Welcome to WFA Community Garden Orientation Program March 9, 2014
Agenda Introduction Jonathan Jeans Introduction of Trustees Arboretum President Suzanne Smith Activities Giving Garden Pat Bennett Children s Garden Kathy Mayer Garden Club Jennifer Perelman Organic Gardening Jonathan Jeans Garden Managers Planting & Cultivation - John DeLello Paths John DeLello Fall Clean-up - Vivian Van Blarcom Service/Support & Vacations - Anna Murphy Operating Details - Mary DeLello
President s Message New Building Greenhouse/Butterfly Conservatory Volunteer Openings Building and Grounds Volunteer Coordinator Public Relations Farmer s Market Fundraising Events Farmers Market Suzanne Smith
WFA Calendar of Events Giving Garden Orientation 4/6 Warren Green Fair 4/26 Growing to Give 6/7 week of 6/11 Plant Sale 5/9 5/11 5/16 5/18 Primrose Fundraiser 6/7 10 th Anniversary Family Fun Day 7/12 5k Run September Community Garden Picnic 8/9 Brite Nites 10/18 10/20 10/24 10/26 Holiday Boutique & Santa December
Giving Garden Volunteers Since 2007, we have grown and harvested over 120,000 lbs. of produce. Pat Bennett
Giving Garden Volunteers We have delivered the produce to local soup kitchens and food pantries. Pat Bennett
We Need Volunteers to: Prepare the plots Plant the vegetables Till, weed, water the plants Harvest the produce Weigh & deliver the produce Join us for gleaning produce at Synder Farm MOST SATISFYING- Adopt a plot from beginning to end To volunteer, call Sharon Magid at 908-227-1181 Pat Bennett
Children s Garden Volunteer Mixers Social Mixer Gardening Growing Friendships Meet People Enjoy Tea 2 hrs volunteer credit Shared gardening tips New friends Beautiful gardens Kathy Mayer
Who? Anyone who likes gardening and people What? Tea social Children s Garden planting & maintenance When? Scheduled Fridays 5/9-9/5 2 hours per event Join as many as you like Where & How? 1. Go to www.wfafnj.org 2. Click Children s Garden Tea Social button 3. Sign up for desired dates Kathy Mayer
The Gardeners of Wagner Farm Founded in 1977 Arboretum In 2013, merged with Wagner Farm Arboretum First annual Plant Sale in May 1979 Green Sprouts published 8 times a year since 1978 Scholarship program started in 1988 In 37 years, funded and participated in numerous garden related projects in community Jennifer Perelman
Organic Gardening Definition Why one would do it Soil preparation Vegetable gardening Pest control Jonathan Jeans
Gardener Workshops 10:00 am Gazebo 3/15 4/19 5/17 6/14 7/19 8/16 9/20 Raising vegetables from seed Summer planting Now planted, then what? Enjoy early veggies Tomatoes and peppers Keeping ahead of summer crops Prep next year Jonathan Jeans
Garden Managers Vivian Van Blarcom Plots 0 4 Anna Murphy Plots 5 8 Mary DeLello Plots 9 12 Laura Neff Plots 13-16 John DeLello Plots 17-21
Spring Cultivation 4/20 The plot(s) are to be actively tended and maintained between April 20 th and October 19 th. Actively tended 70% - 100% of plot area is actively used for live plant materials. Maintained weeded, ripe produce removed and dead or diseased plant material removed John DeLello
Spring Planting 5/18 Deadline for garden plots to be planted. Suspect plants, contact garden managers. John DeLello
Paths 5/4 Path Maintenance Weed Barrier Mulching Weeding Responsible for 2 sides Mountain Avenue & Silo Main Paths and Fence Rows A & B 3 feet into main path Row F up to fence John DeLello
Fall Season Ends 10/19 As plants stop producing, pull them out roots & all. Decaying plants attract pests. Remove weeds also. Composting leave tomato & pepper plants out of compost pile Record which plants did well or not so well Restore soil Test every 2 3 years Apply lime if needed Apply organic matter Vivian Van Blarcom
Fall Clean-up 11/2 Remove supports. Take home or anchor well. Covering Soil Plant winter cover crops Cover with light layer of seedless straw or chopped leaves Cover with cloth or plastic Winter Crops Cold tolerant varieties (kale, carrots, lettuce, parsnips, spinach) Read package directions when to start Vivian Van Blarcom
Additional Resources Cornell University vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu Rutgers University Fact Sheets njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs University of Maryland extension.umd.edu Vivian Van Blarcom
Vacation Coverage Make vacation coverage plan now Meet your neighbors 2 weeks no weeding too long Consider time of year Notify Garden Manager if unable to maintain plot Non WFA members complete volunteer form Anna Murphy
Service/Support Hours WFA Community Garden is a volunteer non-profit organization Minimum of 8 hours per plot 4 hours various garden activities and/or volunteering for an event 4 hours at Brite Nites 2014 Gardener responsibility to sign-up and complete volunteer activities Anna Murphy
Service/Support & Committee Needs WFA Events Green Fair 4/26 Plant Sale 5/9 5/11 5/16 5/18 Primrose Fundraiser 6/7 10 th Anniversary Family Fun Day 7/12 5k Run - September Brite Nites - October Holiday Boutique Dec. Children s Garden Giving Garden Growing to Give Monthly Newsletter Summer Picnic 8/9 Chairperson needed Monthly Garden Meetings Weeding common areas Perennial Garden Chairperson Needed Water system maintenance Buildings and Grounds Anna Murphy
Operating Details Hoses Community Garden Equipment and Giving Garden Equipment Pre- approval permanent structures & structure height 6 Porta John 4/3 11/3 Green Dumpster 4/3 11/3 Water - 4/15 Picnic - Saturday, 8/9 Membership and plot fees WFA Website www.wfafnj.org Membership Agreement Organic Gardening Service Support Opportunities Community Garden Orientation Slides Gate Combination for 2014 Mary DeLello
Thank You! If you should have any questions, please email us at gardenmanager@wfafnj.org