WINTER 2011/2012 URBAN GARDENING ISSUE #77
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Urban Gardening A
Publication
From Our Board Chair
A New Executive Director
he fall and winter seasons are a time of rest, renewal, and planning for the gardeners and friends of Gateway Greening. As the growing season comes to an end, we enjoy the bounty of our harvest, clear and renew the soil for the spring, and begin to dream and plan for 2012. This year Gateway Greening as an organization is in that same cycle. 2011 has been an eventful year for us. We completed the purchase of our office space on Washington Avenue in January and in March, Gwenne HayesStewart, our Executive Director for many years retired. Since then, with the blessing of a committed staff, ably led in the interim by Mara Higdon, our Program Director, and a dedicated board of directors, Gateway Greening has continued to thrive. I am completing my term as Board Chair at year end and look forward to a little rest and renewal myself. I plan to continue to work with Dave Hoffmann, our chair-elect, on the executive committee as he takes the helm with a new slate of officers. Over the past many months, a search committee comprised of six board members has been meeting to select a new Executive Director for Gateway Greening. At November board meeting, the board unanimously voted to employ Michael Sorth as the new executive director of Gateway Greening. Mike will start on December 5th and I hope that you will have an opportunity to meet him during some of the holiday celebrations or at other events planned for the purpose. During the extensive search process, the committee worked very hard to find the person we feel will be the best leader for Gateway Greening as we continue to grow and renew. We were also looking for the best “fit” for our culture and someone who would appreciate the strengths our excellent staff brings to the organization. We believe we have found that person in Mike. Mike will be an integral part of moving the organization forward as we embark upon an update to our strategic plan early next year. We see great things in our future. We have big dreams. We look forward to the harvest of 2012. -Loura Gilbert, Board Chair
t its November board meeting, the Gateway Greening Board of Directors approved the hiring of Michael Sorth as the new Executive Director of Gateway Greening. Mike will be joining the staff on December 5, 2011. Mike brings extensive private sector and government experience as well as nonprofit participation to the role. Most recently he has worked as a Senior Investment Banker for Stifel Nicolaus & Co. He worked with public/private partnerships to raise and structure debt for a number of urban developments in the region. Earlier in his career he worked for both the State of Missouri and the State of Illinois. He managed the office of Business Finance for the Missouri Department of Economic Development and also worked as an Associate in Governor Mel Carnahan’s office helping to choose candidates for state boards and commissions. In Illinois, he served on the staff of the Speaker of the House. Mike currently serves on the St. Louis Affordable Housing Commission and the board of the Tilles Park Neighborhood Association. He is President and Founder of City Hockey, Inc., a non-profit working to make ice hockey more accessible to city youth. Mike is well-positioned to expand the visibility of Gateway Greening in our region and to lead the efforts for increased funding to sustain and grow the organization. He is passionate about GGI’s mission and is looking forward to working with board and staff. Please join the board in welcoming Mike to Gateway Greening. -Loura Gilbert, Board Chair
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WINTER 2011/2012 URBAN GARDENING ISSUE #77 GATEWAY GREENING
VOLUNTEERS
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VOLUNTEER IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
PAT SCHMIDT Pat has been wonderful! She has been one of our most consistent and dedicated volunteers this season. She is at the farm every week, regardless of torrential downpours or extreme heat. She also has an incredible thirst for knowledge and has learned a great deal at the farm because of it. Pat works very well with our clients, but is also able to work independently. We have sincerely enjoyed her presence at the farm and hope to continue working with her long into the future. -Rachel Deffenbaugh Urban Farm Manager
