Bin 2 - Material is starting to break down
Bin 1 - The plant material has broken down into a nice dark compost!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Compost Update
The compost is breaking down nicely so far this summer. When placing your scraps in the compost bins place them in Bin 2 and Bin 3. Check out some pictures of the progress of the compost! Bin 3 
Bin 1 - The plant material has broken down into a nice dark compost!
Bin 1 - The plant material has broken down into a nice dark compost!
July Gardeners of the Month
July was a month of rain and rapid growth. Some plots became overgrown while others were maintained with the greatest of care. The Thompsonville Community Garden would like to recognize Mark and Michelle Barboza as the July Gardeners of the Month! Their plots are meticulously cared for and their plots look great. I can only imagine how great their vegetables are!
Congrats to Michelle and Mark and keep up the good work!
Congrats to Michelle and Mark and keep up the good work!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Time to Weed!
Gardeners!
The heat and humidity has finally arrived which means the weeds (and vegetables) have arrived!
Gardeners are reminded to weed their beds early and often as overgrown weeds will choke out vegetables and turn their beds into an eyesore.
I encourage you to get into the garden and weed your plot over the course of the next few days. If plots become overgrown and unmaintained they may be taken away from members as stated in the member contract.
Also, remember to pick your vegetables!!! If you can't eat all of the vegetables you are growing donate them to a local soup kitchen, give them to your friends and family or preserve them for the future! If you will be out of town and can't get to your plot contact a friend to pick your veggies and weed your plot. Maintaining your plot during July and August will mean bountiful vegetables in September!
Let me know if you have any questions about weeding or when to pick your vegetables.
Thanks and happy gardening!
Ben
The heat and humidity has finally arrived which means the weeds (and vegetables) have arrived!
Gardeners are reminded to weed their beds early and often as overgrown weeds will choke out vegetables and turn their beds into an eyesore.
I encourage you to get into the garden and weed your plot over the course of the next few days. If plots become overgrown and unmaintained they may be taken away from members as stated in the member contract.
Also, remember to pick your vegetables!!! If you can't eat all of the vegetables you are growing donate them to a local soup kitchen, give them to your friends and family or preserve them for the future! If you will be out of town and can't get to your plot contact a friend to pick your veggies and weed your plot. Maintaining your plot during July and August will mean bountiful vegetables in September!
Let me know if you have any questions about weeding or when to pick your vegetables.
Thanks and happy gardening!
Ben
Monday, June 29, 2009
The July Education Day is Coming Up!
The Thompsonville Community Garden will be hosting its July Garden Education day July 5th at 3pm. This month's topic is:
The UCONN Master gardeners will teach members the best ways of helping our garden through the (hopefully) hot summer months. They will also talk about pest management, which we know is a topic among gardeners in our garden.
The education day should last about an hour.
We hope you can make it!
"Learn How to Help your Plants Through the Stress of Summer"
The UCONN Master gardeners will teach members the best ways of helping our garden through the (hopefully) hot summer months. They will also talk about pest management, which we know is a topic among gardeners in our garden.
The education day should last about an hour.
We hope you can make it!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
June Garden Education Day
The first education day of the 2009 Growing Season will be Sunday, June 7th at 3pm.
During this first educational session our University of Connecticut Master Gardeners will be discussing:
How to have a successful vegetable garden using compost and perennials.
Marty will discuss the importance of having a compost pile near the garden, how it is used in gardening, what to put in the compost pile and what to keep out of the compost pile.
Jennifer and Trish will discuss how perennials tie into a healthy garden by attracting beneficial insects, deterring pests and adding color and multiseason interest to the landscape. We will discuss what it takes to maintain the compost pile and the perennials throughout the growing season to make them a permanent structure in the garden year after year with minimal work.
Come join us and become a better gardener. Knowledge is power!
During this first educational session our University of Connecticut Master Gardeners will be discussing:
How to have a successful vegetable garden using compost and perennials.
Marty will discuss the importance of having a compost pile near the garden, how it is used in gardening, what to put in the compost pile and what to keep out of the compost pile.
Jennifer and Trish will discuss how perennials tie into a healthy garden by attracting beneficial insects, deterring pests and adding color and multiseason interest to the landscape. We will discuss what it takes to maintain the compost pile and the perennials throughout the growing season to make them a permanent structure in the garden year after year with minimal work.
