We're Back!

Welcome back, P-Patchers!

The rhubarb is returning!

Each day there are more hours of light and signs of the approaching spring are all around us! Just as many of the plants in and around the garden went dormant over the winter to survive the colder and darker days, we tend to hunker down. Now, with more daylight and opportunities to be outside, it is hard not to feel some relief and optimism!

As you may have seen volunteer opportunities are picking up to get our community garden ready for the growing season. Sandra organized a number of weeding parties over the last few weeks and last Sunday 10-15 volunteers worked on weeding and moving an enormous pile of chips to mulch the orchard. It felt so good to see familiar friends and meet new friends. The P-Patch kids jumped right in to help as well! Thanks to all the volunteers and especially to Sandra for putting this event together. Volunteers—please make sure you log your hours in your Seattle P-Patch account! There is a “orchard maintenance” category you can use to document how your volunteer time was spent. Please contact our volunteer coordinator Bess Whitaker at besswhitaker@gmail.com for assistance.

Though there will be more volunteer opportunities coming in the future weeks and months, we are currently looking for committed volunteers interested in supporting the following areas:

1) Giving Garden Helpers. This is a special opportunity to contribute to our community through supporting efforts to grow produce to donate to the local food bank. One option is to adopt a part of the Giving Garden to care for over the growing season. It’s a great way to learn from fellow gardeners – you do not need to be an expert gardener! Please contact our Giving Garden lead, Sharon Schrenzel at sharonmschrenzel@gmail.com, for more information.

2) Herb Garden Caregivers. Goals for this year include 1) adding low nitrogen-based soil amendments to increase ease of weeding and slow down the ultra-green growth of perennial weeds and herbs; 2) regular weeding to stay ahead of the buttercups; 3) installation of cilantro, dill, thyme, and seasonal culinary basil varieties. New gardeners especially welcome. Please contact Site Coordinator Tim Peterson at plant.tender.tim.2012@gmail.com for particulars.

3) P-Patch Maintenance Assistants. We need help! It would be especially helpful if you happen to live close to our Patch to help with sudden water emergencies – e.g., hoses left running and faucets suddenly failing. Assistance can be as simple as notifying the Patch Care Team - you would not necessarily have to perform physical labor. We would be GRATEFUL for this. Please contact Robin Rice at gromijoe@yahoo.com or our Site Coordinator Tim at plant.tender.tim.2012@gmail.com if you can help out.

4) Irrigation Apprentices. The water faucets and the details of timed irrigation for the Orchard, Rhubarb and Giving Garden are handled by Jim Cummins. We will be discussing with him whether he would like to train anyone else interested in these important tasks for ongoing Care of the Patch in general. Please e-mail Tim regarding this subject.

Looking forward to the coming months of warmth, sun, community, and of course, time in our garden!

Best,

The Solstice P-Patch Leadership Team