week. :) Best, Alek Bartrosouf

Organic Way to Help Rid Plots of Mint or Oregano

I found this in an on-line discussion group. Hope this helps!

“Dissolve 2 cups of salt (table salt is fine) and a squirt of dish soap into 1 gallon of white vinegar. Pour into a WELL MARKED spray bottle, and liberally douse the mint, or any other green thing you want to curl up & die

This is going to take MANY applications, because mint is the demon spawn of all garden plants, and is truly evil. But diligence will eventually win!”

Read more: Getting Rid of Mint | Herbs http://my.gardenguides.com/forums/topic/12708#ixzz1YRRHvGv4

Joan

New garden pictures

Here's a lovely rose from the West garden, I think from Melissa's plot.

Pumpkins at the end of their growing cycle, also West.

Gnomes in an unknown stage of their growing cycle, I think West again.

Friendly bee harvesting delicious lavender nectar, East garden.

Adventure ladybug looking like s/he's about to jump off the tiny leaf into the great green unknown, East garden.

Hope to see you at the workday tomorrow (9/17/11)!

Monterey Road Community Garden Events! Details Below!

Hello Green Glendale Supporters,

The Coalition for a Green Glendale is super excited to extend two Garden events' invitations to the greater community! One is the Garden's quarterly work day which is coming up on September 17th, and the other is our first-ever community-wide garden workshop on September 24! Attached you'll find two flyers summing up the events, but you'll find additional information below as well...

Both require RSVP's (email or Facebook)... so please let me know if you plan to attend, and which event you plan to attend. Our breakfast host for the work day would very much appreciate an accurate head-count in advance and our workshop coordinator would like to know what the turnout will be like. Thanks! If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call/email me. 818-359-0108.
Workday RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=209375149124863 Workshop RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=272606349430894
Join the Coalition Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/5867698630/

For the Workday (September 09/17) please bring your own fork/plate/mug. In an effort to create zero waste, we want to minimize our use of disposable products and don't want to overwhelm our host with washing after us! Aside from that, try to be on time - we only have 90 minutes per garden!
The workday will begin at Garden West - 827 Monterey Road in Glendale.

For the Workshop (September 09/24) we will meet at Garden East, which is 870 Monterey Road in Glendale. In addition, here are a few words from our Event Coordinator and Gardener, Katy Tafoya...

We've reached that time in gardening where the last few tomatoes and cucumbers are offering up their final gifts of goodness. What's next?

Did you know that NOW is the time when we should start working on our garden for next spring? In fact, now is the time to clear out those old summer crops, prep the garden with freshly harvested compost and start installing cool weather crops.

Lucky for us, Tara, from Silver Lake Gardens (http://www.silverlakefarms.com/ -- http://www.facebook.com/SilverLakeFarmsLA -- http://twitter.com/silverlakefarms) will be on hand at the Monterey Road Eco-Community Gardens on Saturday, September 24th (from 9:00a - 10:30a) to teach us how to start working in our gardens and our soil TODAY for not only a plethora of fall vegetable goodies, but also for an abundant spring harvest.

Silver Lake Farms is an urban sustainable farm in Silver Lake that offers fresh farmers' market flowers, garden design, gardening workshops & floral design. Tara has taught organic gardening for 5 years, including several lectures at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens and classes at Disney.

Her approach to farming and gardening is "beyond organic" and she takes a "whole" approach to growing, keeping things balanced with natural habitats and companion plants so nature can do its thing. And the best part, when our gardens are planned and tended to properly, there's need for chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

This is going to be a great workshop for both beginner and not-so-beginner-yet-not-quite-expert gardeners. Be sure to bring your notebook and something to write with as you'll be sure to be taking down lots of notes and ideas. And don't forget your sunscreen, hat, water. Come prepared to play in the dirt and ask those burning questions.

Hope to see you all at these wonderful events! Thanks to the organizers!

Best,

Alek Bartrosouf
Steering Committee Chair
Monterey Road Eco-Community Garden
--
Coalition for a Green Glendale, Co-Founder

P.S. MARK YOUR CALENDAR. The Coalition for a Green Glendale is looking for a breath of fresh air! We'll be inviting the entire community to a forum/discussion about the future of the Coalition and what you think needs to be addressed in Glendale. We are scheduled to meet on October 8th and more details will come soon. I'll send out another email within a week or so. We hope you can make it!