Hello Gardeners,

Given the current evapotranspiration rate, we will have a lot of watering to do, so that will be our emphasis Wednesday morning.  There will also be some harvesting to do, and miscellaneous tasks.

Hope to see you there,
—Michael Kelley

Throop Learning Garden
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
8:30am–10:30am
Throop U.U. Church
300 So. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena

Hello Gardeners!

Please join us at Throop Learning Garden; Sunday, April 27 from 8:30 to 10:30 am.

We will be planting tomatoes & peppers, harvesting abundant produce, picking & arranging bouquets of flowers, and tending to some weeding & pruning. All can share in the harvest.

We will have a firm quit time of 10:30, so please plan accordingly.

Throop Learning Garden is located on the grounds of Throop Church, at 300 S. Los Robles Ave.

See you Sunday!

— January Nordman

p.s., we are instituting a new sign in sheet that will more accurately show hours to be credited for timebank hours.

Request: Friday thru Sunday, babysitter needed for keeping and watering the many many seedlings we just got from Muir Ranch. Reply to this email if you can help. Thanks! – Sylvia

Progress:
We had a “Barn Raising” and it was great!
cardboard weed barrier is now covering all dirt everywhere
mulch is now covering almost everywhere.
The new Fuyu Persimmon tree has sprouted leaves!
Lunch during the Barn Raising was delicious
The Really Really Free Market was popular
New acquaintances were made

You can be a part of this. Join us for fun, camaraderie, exercise and learning (gardening and non-gardening activities available!)

WHERE: 
Arroyo Food Co-op   
494 N. Wilson Avenue, Pasadena
(at the corner of Villa Avenue)  (0.8 miles from Lake Ave. Metro station; a few footsteps from ARTS Bus Route 40) (4 sturdy bike racks on site)

WHEN:
Tuesday, April 29, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Thursday May 1, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM

This week at the garden: Seedlings and weeding

Plans:
fix the hose bib
build urbanite (broken concrete) path
Take photos
share seedlings with visitors
Pick up trash
water the trees and California Native plants
Sweep up.
cut out Bermuda grass from between sidewalk squares. Block sunlight with tape
Bring food (backyard produce?) and/or drink to share
sign up for watering committee
Move good pieces of urbanite from patio to parking lot
start disposing of bad pieces of urbanite

PERKS:
Time Bank members can earn time dollars to trade for other services. Sign up for a free membership at  http://arroyoseco.timebanks.org.    

— Sylvia Holmes

Hello Gardeners:

Please join us for fun in the garden this
Sunday 4/13, from 8:30 to 10:30 am.

We will be:
planting seedlings
watering, trimming, & tending the established plants
arranging flowers for lunch tables
abating Bermuda grass in Los Robles native plant area
installing the first set of trellises for the vining plants,
this includes pouring cement footings. FUN!

Come see the wildflowers & fruit tree blossoms.

We have extra potato & cucumber seedlings to give away for your home gardens.

Should be a lot of fun! See you Sunday!

— January Nordman

Save the date: Saturday, April 19, 10 am to 3 pm for a “BARN RAISING”. Our goals will be: building a garden path and sheet mulching the vegetable garden.  We want to take tape off cardboard, put down a cardboard weed barrier in the path,  put down mulch on top of the cardboard,  mark the path with more flags to outline the shape of a snake. We want to put broken concrete inside the outline of the snake and put bricks outside the outline of the snake. Then we will put down cardboard weed barrier on the vegetable garden and cover that with all of the rest of the mulch.

Progress:
The new apricot tree has sprouted leaves!
We picked up more urbanite from Gabe’s house.
There is now room for the 7 and 8 inch thick pieces of urbanite that will form the head of the snake path.
dirt from the path has been used to build up the vegetable garden space, especially where water from the roof had eroded it.
Bermuda grass was removed.
19 inch tall logs are on the patio for us to sit on.
conversations were had.
You can be a part of this. Join us for fun, camaraderie, exercise and learning (gardening and non-gardening activities available!)