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started volunteering at City Seeds Urban Farm on Pine St. in spring 2011. During the orientation, I realized I was going to be part of an extraordinary organization. I am very thankful for the farm leaders, whose expertise, enthusiasm and vision make for a rewarding experience rooted in success. As a child, I spent my summers in the Ozarks where my grandparents tended a small vegetable farm. It was my first exposure to farming, and it was very delightful. Volunteering this year brought that memory back in a very real way—The smell of the soil, watching seeds grow into delicious food, build-
ing scarecrows, caring for the farm and the people who worked in such a dedicated way. There is a “wow!” factor in it for me. I am grateful every day to share in such a wonderful endeavor. One of my favorite things to do at the farm is to simply stand up while I’m weeding to take a moment and recognize the beauty of our location just past the Hwy 40 entrance ramp. Looking east there is the green of the garden at my feet bordered by a line of rose bushes. Just beyond that, there is the St. Louis skyline. It looks balanced and it glistens depending on the sun of the day. I breathe, relax and smile (I’ve been known to start singing). The awareness that our farm exists side by side
with downtown represents possibility. With possibility there is hope. I want to share that hope with others. How might it be to replace the despair, fear and violence of our neighborhoods with community gardens that inspire beauty and purpose? People growing food that they can sell, eat and donate to help others, instead of burned out buildings, boarded up and falling down—Crops of delicious, healthy food building strong communities of happy people. With possibility there is hope. I encourage anyone with time, energy or resources to get involved and volunteer. It is a privilege. It is a treasure. It is priceless. Peace to you and yours. -Pat Schmidt City Seeds Urban Farm Volunteer
WINTER 2011/2012 URBAN GARDENING ISSUE #77 COMMUNITY
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GARDENS
WHAT TO CONSIDER IF YOU’VE CONSIDERED
CHICKENS T
his past summer, GGI held a Pints N’ Plants session on raising chickens at the 13th Street Community Garden. Over 50 people attended and there was a lively Q & A session filled with informative facts. If you were not able to attend, however, you may wonder, “What are the benefits to having chickens in my community garden or backyard?” It’s important to ask yourself this question before taking the leap into chicken keeping. They are animals after all that deserve love, care, and respect like any animal that you may keep as a pet or otherwise. The main reason that my family keeps chickens is to have fresh eggs on a daily basis. They really taste much better than the ones you purchase at the store. On average, each chicken should lay about one egg a day. I also enjoy sharing the responsibility of caring for the chickens with my family and friends. It teaches responsibility and a respect for animals. Chickens need to be kept in some type of enclosed building/coop to provide shelter from the elements. Each chicken should have four square feet of space in the coop. Many homes have old garages or smaller rooms attached to a garage that could be used as suitable homes for chickens. If you don’t have a suitable building there are a number of coop designs to glean inspiration from if you want to try out your carpentry skills. Many nice ones can be found on backyardchickens.com. Chickens should also have a protected run or penned area that they can reach from the coop. They use
this area to spend time outside and keep the pecking order in line. It is always a good idea to close their coop door completely at night to keep out predators. Closing the coop door also helps keep out the cold drafts in winter time. Chickens need fresh water on a daily basis and food pellets should be readily available. It is important to have a dry area in their pen to take dust bathes in the dirt; this is how they clean themselves. There are a variety of
chickens out there to choose from. However, due to the brutal winters in Missouri, it is important to get breeds of chickens that are more winter hardy if you do not plan to keep your coop heated in the winter.
