Key Volunteers
Garden Captain (Registration & Plot Assignment): John Thackray
Garden Captain (Equipment & Finance): Michael Madonia
Garden Captain (Supplies & Coordination): Jeannine Navratil
H2O Coordinator Bob Neff
Website Maintainance Nandita Mukhopadhyay
Opening and Closing Dates for 2010
The Garden is open all year around for the gardeners, now that we are in charge of opening and closing the gates.
Water
Water will be turned on when the weather warms up, and night temperatures remain above freezing. This will very likely be late April/early May. Members will be notified as soon as this happens. Please remember that we have to pay for the water, so use judiciously.
Daily Opening and Closing of Garden Gates
- The lock on the left hand-side of the gate (as you enter the driveway), belongs to the Homewood Community web-site, and all gardeners should have a key by now. So, whoever comes in first opens up the garden.
- Important:Please make sure to lock the garden gate if you are
the last one to leave in a car. If you leave it open,
it leaves access to the Homewood Cemetery property wide open
after their closing hours. Failure to to keep it locked
when none of the gardeners are around might
result in the Cemetery revoking our gardening
rights.
Even if you rode your bike or walked, please be kind to the rest of the gardeners and check up on the gate when you leave.
Fees & Deadlines
Deadline for payment was due May 5th, 2010
Garden Supplies
- Compost is available as part of your registration fee. This will be delivered sometime later this month, and will be located at the end of the garden. Please limit your share to 2 wheel barrow loads of compost for a full plot & 1 wheel barrow for a ½ plot.
- We usually receive free supplies of wood chips all during summer. Depending on the amount delivered, you are pretty much free to use as much as you need. The wood chips are quite effective in lining areas that are not being used for planting.
- Compost piles : As you may have noticed, there are a few compost piles placed at both edges of the plot area. Please be condiderate and do not throw trash into these piles (like flower pots, fencing material etc.). Throw trash into the containers placed right up front in the parking area.
News/Announcements in 2010
- The fee per plot is now $36.00
- The Homewood Cemetary management has agreed to
continue to let us garden for 2010. Please read the new
lease agreement as well as the 2010 gardening rules for
the terms.
News/Announcements in 2009
Feb 2009
- Jeannine Navratil of plot 41 has a garden blog with a lot of interesting info. Check it out. If you do not know by now then she is an avid gardener with a tremendous knowledge of insects, pests and all the local vegetation. She probably knows more than that though.
- I am thinking of a better website capable of hosting a forum. If there is enough interest then I will do it. Use the feedback form if you would like to suggest any ideas.
News/Announcements in 2008
- I was particularly lazy during 2008 and did not update the site as often I should have.
News/Announcements in 2007
June 2007
- Pictures from the month of may have been posted .
- Dogs are strictly prohibited in the garen. This is a cemetary official rule. If we fail to comply then we may all lose our plots to official action. Let us not squander away this treasure in the city.
- The waiting list is now empty. All plots have assigned and re-assigned. So time to start applying again to be on the waiting list. There is always a chance that somebody may give up their plots.
- There is a proposal for a garden exclusively for children. It could be located in between the water standpipes as that area gets some sun and it is away from the parking lot and the road. We need volunteers for building this.
May 2007
- Sarah has graciously volunteered to collect extra produce and donate to a local soup kitchen. For details read this. Also if anyone else is interested in volunteering to help her please contact her. Her email address is in the flyer.
- There are still a few untended plots growing weeds and annoying the people in neighboring plots. This is not acceptable or fair. The plots need to be tended and kept in an acceptable condition not just digging one corner and leaving it for a month. Please do send a mail to John if there are other pressing personal needs that is preventing you from taking care of your plot. At the end of May if the offending plots have not been worked on they will be re-assigned... We have 9 gardeners waiting for plots !! I think this is fair warning to those concerned.
- Homewood Garden started in 1977. So we would be celebrating 30 years on Saturday June 23. This will be pot luck party at about 3pm. It will be at the community plot (#17) at the end of the garden. Bring a chair if possible.
- Homewood Garden Bumper Stickers are available for $5. All proceeds go to Garden Improvements. May be you can pen in your plot number on the sticker. This way it will be easier to figure out whose car you bumped into in the parking lot.
- After mucking around a lot I figured out how to post a picture gallery. In the future it will be lot easier to post galleries of pictures. The Earth Day pictures have been posted on the gallery main page.
- Water has been turned on. Please conserve this limited resource. It costs quite a bit. Please do not use hoses. Use containers to carry your water to your plot.
April 2007
- The compost pile have been fixed to some extent. Please help yourself to the black gold. Please do not throw big twigs, stumps and garbage in the compost pile. Also please do not create piles of garden discards all around. Use the compost pile properly. We will post some signs as to where you can throw stuff.
- Earth Day celebration was a blast. A huge turnout - thanks to the perfect weather. Pictures will be posted soon
- All the plots have been alloted this year. There is a waiting list. However, if a garden is not tended to in time, then it will be re-alloted to a people on the waiting list. Please weed your plot soon - it is not fair to your neighbour to be cultivating weed and also to the people on the waiting list.
- If you need your plot rototilled then please call Bill (412-377-8084). He charges $50 for a full plot. You can also use somebody else for this job or rent a tiller from Home Depot/Lowes.
- We will celebrate Earth Day on Sunday April 22. We have some volunteers for general cleanup, fixing community area, compost pile etc. Pot luck at 3pm.
- All the trees and stumps that were marked have been removed
March 2007
- Mulch and Compost will be delivered Saturday March 31 2007. Please limit yourself to 2 wheel barrows of each for each full plot you have.
- Rototilling services will become available for a fee of $50 per full plot of about 20ft X 20ft. Details on how to arrange this will become available shortly.
- The mountain of garbage near the entrance has been removed. Please be considerate with you what you throw in the garbage. Use the garbage or your own garbage bags.
- Trees in the garden plots will be removed Sunday April 1 2007.
- Looks like we will be full this year. Most of the plots have been allocated. Very few plots left and the waiting list keeps growing.
- The garden has opened on Saturday March 17, 2007 at 8:00 AM. Enjoy the gardening season.
Jan/Feb 2007
- The garden gate will open Saturday April 7, 2007.
- Compost and mulch will be delivered soon after the opening day. Each full plot is allowed 2 wheelbarrows full of each. (Half plots are allowed 1 each.)
- Due to lack of interest last year there will be no hay delivered this year. Much of last yearòùs hay is still in a large pile. Help yourself.