Sunshine Weekly Weeder

07.14.10
www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org

LATE JULY GARDEN WORK DAY

A Work Day is scheduled for Saturday, July 24, from 8:00 to 11:00 AM

Please come and get an early start on recording your service hours for the fall season. We need to clear the tree growth along the south fence behind the compost area and behind Zones 9 and 10. Please bring lopers, if you have them. Also, we will need a few vounteers who are willing to bring and use their own chain saws, as needed. Please let Mary Gifford know by email (vice-pres@sunshinecommunitygarden.org) if you will be able to bring, and use your saw.

There are a few other trees in the garden that need to be cut, as well.

Mowing needs to be done all over the garden in paths and common areas and around individual gardens. However, remember that mowing the paths around your garden and your garden's common area does not count towards service hours.

Refreshments will be provided (Clif Bars!).

IT"S TIME TO START YOUR FALL VEGETABLE GARDEN

-- or at least to start thinking about it

The hardest part about starting a fall garden is to get out in the summer heat and put in the work to clean up your garden and prepare the soil.

The second hardest thing is pulling out those sagging plants you have nurtured since last spring. That half wilted tomato plant still has a half dozen green tomatoes, and they just may get ripe enough to pick them before the mockingbirds get to them.

The first step is to start planning what you want to plant. Check planting dates in your favorite gardening resource or online. Next, clear out most of the plants from the spring garden, including the weeds. Remove everything except okra, pole beans, and healthy cherry tomato plants. Some of the plants may still be producing, but they are definitely on the decline. You don't have to clear it out all at once, but you can't start planting fall vegetables until the spring plants are gone.

There are two main types of fall vegetable crops: long-term and short- term crops. Short term crops like beans, cucumbers, eggplants, okra, peas, peppers, squash, and tomatoes, will only produce until they are killed by the first freeze. Long-term, frost-tolerant vegetables, like beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, collards, garlic, lettuce, and many others, will tolerate freezing temperatures and many can be grown all winter.

Adapted from an article by David Rodriguez, Bexar County Extension Agent. See Horticulture and Gardening at http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu.

SO WHAT'S THE VERDICT ON YOUR TOMATO CROP THIS SUMMER?

When you're pulling up those fading tomato plants, take stock of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

There is still time to pass on which of your tomatoes and/or peppers varieties did well this season and and which ones were a disappointment. And let us know what was good or bad about them.

We would like to update the list of seeds to order for the Spring Plant Sale, and to create a Sunshine Gardens Favorites List of recommended varieties. Please send your list, your rants and raves, and any other comments to Randy: jartdaht@gmail.com.

TAMU (Texas AM) Recommendations for Fall Tomatoes

From the TAMU FALL GARDENING GUIDE

Best choices: Surefire, Heatwave, Bingo, Merced, and Whirlaway
Carnival and Celebrity are also recommended and require less maintenance.

Bingo, Merced, and Whirlaway have firm fruit and will develop a deep red color if harvested green to avoid freeze damage.
Surefire and Heatwave will set flowers and fruit during the September heat.

VEGETABLES TO PLANT DURING LATE JULY

Canteloupe ~ Carrots ~ Chard
Sweet Corn ~ Cucumbers ~ Fennel
Okra ~ Black-eye Peas
Pepper Plants ~ Pumpkin
New Zealand Spinach
Summer Squash ~ Winter Squash
Tomato Plants ~ Watermelon

SEMINAR: Better Photography in the Garden
Travis County Master Gardeners Association and Travis County AgriLife Extension
Saturday, July 24, 10am-Noon
Zilker Botanical Garden, 2220 Barton Springs Drive

Learn tips on capturing plants and insects in the garden to get the most impact. Discussion will include how lighting, focal length and aperture interact in composing photographs and how to use your camera's programs (landscape, portrait, etc.) effectively. After the presentation, you will be able to go into the Botanical Garden to practice the new skills.

Bring your own camera, and know how to work it. Study the owner's manual before the course.
Free and open to the public.

SEMINAR: Fall Vegetable Gardening
Travis County Master Gardeners Association and Travis County AgriLife Extension
Saturday, August 7, 10am-Noon
Southwest Hills Community Church, 7416 W. Hwy 71, Austin TX 78735

Now is the time to prepare your vegetable garden for the fall and winter season. Join Master Gardener Vegetable Specialist Patty Leander to learn the basics of vegetable gardening with an emphasis on varieties that flourish in the fall and winter months. Vegetable gardens don't end in fall, so come learn how to keep yours going year round. Free and open to the public.


Contact Information

Janet Adams, President - president@sunshinecommunitygarden.org
Mary Gifford, Vice President - vice-pres@sunshinecommunitygarden.org
Carol Limaye, Treasurer - caroline.limaye@sbcglobal.net
Sue Brownlee, Secretary - scgsecretary@gmail.com
Linda Booker, Director - lindaruthbooker@gmail.com
Ila Falvey, Director - ila.falvey@gmail.com
Nancy Seibert, Director - nancyrseibert@yahoo.com

Coordinators & Chairs

Zone 1, Patsy Painter - patsy_painter@yahoo.com
Zone 2, Katy Davis - katydavis@austin.rr.com
Zone 3, Daniel Moise - daniel.b.moise@gmail.com
Zone 4, Alan Marburger - alanmarburger@gmail.com
Zone 5, Mary Gifford - mgifford@austin.rr.com

Zone 6, Sharon Flournoy - saflournoy@att.net
Zone 7, Diana Dworaczyk - dianadworaczyk@aol.com
Zone 8, Nancy Seibert - nancyrseibert@yahoo.com
Zone 9, Cheryl Hazeltine - cph@austin.rr.com
Zone 10, Sue Mennicke - sue_scg@fastmail.fm

Plant Sale - Nancy Seibert - nancyrseibert@yahoo.com
Carpentry & Repairs - Robert Jarry - r.jarry@sbcglobal.net
Compost - Steve Uecker - steven_uecker@hotmail.com
Tools & Wheelbarrows - Bob Easter - beaster1@austin.rr.com
Maintenance Coordinator - Ila Falvey - ila.falvey@gmail.com
Website Coordinators - Kathleen Neville and Larry Olsen - lolsen@suddenlink.net

Record Service Hours Online - the Virtual Green Binder

To unsubcribe send a message to:scgsecretary@gmail.com

Sunshine Community Gardens
http://www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org
-- Sunshine Community Gardens http://www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org