They will huddle together for warmth when necessary, but in general should be fine in the winter as long as their coop is not drafty. Chickens are a lot of fun to raise and can also make great pets if you plan on starting out with baby chicks. As they grow older, they will become more familiar with you and get into a routine. If you don’t want to start with chicks, you can also buy “teenagers,” or pullets. The teenagers will start laying eggs when they are 5-7 months old. Chickens can live to be 13-15 years old, but they only lay eggs for 2-3 years on a consistent basis. Still, they can make wonderful pets, are very animated, and have their own distinct personalities. If you’re interested in finding out more, let us know! There are three GGI staff members that keep chickens. We enjoy talking about them as much as we love talking about gardening! -Mara Higdon Program Supervisor
WINTER 2011/2012 URBAN GARDENING ISSUE #77 CITY SEEDS
URBAN FARM
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CITY SEEDS URBAN FARM
CITY SEEDS URBAN FARM
YEAR IN REVIEW
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
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s most gardeners and farmers already know, the sweltering heat of the 2011 summer made for a difficult year. However, here at City Seeds we have a great deal of which to be proud. There were 27 therapeutic horticulture participants and 38 jobs training graduates. We continue to have a job placement rate upwards of 75%, and the placements continue to increase as recent graduates become employed. We worried that crop production would disappoint, due to the intense summer heat. On the contrary, we grew 10,600 pounds of produce, which is on par with 2010 production. From this produce, approximately 3,500 pounds sold at the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market, generating $10,000 for the program. Additionally, 4,600 pounds of produce were sold to Food Outreach, doubling the 2010 quantities. Food Outreach used the fresh, local produce to make nutritious meals to feed people suffering from HIV/AIDS and/or cancer. Our remaining produce was donated to food pantries, our clients and our volunteers. The successful crop production is thanks in large part to the hard work of St. Patrick Center clients and dedicated volunteers. In April, City Seeds introduced a new volunteer program aimed at increasing the number of volunteers. It worked! In 2011, 41 individuals volunteered 1014 hours. That is a 135% increase in the number of hours volunteered since 2010! 2011 also saw a number of additions to our farm features and activities: the first City Seeds Field Day, client volunteer days with Food Outreach, a hawk platform, a rain garden and a native prairie. Throughout the winter, we are reviewing the successes and challenges of 2011 and using that evaluation to inform our planning for 2012. There is never a dearth of work to be done and we are excited for what the next year will hold for City Seeds! -Rachel Deffenbaugh Urban Farm Manager
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t was a joy to reconnect with Derrick Johnson, aka “Bomb-Pop”, one of those individuals that brought smiles and laughter to everyone working on the farm in those days, no matter how daunting the task or how hot or rainy it was in reality. Back when he participated at City Seeds, he also worked full-time as an Ice Cream Man and regularly visited Bell on Saturdays. The ice cream jingle and kid-friendly music could be heard from around the block as he made his rounds. His glowing personality, bright smile and army of bombpops and creamsicles were always a highlight at the end of a Saturday workday. Derrick was a participant in the Shamrock (Therapeutic Horticulture) program at City Seeds back in the fall of 2007. He has been employed full-time at Top Care for the past four years, and spends his days working with a two person crew mulching, pruning, landscaping, working with irrigation systems, and doing snow removal in the winters. Over the years, Derrick has worked with many City Seeds alumni now employed at Top Care. As a homeless client at St. Patrick Center, his case manager recommended City Seeds because of his positive childhood experience at the Missouri School for Boys where he worked in a greenhouse when he was just 13 years old. “City Seeds gave me experience to move on to something to help me in the future.” He liked the fact that people didn’t ask a lot of personal questions and just let him be himself. “There was nothing I didn’t like; it helped me to treat my coworkers good.” “It helped bring out the good in me – be patient, be yourself.” When asked if he had any advice for future participants, Derrick simply stated – “try it, you’ll like it,… you never know where it will take you.” Derrick stays in contact with others from his City Seeds class and still volunteers at St. Patrick Center, though no longer an official client. Keep up the amazing work, Derrick!! -Annie Mayrose Urban Agriculture Manager
WINTER 2011/2012 URBAN GARDENING ISSUE #77
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WELCOMING ONE RETURNING & THREE NEW
