Spring 2002 Issue #1
Newsletter of the Posh Squash Garden
Photo by Reva Basch
The Compost Heap — great
name! — is the Posh Squash newsletter. The Garden has always
(well, intermittently) had a newsletter, to disseminate news,
promulgate rules and guidelines, set down rosters and lists. This
year, we aspire to bimonthly and occasional issues. Why? To
improve communication among us Gardeners. To share information,
build community, sustain continuity. In future issues, we will
include, among other things, articles on aspects of the Garden,
Gardening and Gardeners, news, reports from the Steering
Committee, recipes, book reviews and literary bits. We invite
your ideas and contributions. Also, check out our beautiful new
web site, which will include all the features, lists and
reference material in the printed Compost Heap, and more.
The Newsletter Committee
The Posh Squash succeeds because it has
evolved into a hugely collaborative, cooperative and collective
effort. Also because it has evolved a lean, clean, minimal way of
taking care of business. Here are the 2002-3 season’s people
and things that give direction, focus and continuity to the
Garden.
Co-Coordinators Mary Austin & Tom
Warnock do what the title says; they coordinate. Both are
busy with all affairs of the Garden, though Mary’s work puts
her emphasis on seeds, planting, and growing. Tom prepares the
agenda and chairs the Steering Committee meetings. Both
handle problems as they arise, make phone calls, and are our
ambassadors to the outside.
Mary Austin, Co-Chair
Tom Warnock, Co-Chair
| Iris Borg | Ken Holmes | |
| Chester Case | John Horn | |
| Jim Grenwelge | Ben Klagenberg | |
| Richard Hersh | Diane Rasmussen | |
| Sally Skibbins | Jer Skibbins |
The Steering Committee meets once a
month or as needed to take care of Garden business. It discusses
issues, plans, solves problems, makes decisions, looks at
finances, approves and schedules building projects. Members,
especially the Day Leaders, bring Gardeners’ concerns to the
Committee for two-way communication.
Corresponding Secretary/Treasurer
Iris Borg collects dues, pays bills, prepares running and
annual financial reports, develops the annual membership roster,
keeps records, and handles correspondence.
Planning Group:
Mary Austin
Tom Warnock
Rich Hersh
John Horn
Sally Skibbins
The Planning Group keeps the Garden
humming by planning all phases of the growing cycle. It decides,
with Gardener input and the guidance of experience, what to
plant, when and in what quantities, then keeps an eye on what is
needed for the plants to thrive. It provides the basis for the
Planting Book and the Chore Book.
Seeds: Mary Austin and Sally Skibbins
order seeds in a timely manner, make them available when needed,
and tell the Gardeners, via the Planting and Chore Book, to prep
rows, plant, pick, and sometimes, replant.
Chore Book: Mary Austin and John Horn
Making the Chore Book involves a lot of people, but Mary and
John are the ones who put it down in writing after consulting the
long range plan, the state of the garden, what is ready to plant,
what needs replanting. Others will enter chores as well.
Day
Leaders and
Back-up Day Leaders
Monday:
John Horn, George Haas
Tuesday:
Mary Austin, Chester Case
Wednesday:
Ken Holmes, John Escher
Thursday:
Jim Grenwelge, Jackie Rosenberg
Friday:
Tom Warnock, Mary Hunter
The Day Leaders make sure the daily
watering is done, contribute to the Chore and Planting Books,
bring the priority tasks to Gardeners’ attention,
serve as the main conduit to and from the Gardeners and the
Steering Committee, do a lot of teaching, tutoring,
demonstrating, orienting new Gardeners. They transmit Garden lore
and techniques of planting, picking... well, Gardening! Day
Leaders get to call out, “Coffee Time! Break Time!”
Back-ups step in when the Day Leader is absent.
Building, Equipment, Maintenance: Ben
Klagenberg and a crew of building buffs repair and construct
elements of the Garden’s infrastructure. The new shed, the
compost bin extension, the raised beds, the tent greenhouse, the
glass greenhouse... the list goes on. Ben maintains equipment
such as the rototiller and the weedwhackers, and instructs
Gardeners on their use.
