John Muir School

COMMUNITY GARDEN GROUP

Planning Meeting of January 24, 2010

Standing Stone Brewery 3-5 P.M.

Attended by Patti Ruiz, Pete Cotton, Tina Marie Springer and Bret Schumacher of Transition Town (invited by Pete) - First draft of meeting minutes below

ITEM #1 Review of 2009 garden experience – our second year

Changing the garden beds parallel was a success

Moving the Pumpkins to the East end of the garden was partially successful. The gophers populated that end of the garden as it was drier  this resulted in some stunted  & destroyed plants.

Designating path areas was positive. Needs to be better defined to keep growing plants from spilling over into the space.

TID watering schedule of M-W-F from 4-8pm continues to be successful.

The school classroom involvement last year was less, but it was generally felt the organizational structure surrounding the garden project needs to be formalized enabling teachers, students and parents to better plan and participate.

The use of city water via the hose was utilized in conjunction with TID flood irrigation more effectively last year.

The blackberries were wonderful last year! Both Tina and Pete actively pruned them during the year.

The heavy straw mulch was a mixed success. It did keep weeds down. It was not as clean as the first year and so created it’s own weeds. Also, because the troughs were much longer and the flood irrigation water pressure not as great, the mulch often blocked the troughs - sometimes stopping the water completely. Patti reported shuffling her feet through the troughs and lifting out the mulch out helped facilitate water flow in the community garden areas.

There was some confusion about what was planted where in the early part of the year. Better post marking for the upcoming year along with clearly marking the sections with string was a favored remedy to this problem.

The TID flood irrigation watering was more easily done by one person. The large amount of water leaking at pipe joints is of concern. It was generally felt we could expect a better yield if we control/eliminate leaks at pipe joints. This would reduce the amount of water wasted and ensure the areas around the pipe joints stays watered consistently. Right now the areas are slowly saturated eventually flooded to the detriment of the plantings.

Soil erosion where the water emerges from the irrigation tubing was better controlled last year, but remains an issue.

It is generally felt we would have significantly higher yields and be able to plant earlier if we establish an overhead sprinkling system in about three stationary places hopefully allowing use of both the city and TID watering options.

Patti feels refining the JMS community garden watering system is THE priority for the months ahead. We need to plan a better system and find funding resources.

ITEM #2 - LOOKING AHEAD:

The JMS has been invited to participate in the farm to school program if it is officially launched in conjunction with or in place of SODEXO.

Transition town has asked to partner with us as well. Mr. Schumacher attended the meeting and had many helpful insights.

IF we are to expand into the community, we will need to organize & expand our management and maximize harvest yields.

Perhaps having subgroups in charge of on-going maintenance is the answer.  For example, weeding, watering, trenching, thinning.   Setting up specific days for the entire community to come together was suggested for large scale bedding prep, community weeding days (make it a pot luck), harvesting parties and canning clutches.  The goal is to make the garden a bigger and better "community."

ITEM #3 – ACTION ITEMS

Pete Cotton will contact the Wilderness school and any other service learning organization with people resources of like (NOTE: See recent email on his success) He will also map the entire garden

Patti will contact the City to discuss ways to better utilize the city water during the summer. She will also check in with the Farm-School people for a status report.

Patti will contact Scott McGuire to bring him up to date, discuss the watering system, and weed suppression. She will also put together a tentative calendar of events for garden prep through fall harvesting

Tina will investigate grant monies and other types of funding opportunities

Next meeting end of February or first week in March.

Patti 482-2826