AMERICORPS VISTAS Americorps VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. Authorized in 1964 and founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965, VISTA was incorporated into the Americorps network of programs in 1993. VISTA has been on the front lines in the fight against poverty in America for more than 45 years. VISTA members commit to serve full-time for a year at a nonprofit organization or local government agency, working to fight illiteracy, improve health services, create businesses, strengthen community groups, and much more. Brian Blosser: Americorps VISTA City Seeds A native St. Louisan, I grew up the oldest of four siblings. I attended college at Washington University in St. Louis, receiving a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, and attended graduate school at Georgia Institute of Technology, earning an M.S. in Music Technology. My passion for sustainable agriculture developed during grad school, and since then, I’ve spent a season WWOOFing on three organic farms in Quebec, Canada, and I’ve recently returned from an apprenticeship at the Community Supported Garden at Genesis Farm in western New Jersey. When I’m not farming, I enjoy cooking, biking, speaking French, yoga, and singing, among other things. I’m excited for the opportunity to help with growing and planning at City Seeds Urban Farm this year, and to get to know our St. Patrick Center clients! Jessica Choi: Americorps VISTA Education While studying architecture at the University of Maryland, I travelled to Costa Rica to learn about sustainable agriculture; both experiences fueled my fascination with designing and integrating the building, landscape, and community. After graduating with a BS in architecture, I returned to Baltimore--building row homes at Sandtown Habitat, serving Paninis and Zeke’s coffee at a local cafe, and working at a small eco-architecture firm named TerraLogos. At Gateway Greening, I am excited to serve as the Youth Education Vista, empowering children and educators with the resources that they need to further develop urban gardens throughout St. Louis. I look forward to embarking on a new adventure into a city full of these green spaces, and I hope to reconcile my passions for green design, sustainable cities, and fresh, wholesome, accessible food.
Danie Becknell: Americorps VISTA Fundraising & Communications I recently graduated from Indiana University (IU), with a MA in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. My focus in this program was the formation of islamic architecture in the middle east, and how it has evolved and expanded since Islam's first Caliphate (dynasty). Additionally, I have a graduate certificate in Non-Profit Management from IU’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs. My non-profit background is in fundraising and PR for human services and higher education, so I am eagerly looking forward for this opportunity to work with Gateway Greening! I chose to be an AmeriCorps VISTA, because I want the opportunity to serve the local St. Louis community. I am originally from rural Missouri, so this position gives me the opportunity to reconnect with nature and gardening, while serving locally. Matt Even: Returning Community Development Americorps VISTA As the Community Outreach VISTA, I am responsible for acting as the Hub liaison and helping to support the creation and sustainability of new Hub gardens. I also help to organize and coordinate educational opportunities for community gardeners and the public. I grew up in central Minnesota and obtained a degree in Sociology from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2009. During this time, I studied abroad in the UK and returned home to Intern with Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota working with New Americans from all over the world. After university I moved to become an apprentice on an organic farm in northern Minnesota. While working in a farming community I learned traditional and extended season practices for growing over 60 varieties of vegetables. In 2010 I moved to St. Louis to be an Americorps VISTA with Gateway Greening and really felt passionate about the communities that I live and work in. I am excited to be a VISTA again in 2011-2012 and continue to help communities and gardens grow in St. Louis!
WINTER 2011/2012 URBAN GARDENING ISSUE #77 COMMUNITY
GARDENS
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THE SPRING GARDEN:
BEST PRACTICES Determine New Membership
Community gardens have changes in leadership and members from season to season. Keep an organized leadership structure to help the garden flourish by: • Updating new membership lists and distributing them to your gardeners regularly.
Establish Meeting Times & Regular Workdays
Creating expected meeting times and workdays will help individuals to organize their time. Community gardens consist of people with many occupations and conflicting schedules, leaders should: • Set up a regular monthly meeting time for upcoming events and issues. Hold meetings in a space that is accessible to everyone. • Form regular workdays when the garden can be considered in “operation”; this will help people to establish a re-occurring community workday.
Identify Needed Resources
Identify what is needed to improve the garden in the upcoming season and ask garden members: • What existing infrastructure is needed? Waterline, fence, benches, etc. • What does your garden or its members need to improve? Education, tools, compost bin, etc.
Regular Garden Roles (Put them in writing)
Roles are essential to maintaining the garden throughout the year. Consistent garden leaders consider regular roles such as: • How will cutting the grass be maintained?
• Are there big projects that need additional leadership? • Who will remind members about garden rules and who will collect garden dues?