Greenhouse: Jer Skibbins and a
crew of daily greenhouse helpers plant seeds and propagate plants
in flats in the glass greenhouse and the cold frames. The
Greenhouse crew has to look far ahead in order to have seedlings
ready to transplant when needed.
Herbs and Flowers: Diane Rasmussen
(mostly herbs) and Linda Warnock (mostly flowers) plan, order
seeds, plant and cultivate with the help of other Gardeners in
the new raised beds, around the borders and other areas.
Compost: Peter Farmer, Chester Case
and Debbie Hoyt Compost and compost-ing are at the heart of
the Garden. The compost cycle exemplifies core Garden values such
as sustainability and the organic approach. Peter, Chester, and
Debbie will be joined by a crew of daily composters as the bin
expansion project is completed. See the Compost section for more
information.
Irrigation Installation and
Maintenance: John Escher, John Horn and Bruce Leibrock Water
is the life of the Garden, and its single biggest expense.
Effective and efficient watering is the responsibility of all
Gardeners. Installation and maintenance are attended to by John,
John and Bruce.
Newsletter and Website:
Reva Basch
Iris Borg
Chester Case
Jackie Morse
The Garden newsletter, The Compost
Heap, has been published in various forms since the Garden
began, usually an annual issue at the beginning of a growing
season. This year, the newsletter committee aspires to more
frequent issues. Also, a website is up and running,
designed and maintained by Reva Basch, at www.jereva.com/PoshSquash/ . See the accompanying article
on the website in this issue.
Watering Schedule: Jeanne and Ken
Holmes
Trainer of Waterers: John Horn
The weekend watering schedule is
collated, published, and posted on the bulletin board in
the shed by Jeanne and Ken Holmes. Training is given by
John Horn.
Telephone: Millie Davis and Beva
Farmer When an urgent need arises or reminders are in order,
Beva and Millie take to the telephone.
Cookbook: Linda Warnock
The Posh Squash Cookbook is in
preparation, with material collected and edited by Linda,
assisted by Laurie Mueller. Its purpose is to raise funds, share
good recipes, and spread the word on ways the produce of the
Garden can be prepared.
The dot.Compost
Heap: Reva Basch
Along with a stepped-up (we hope)
publication schedule, the Newsletter Committee has planted a
website to facilitate communication among Gardeners. Initially,
it lives at www.jereva.com/PoshSquash/ . That address may change
in the next few months. The site is in its seedling stage at the
moment, but we hope it will continue to grow and thrive. We view
it as not only an electronic filing cabinet for current and past
issues of the print newsletter, but also as a cyber-reference
shelf, offering plans, procedures, projects, maps and other
official Posh Squash documents, as well as photos and other fun
stuff that just won’t fit in the print edition of The
Compost Heap.
A website has several advantages over
print publication: One, it’s timely; you can publish almost
instantaneously. Two, it has essentially no limitations on space;
articles that run long, or that have to be bumped from the print
newsletter, can live happily on the web. Three, it’s easy to
run full-color photos and illustrations. And four, corrections
and updates can be made quickly and with a minimum of fuss.
Soon, we hope to supplement the dead-trees version of The Compost Heap and the new Posh Squash website with an email list. Don’t groan; we promise we won’t bombard you with ads and inanities. An electronic mailing list will enable the Steering Committee, Coordinators and other Gardeners to send out time-critical messages such as work party calls, to spotlight new features on the website, and to alert you to changes in procedure, such as discontinuing use of the lower road. Of course, email works both ways, so be sure to send us — the Steering Committee, Coordinators, and your humble editors — your own comments, questions, and suggestions.
Reva Basch, Webmaster: reva@well.com
Look for the next issue, featuring
recipes
opinion
poems
and more!
Ask what accounts for the success of the
Garden, and the answer is that Gardeners achieve personal
satisfaction (and fresh produce) working in a cooperative,
collaborative way in a beautiful setting, each addressing the
chores that must be done and taking on gardening tasks they
enjoy. Gardeners enter a very effective getting-giving compact
with one another and the Garden. You give to the Garden, the
Garden gives to you.
