Not  much activity this weekend, but a lot of the seeds are starting to sprout.  Thanks to those who assisted with watering this week.  On Saturday, I met with Derek and his dad, Dave, to discuss Derek’s Eagle Scout Project.   Derek wants to build the garden shed (His dad is a local builder).  We looked over the plans and discussed the location and timeframe.  We budgeted $500 for the shed and Derek estimated his project will cost about $1,000.  So he plans on having some fundraisers.  If you are interested in donating to Derek’s Eagle Scout project you can email him at derdevi77@gmail.com  The picture is what the garden shed will look like when completed. Don’t forget about the fruit tree registry at Fanick’s Garden Center.

The next planned work day is:

10 February --  This is a change due to the weather forecast for this week.  We will have a meeting at the garden site to discuss ongoing activities and future plans.  Start time is 5:30 PM and it will last 30 minutes.  

Fruit Tree Registry for AH Community Garden
Great news for those that are interested in donating a fruit tree:
We have set up a Fruit Tree Registry for our community garden at Fanick’s Garden Center at 1025 Holmgreen Road, (210) 648-1303.  Mark Fanick advised us on the selection of trees that are appropriate for our garden environment.  Fanick’s will keep track of the orders as they are placed. The fruit trees selected are the following:

PEACH - 3 EACH
PLUM - 2 EACH
SATSUMA ORANGE - 2 EACH
KUMQUAT - 1 EACH
PEAR - 2 EACH
APPLE - 2 EACH
FIG - 2 EACH
Trees range in price between $29.00-$59.00
When placing order, be sure to ask for Mark Fanick and let him know you are purchasing a tree for the AH Community Garden. The registry is scheduled to close on Friday, Feb. 11, 2011.

The garden is coming along and looks great!  There has been a lot of planting activity this week, and I am happy to say the beds are full.  We are setting 3 small beds aside for our first tomato plants, which can be planted in early March.  In the garden we have broccoli, cabbage, carrots, chard, collard greens, onions, a variety of lettuce, beets, kale, pea pods and strawberries.  I may have missed a few, but it looks great.  We are still working on the planning for our fruit orchard and should have some information very soon.  If anyone has the time and can stop by the garden during the week to water, it would be very helpful.  But please check the soil first – and water only if the soil is dry.  We have irrigation systems in two beds and a hose for the others.  We plan on installing irrigation in the other beds in the near future.

The next planned work day is:

29 January – We will check to see if we have any seedlings and water as necessary.   I will be there from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM, but you are welcome to come by at anytime or any day.

3 February --  We will have a meeting at the garden site to discuss ongoing activities and future plans.  Start time is 5:30 PM and it will last 30 minutes.  

I look forward to seeing you on Saturday.

It was another wet weekend, but we were able to get a few plants and seeds in the ground.  On Saturday Graydon finished his Eagle Scout project.  Congratulations Graydon and thanks for all the help!  Attached are pictures from this weekend.  

As a reminder, the planting beds are community beds and open to any Alamo Heights resident who wants to participate.  We will share what we grow.  So if you are interested in planting seeds or plants, please stop by anytime.  If you do plant seeds, please mark where and what you planted so we do not plant on top of your seeds. We have soil in most of the beds, and as soon as we have some dry weather, we will finish fill the other beds.

Planning ahead:  I have contacted Fanick’s Nursery about setting up a “Garden Registry” for those interested in donating fruit trees.  I should hear from them next week.  If this goes through, anyone will be able to purchase a tree at Fanick’s for planting in the community garden.  The Nursery will hold the trees, so we can pick them up and plant them all at once.  Shades of Green recommended that I contact Fanick’s as Fanick’s has the largest variety of suitable fruit trees.  Please check out their website www.fanicknursery.com

The next planned work day is:

22 January - Planting day and filling the small planting beds with soil (weather permitting).   I will be there from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM, but you are welcome to come by at anytime.

I guess the weatherman did not win the lottery today, because the predicted rain did not happen.  We had the opportunity to have the use of a Bobcat this weekend, so a small group of us assisted with filling the large planting beds with soil.  A special thanks to Lydell for doing the heavy work with his Bobcat and for Bill working with Central Market to get plenty of cardboard boxes to use as a weed barrier. I am attaching a couple of photos. 

Planning ahead:  If you have some experience with growing vegetables and want to help with planning what we plant and where, please send me an email as soon as possible.  There are some great resources for information on Texas growing seasons including Shades of Green Nursery on Sunset and "The Texas Gardner" magazine.

The next planned work day is:

15 January - Planting day and filling the small planting beds with soil.  There are many crops we can plant now for a winter and spring harvest (Lettuce, Greens, Carrots, Spinach, English peas, root crops etc.), followed by more in February.  We would also like to plant some herbs.  So bring some of your favorite seeds.  

Fruit Trees.  This also the time of year to plant fruit trees, if anyone is interested in donating a fruit tree, please let me know.  Trees that do well in this area are, Figs, Persimmons, Satsuma Oranges, Meyer Lemons and Plums.