Garden Space Responsibilities
Successful and diverse community gardens rely on dedication of every gardener to: • Maintain his or her plot. • Contribute to the upkeep and management of the entire garden. • How will this be communicated to members?
Communications Plan
(How will members stay connected?) Establishing basic levels of communication can greatly increase the efficiency of your garden. Keeping gardeners closely connected will generate stronger relationships: • Create a phone tree, community list serve, Community board or facebook page to communicate what is happening in the garden. • Advertise the garden and its events to the community by using tools listed above. Targeting churches, libraries, businesses, alderperson’s and institutions can strengthen your garden membership and impact in neighborhood improvement.
Celebrate Successes!
• There is always something that can call for a celebration (new members, new partnerships, a successful harvest). Demonstrate progress and invite everyone involved (donors and neighbors included) to share in celebration.
WINTER 2011/2012 URBAN GARDENING ISSUE #77 YO U T H
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PROGRAMS
S
SCHOOL GARDENS:
THE SUSTAINABLE
EXTENDING THE SEASON
SITES INITIATIVE
chool schedules weren’t designed with the gardening season in mind. During the summer when some of the most interesting and enjoyable crops are ready to harvest, the majority of students are enjoying summer vacations. Meanwhile during the cold dark winter months students aren’t able to use their outdoor learning environment to learn about photosynthesis, decomposition, plant structures, or any other critical educational concepts. Gateway Greening understands the importance of maximizing use of the early spring and late fall growing season so that students can get the most out of their school gardens. Two schools that were recently awarded gardens through the Kids Garden Fresh Program, the Freedom School located in University City and St. Ann Catholic School in Normandy have taken advantage of mini hoop houses installed by Gateway Greening. Mini hoop houses typically go over individual garden beds. Semi-Circle hoops are placed in the ground approximately two feet apart. The hoops create a frame that holds up a layer of plastic which is tucked into the ground around the gardening space. The plastic traps in the heat that’s collected in the ground during the day and keeps it in during the night when temperatures are usually at their coldest. It’s a great lesson for the students as they are able to see firsthand how the greenhouse effect traps heat during the day and provides the plants with extra protection from the cold weather. Mini hoop houses provide approximately 7 degrees of protection which allows cold tolerant plants to survive well into November. In fact it can get so warm in the hoop house that it is important to keep an eye on the weather so plants don’t get roasted on a particularly sunny day.
While hoop houses are great for keeping plants alive in the late fall, they also take some of the risk out of starting plants early in the season. The plastic will keep the crops from getting hit with a killing frost and the solar heat will warm up soil to help any transplants or early seeded plants get off to a strong start. Crops can be put out in early March so that students will get more mature plants before they head home for summer break. The students at Meramec Heights don’t have to take a break from gardening since Jeanne Fluri leads the school garden club which continues to meet weekly during the winter and summer months. In addition to taking advantage of mini hoop houses the students of Meramec Heights are lucky to be able to garden even in the winter. Jeanne Fluri pulls this off by starting plants indoor in the school grow lab. The grow lab is a shelving unit with shop lights hung from chains. The lights provide enough heat and energy to start plants indoor that students can plant in the spring. Another indoor gardening activity that the students of Meramec Heights get to participate in is vermicomposting. The students have a worm bin where they can put some of their school’s food scraps. The red wriggler worms are happy to eat their scraps and provide rich compost for the students to add to their garden. While grow labs and vermicomposting bins can be purchased in variety of gardening magazines, plans for making each of these gardening extension items can be found online. Making a grow lab or a vermicomposting bin can be a great classroom activity that can help get you through the winter and increase your student’s connection to the garden. -Steve Eigsti, Youth Programs Coordinator
The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) is a sustainable
