The Compost Heap

News, Views, and Features from the Posh Squash Garden

The Sea Ranch, California

Spring 2003, Volume 2, Number 2

Report from the Steering Committee

The Steering Committee met on Friday, March 21, 2003 at the Del Mar Center. Present were Tom Warnock and Mary Austin, Co-Coordinators; Ken Holmes, Sal Skibbins, Jer Skibbins, Jim Grenwelge, Dianne Rasmussen, Ben Klagenberg, Rosemarie Hocker and Chester Case, your faithful scribe. The comely appearance of the Garden, the thriving greenhouse, Rich Hersh’s day crew workshops, the numerous beds in preparation – all were smiled upon. Projects are being completed, notably the raspberry patch; see for yourself. Treasurer Hocker reported a balance of $6,147 to start the season.

Gardeners are urged, again, to carpool to the Garden. A neighbor did complain one day when a work party coincided with a day having a large crew, and cars went way uphill on Timber Ridge.

Negotiations with the Baker Estate were discussed at length. The Steering Committee’s close attention to the future of the Garden reflects a predominant concern of the Gardeners. The most frequent responses to the question “If you could have one wish for the Posh Squash, what would it be” were variations on the theme of permanence, or continuity, at the present site. Check with Co-Coordinators Tom Warnock or Mary Austin, or your Day Leader, for more details and current developments.

Recent Activities

Day Leaders Meeting: Day Leaders Tom Warnock, Mary Austin, John Horn, Ken Holmes, Jim Grenwelge, and your faithful scribe met on Wednesday, February 26, 2003, a day more like Spring than Winter, under a leafless cherry tree at the Garden. Priority chores and active roles for Day Leaders emerged as central concerns. Because there are many new and recent Gardeners unfamiliar with the ways of the Posh Squash, Day Leaders resolved to share their knowledge and skills and arrange for experienced Gardeners to share with the less experienced. (Editor: On The Compost Heap’s questionnaire distributed at the organizational meeting on February 8, Gardeners described their overall gardening skills and knowledge in these proportions: novice, 25% ; intermediate, 56% ; skilled, 12%). Also, Day Leaders will focus their day crew’s attentions on priority chores, like bed preparation and weeding of winter crops. There will be hands-on workshops on essential garden tasks during the season.

Work Parties:Two work parties in February got in between the rainclouds to accomplish a lot of pruning and cleanup. Ben’s construction crew is dodging raindrops to finish up on the renovation of the east raspberry patch with new wire trellises and irrigation system.

Priority Chores: Day crews took on priority chores during the first week of the 2003 season. Check the chore book; you’ll be amazed at how much there is to do and how well it is being done. Besides the preparation of beds, made quicker and better by the successful winter mulching program, the rhubarb was divided and replanted in a different bed, the shallots were divided and replanted to make two-and-a-quarter beds of three rows each. And of course, weeding, weeding, weeding.

Greenhouse: The greenhouse is glorious with thriving new growth. Check it out, and contemplate all the salads and vegetables to come.

Doris Buck Memorial Arbor

Plans are moving along to memorialize Doris Buck’s friendship and contributions to the Posh Squash and its Gardeners. An arbor will be built to arch over the memorial bench. Ben has worked up a design for the structure. What to plant to climb upon it is to be decided.

Gardeners are invited to make donations to make manifest in the arbor our appreciation of Doris and her nurturing love of the Garden. A donation may be sent to Treasurer Hocker, made out to The Posh Squash, with a note that it's for the Doris Buck Memorial.

Weed Harvest

Thanks to a break in the weather and a grass-catching lawnmower, we got ahead of the weeds this year -- for the moment, anyway. Gardeners may have noticed, when they trooped up in the first week of March to start the 2003 Season, that the Garden had a, well, “groomed” look to it. Though mown down close and neat to be sure, the idea is not to emulate misguided suburban lawn-fetishists. The idea is to harvest the weeds, grass, and last year’s plants. “Everything that grows in the Garden should stay in the Garden except what we eat,” said Compost Chester, who mowed the greenery, caught the shredded and chopped clippings, and incorporated them into the compost. The green stuff is nitrogenous and hot, he says, and most welcome.