Necessarily, there is a decision-making
process and an administrative structure. But no one person or
group of persons “runs” the Garden. That top-down
format was used, then abandoned, in the very early years. Indeed,
each Gardener runs the Garden, within its rules and traditions,
with the leadership and planning of the Coordinators, the
Steering Committee, other committees and specialists. The Garden
is an organic garden, and the organic approach sets out essential
do’s and don’ts.
Over the years of experience and
trial-and-error, a few — but essential — rules and
procedures have evolved. Here they are:
Each household is expected to work a
minimum of 2 hours per person per week. Preferably, the work is
done in the morning between 9 AM and noon. Gardeners work for the
season on the day they select at the Annual Organizational
Meeting, usually held in February. Check for the Day Crew
rosters in this issue. If you can’t make your day, try to
make up the time another day. It is helpful to let your Day
Leader know if you cannot make your day.
Work parties are set up from time to
time to accomplish a task requiring numerous workers. Annually,
for instance, the raspberry canes must be pruned back. Day
Leaders will ask for volunteers, or one of the Coordinators or
Specialists will invite participation.
Get interested in a speciality, if you
like, or take on a particular crop or plant. Find where you can
contribute your particular knowledge or skill.
Only Garden members, in person, may
pick. This rule has evolved over twenty-eight years, and is
essential to the fair and equitable distribution of the
Garden’s bounty. Take only what you can use. Keep in mind
there are more than a hundred Gardeners.
Immediate family members may help pick
when accompanied by a Gardener. Please supervise your guests, as
inexperienced pickers can be destructive if not shown how and
where to pick.
If you are not sure of the way to
harvest a crop, check with the Day Leader, or consult the
Planting Book or the Reference Shelf. For instance, the rhubarb
leaf is broken off, not cut, and not eaten, as it is toxic.
Romaine lettuce is taken by the head, other lettuces leaf by
leaf. Pea and bean vines will break if not held when the pod is
pulled.
Specific and special harvesting
instructions will be posted near the head of beds. Color-coded
ribbons are attached to stakes to tell what to pick or not, as
follows:
1. Red - don’t pick
2. Green - pick
3. Red & Green - pick
selectively; that is, ripe fruit only
4. Yellow - check daily for
watering needs
5. Green and Orange - harvest the
entire plant, put off-trimmings in compost bins or piles.
Watering the right amount in the right
way at the right time is critically important to the
success of the Garden. It’s not as simple as making the soil
look wet! Effective and efficient watering is the Gardener’s
single biggest individual responsibility. How well we water is
directly related to our rewards in fresh, abundant produce.
Daily watering is the responsibility of
that day’s Day Leader and Gardeners. Weekend watering is
scheduled according to the preferences indicated by Gardeners.
Jeanne and Ken Holmes have the task of collecting, collating,
publishing and posting the schedule.
If you must trade your scheduled
weekend, notify Jeanne or Ken and make the change on the posted
schedule. You are responsible for making the trade and making
sure your substitute knows what to do.
How long it will take you to water the
Garden depends on the number of beds planted and their maturity,
weather conditions, and the soil characteristics of the beds
involved. A strong wind can dry out seedbeds and young plants in
a hurry — even on a gray day.
All waterers should meet with John Horn
to learn how to water, or for a refresher. John will show you how
to test the soil for moisture, when and how much to water, and
will tell you about the the peculiarities of the water pressure,
the ways of the drip, the soak, the spray, and the coiling of the
hose in the famous Posh Squash Figure Eight.
When watering, be alert for leaks or
malfunction. Report them as soon as possible. If the leak is
serious, turn off the main valve and report the problem to:
John Horn 785-2747
Tom Warnock 785-3668
Finally, and very important: Last one
out of the Garden, check and double-check to make sure the main
valve is turned off. Never should it be left on when no one is in
the Garden. When you turn it on, put on The Frog!
Keep those little red wrigglers working!