WHERE:  Arroyo Food Co-op    494 N. Wilson Avenue, Pasadena (at the corner of Villa Avenue)  (0.8 miles from Lake Ave. Metro station; a few footsteps from ARTS Bus Route 40) (4 sturdy bike racks on site)

WHEN:
Saturday April 12: No garden work. But there is a “community work day” inside the Co-op. For more info visit https://arroyofoodcoop.com/node/879
Tuesday April 15, 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.;
Thursday April 17 , 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 19, 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Barn Raising)

This week at the garden: Build urbanite path

Special request: do you have any bricks or broken bricks we can use for the path?

Plans:
build urbanite (broken concrete) path
Take photos
pick up more urbanite and bricks
Chat with passersby
Pick up trash
remove tape from cardboard
Sweep up.
cut out Bermuda grass from between sidewalk squares. Block sunlight with tape
Bring food (backyard produce?) and/or drink to share
sign up for watering committee

PERKS:
Time Bank members can earn time dollars to trade for other services. Sign up for a free membership at  http://arroyoseco.timebanks.org.   

— Sylvia Holmes

It all started with the allure of the Throop Church patio's exquisite 100 year old Bottlebrush tree, in full bloom, buzzing with bees in the sunlight. It was a natural canopy of flowers that could define the marriage spot. The bride and groom chose the tree and set the plan: that the wedding from start to finish would be as simple, yet as meaningful as possible, with little out of pocket expense and as low a carbon footprint as possible and zero waste.

Throop UU Church, where I have invested hundreds of gardening hours over the last three years, but where I am not officially a member, graciously offered its hall at a discount rate for our son's wedding. Ah! The sharing economy at work!

Inventory of Throop Hall found it well-equipped with tables, chairs, chafing dishes, wedding china, and a mishmash of stainless steel utensils adequate to deliver food to mouth…

I recently experienced a beautiful day in a friend's native plant garden, an attempt to restore a riparian habitat in a suburban, canyon setting. I volunteered as a docent during the Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour. I was rewarded for my effort in so many ways.

I gained a gift by simply being in a small area of nature for 8 hours and watching the day progress. I witnessed the coming and going of birds, small mammals, and lizards. I spied on a hawk courtship, spotted a flicker, and charted a woodpecker's travels through favorite trees. I delighted in the aroma of old growth live oak  and redwood, the sweetness of everlasting, and the familiar pungency of sun drenched white sage…

Hello Gardeners,

Throop Learning Garden
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
8:30am–10:30am
Throop U.U. Church
300 So. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena

A high of 96 deg. in Pasadena today means that we will need heat relief tomorrow, so Michael will open up at 8:30 a.m.

There will be lots of watering to do, also planning for garden trellises and some continued weeding.

Looking forward to seeing you.

— Michael Kelley

Save the date: Saturday, April 19,
10 am to 3 pm for a “BARN RAISING”.

We won’t be raising a barn, exactly. But we will be turning a corner, literally, in the building of the Free Food Garden. And there will be a potluck lunch! (more later)

Progress:
All of the California native plants are in the ground!
There is more room for thicker pieces of urbanite (broken concrete) in the path
We picked up urbanite from Gabe’s house.
The lower green leaves of the bougainvillea were removed (to encourage upward growth)
cardboard is now flat around the trunks of the 3 bougainvilleas.
Seedlings are growing in babysitters’ homes.

You can be a part of this. Join us for fun, camaraderie, exercise and learning (gardening and non-gardening activities available!)

WHERE:  Arroyo Food Co-op    494 N. Wilson Avenue, Pasadena (at the corner of Villa Avenue)  (0.8 miles from Lake Ave. Metro station; a few footsteps from ARTS Bus Route 40) (4 sturdy bike racks on site)

WHEN:
Saturday April 5, 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.;
Tuesday April 8, 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.;
Thursday April 10 , 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

This week at the garden: Build urbanite path

Plans:
build urbanite path
Take photos
pick up more urbanite and bricks
Chat with passersby.
translate the sign in the garden into Spanish
Pick up trash.
remove tape from cardboard
Sweep up.
cut out Bermuda grass from between sidewalk squares. Block sunlight with tape
Bring food (backyard produce?) and/or drink to share
sign up for watering committee
pick up mulch

PERKS:

Time Bank members can earn time dollars to trade for other services. Sign up for a free membership at  http://arroyoseco.timebanks.org.   

— Sylvia Holmes