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!

Summer Night on the Plaza - gardener bouquet arrangements

Hi Gardeners!

I just want to have a quick follow-up from Juan's e-mail last week regarding Summer Night on the Plaza, which is this Thursday at City Hall.

The Steering Committee has posted a flyer at each toolshed (see poster below - click to enlarge) asking you all to join us in giving Neighborhood Services and the Committee for a Clean and Beautiful Glendale a big thank you for their contributions in making the Gardens happen. It is a pretty simple, easy, and fun request and we hope you can help out. Again, please see the flyer for additional information.

In case you missed it, here are some details pasted from Juan's email to the gardeners...

On behalf of Neighborhood Services and Glendale, Clean & Beautiful, Inc., I would like to invite you to our annual fundraising event, “Summer Night on the Plaza.” We will have delicious food and decadent desserts from some of Glendale's favorite restaurants and bakeries, the sizzling salsa sounds of Orquesta Charangoa , a silent auction featuring unique one-of-a-kind items, and an exhibit of the finalists in the "My Hometown" Photo Contest. All proceeds from ticket sales and silent auction items will continue to fund our in-school environmental education, community beautification and graffiti removal programs. Glendale Clean & Beautiful, Inc. is the primary sponsor for the community gardens, so I hope you will be able to joins us.

Tickets may be purchased directly from Joan Zierhut, online at www.summernightontheplaza.com or at the door on the day of the event.

Any questions may be directed to Katrin Madatian at (818) 551-3098 or kmadatian@ci.glendale.ca.us.
I look forward to seeing you at the event!

Juan

I've been to this event many times in the past and it truly is a blast. I'll be there on Thursday and hope you'll join us in celebrating our Glendale pride and community involvement!

Best,

Alek Bartrosouf


(Click to enlarge)

Summer Night on the Plaza and Our Gardens' Contribution!

Here comes the big annual fundraiser that partially supports Neighborhood Services, the Glendale city department that oversees our gardens and made them possible in the first place.

Our gardens are contributing the centerpieces for the event and we need everybody's help to make it happen.  All you have to do is recycle a jar, bottle, tin can or other decorative object, use plants from your plot to fill it and poof, it's a beautiful centerpiece.  The plants don't have to be flowers. Why not a bouquet of dill or other greens?  Please leave them in either garden's shed no later than sundown on Wednesday, July 27th.  Joan will provide tags so everyone seeing them will know that they're from our community gardens.

Here's the information from the city:

Join Neighborhood Services and the Committee for a Committee for a Clean & Beautiful Glendale (CCBG)  for our 8th annual fundraiser, "Summer Night on the Plaza". We will have delicious food and decadent desserts from some of Glendale's favorite restaurants and bakeries, the sizzling salsa sounds of Orquesta Charangoa , a silent auction featuring unique one-of-a-kind items, and an exhibit of the finalists in the "My Hometown" Photo Contest. All proceeds from ticket sales and silent auction items will continue to fund the Committee for a Clean & Beautiful Glendale’s in-school environmental education, community beautification and graffiti removal programs. See you there!


http://www.ci.glendale.ca.us/planning/summer_night.asp

In this season of plenty

Hey everyone

In the last few weeks I've heard a lot of "can you use some kale?" kinds of comments and since I'm also blessed with abundant greens (among other things) now seemed like a good time to mention some other destinations for your plot's productive bounty.  If your harvest is more than you, your family, friends and neighbors can accommodate you're eligible to reap the kharmic rewards of donating your surplus.

My first stop for this exercise is usually my neighborhood fire station.  Firefighters have to pay for and prepare their own food during their 24-hour-long shifts and they always appreciate contributions. They're also some of the nicest people in the world and it feels great to honor and thank them for their generous work.

My friend Vivian, a Glendale librarian, also recommended Meals on Wheels as a donation destination. Their address is 320 W. Windsor Road, Glendale. Their phone number is 818-246-5586.

If you have other places you'd recommend we all consider please leave it/them in a comment.

Thanks!

Hannah

PS The picture above left shows two purple potatoes I put into the ground and the next picture shows maybe half of the magical potato bounty I pulled out of my plot not much later on.  Turns out potatoes are the potato seeds!  Just cut them so at least 2 eyes are on each slice, put 'em in the ground and see what happens.  Important note: Don't eat any potatoes that have green on them or have grown on the surface of the soil, apparently they're a hazard.

Coalition for a Green Glendale News Flash!

We are hosting our very first Monterey Road Eco-Community Garden Workshop that is open to the public!

Join us on June 25th at 10 a.m. with Jeff Spurier on pest management! If you have a vegetable garden at home or plan to have one this will be essential for sharing knowledge among gardeners and hearing some tips from an expert! Jeff Spurrier is a Master Gardener, trained at the University of California Cooperative Extension. Jeff contributes his services to communities, sharing his knowledge and expertise. We are excited to have Jeff back with us to learn more insightful information about our gardens.

When a leaf does not look right, we try to figure out what is wrong, why is it curling, is that rust, is that mildew, as we closely monitor our gardens. Then there are those holes in the leaves, and even worse, what bored the holes into our vegetable? Now we can find out the answers! And, we can learn tips on preventative measures that can be taken! This is very valuable information for those growing vegetable gardens.

Please do RSVP at greenglendale@gmail.com so that we know how many people are attending. An ongoing challenge at our evolving gardens is lack of seating. If you're okay with standing great, but if you need to sit after a while we encourage you bring a folding chair or something to sit on. We hope to resolve this issue once we have proper funding!

Where: 827 Monterey Road, Glendale, CA
When: June 25th, Saturday, at 10 a.m.

Parking: Please park with caution. Crossing Monterey Road can be very dangerous. I recommend parking on Coronado, which is just East of Garden West and sees much less traffic.

Thats it... thanks and let me know if you have any questions.

Best,

Alek Bartrosouf
Coalition for a Green Glendale
Steering Committee Chair - Monterey Road Eco Community Gardens

818-359-0108

827 Monterey Road, Glendale, CA
Parking: Please park with caution. Crossing Monterey Road can be very dangerous. I recommend parking on Coronado, which is just East of Garden West and sees much less traffic.