Literally, the Garden cannot have too much compost. Gardeners can
help a lot by cultivating a habit of collecting kitchen stuff and
bringing it to the Garden. Everything that grows in the Garden is
a candidate for compost – but not everything goes in the
compost bins. It’s a big help if Gardeners sort out their
stuff and put it where it is destined to go to decompose:
BINS The compost bins
need your kitchen peelings and trimmings, coffee grounds, citrus
and melon rinds, egg shells and the like. Also, the bins welcome
leafy matter from thinning rows, picking, and the like. Make your
deposit in Nature’s bank account. If you feel up to it, take
the machete from the shed and whack away. The smaller the pieces,
the better the composting process works. Manure or some other dry
organic material is added in roughly a half-and-half proportion
to the green stuff, kept moist (the consistency of a squeezed
sponge), and turned frequently, hopefully at least once a week.
The bins are intended to produce good compost fast.
Do not put any kind of fat, meat, bones,
or fecal matter other than the usual aged or composted manures in
the bins. Put in stuff you could reasonably chew.
PILES The compost piles
will take most of what is weeded from the rows. Haul the weeds
and viney, fibrous materials and dump them next to the piles,
which are in circular wire cages. Composters will mix the green
stuff with dry, brown stuff, like the composted manure and straw,
and wet it down. The piles compost more passively. In this more
static process, the piles are turned less often than the bins.
HEAPS The compost heaps
down by the tent greenhouse are for the stalky, stumpy, woody
stuff that takes forever – well, a year or so — to
decompose. The heaps are even more static, and linger in their
decomposition. They are pretty much left alone for maybe a year
or two.
In order to keep garden tools and
equipment in good working order, contact Ben Klagenberg if
anything needs attention. For specific information on the running
of these tools and equipment, refer to the Manuals in the shed.
Put a red flag (plastic ribbon) on anything out of order so it
can be repaired or removed from service.
1. No pets in the garden unless
they are on a leash, tied, or otherwise confined.
2. Do not drive through the Baker
property.
3. Park as unobtrusively and
quietly as possible on Timber Ridge.
4. Always, always, always check
and double-check to make sure gates are secure.
5. Clean tools and replace in the
racks and storage places in the shed.
A look at Posh Squash Rosters over the
years yields some interesting information about the Garden. Iris
Borg looked at all the rosters available from 1975-1976 to
2002-2003 (missing or not compiled: 1978, 1979, 1982, l985 and
l987) to see how many Sea Ranch families had ever been Gardeners.
Answer: 347. That is a lot of Sea Ranchers.
The roster for
this year and those of the three previous years display some more
interesting numbers and trends.
1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003
Households
53
62
62
67
New
N/A
15
11
15
Carry-over
N/A
47
51
52
Dropped
out
N/A
6
11
10
Persons
96
101
104
114
Couples
43
38
42
47
64% of the
households on the present 2002-2003 roster were on the l999-2000
roster as well. Maybe this gives us an idea of a turn-over rate?