Tubers and Rhizomes and Corms, Oh My

by Ken Holmes

[Editor’s Introduction] Here is a new feature of The Compost Heap: Ken Holmes reflects on Garden doings. Besides being a dedicated Gardener, a Day Leader (Wednesday), and a steady worker, Ken is keenly observant, inquisitive and given to musing, both aloud and in a writing style plain-spoken yet allusive. Remember, he’s the one who saw the gopher snake and told us where to find out more on the web. We twisted Ken’s arm for a promise of regular columns in the future. He will appreciate your response, as well as ideas about any Garden stuff you think he ought to ponder and muse upon.

The vast majority of our plants are started by the sowing of seeds, either directly in the ground or in planting boxes in our wonderful greenhouse. They are tenderly nurtured by the daily waterers or by M.A. Brauer’s team of diligent planters in the greenhouse. These are the plants for which Nature, for some mysterious reason, finds it easy to produce viable seeds each year and, generally speaking, they are plants that tend to have a one-season life cycle. But several of our crops are best propagated in an entirely different manner. These are, in general, our perennials -- the berries, asparagus, and rhubarb -- as well as some of the flower species -- gladiolas and lilies, as examples. They all come up again, year after year, with only a little watering needed to survive our climate’s summer-long drought. They are the individuals that divide and propagate by means of tubers, rhizomes, corms, bulbs and stolons (runners, to most of us).

The subject arises this spring as we attempt to renew a few of our crops, namely the rhubarb and the strawberries. Both of these crops have been faithfully producing the primary ingredients of strawberry-rhubarb pies for years, with little or no attention from the Gardeners. They require none of the work that we expend on our seed-bearing crops: annual deep spading, amending, tilling, and shaping. We have now divided and re-planted the big old food-storing roots (rhizomes) of the rhubarb plants in a new fresh bed, and will soon be dividing plants and runners (stolons; pronounced stoh’-luns) of one of the strawberry beds. These beds have been crowded for too long and have lost some of their vigor, so putting some work into them every few years seems like a fair trade.

As a point of interest -- sustainability being our ever present creed -- in 1995, two Yale scientists discovered that oxalic acid, which is found in rhubarb leaves, helped neutralize CFCs, one of the main contributors to the hole in the ozone layer. Rhubarb to the rescue! I don’t know if the American Rhubarb Council sponsored this study, but it’s all the excuse I need to feel good about eating lots of rhubarb pie. You should be aware that ingested oxalic acid can be toxic, so always cut off the leaf portion of that plant and use only the stems for cooking. No need to teach you how to eat strawberries.

Some of the underground food storage units that we call tubers, rhizomes and corms are part of our diets directly. The taro plant grows from a corm that is made into poi, the food that everyone loves to hate in Hawaii. Ginger root, a rhizome, is fairly common in many of our diets. When we eat potatoes, we are dining on tubers, whereas sweet potatoes are specialized edible tap roots. So are carrots, turnips, beets, and parsnips, all annuals, replanted from seeds each year in our garden. Garlic, shallots and onions are bulbs. Have a nice meal.

Big Red Roars Back

Reassembled, revved up, repainted really red, old faithful Troy-Bilt rototiller is back and hard at work. Tillermeister Jim Alinder says its performance is much improved. “Wider tines,” explained Ben Klagenberg, who oversaw the whole rebuilding process, “rebuilt transmission, new clutch, a reverse that works.” Dissonant as it is midst the Garden’s pastoral symphonics, Big Red’s sturdy voice is a welcome sound.

Favorite Chores: What the Gardeners Say

(From the TCH questionnaire, “Who Are the Gardeners of the Posh Squash?”)

Planting is most Gardeners’ favorite chore. Weeding, bed preparation, and watering follow as the top choices. Very timely for the start of the season! Pest control, pruning, transplanting and thinning were barely mentioned as Gardeners’ faves. Also, harvesting and picking got scant “favorite” mention, but TCH suspects that is because of the connotation of “chore”-- Gardeners probably regard harvesting and picking as the big reward, not a “chore.” Figures. Fits with the 73% of the respondents who cited “Produce; fresh, seasonal and varied,” as a “Very Important” aspect of the Posh Squash. Also observed in the responses: planting and weeding are favorite chores for females to males at a ratio of two to one, while bed preparation is the reverse, two to one for males to females. TCH won’t hazard an interpretation of that particular finding.

Posh Squash Weekend Waterers: Roster & General Information

by John Horn

You may not have the exact same time as you signed up for – I did the best I could.

