Are seed and garden catalogs filling your mailbox? Well you know what that means. Time to order and get ready for plant starting. While the Sisters Community Garden is still covered in snow, we do have news for you. Read on…….
First things first - mail in your 2024 applicationF!
Applications for your garden spot, our 2024 Information and Rules, and a Letter of Liability can be found on the "members" tab on our website. Returning gardeners have until March 1 to apply for their current plot. If you wish to use a different plot, you should still get your application in by that date, as plots will be assigned to current members before non-members on a first-come first-served basis. Returning gardeners will receive confirmation of their plot choices as soon as forms and fees have been received.
Board members working hard to prepare for 2024 season
While the board takes a month or two off in the winter, we are still working to get the garden and our members ready to roll. We need some help in a few areas, so please consider volunteering for a stewardship to keep our garden looking beautiful!
Stewardship responsibilities include providing the best care for plants and the total garden environment. Stewards prepare soil, fertilize, prune, thin, irrigate, protect plots from rodents and harvest the bounty of our communal plots. Stewards also let other gardeners know when and how to harvest.
A partial list of stewardships follows. Please contact Garden Manager Janie Boyl (503-320-4810 or boylj42@gmail.com) if you plan to continue as a steward, wish to take on a new task, or help current stewards with any of these areas. Also, do you have a truck you can use for garden tasks? We always need someone to help pick up soil and other amendments and bring debris to the county transfer station.
· Gooseberry or blueberry beds
· elevated planters
· garden amendments - compost, manure, soil mix
· horse trough planters
· outside berms
· perimeter fence flowers
· pest control
· rock garden
· storage shed
· historical wagon preservation or relocation
· weed removal
· tool maintenance
Garden shed needs
Do you have any extra tools you can donate to the garden? We always appreciate members and friends who bring extra tools for our 50+ members to use! Please bring us any hand tools you may have or find at yard sales or thrift shops. Trash bags are also welcome. This year we particularly need a viable weed eater.
And speaking of tools, many of us have noticed the absence of a few favorite tools from the garden. We are missing a red watering can and one small green-handled clipper. If you happen to have brought those home by mistake, please bring them back! You wouldn’t believe how many members miss them :(
Members needed to serve on our board
Please consider joining our board. Board members fill roles in the areas of finance, social media, garden maintenance, leadership teams and community outreach. If you are interested, please note that information on your application or contact any board member. Holly Lange, our membership director, will be glad to add this info on your garden profile. You can also send an email to sisterscommunitygarden@gmail.com for more details. The board meets monthly (except for some months in winter), and manages the overall wellness of the garden. For 2024, we need an event coordinator and a board member at large.
Thanks to outgoing board member Rebecca Wallace!
We extend our thanks and gratitude to outgoing board member Becky Wallace for her years of service. Becky was voted as a member of the board in 2022 and served as a member-at -large. She was a friendly greeter at all our community events and could be counted on for taking care of sending greeting cards, ordering pizza for our events and producing the bee report. We wish her good health and look forward to seeing her in the coming year.
Gardening workshops
Our first gardening workshop of the year takes place March 9 from 10 a.m. to noon in the greenhouse. Join Instructor and Greenhouse Manager Nancy Bright to learn about seed starting. Topics covered in this free workshop will include:
· when to plant vegetable seeds in concert with Sisters’ growing season
· tricks for speeding up germination
· starting vegetables in the greenhouse now for transplanting later in the season
· best practices for transplanting.
There will be hands-on activities, informational materials and free seeds to take home. This workshop is designed for adults and interested kids. Children younger than middle school should be accompanied by an adult.
In addition to the workshops the Sisters Community Gardens hosts, you can find several sessions in the area focusing on everything from seed starting to harvesting. Check out the schedule from the Central Oregon Master Gardeners as well as the OSU Extension Service
Classes are also offered at farms and garden stores in the area, including:
Looking ahead
Please add these dates to your calendar, remember to check out the calendar on our website.
· March 9 - seed starting workshop takes place in the greenhouse 10 a.m. to noon
· April 1 - garden opens for 2024-2025 season
· April 6, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. - orientation for all members; lotteries for space in the back 40 beds and the greenhouse. Workshop: what to plant this spring…and when to plant your outdoor plot.
· April 13, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. - opening the garden Work Party. Come clean up the paths, spread bark dust and spruce up the greenhouse and shed area.
· April 27 - Potluck and Annual meeting. The meeting begins at 11:00 a.m. followed by the election of new board members and our potluck lunch. More to come on this event!