landscape rating system. The project brings sustainable practices and management into the realm of land development in order to build upon the existing rating systems for green building. SITES is entering the public realm through pilot projects located around the world ranging from city parks, to private homes, to commercial developments. Developed under the partnership of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the U.S. Botanical Garden (USBG), SITES focuses on the natural environment. This focus complements the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System as developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) which focuses on the built environment. While LEED has changed for the better the way we design and construct our homes and neighborhoods, there is room for improvement in terms of sustainable land development. SITES begins where LEED left off with site sustainability. Not only does SITES address the existing conditions of the site, but also how the site impacts the ecosystem as a whole. This delves into issues such as protecting healthy soils and habitat restoration. Pilot projects following the SITES guidelines can be found worldwide, with one of the leading examples located in St. Louis. The Novus Headquarters Campus in St. Charles is housed in a LEED Platinum building – the highest level of sustainability achievable under LEED. The nine acre site has now been designed to receive four stars under SITES – the highest level of sustainability achievable. With an existing building on site, the landscape was designed to improve site hydrology through water conservation, enhance the natural ecosystem through native species habitat improvement, and create a healthy and educational outdoor experience for the employees and visitors. Upon completion of the pilot projects, the guidelines set forth in SITES will be assessed and possibly incorporated into LEED. Please visit sustainablesites.org for more information. -Bob Kocher Americorps VISTA City Seeds
WINTER 2011/2012 URBAN GARDENING ISSUE #77
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EVENTS December 15th Gateway Greening Holiday Party,
5pm-7pm at the GGI office 2211 Washington. Get into the holiday spirit with Gateway Greening! Please bring a “white elephant gift” (an inexpensive, gag or re-gifted item) and a dish for the potluck meal. RSVP to Theresa at 588-9600x23.
January 1st Youth Garden Application Available. 12th
Kids Garden Fresh workshop, 5pm6:30pm at GGI office 2211 Washington. Indoor Gardening workshop for educators and garden leaders working with youth. Seed starting and other creative ways to bring life to the winter months will be the focus of this session. RSVP to Steve at 5889600x 24.
9th Kids Garden Fresh Workshop, 5pm- 8th Kids Garden Fresh Workshop, 5pm6:30pm at GGI office at 2211 Washington. ScienceBased activities-- GGI staff will put on our lab coats for this educational session on great ideas for science experiments. RSVP to Steve at 588-9600 x24.
10th Volunteer Valentine Happy Hour! 5pm-
6:30pm in the GGI office at 2211 Washington. Valentine’s Day isn’t just about romance—it’s about showing appreciation for those you care for. Come celebrate the ‘Hallmark Holiday’ with fellow GGI volunteers! RSVP to Theresa at 588-9600x23.
15th Pints & Plants! Topic TBD. 25th Community Garden Summit!
9am4pm at St. Patrick Center, 800 N. Tucker. Registration and light breakfast begin at 8am. RSVP to Theresa at 588-9600x23.
March
18th First Pints & Plants of 2012! 6:30pm- 2nd Pints 'n' Plants Special Event, Time and 8:30m at the Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St. Topic: Gardening in the Dead of Winter.
February 4th Growing Healthy Kids Awards Announced, 10am in the GGI office at 2211 Washington This potluck dinner will celebrate all 2012 Growing Healthy Kid awardees.
Place TBD. Savers Co-Founder Diane Ott Whealy to autograph and sell her recently published book "Gathering: Memoir of a Seed Saver." For more information visit gatewaygreening.org.
6:30pm at GGI office at 2211 Washington. Gardening Kick Start. It’s important for educators and youth leaders to pack in as much gardening as possible before students leave for summer vacation. Gardening Kick Start will be full of advice to get classes out and growing as soon as possible. There might even be some free cold seasons seeds waiting for you. RSVP to Steve at 588-9600 x24.
10th Kids Garden Fresh Workshop, 10am-11
am at Bell Garden Carriage House 3815 Bell Avenue. Gardening Kick Start It’s important for educators and youth leaders to pack in as much gardening as possible before students leave for summer vacation. Gardening Kick Start will be full of advice to get classes out and growing as soon as possible. RSVP to Steve at 588-9600 x24.