Notice that all but July have two days of watering. July is generally our hottest month so we gave just one day during that time. Arbitrary? Yes, we know, but in July it can take all day to water properly!

Should you need to change your weekend, it is up to you to trade with someone, find someone who will water for you without trading, or call one of the backup folks listed below.

Before your weekend it is important that you talk to me or to your day leader about watering information and strategies:

• how to turn on the water, and what the ‘Frog’ is for

• how to check to see if the bed really needs watering

• how to best water each type of crop; what crops never to water by hand with a sprinkler

• how to record what you have done on the Watering Check Sheet

• what is the best time of day to water? Are there times of the day what it is not good to water?

Remember: As a weekend waterer you are only to water the beds that have yellow flags. This means that they are to be kept MOIST. Beds that do not have yellow flags are plants with established root systems and thus require watering less frequently.

If the name of the crop is written on the Watering Check List in the spaces provided for checking, it means that it is watered by one of the day groups and is usually not to be watered by anyone else.

Of all the chores that we do at our garden, watering is one of the hardest, most time consuming, most frustrating and most important!

Special Supplement: Water is the Life of the Garden - 2003 edition

by Ken Holmes

For the 2003-2004 gardening year all gardeners, new and old, will be expected to attend at least one training period with their day leader for this most important job.  Especially when you are scheduled to water on the following weekend, arrange to be trained by your day leader on your  workday.  It is vital that we all are following in the same steps for consistent watering.  The following guide has been developed to help you determine the fine line between overwatering and underwatering.  Our garden depends upon your knowing the difference.

 

Your first responsibility is to carefully test the soil in the planted beds for moisture and to note your observations on the WATERING CHECKLIST.  The checklist is the best tool to document your watering and to communicate the watering needs to the workers that follow you.  Each day’s work crew as well as the weekend waterers must keep this sheet up to date.  Since many plant problems (e.g. leaf drop, bitterness, blossom-end rot, mildew, etc.) are caused by uneven watering, it is essential to know how the plants have been watered on previous days.  Please familiarize yourself with this form.  In the herb beds, many of the plants are drought-resistant and will need little watering, while others will be planted as seeds and will need more attention.

 

Yellow ribbons will identify beds containing seeds, immature plants, or transplants.  Daily watering may be necessary here. With tender seedlings and new transplants it may be necessary to water twice a day, especially in hot weather.  When seeds dry out or stay too wet, germination ends -- so test daily and keep the soil moist, but not soggy.  When the roots of young plants dry out, the plants never fully recover.  Always water these new beds with a fan sprinkler turned low (even if there is a soaker hose or drip system already in place for later use).  Go back and forth over the surface slowly, to allow the water to soak in below the level of the seeds or roots while avoiding washing them out.  Allow the water to be absorbed before adding more.  Watering the garden is a big job so work in pairs at all times.

Beds containing well-established plants need deep watering so that moisture reaches below the roots to draw them down into the ground.  Shallow watering = shallow roots.  Plants like soil with a healthy air/water ratio, so water thoroughly and deeply but not too often.  Their watering needs are determined by age, temperature, humidity, wind, length of day, quality of soil and, in our area, FOG.  Learn how to use the soil probe for deciding how much and how often to water.  Note: If, when you squeeze a handful of  soil from the probe, it clumps together and can’t easily be divided, the soil is too moist.  If the clump crumbles when released, it is too dry.  Be sure that the full length of the beds receives adequate water, or plants at the far ends will be stunted.

When you arrive at the garden:

 

1.      Open the main water  valve located at the top of the garden.  Turn it on slightly (about 1/8 of a turn), wait a minute, then turn it on full (vertical).  PUT ON THE FROG.

2.      Locate the clipboard with the weekly WATERING CHECKLIST kept in the shed.

3.      Notice that crops to be watered on specific days have their plant names written on the checklist; you are not to water these beds as they are watered by Day Leaders or their assigned crew members.  A list of these crops and the days they are to be watered is posted in the shed.

4.      Check the soil moisture with a trowel (for deep-rooted plants use the soil probe) in several places in all beds, and note on the check sheet when you will water each.  Be sure to use the appropriate symbols so the next waterer  will understand.  (Note: If mulch has been spread on the bed, it may appear moist when it is not.)  Conversely, do not water  simply because the surface of the bed looks dry.  Probe below the surface to determine its moisture content.