Come join us and become a better gardener. Knowledge is power!
May 2009 Gardener of the Month!
Congratulations to Jamie Burnside, the Thompsonville Community Garden May 2009 Gardener of the month!
Jamie sent us the following about her very exciting gardening method:
"Hello T-Ville Gardeners! It's very exciting to be gardening with all of you this year. You may have noticed all the string lines marking off spaces in my plot (#29). Those strings are marking off spaces of one square foot each, which allows me to plan ahead for what will grow in each square. Some vegetables take up more space below the soil, such as carrots, and others take up a lot of room above the ground, such as Tomatoes. By marking off the squares and planting this way, I hope to be growing a beautiful checkerboard of many varieties of vegetables. The good news is, with all the space planned out, there is very little room left for weeds!
This method of gardening is detailed out in a very user-friendly book called, "All New : Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew. You can also check out his terrific companion website to the book at www.squarefootgardening.com
Thanks so much for honoring me by choosing me as the gardener of the month. It's very humbling, as I am a brand new member of your community. I hope to become friends with many of you and I'll surely enjoy mingling with you all on garden days.
Here's to a happy and warm gardening season! May all your flowers bloom, all your bugs be few, and all your harvests great! "
Jamie Burnside
Thanks Jamie, we hope your gardening experience is a good one!
Thanks to UCONN Master Gardners and the Town of Enfield
From Left:Katie Bednaz, Jennifer Brantley, Trish Safner and Marty SienkoSpecial thanks goes out to our University of Connecticut Master Gardeners, Marty Sienko and Trish Safner who, along with Master Gardener Intern Jennifer Brantley, have helped members with planning their garden plots, designed flower beds and have aided members on proper gardening techniques.
Garden members would also like to thank Katie Bednaz, Assistant Town Planner, for her great work. Katie has been our "go to" person at Town Hall, helping us make purchases and schedule help from the Department of Public Works.
Keep up the good work!
Planting Day Success
Planting Day 2009, held on May 30th, was a great success! Over 35 members of the garden participated, planting a variety of vegetables and flowers. Members planted the traditional favorites including tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and squash. Other members tended to their garden beds thinning out radishes, beets and pea plants. Members were aided by expert Master Gardeners from the University of Connecticut. They provided great advice and guidance to members. Thanks Marty, Trish and Jen!
Thompsonville Community Garden members also planted a new flowerbed on the east side of the garden that will produce beautiful flowers throughout the summer and fall. Special thanks to the members who helped create the other new flower bed, with rock garden, towards the western edge of the garden!
Thompsonville Community Garden members also planted a new flowerbed on the east side of the garden that will produce beautiful flowers throughout the summer and fall. Special thanks to the members who helped create the other new flower bed, with rock garden, towards the western edge of the garden!
Monday, May 25, 2009
The Bat House!
You may not see it, even if you are looking for it, but the benefits of our new bat house are countless. Bats are a vital predator and help maintain a balance in the ecosystem.
Our bat house sits 15 feet up in tree facing southeast. When the bats arrive they will help keep the insect population down and improve the garden environment.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Spring Cleaning-2009
On May 9th the members of the Thompsonville Community Garden participated in the annual Spring Cleaning. Members worked hard preparing beds, adding new beds, adding shelves in the shed, creating flower beds and starting seedlings in their own garden plots.
A big thanks goes to the Enfield Department of Public Works who helped members build new beds, delivered compost and ran the heavy machinery. They were a big help!
Marty and Trish work on building a new bed with the help of the Enfield DPW.
Big thanks to the Enfield DPW!
Prepping beds for the 2009 growing season!
The entire family is working hard!
A big thanks goes to the Enfield Department of Public Works who helped members build new beds, delivered compost and ran the heavy machinery. They were a big help!
Marty and Trish work on building a new bed with the help of the Enfield DPW.
Big thanks to the Enfield DPW!
Prepping beds for the 2009 growing season!
The entire family is working hard!
April Gardener of the Month
Congratulations do Allen Phursion, the Thompsonville Community Garden April 2009 Gardener of the Month! Allen started his garden early this year with a variety of flowers, some early vegetables and some early tomatoes. Allen also added some mulch to his garden to help retain moisture and add nutrients. Great work Allen!
