I'll just cut and paste my log that I'm keeping on the project, and add a stray comment here and there. Some of this has been covered in past entries, but I'll just recap:
Late fall, 2006: I'm still not officially in charge, just scoping out the territory, but no harm in getting reacquainted with this old garden.
I took inventory of the plant list printed on the handout, matching existing signage and existing plants, what needs to be done. It appears that about two thirds of the original plants are gone.
Oh, my gosh! Why, you may ask, did 2/3 of the plants disappear?
Not from Public Garden Pilferage, but because some were annuals, some were short-lived perennials and biennials, and some were not "the right plant for the right place" as they say in gardenerspeak. (There must be a Latin term for that phrase.)
Did I mention I'm taking a class sponsored by the local estate garden, called something like the Applewood Gardening Initiative - Urban Gardening. I've heard it is good for getting trained in how to organize a gardening project. Totally free, they even provide dinner from local, not chain, restaurants, and all I have to do is volunteer 15 hours, as a technical assistant, into a community gardening project. I even convinced my friend Sharron to take the class which will make it fun.
October MG meeting- my submitted at the last minute budget is folded into greater landscape budget, but Terry and Phil reassured me there was extra in it for this garden. I don't know if my plans to "renovate a backyard garden on a shoestring" need a big budget, but it's nice to have backing. I may or may not use it.
I did ask the general meeting for help cleaning up the garden. I really need to work on my presentation, raise my voice. Say something quickly that will garner support...
a.k.a. an elevator pitch. Oy.
My personal reticence may be my biggest hurdle this year. The bubbly project chairs seem to get the biggest response. Bubbly I am not. That's Life, get over it.
Introduced to Dave, our Landscape chair.
Day of work bee, it rained. Dave's co-chair Mel, who by the way is taking the Urban Gardening class as well, reported only a few showed up. The guys piled woodchip mulch in garden paths to avoid snowplow incidents.
I personally melt in the rain.
Oh, not really, but I don't expect people volunteering to be miserable and catch colds, nor is it a particularly good idea to do much of anything with heavy wet soil and wet plants. My philosophy is to stay off of wet soil to avoid compaction ... and melting gardeners.
I think it goes 'way back to the spring of second grade when I lost my shoes in the mud crossing the school baseball field.
Oct. 30, 2006: I took soil test, using a Master Gardener sponsored coupon from Terry. Details: depth: about ten samples, 6" deep, use: perennial flower garden plants.
Also, Terry donated 3 packages (10 each?) of Saffron crocuses (planted in tarragon and thyme quadrants of the round culinary herb bed)left over from the M.G. fall bulb sale. Cool! I'll probably need to move them next summer as the leaves are easy to mistake for seedling chives to the unobservant.
Did a small maintenance cleanup on my own.
November - Received soil test results by mail: We probably need to amend soil while renovating beds. Peat might be a good addition as we are slightly alkaline.
Annuals in culinary circle will need fertilizer or enriched soil. The Landscape committee is ordering Osmocote for the whole landscape that will be stored in the shed for use by all the demo projects.
I began this garden, ten years ago, as an organic demonstration garden, but the subsequent chair went the way of Roundup and Fertilizer. Different stroke for different folks.
I won't use pesticides, but maybe I will use some of this chemical boost with some of the annuals. I have to balance the easy fix with my personal preference.
A little history: We originally were asked to design a pleasant decorative flowerbed in conjunction with a multiple station compost demonstration area. I came up with the idea to use herbs and grow them organically. The design grew like topsy for a couple of years, but the compost area fell by the wayside with personnel changes. The compost bins were moved to the hedgerow, and the herb garden remained. I moved on to volunteer as a diagnostician which was enough on my plate so to speak, and thought that another Master Gardener might want to take over the project.
2007: The baton has been passed, where to begin? Received list of fall class MG trainee volunteers by mail. Need to contact them. Previously mentioned shyness kicks in. AUGH. I will do as much as I can with e-mail, it's easier for me.