12th Potato Day and Spring Planting Demo! Several varieties of potato seed available free to community gardeners (limit 1 lb. per gardener). Ongoing potato and spring planting demonstrations available, 10am-12pm at Bell Garden.
April
3rd First day at Bell and Volunteer Orienta- 2nd City Seeds Urban Farm Opens! tion! Bell is open on Saturdays throughout the growing season from 9am-1pm. Volunteer orientation to begin at 10am at 3871 Bell Ave, 63108. RSVP to Hannah at 588-9600x28.
5th City Seeds Volunteer Orientation, 8am at the farm on the 2200 block of Pine. RSVP to Hannah at 588-9600x28.
WINTER 2011/2012 URBAN GARDENING ISSUE #77
9 7th Bell Garden Volunteer Orientation, 10am
at Bell Garden, 3871 Bell. RSVP to Hannah at 588-9600x28.
garden leaders will review some of the most exciting gardening curriculum that is out there and you won’t have to hear anything about GGI bedtime rituals.
18th
Pints & Plants! 7pm-9pm at the Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St. Topic TBD.
7th GPD Collection Site Soil and Pot Pick-Up, 14th Kids Garden Fresh 10am-11 am at Bell 19th City Seeds Volunteer Orientation, 8am 9am-1pm at the Carriage House, 3815 Bell, 63108 at the farm on the 2200 block of Pine. RSVP to 12th Kids Garden Fresh 5pm-6:30pm at GGI
office at 2211 Washington. Top Garden Education Books—Come find out what garden based educational books that GGI staff keep under our pillows at night. Actually, this session for educator and youth
Garden Carriage House 3815 Bell Avenue. Top Garden Education Books. Come find out what garden based educational books that GGI staff keep under our pillows at night. Actually, this session for educator and youth garden leaders will review some of the most exciting gardening curriculum that is out there and you won’t have to hear anything about GGI bedtime rituals.
Hannah at 588-9600x28.
25th-29th GPD Collection Sites Open to receive donated perennials for community and youth gardens. Contact the office or visit the GGI website to find a collection site near you.
WINTER GARDENING For those of us who still have vegetables growing in our gardens, we can rest
assured that with some careful planning and a bit of knowledge, it is possible to harvest at least something edible throughout every month of the year. There are a few important things to keep in mind about the needs of vegetables and how they grow. It is fairly well-understood that garden vegetables fall into the categories of either hardy or tender. Early November saw a frost cold enough to kill warmseason crops. These include melons, peppers, tomatoes, corn, beans, eggplant, okra, sweet potato, cucumbers, squashes, and basil. Other vegetables will have varying degrees of hardiness, from peas tolerating temperatures just below the 32 degree mark to kale withstanding temperatures as low as 10 degrees. Plants like Brussels sprouts and parsnips tend to increase sugar content after frosty weather, so in this sense it pays to keep them in the ground during the winter. The hardiness of plants depends on varying levels of “antifreeze” or dissolved substances (salts, sugars, enzymes) in cellular fluids that keep the liquid between cells from freezing. A less well-understood environmental factor is that of day length, or rather night length (research shows that darkness actually dictates how some plants grow). Most vegetable plants will stop growth once the day length has reached 10 hours. According to the daylight calendar produced by the U.S. Naval Observatory, we can see that during 2010, daylight fell below 10 hours starting on November 18th and ending January 24th. So we can reasonably expect that during this time, even with some protection from the cold, our cold-hardy plants left in the ground will go dormant and not produce much sizeable growth. This might also explain why after seeding or transplanting