Hoses and watering tools:

 

1.      Hoses are kept coiled in a “figure-8” and attached to faucets along the main paths.

2.      If you find a hose leak, tie a red ribbon at that point and place the hose in front of the shed unless it’s already on a bed, in which case leave a note in the shed.  If there is a leak in a main line, turn off the main water valve and report it promptly.  (See the list of names posted in the shed.)

3.      Soaker hoses are the “oozer”, spongy type. When water pressure is too high, they become “sprayers,” which is bad for plants whose leaves should be kept dry.  (See “Specific Vegetables” below.) Occasionally check the full length of the hose to see how changes in pressure are affecting the amount of water coming through the  soaker.

4.      Check drip irrigation pipes when you first turn them on, to see that the small plastic tubes are still connected and are putting water at the base of the plants.  BE CAREFUL NOT TO TURN THE VALVES ON THESE WATERING SYSTEMS TOO FAR – TOO MUCH PRESSURE COULD WASH AWAY THE PLANTS!

5.      Fan sprinklers and bubblers are used for hand watering and are kept attached to the hoses.  They are equipped with individual valves to control pressure or temporarily shut off water when moving from bed to bed.  (When not using the hose, turn off water at the hose bib faucet.)

Specific Vegetables:

 

1.      Onion family, including leeks, shallots and garlic, will be poorly developed if allowed to get too dry.  At the later “curing” stage of their growing cycle, we will post a sign to stop watering.

2.      Peas, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes and members of the squash family (vines, in general) can mildew or rot in our moist climate if their leaves are wet.  Water only the soil, not the leaves.

3.      Members of the lettuce/cabbage family (broccoli, kale, cauliflower, etc.) LIKE to have their leaves wet.  If you see aphids on these plants, wash them off and be sure to notify a day leader.

CAUTIONS:

1.      Watering with an open hose washes out seeds, removes air from the soil, and causes compacting.  Reworking and replanting the bed is often necessary – wasting time, seeds, money and hours of labor.  Use hand sprayers or sprinklers.

2.      Water from sun-heated hoses will scald plants.  Before watering, empty it into the trench alongside the bed.

3.      When using the hand sprinklers, turn off the valve on the sprinkler as you move between beds to avoid wasting water on paths where extra water will encourage weed growth.

4.      Be aware of the hose you are dragging behind you.  Keep it away from the plants and seedbeds.

5.      When sides of beds, watering basins, or trenches are broken down, use a hoe to repair the damage and thus contain the water.

When you leave the garden:

1.      Be sure you have turned off all hose bibs (faucets).

2.      Coil hoses in “figure-8”.

3.      Put away all tools.

4.      Return the Checklist to the shed and be sure you have marked all planted beds on the list with the appropriate symbol.

5.      Turn off the main valve (to the horizontal position).  Leave the Frog – or if you find it hanging around your neck when you go to bed at night, return to garden and turn off water.

 

 