Currently attending Applewood sponsored Urban Gardening class (15 weeks). Training and Ideas on how to lead community gardening projects. A flash of inspiration... Maybe I can meld the community garden commitment into my herb garden project?
Somewhere along the way, I started this blog: The Backyard Herbalist @
http://www.thebackyardherbalist.blogspot.com
It links to my personal web log, http://Betsyandherbs.blogspot.com
I also started a moderated Yahoo group page (right on my desktop Yahoo toolbar)
The Backyard Herbalist@
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thebackyardherbalist/
It has a picture of Extension herb garden (birdbath and compost bins)and a snappy description... "Planting an interest in herb gardening - one backyard at a time." Classified by location: Flint-Saginaw, MI.
I posted 2 old photos I had in my collection.
As long as I figured out how to start a group page for this garden, I started a Yahoo group for the Genesee County Herb Society as well! Cool! Too bad none of these new skills I'm learning are marketable.
January: I ordered plants from Bluestone Nursery.
I listed the ordered plants on a database stored in the Yahoo group.
February: I got some free seeds from the Extension.
I listed the free seeds and made a donation list on a database stored in the Yahoo group.
Live and Learn! I taught myself how to export database to MS Access for printable format. Printed a Donation Sign-Up Sheet to pass around Feb. MG meeting.
Feb MG meeting: passed around previously mentioned wish list.
Responses:
Will dig, divide, and donate herb plants: Sue, Alicia, Linda, Ruth and Julianna.
Dave, Dave, and Carol: variety of herb seeds will start them in a M.G. sponsored Grow Lab in a Flint elementary school.
Will grow seeds at home: Sue. And me, of course.
Posted some files to BYHG Yahoo Group. Just Organic Gardening type info. files.
Received an e-mail from Bonnie, She will pot up some yard plants in the spring. I thanked her.
Received a call from Francine. She will pot up some sweet basil seedlings (cut and come again style) in pots on her windowsill. I will bring her seed at the March meeting. (She has serious knee problems and can't work in gardens.)
March 7-8, 2007. Michigan Herb Associates Conference. Pure unrefined Fun for Herbies. I purchased two rosemaries, three scented geraniums (ginger, pungent peppermint and chocolate mint). Both rosemaries died immediately, I suspect they weren't well rooted yet, and the handling disturbed them enough to kill them.
March 14 Sent e-mail to list of trainees. Got 3 responses, but one had to back out for family health reason.
March 21 Carol, Dave, Jr. MG Mindy and Dave and I planted free seeds in Doyle Ryder's school Grow Lab. Dave will shepherd the lab.
April 17: Applewood Urban Gardening. Erin told me if I submit a proposal I might be able to work this project as my commitment.
April 19 MG meeting. Talked to Francine. Basil is up, she will thin and prune. I asked her to keep 4 pots going for me.
April 23: Bluestone order arrived. Some plants not available, had to revise list, re-calculate bill to be reimbursed. Unpacked and watered. Set outside. Sent box of packaging peanuts back to Bluestones to recycle.
4-25 Went to Doyle Ryder school to check up on seedlings. Dave is shepherding grow lab. Brought home 2 pots of kale to harden off outside.
What is coming up: parsley, dill, kale, one marigold, basil, silver dollars. Dave wants the lab cleaned out by Mother's Day.
Wrote proposal letter to Applewood. Brennis sent acceptance letter requiring 7 hours.
My remaining commitment will be spent with the Urban Agriculture project on Holmes Street. I'll have to google a map to find it.
The idea of Urban Agriculture as a tool to revitalize the local community intrigues me. I recently signed up for a share in a CSA at a program sponsored by the Flint Farmer's Market.
Ruth emailed. She will map existing garden using her computer know-how. Rained out first meeting, rescheduled to 4-30 Monday 10am.
The photo was taken by MG volunteer, Ruth.
Dave called, he will purchase 2 rosemary plants at Arrowwood Nursery on day he volunteers for the MG project called "Ask a Master Gardener"(20 percent discount, May 12.)He says maybe show up and see what else I need for the project.