vegetables in your garden late in the summer or early fall, a small amount of growth might have been followed by a frustrating period of inactivity. Unless supplementing with artificial lights, there’s not much that gardeners can do to overcome this environmental factor. For example, if it’s mid-November and your cabbage is still small, don’t expect the head to enlarge much more. However, once dormancy sets in, with a little protection crops like spinach, lettuce, and onions will most likely resume growth come late winter/early spring. The idea behind fall and winter gardening is to put on enough growth before either severe cold temperatures or long nights set in. At this point, protection from the cold should prolong harvest beyond when such temperatures would normally kill a crop. Cold frames, using old windows on a sealed frame or on hay bales, are great for warming the soil during the day and releasing the heat during cold nights. These are great for storing root crops in the ground, such as parsnips and carrots, which will be harvested throughout the winter and into very early spring. Ventilating will be important, however, especially during sunny days. Low tunnels made from plastic or spun fiber and fastened to hoops over the garden bed will also work to hold in heat and maintain some level of moisture from condensation. These structures will also help to keep freezing precipitation and hail from damaging the leaves of plants. It will be important to check soil moisture when using protective structures, as dry soil will tend to freeze and/or limit the amount of heat storage that will benefit overwintered crops. Check about 1” down and moisten if needed. Heavy mulch and straw will also sustain some root crops and leeks, keeping them from both freezing (and turning mushy) and frost heaving. -Ryan Barker, Community Educator
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THANK YOU
TO OUR DONORS Blanton and Peg Whitmire $25,000 Donation
Trio Foundation $10,000 Grant
Harry's Bar Golf Outing $3,500 Donation
Bella S. and Benjamin H. Garb Foundation, Inc. $2,500 Donation
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GATEWAY GREENING MEMBERS New Members Gardener Melissa Breed-Parks Marilyn Claggett Stephanie Coppedge Jean Corbett Andy Eggleston Adam Flath Rebecca Gernes Robert Gronski Eric Hadley Julie Holley Mike Perry Paul F. Ross Brenda Switzer Matthew Virgil
Renewing Members Director’s Circle Ms. Phyllis Huettner Mr. Terry Lueckenhoff Rainmaker Mr. and Mrs. Wayne E. Baldwin, Jr. Ms. Doris Buzzell Ms. Laura Cohen Ms. Diane DuBois Mr. and Mrs. Harold Jackson Mr. and Mrs. Frank Key Mrs. Phyllis Maritz Mr. David Richardson and Ms. Colleen Oconnor Mr. and Mrs. William Sant Gardener Ms. Emily Andrews Mr. Mark Bohnert Ms. Susie Butler Ms. Judy Compton Mr. and Mrs. Edward Eschenfelder Ms. Susan Littlefield Mr. and Mrs. Jim Schmitt Ms. Jane Shea Dr. and Mrs. Eli Shuter South City Community School Mr. and Mrs. Jim Willmore
GATEWAY GREENING BOARD OF DIRECTORS Robert P. Ballsrud Ann Smith Carr Sarah Davis Noel Fehr James Fetterman Scarlett Lee Foster Loura Gilbert Bonnie Hamid Paul David Hoffmann Mark Lawson
Robert Neu Randall S. Parker William Ruppert E. Lynn Suydam Julie M. Thomas Michael Turley Liz Walker Dennis Woldum Howard Wynder Victor Zarrilli
GATEWAY GREENING STAFF Executive Director Mike Sorth x21 Program Director Mara Higdon x22 Administrative Assistant Theresa Lopez x23 Community Development Coordinator Hannah Reinhart x28 Community Gardens Coordinator James Anderson x30 Youth Programs Coordinator Steve Eigsti x24 Community Educator Ryan Barker x33 Urban Agriculture Manager Annie Mayrose x25
Urban Farm Manager Rachel Deffenbaugh Fundraising Assistant Will Flynn x31 Americorps VISTA City Seeds Brian Blosser x32 Americorps VISTA Community Development Matt Even x29 Americorps VISTA City Seeds Bob Kocher x34 Americorps VISTA Fundraising & Communications Danie Becknell x26
Ph / Fax 314-588-9600 | www.gatewaygreening.org
Our mission is to contribute to neighborhood vitality and stability through community food projects, education and wellness programs, and civic greening.
Non-profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID St. Louis, MO Permit No. 3508
2211 Washington Avenue St. Louis, MO 63103
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Urban Gardening A Publication