Updated 5/30/2015
Larkspur
“The most noteworthy thing about gardeners is that they are always optimistic, always enterprising, and never satisfied. They always look forward to doing something better than they have ever done before.”
—Vita Sackville-West
Contents
Introduction 4
TSBVI and Sunshine Community Garden 5
History and Organization 5
Areas of the Garden 6
Trailer 6
Kiosk (Bulletin Boards) 7
Contemplative Garden 8
Micah 6 Plot 8
Greenhouses 9
Compost and Mulch Area 9
Chicken Coop 10
Toolshed 11
TSBVI Garden 12
Dumpster 12
Accessible Garden 13
Chimney Swift Tower 13
Garden Layouts 13
Zones 13
Plots 14
Common Areas 14
Garden-wide Activities 15
Meetings 15
Food Gatherings 15
Educational Sessions 15
Plant Sale 15
Compost Operation 15
Members’ Activities and Responsibilities 16
Driving and Parking 16
Organic Requirements 16
Pets 16
Restrooms 17
Rocks 17
Security 17
Service Hours 17
Workdays 17
Water, Watering, and Hoses 18
Withdrawal from Sunshine 18
Communication 19
Help and Advice 19
Educational and Charitable Activities 20
Educational Projects 20
Micah 6 Food Pantry 20
Certified Wildlife Habitat 21
Beneficial Critters 21
Chimney Swifts 21
Purple Martins 21
Bees 22
Annoying Critters and Weeds 22
Ants 22
Mosquitoes 23
Rabbits 23
Rats 23
Bindweed 24
Khaki Weed 24
Appendix I—Organic Gardening Basics 26
Healthy Soil 26
Soil Testing 26
Amendments 27
Compost 27
Tilling: Machine vs. Hand 28
Fallow Season or Cover Crop 28
Pest and Disease Control 29
Dealing with Weeds 30
Appendix II—Resources 33
Books 33
Magazines 34
Clubs and Organizations 35
Merchants 35
Media 36
Television 36
Radio 36
Introduction
Welcome, new members! We hope that you enjoy gardening at Sunshine Community Garden (SCG) and that you become involved with our gardening community as well
as with your new garden plot. This handbook was developed principally for our new members but may provide all of us with information or reminders about how our
garden operates.
SCG is a community garden that practices organic methods. Community gardens are collaborative projects created by members of the community who share both the maintenance and rewards of the garden. With over 200 garden plots, SCG is one of the largest community gardens in the nation.
Since we are a community, we have developed ways of operating designed to ensure that all members enjoy a pleasant gardening experience. As a new member, you should carefully read the following documents from our website:
· this handbook
· the Site Rules
· the Bylaws
SCG is a volunteer organization, and its success hinges on the participation of all members.
TSBVI and Sunshine Community Garden
SCG is located on property owned by the Texas School for the Blind and Visually
Impaired (TSBVI).
The members of SCG are grateful to TSBVI for allowing us to use this property, and we continue to make every effort to nurture a positive, mutually beneficial relationship with TSBVI.
We have spent many hours of service to TSBVI and continue to help TSBVI in the following activities:
· building and helping to maintain the raised bed garden
· teaching sessions on garden-related topics to students
· helping with TSBVI’s fall plant sale
· tending the garden near the bus stop on Sunshine Drive
· keeping the perimeter clean, mowed, and weeded
Our agreement with TSBVI requires us to maintain the site and all buildings and
plots, keeping them in good repair, and keeping plots free of weeds and overgrown or rotting plants. This excellent, centrally located site is a rarity, and we are privileged to garden here.
Because TSBVI students are members of our community, we must be sure to keep pathways clear of possible tripping hazards such as watering hoses or other obstacles.
History and Organization
SCG (and its predecessors) has been around since 1974 and is in its third location. We’ve been on Sunshine Drive since 1983. In 2009, we established a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization called Community Garden Initiative of Central Texas. SCG is a program of the nonprofit.
Members of SCG elect the board of directors who, with input from members, make decisions regarding the Site Rules, the Bylaws, and other management issues. The board comprises a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and three directors. The garden is divided into ten zones, each with a zone coordinator.
Visit the website (www.sunshinecommunitygarden.org) for a list of current officers and zone coordinators and information about upcoming events. The board's contact information is also posted on the office bulletin board and in the Weekly Weeder, our email newsletter.
Areas of the Garden
Buildings and areas used for specific purposes are described here starting with the one closest to the entry gate and going basically clockwise around the site. Most, but not all, these areas appear on the map of SCG on our website.
Trailer
The trailer is located to the left of the driveway as you enter the garden. It contains the office, a library, a meeting space, and restrooms for members.
Please be sure to look at the bulletin board as you enter the trailer. This is where we often post the latest items of interest.
Library. The room to your right as you enter the trailer contains our library, where you are welcome to borrow books. To check out a book, find the card for the book in the file box (filed alphabetically by author), write your name and the date on the card, and put it back in the box. Cross out your name when you return the book. If you borrow a book, please return it in a reasonable time.
The library also serves as a cool room for produce designated for the Micah 6 food pantry program and for overheated members.
Meeting space. The open area in the middle of the trailer is used for meetings, lectures, workshops, and classes. Other nonprofit organizations also meet there from time to time.
For more information, see Meetings and Restrooms.
Trailer as Viewed from the North End
Kiosk (Bulletin Boards)
The kiosk is located in front of the trailer. Information that may be interesting is posted on the kiosk.
Kiosk
Contemplative Garden
From the south end of the trailer’s covered front porch, past the wrought iron
table and chairs, steps lead up to a “contemplative garden,” with a bench nestled among flowers.
Contemplative Garden
“Flowers are restful to look at. They have neither emotions
nor conflicts.”
