Bandi Schaum Community Garden Meeting Minutes
September 4, 2013
The following agenda items were introduced and discussed:
- Please use the water in the water buffaloes rather than from the spigot! It’s better for your plants and the environment. The water buffalo that fell will be reinstalled as soon as the platform is ready.
- The Harvest Party will take place on Saturday, September 28th beginning at 5 pm. No members of the Hospitality Committee were in attendance, so details are not yet available. Please come celebrate the harvest with your fellow gardeners!
- The paths are overgrown with weeds and must be mulched in order to maintain the integrity and boundaries of the paths. Two gardeners in attendance volunteered to begin the task. Gardeners are encouraged to use the mulch that was delivered to cover the pathways.
- A meeting will soon be set up with the Department of Public Works in order to petition the DPW for control of our list of gardeners. Too many gardens are unattended and should have been reassigned, and too many gardeners are not fulfilling their volunteer responsibilities. If we manage our own list, we can function more smoothly and respond more quickly.
- Jessica will look in to obtaining compost from the city for topdressing before winter.
- Jessica will bring cover crop seeds for those who choose to plant cover crops.
- A pathway needs to be created through the weeds behind the compost area so that gardeners will spread the weeds throughout the area. In order to begin mulching the path, we ask that someone with a gas-powered weed whacker create the path through the weeds.
- A gardener in attendance asked that some of the trees be cut back, as they are shading some plots. We will contact the City Forester for permission.
- Gardeners must follow the guidelines for composting. Compostable material should be placed in the compost area, not in the weeds area, and must be of manageable size. No whole fruits or vegetables. Check the poster in the shed for composting guidelines.
- We are in need of a gas powered weed whacker and a wood chipper to keep in the shed. If you hear of any used ones being sold or donated, please let us know!
- Sarah is going to look into cameras being placed at the entrance to the garden and/or in the parking lot to monitor activity after hours. Some furniture, fruits, and vegetables have gone missing and, worst of all, someone dumped a truck load of stones and trash right on top of our compost.
- Our two year support from Grow Pittsburgh ends, sadly, at the end of the year. Please be sure to support them and their efforts as much as you can. We will be able to continue to order items at discount through them after this year. Stay in touch with Grow Pittsburgh by signing up for their online newsletter at http://www.growpittsburgh.org/what-we-do/we-build-and-support-gardens/the-city-growers-network/cg-news/
- The bulletin board will be installed on the shed by Grow Pittsburgh in the next few weeks, and the blackboard on the fence will be moved, too.
- Carpenters! We still need shelves to be installed in the shed. Please let us know if you are willing to install them. Materials will be provided.
- Grant writers! We need to begin the process of writing grants for items we need and want in the garden. Please let us know if you are willing to help out.
- Our gardening season ends on December 9th. Gardeners must have their plots cleaned up and ready for winter by that date. Perennials and garden structures may be retained, but garden plots with weeds or plant detritus on them after that date may be reassigned in the spring.