A look at the 42 households on the 1992-3 roster shows that four
are on the 2002-2003 roster, ten years later. And, going way
back, one household from the first roster is still
gardening and having fun — Jer and Sal Skibbins.
| Member (Underlined = new this year) | PO Box (G = Gualala; SP= Stewart's Point. Otherwise TSR or as noted) |
Phone 785- |
Fax 785- |
|
| Austin, Mary | 76 | 2181 | 2181 | maustin@mcn.org |
| Alinder, Jim & Mary | 325 | 2073 | alinder@EdwardCarterGallery.com | |
| Basch, Reva | 116 | 2980 | 2740 | reva@well.com |
| Bellati, Lynn | 1272G | 2057 | lbellati@mcn.org | |
| Blair, Howard & Sue | 1209G | 3422 | swb@zcn.org | |
| Bogert, Howard & Sue | 1644G | 2849 | 2849 | bogy@mcn.org |
| Borg, Richard & Iris | 405 | 2948 | 2779 | borg@mcn.org |
| Bradley, Sally | 122 | 3062 | bradley1@mcn.org | |
| Brauer, Bryan & Mary Ann | Gen. Del. | 1108 | smolokini@aol.com | |
| Bowers, Mary-Dee | 408 | 3789 | 3789 | mdbowers@mcn.org |
| Butts, Judy | 672G | 9617 | 2637 | judyjacana@aol.com |
| Case, Chester & Shirley | 148 | 2448 | cnscase@mcn.org | |
| Chilton, Gary & Cynthia | 612G | 1943 | 2118 | chilton@mcn.org |
| Coleman, Bob & Patti | 1229G | 3639 | bpcoleman@msn.com | |
| Davis, Jeff & Millie | 241 | 2670 | ||
| Debar, Roger & Janet | 1117G | 2200 | 2200 | jdebar@mcn.org |
| Denevan, Sue | 853G | 2597 | sbden@saber.net | |
| Dodds, G.W. & Beverly | 1257G | 3211 | gwdodds@mcn.org | |
| Escher, John & Elizabeth | 25 | 3848 | escher@mcn.org | |
| Fairhurst, Nancy | 174 | 2146 | ||
| Farmer, Peter & Beva | 222 | 3364 | ||
| Fouts, Bob & Julie | 1745 (and SF) | 415-923-1544 | bobfoutssf@aol.com | |
| Franklin, Laura | 1444G | 3755 | 884-3203 | laura@mcn.org |
| Hoyt, Deborah | 1517G | 2503 | dfrase@mcn.org | |
| George, Joyce | 662G | 3995 | jgeorge@mcn.org | |
| Ghezzi, Kim | 1683G | 2859 | kghezzi@mcn.org | |
| Gitt, Joe & Lita | 354 | 3370 | 9110 | litagitt@mcn.org |
| Graf, Philip & Ann | 824G | 9213 | graphil@bigplanet.com | |
| Grenwelge, Jim & Susan | 58 | 9317 | sgrenwelge@msn.com | |
| Haas, George & Pat | 841G | 1011 | haaspage@mcn.org | |
| Haw, John & Cici | 4 | 3828 | cicihaw@mcn.org | |
| Henry, Buck & Anita | 91 | 1762 | 1762 | siboney@mcn.org |
| Hersh, Richard & Jeanne | POB 524, Graton 95444 | 2361 | ||
| Hocker, Rosemarie | 61 | 3058 | rhocker@mcn.org | |
| Holmes, Ken & Jeanne | 925G | 3889 | kholmes@mcn.org | |
| Horn, John & Katie | 356 | 2747 | seahorn@gtcinternet.com | |
| Hulse, Jack & Shirley | 235 | 3344 | sjhulse@mcn.org | |
| Hunter, Dard & Mary | 1010G | 1150 | 9145 | dardmary@mcn.org |
| Innes, Robert & Mona | 49 | 0061 | 1987 | mrinnes@mcn.org |
| Jaguzny, Rom & Barbara | 1587G | 1990 | brjag@mcn.org | |
| Johnson, Joseph & Sylvia | 1180 | kawela92@yahoo.com | ||
| Jordan, Jim & Joan | 1063G | 2549 | jajordan@ix.netcom.com | |
| Klagenberg, Ben & Wilma | 1465G | 3530 | benwilma@juno.com | |
| Leibrock, Bruce & Jutta | 304 | 1907 | 1176 | bleibr1885@aol.com |
| Leopold, Saul & Michele | 200 | 3132 | 3982 | m4mc@aol.com |
| Miachika, Barbara | 404 | 9536 | 9536 | barbaramiachika@funfrance.com |
| Micmacker, Brigitte | 172 | 1936 | 1920 | anewleaf@mcn.org |
| Mitchell, Shirley T. | 126 | 1735 | ||
| Morse, Jackie | 97 | 3621 | 3204 | jackie@mcn.org |
| Mueller, Laurie | 314 | 9533 | laurie@mcn.org | |