April 26: Added 4 more past photos to the yahoo group album. (Diplomatically... getting them sent to me was like pulling a tooth.)
April 26 and 27: At home. I finally got around to planting seeds in flats: Lemon Gem marigolds, 8 varieties of basil, calendula, summer savory, sweet marjoram, amaranth "love lies bleeding", German chamomile, dill, and sage.
April 30, Monday 10 am: Met Ruth to map garden for an hour. She had previously stopped by to measure and photograph the site! She'll send photos of the dormant garden for me to post. Thank goodness, as I keep forgetting my camera!
Note: I posted one of Ruth's photos above. Here is another one of Ruth's photos:
I remained to pull weeds and spread mulch piles for a couple more hours.
Decided with Dave to pull out unused worm bin. Dave wants to bring more 2-3 lilacs from his property to plant, to screen the hedgerow compost bins from sight lines.
Unfortunately lilac is one plant that has almost no use to herbalists as far as I can tell. If you try to infuse the essence of the fragrance for use in aromatherapy, you get a nasty mulchy smelling result. But who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth? and anyway, a sunny day spent weeding in May with the lilacs blooming all around is a good day.
May 7: Francine called. She will bring her pots of basil to the office on MG night. Going into hospital for knee surgery. She persuaded me to water her garden while she is in rehab.
May 8: E-mailed Winter class trainees to recruit volunteers, and did a second mailing to Fall class volunteers.
May 10: E-mailed Terry with update. Asked her to mention Herb Garden Wednesday Work Bees in 'volunteer opportunities' area of her weekly e-mail. The plan is to hold a regularly scheduled "work bee" on Wednesdays at noon, with Thursdays being a rain delay date.
May 10: Work Bee. I met trainee Mary in garden She worked 2 hours at deadheading, weeding, ripped out lambs ears in culinary circle. I worked 11:30-3pm at weeding, deadheading and ripping out oregano from pioneer herbs bed, and oregano and chives from culinary circle.
May 12: I met Dave at Arrowwood to pick up plants (he paid from the general Landscape account) - 3 lavenders, 3 sages, 1 rosemary. Unfortunately he didn't get a discount. Must be the sagging economy. To make the drive worthwhile I scheduled it around my first workday at the CSA, where I transplanted pepper seedlings into bigger pots. I stopped for a few minutes at the herb garden to harvest enough rhubarb for dessert. Rhubarb crisp, yum!
May 15: While at the Urban Gardening class I picked up 10 nice herb plants from Chuck that Bonnie had dug from her garden. I donated 2 to the Flint Y&G fundraiser plant sale -chives and lambs ears. We've been tossing excess of these into the compost bins, but the Yard and Garden ladies will sell them, nicely potted up.
May 16: Work Bee rained out, emailed about cancellation... I had to emergency babysit.
May 18: I missed the MG meeting because I know my 15 month old granddaughter wouldn't have wanted to sit quietly for the business part. Janet called about Francine's plants. On Friday I picked up the basil at office. At home I emailed Terry with an update.
May 23: Work Bee: I met MaryBeth in the garden. She worked 3 hours helping me clear culinary herb bed. We potted up a bunch of various overly abundant herbs to give to a Macomb County EFNEP nutrition gal who was attending a meeting and who came out with the staff on their break to look at our landscape - we set aside, in the shade, chives, mint, oregano, lemon balm.
Another gal in the same group mentioned she'd like to get our extra herb divisions for some other local gardening projects. She's in charge of the Urban Agriculture class I signed up for in June! Coincidence?
Set up bird bath, added 2 stepping stones. A record setting 90 degrees!
May 25: I picked up seedling plants from the Doyle Ryder Grow Lab that Dave plans on closing next week. Basil, dill, parsley. Donated the remaining plants to the D-R summer garden project.(Wrote a thank you email to Dave with the information.)
Note to Self- Next Work Bee: Bring CAMERA!, weed bucket, water bottle, a wet washcloth in a ziplock bag, shovel along with tools.
Goal next week, to clean up the mint bed!