—Sigmund Freud
Micah 6 Plot
The Micah 6 plot is located in front of the trailer and beside the GardenPort greenhouse. It is maintained by volunteers, and all crops from the Micah 6 plot are donated to the Micah 6 Food Pantry. For more information on this project, see
Micah 6 Food Pantry in the Charitable and Educational Activities section.
Micah 6 Plot
Greenhouses
SCG has two greenhouses. Both are used primarily for the annual plant sale and are not for individual use.
· GardenPort. The larger greenhouse is the GardenPort, a white, covered structure located west of the trailer beside the Micah 6 Plot. Why is it called the GardenPort? Because it is manufactured by the WeatherPort™ Shelter Systems company, and they call it that.
GardenPort
· Hoop House. The smaller greenhouse is the hoop house, a rounded-roofed, corrugated building located just south of the GardenPort.
Hoop House
Compost and Mulch Area
The compost and mulch area is located in the southeast corner of the site. Compost is available for SCG members to use on-site only. Consult the signs near the piles to determine where to harvest compost as well as where to leave your contributions to the compost. You can find large screens and wheelbarrows at the toolshed to use for sifting and hauling the compost if you like.
Do not put diseased plants or khaki weed in the compost; put them in the dumpster. Also put in the dumpster any undecomposed materials that do not sift through the
screen, such as large sticks or nonorganic trash. That means that you should take a small trash bucket with you when you go to harvest and sift compost for your plot.
Compost Area
In addition to compost, we usually have piles of leaves and woodchips, which you may use as mulch or for paths in your garden. These materials come from landscapers in the area.
Mulch Area—Leaves and Woodchips
For more information on soil amendments and healthy soil, see Appendix I—Organic Gardening Basics. For information on how we manage our compost area, see Compost Operation in the Garden-wide Activities section.
“The best fertilizer is the gardener’s own shadow.”
—Ancient Chinese Proverb
Chicken Coop
The chicken coop is located near the southwest corner of the garden. A small group of members belong to the chicken co-operative. Contact the
chicken co-operative coordinator if you are interested in learning more about the chickens or about the co-operative.
You may donate damaged, not rotting, vegetables to the chickens. There is a bucket for donations by the chicken coop door.
Chicken Coop
Toolshed
The toolshed is located on the western edge of the site. You can use the tools in the shed only for gardening on-site. Be sure to use each tool for its intended purpose; for example, you should not use a pitchfork for digging. If you have questions, ask someone. After using a tool, please clean it at the cleaning station by the front door of the toolshed and return it to its proper place in the shed.
Toolshed
Signs in the toolshed help you know where to put things. If you break a tool, place it on the marked shelf in the toolshed where it can be repaired.
Please closely follow the signs posted in the toolshed regarding operation and maintenance of the lawnmowers.
Wheelbarrows are located in the covered area at the back of the toolshed. They, too, are for use on-site only. And they, too, require cleaning after use. Nearby are the screens for the compost. They should be returned to the toolshed area after use. You may not store any tools anywhere outside the toolshed.
Members often place items they no longer need in front of the toolshed to the left of the door, such as tomato cages or pieces of lumber. Other members may take them for use in their own plots. Do not block the bulletin board on the toolshed, another location where information for members can be found.
Other areas of the toolshed are secured and may be opened only by a board member or a zone coordinator.
TSBVI Garden
SCG members created the TSBVI garden plots used by students of TSBVI in their horticultural program.
TSBVI Garden
Dumpster
We have a dumpster near the parking area for things we cannot recycle, reuse, or compost. It is only for waste generated on-site by the members.
Dumpster
Put only the following plants in the dumpster, not in the compost:
· diseased plants
· khaki weed
For information on identifying khaki weed, see the article in the Annoying Critters and Plants section, or ask your zone coordinator for a lesson on identifying it. You should put less noxious weeds in the proper pile in the compost area.
Accessible Garden
The Vernon Barker Memorial Garden contains three raised, wicking beds to provide access to people who use a wheelchair. The project is named in honor of longtime beloved member, Vernon Barker.
There is room to maneuver a wheelchair around the plots, and they are adjacent
to our parking area for easy access. The plots are assigned at no charge to
eligible members.
For more information about Vernon Barker and the accessible plots, see
our website.
Vernon Barker Memorial Garden
Chimney Swift Tower
The chimney swift tower is located in a common area just north of the parking area. It was constructed to provide habitat for chimney swifts. For a photo and more information, see Chimney Swifts in the Beneficial Critters section.
Garden Layouts
Zones
SCG has about 200 plots grouped into 10 zones, and each zone has about
20 plots and a zone coordinator. Your zone coordinator helps keep members in
your zone informed about events and issues in the garden and may be able to answer questions.
Notify your zone coordinator immediately if you are not able to tend your plot. Your gardening neighbors may be able to help and prevent a situation of noncompliance.
Plots
Each member is assigned a plot. Plots sizes are full (20' by 20'), half (10' by 20'), and quarter (10' by 10'). We are a community garden, and many people visit our gardens to enjoy the beauty. Moreover, our land-use agreement with TSBVI requires general upkeep of the site. Therefore, you must maintain your assigned plot according to the Site Rules—so please read them thoroughly.
In general, if you maintain your assigned plot with reasonably healthy plants or mulch, you will probably never have any problems. We try to promote vegetable and flower gardening, not weed growth. Remember that if you clean the middle of your plot but do not weed the edges, your weeds will be in your neighbor’s plot in a week or so.
Please keep the plot assigned to you under control. Poor plot maintenance is just about the only reason anyone is ever asked to leave the garden. Problems usually seem to arise when gardens get overgrown with weeds or when vegetables are not harvested. Please help to keep the gardens clean and attractive all year.