An Attitude of Gratitude

We have so much to be grateful for! The Alpine Park Clean-up Day was a huge success. We had 13 volunteers show up and we pruned, weed-wacked and prepared the ground in our perennial garden bed so we can plant bulbs, herbs and berries as they're donated. Here are a few pics from the day:


This first one shows us digging grass out of the perennial bed.


This second one shows the guys weed-wacking along the cemetery road.

The Alpine Community Garden is a unique model. Most community gardens have a separate plot that each family rents for the summer. Ours is one big plot. All the time and materials are donated and the harvest will be shared amongst the volunteers/donors. Surplus goes to the food-bank, senior lunch program and other people in need.We think of it as a 'Stone Soup' Garden, where if each of us gives a little of what we can spare, there will be enough for everyone. Here's a list of people and organizations who have contributed time, money and materials:

Steve Rose - tractor work - preparing the ground
Larry Lester and Leonard Cox - helping us get our Cub tractor running again
Larry Hammond - putting in the fence posts
Gary Weems - dug the holes for the wooden fence posts


That's Gary drilling fence post holes

South Benton Community Enhancement $300 donation
Corvallis Oregon Tilthe $250 donation
Jerry's Home Improvement Center $50 donation
Evening Garden Club $100 donation


Here's Larry putting in fence posts.

Gary Watts - turned on the water for us at the park.
Jack Jones - fixed the outlets at the park.
Patty Parsons - grant writing
Joe Russin and Jeri Mrazek - donated a Troybilt rototiller (Thanks Suzie Morrill for telling them about our project).
Olivia and Cory for shoveling a load of rabbit manure.


That's Michelle pushing a wheel-barrow full of prunings

If you would like to donate time, money or materials, or if you would like to be removed from this list, or have any other communications, please contact us at AlpineCoGarden@gmail.com

Thank you!

Alpine Community Center Art Time

First Thursdays of the Month - 3:30 - 6:00 at the Alpine Community
Center (in the library room). The next one is this Thursday, May 7.

Bring a portable project (knitting, small painting, jewelery-making
etc) or use the materials that are down there (paints/colored markers,
pencils, collaging, etc), or just come for the company and to see what
others are working on.

I'll have the library open for people to pick up bread from the Bread
for Life program. If the weather's nice, Chris Burns will probably be
gardening in the park across the street.

Young people of all ages are welcome as long as they're well-behaved
and pick up after themselves. :-)

If you have any questions, email me at AlpineCoGarden@gmail.com

Llyn Peabody

Many Hands Make Light Work

Just a reminder that the Alpine Garden Club (the people that oversee Alpine's town park) is having a park-clean-up day on this coming Saturday:

May 9, 9:00 - 12:00 Followed by a potluck picnic.

There are some tools already at the park but it would be helpful if you bring gloves and hand tools:

Pruners
Loppers
Rakes
Wheelbarrows/tarps
Weeding tools

Potluck item

Come for all or part of the event and get involved!

For info, email us at AlpineCoGarden@gmail.com

May 9 - Alpine Park Clean-up Day

Alpine Garden site - before the fence.

There's going to be an Alpine Park clean-up/garden day on Saturday May 9 from 9:00 to 12:00 followed by a potluck picnic.

There are some tools already at the park but it would be helpful if you bring gloves and hand tools:

Pruners
Loppers
Rakes
Wheelbarrows/tarps
Weeding tools

Potluck item

Come for all or part of the event and get involved!

For info, email us at AlpineCoGarden@gmail.com

This is what the garden looked like a few days ago.

The Scoop on Poop

Rabbit manure is a prized fertilizer for gardeners. They "double digest" their food and because of this ultra-digestion, the fertilizer isn't as "hot" and so you can put it directly into the soil without concern for burning seedlings. Also, unlike horses, which only digest their food once, rabbits (and ruminants: cows, llamas, deer...) thoroughly digest any grass-seeds they eat making the seeds sterile so they won't sprout in your garden beds. This saves a huge amount of energy later in the season by reducing the amount of weeding necessary.

We are grateful to Julia Sunkler of "My Pharm", who has donated a load of rabbit manure to our cause. Chris and I shoveled it and unshoveled it last Friday (boy is my back getting strong!) We hope that people will support her stand at the Corvallis Farmer's Market on Weds. and Saturdays. She has meat rabbits, chicken, pork, lamb and beef (in season) and a variety of home grown vegies. You can order her fresh butchered rabbits and chickens directly by calling 424-2233.

If there's anyone else out there who'd like to build up their back strength and shovel a second load of manure for the garden (Chris and I don't want to have ALL the fun!), Julia has donated a second load that's just waiting for us to go pick it up. Let us know if you'd like to help: alpinecogarden@gmail.com

Got fence posts? Yes we do!

Due to the great generosity of Mylrea and Ray on Kyle Rd. we have all the ten-foot metal "T"-posts that we need to put up the fence at the Alpine Community Garden. We still need the pressure-treated wooden posts (probably a dozen of them) so if you have any lying around that are just gathering blackberry vines, just let us know and we'll come liberate them before the vines get too nasty.



Chris and I planted a whole bunch of seeds today in our greenhouse (note the re-used tofu containers in the picture below. and "no", the seedlings didn't just pop-up today ). These are plants that need a longer growing season than they would get if we waited to direct-sow them: melons, squash, cucumbers, a few herbs and flowers.

Tofu containers "re-purposed" for seed-starting.

We've planted strictly "heirloom" varieties. These are non-hybrid seeds, or "open-pollinated" varieties that have been created through generations by farmers who selected the best fruits and vegetables and preserved their seed for planting in subsequent seasons. For example, last year we saved the seed from the first tomato that ripened on the vine with the hope that its offspring will also be early bloomers.

Hybrid seeds are created by the big seed companies by purposely crossing two types of plants to give one generation of plants with certain qualities. If you save seeds from hybrid plants and try to grow them out in later years, you will not have any guarantee that the seeds will grow "true" and have the same qualities as the original seeds, or they might not even sprout at all.

If you are interested in following along and learning how to save seeds for your own future gardens, keep your eyes out for good seed-saving containers: they should ideally be glass or plastic and seal air-tight. Zip-lock bags work well too. We like re-using materials as much as possible to keep them out of the waste stream.