Membership Roster 2003-2004

New member this year*	POB: Blank/TSR G/Gualala S/Stewarts Pt.	Phone 785-	Fax 785-	Day	Email
Alinder, Jim & Mary	325	2073	884-9124	T	malinder@mcn.org
Austin, Mary	76	2181	2181	T	maustin@mcn.org
Basch, Reva	116	2980	2740	F	reva@well.com
Bellati, Lynn	1272G	2057			lbellati@mcn.org
Berry, Michael*	563	3368		W	miwabe94941@yahoo.com
Blair, Howard & Sue	1209G	3422		T	swb@mcn.org
Bowers, Mary-Dee	408	3789	3789	Th	mdbowers@mcn.org
Bradley, Sally	122	3062		W	bradley1@mcn.org
Bray, Roz & Dereck	376	2694		T	rozbray@mcn.org
Brauer, Mary Ann	55	1108		M	smolokini@aol.com
Case, Chester & Shirley	148	2448		T	cnscase@mcn.org
Cayting, Jeannette & F.J.*	1208G	1911		W	cayting@mcn.org
Chilton, Cynthia	612G	1943	2118	F	chilton@mcn.org
Coleman, Bob & Patti	1229G	3639		M	bpcoleman@msn.com
Davis, Jeff & Millie	241	2670		M
Debar, Roger & Janet	1117G	2200	2200	W	jdebar@mcn.org
Denevan, Sue	853G	2597	9405	M	sbden@saber.net
Dodds, Bev	1257G	3211	3081	Th	gwdodds@mcn.org
Ellsworth, Pat & Diana*	482	9776		Wkends	patworth@hotmail.com
Escher, John & Elizabeth	25	3848		W	escher@mcn.org
Fairhurst, Nancy	174	2146		T
Farmer, Peter & Beva	222	3364		M
Fouts, Julie 3224 Baker St. SF   94123		1745	415-923-1544		juliefouts@aol.com
Franklin, Laura	1444G	3755	884-3203	W	laura@mcn.org
George, Joyce	662G	3995		W	jgeorge@mcn.org
Ghezzi, Kim	1683G	2859		W	kghezzi@mcn.org
Gibson, Kenneth & Julia*	68	1985		W	jbgibby@earthlink.net
Gitt, Joe & Lita	354	3370	9110	Th
Graf, Philip & Ann	824G	9213		M	graphil@bigplanet.com
Grenwelge, Jim	58	9317		Th	sgrenwelge@msn.com
Haas, George & Pat	841G	1011		M	haaspage@mcn.org
Haw, John	4	3828		Th	cicihaw@mcn.org
Hersh, Richard & Jeanne	POB 524, Graton 95444	2361		M
Hocker, Rosemarie	61	3058		M	rhocker@mcn.org
Holmes, Ken & Jeanne	925G	3889		W	kholmes@mcn.org
Horn, John & Katherine	356	2747		M	seahorn@gtcinternet.com
Hoyt, Deborah	1517G	2503		T	dfrase@mcn.org
Hulse, Shirley	235	3344		T	sjhulse@mcn.org
Hunter, Mary	1010G	1150	9145	F	dardmary@mcn.org
Jaguzny, Rom & Barbara	1587G	1990		Th	brjag@mcn.org
Johnson, Joe & Sylvia	1330G	1180		F	kawela92@yahoo.com
Jordan, Jim & Joan	1063G	2549		T	jajordan@ix.netcom.com
Klagenberg, Ben & Wilma	1465G	3530	3530	F	benwilma@mcn.org
Leibrock, Bruce & Jutta	304	1907		F	bleibr1885@aol.com
Leopold, Saul & Michele	200	3132	3982	T	m4mc@aol.com
Micmacker, Brigitte	172	1936		W	brigitte@sculpturesite.com
Morse, Bryan*	97	3621		M	bfmorse@mcn.org
Morse, Jackie	403	1039		F	jackie@mcn.org
Owings, J. Randall & Chris*	184	1198		T	tyjes@earthlink.net
Perkins, Milton & Maria	313	9159	9179	W	perkini2@jps.net
Rasmussen, Ralph & Diane	361	0099	0059	W	rjrasmus@mcn.org
Sandidge, Kathleen	275	1763			kvsandidge@aol.com
Seale, Connie*	926	3545		T	connieseale@yahoo.com
Shifman, Jerry	116	2980	2740	F	jerry@jereva.com
Skibbins, Jer	28	2641		Greenhs	jer@mcn.org
Skibbins, Marla	31	9534	510-476-8488	F	msmarlam@aol.com
Skibbins, Sally	28	2641		T	sls@gualala.com
Smith, Scott & Harper*	1168	3567		W	Flatcat9@aol.com
Sparks, Jody		3192		M	jodycs@mcn.org
Stevenson, Dorothy	1216G	3374		Th	dotbills@mcn.org
Thiene, Paul & Sonja	276	2751		F	pthiene@mcn.org
Todhunter, Erin & Andrew*	6G	1732		W	todhunter@attglobal.net
Voorhees, William	17	2004		Th	bvoorhees@earthlink.net
Warnock, Tom & Linda	625G	3668	3225	F	warnock@mcn.org
Waxman, Jerry	453	1062		W
Wilson, Gerry & Genny	82	1025		W	wwinc@earthlink.net
Wingate, John	71	2774	2774
Wohlken, Martha*	693G	3311		F	marthaw@mcn.org
Zimmerman, Pam	453	1062		W	pzimmer@sonic.net

 

Honorary members: Tom & Stanley Christensen, Michael Baker, Phoebe Blackburn,

Henry Whitesides, The Wicksteads, Jan Strand; Iris and Dick Borg

 

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