Summer has arrived at the garden! There are some ripe strawberries and peas, and mint and rosemary ready for use. There are blossoms on some of the squash, watermelons and tomatoes. The fall gourds and pumpkins have sprouted, and the butterfly garden looks great.If you harvest anything from the community patches, please wash it. While no chemical pesticides or fertilizers are used, the smoke from the hospital generator and the yellow sand in the air may settle on things. There are a few ripe peas now, climbing the fence at the top of the hill, and a few ripe strawberries in the strawberry/melon patch. If you want to pick peas, please hold the stem with one hand and pluck with the other and take just a few.
A lot of our gardeners will be gone for the summer, so if you see some things that need to be done in the community areas (watering, weeding, thinning, etc.), please just do it. One of the things we need to keep on top of is the weeds. In some places, the sod has been turned over and the roots are still there trying to grow, so the weeds will be pretty persistent.
As always, please make sure your kids play and run in the grass instead of the garden. The dirt pile by the front gate is for play, so they can satisy their urge to dig there unless they're helping you garden. Please keep the toys put away and pack out any trash.
The composters are in the back corner by the tree and are open for your kitchen scraps and shredded paper. No meat, bones, dairy or other garbage, please. Smaller bits will compost more quickly.
Happy gardening!