| Paulsen, Ann | 9606 | |||
| Perkins, Milton & Maria | 313 | 9159 | 9179 | perkini2@jps.net |
| Pollard, Susan | 115SP | 3733 | ||
| Prukop, Tim & Susan | 83 | 9745 | bsprukop@yahoo.com | |
| Rasmussen, Ralph & Diane | 361 | 0099 | 0059 | rjrasmus@mcn.org |
| Rosenberg, Jackie | 184 | 2376 | rosen1@mcn.org | |
| Sandidge, Kathleen | 275 | 1763 | 2583 | kvsandidge@aol.com |
| Simon, Sharon | 118 | 3641 | 3641 | sharon@mcn.org |
| Shifman, Jerry | 116 | 2980 | 2740 | jerry@jereva.com |
| Skibbins, Jer & Sally | 28 | 2641 | jer@mcn.org | |
| Skibbins, Marla | 31 | 9534 | 510-476-8488 | msmarlam@aol.com |
| Sloan, Jim & Sandy | 353 | 2832 | 2832 | sloan@mcn.org |
| Sparks, Jody | 3192 | jsparks@cwnet.com | ||
| Stevenson, Dorothy | 1216G | 3374 | dotbills@mcn.org | |
| Thiene, Paul & Sonja | 276 | 2751 | pthiene@mcn.org | |
| Turner, Brit & Bonny | 1238G | 2441 | 2441 | bturner915@mac.com |
| Voorhees, William & Karen | 17 | 2004 | bvoorhees@earthlink.net | |
| Warnock, Tom & Linda | 625G | 3668 | 3225 | warnock@mcn.org |
| Waxman, Jerry | 453 | 1062 | ||
| Wilson, Gerry & Genny | 82 | 1025 | wwinc@earthlink.net | |
| Wingate, John | 71 | 2774 | 2774 | |
| Zimmerman, Pam | 453 | 1062 | pzimmer@sonic.net | |
*unless followed by G (Gualala, 95445)
or SP (Stewarts Point, 95840), it is TSR (95497)
Underline signifies new member
Honorary members: Tom & Stanley
Christensen, Michael Baker, Phoebe Blackburn,
Henry Whitesides, The Wicksteads, Jan
Strand
Bob Hocker, Gardener,
June 26, 1928 - April 25, 2002
Like a good garden, he gave in abundance
Monday
Horn, John and Katie (Day Leader)
Haas, George and Pat (Back-up Day Leader)
Bogert, Howard and Carol
Borg, Richard and Iris
Brauer, Bryan and Mary Ann
Coleman, Bob and Patti
Davis, Jeff and Millie
Denevan, Sue
Farmer, Peter and Beva
Fouts, Bob and Julie
George, Joyce
Graf, Philip and Ann
Hersh, Richard and Jeanie (every other
week)
Hocker, Rose
Prukop, Tim and Susan
Stevenson, Dorothy
Tuesday
Austin, Mary (Day Leader)
Case, Chester and Shirley (Back-up Day
Leader)
Alinder, Jim and Mary
Bellati, Lynn
Blair, Howard and Susan
Fairhurst, Nancy
Hoyt, Debbie
Hulse, Jack and Shirley
Jordan, Jim and Joan
Leopold, Saul and Michele
Micmacker, Brigitte
Skibbins, Jer and Sally
Sloan, Jim and Sandy
Turner, Brit and Bonnie
Wednesday
Holmes, Ken & Jeanne (Day Leader)
Escher, Elizabeth and John (Back-up Day Leader]
Bradley, Sally
Debar, Roger and Janet
Franklin, Laura
George, Joyce
Ghezzi, Kim
Henry, Anita
Innes, Mona
Micmacker, Brigitte
Perkins, Milton and Maria
Rasmussen, Ralph and Dianne
Sandidge, Kathleen
Waxman, Jerry
Wilson, Gerry and Genny
Zimmerman, Pam
Thursday
Grenwelge, James and Susan (Day Leader)
Rosenberg, Jacqueline (Back-up Day
Leader)
Bowers, Mary-Dee
Butts, Judy
Dodds, G. W. and Beverly
Gitt, Joe and Lita
Haw, John and Caroline
Hersh, Richard and Jeanie (every other
week)
Innes, Robert and Mona
Jagunzy, Rom and Barbara
Miachika, Barbara
Mitchell, Shirley
Pollard, Susan
Simon, Philip and Sharon
Voorhees, Wm and Karen
Friday
Warnock, Tom and Linda (Day Leader)
Hunter, Dard and Mary (Back-up Day
Leader)
Basch, Reva
Chilton, Gary and Cynthia
Henry, Buck
Johnson, Joseph and Sylvia
Klagenberg, Ben and Wilma
Leibrock, Bruce and Jutta
Morse, Jackie
Paulsen, Ann
Shifman, Jerry
Skibbins, Marla
Thiene, Paul and Sonja