Thompsonville Community Garden news and notes-May 17
Even though the weather has not been the best seedlings are starting to pop up through the dirt! Many plots now have lettuce, radish, spinach and peas growing from seed. Now lets hope for warm, sunny days to aid those who have put in some other their own plants.
A couple of garden updates. The side gate (near Yankee Bait and Tackle) has been locked and will remained locked for the duration of the summer. This week we will be contacting a locksmith to put a combination lock on the main gate. Members will get the combination as soon as the lock goes on. We will also be putting a combination lock on the shed on Planting Day. This will enable members to access the tools in the shed throughout the growing season.
We are also putting together some signage to aid members in the garden. We'll be putting up signs on the compost bins and a couple other places in the garden to help everyone become better gardeners.
Finally, if you see someone with a dog in the garden please politely ask them to leave. Animal waste is not good for the garden and our garden is not a dog park.
That's all for now! Hope to see everyone at Planting Day, May 30th starting at 10am.
A couple of garden updates. The side gate (near Yankee Bait and Tackle) has been locked and will remained locked for the duration of the summer. This week we will be contacting a locksmith to put a combination lock on the main gate. Members will get the combination as soon as the lock goes on. We will also be putting a combination lock on the shed on Planting Day. This will enable members to access the tools in the shed throughout the growing season.
We are also putting together some signage to aid members in the garden. We'll be putting up signs on the compost bins and a couple other places in the garden to help everyone become better gardeners.
Finally, if you see someone with a dog in the garden please politely ask them to leave. Animal waste is not good for the garden and our garden is not a dog park.
That's all for now! Hope to see everyone at Planting Day, May 30th starting at 10am.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Thompsonville Community Garden Education Days-2009
The Thompsonville Community Garden, in cooperation with the University of Connecticut Master Gardner Program, has organized monthly education days. During these training sessions garden members will learn about a number of gardening techniques.
Get your pen and paper ready. Here are the dates for the 2009 season!
Saturday May 9th 10am-Spring Cleanup Workday:
Saturday May 30th 10am-Planting Day
Sunday June 7th 3pm-Learn How to Compost and Take Care of Perennials
Sunday July 5th 3pm-Learn How to Help Your Plants Through the Stress of Summer
Sunday August 2nd 3pm-Walk Through,… We Answer your Garden Questions!
Sunday Sept 6th 3pm-How to Harvest, Cook and Store your Vegetables
Saturday Oct 17th 10am-Fall Cleanup Workday:
For more information please contact tvillegarden@gmail.com or call 253-6358
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
2008 members-Contact us now!
If you had a plot in the Thompsonville Community Garden during the 2008 growing season and would like to keep that plot please contact us by May 15th!
Our waiting list is growing and if you are moving on please let us know so we can get a new member into that space as soon as possible.
Contact the Thompsonville Community Garden by email at tvillegarden@gmail.com or by phone at 860-253-6358
Finally, come join us on May 9th at 10am as we clean-up the garden, plant some flowers and prep garden plots for the 2009 season!
Our waiting list is growing and if you are moving on please let us know so we can get a new member into that space as soon as possible.
Contact the Thompsonville Community Garden by email at tvillegarden@gmail.com or by phone at 860-253-6358
Finally, come join us on May 9th at 10am as we clean-up the garden, plant some flowers and prep garden plots for the 2009 season!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Spring 2009 Clean-Up
Thompsonville Community Garden Spring Clean-Up
When - May, 9th at 10am
What - Help us get the garden in shape for the 2009 growing season. Members can help build new beds, start flower gardens, make improvements and tidy up their own beds.
For more information please call (860) 253-6358, email tvillegarden@gmail.com or visit tvillegarden.blogspot.com
Where - Thompsonville Community Garden, Main Street, Thompsonville, Connecticut
View Larger Map
When - May, 9th at 10am
What - Help us get the garden in shape for the 2009 growing season. Members can help build new beds, start flower gardens, make improvements and tidy up their own beds.
For more information please call (860) 253-6358, email tvillegarden@gmail.com or visit tvillegarden.blogspot.com
Where - Thompsonville Community Garden, Main Street, Thompsonville, Connecticut
View Larger Map
Monday, April 6, 2009
2009 Thompsonville Community Garden Planning Meeting
2009 Thompsonville Community Garden Planning Meeting
Attention Thompsonville Community Garden Members!
2009 Planning Meeting
April, 16th at 6pm
Lamagna Center, 19 North Main Street, Enfield CT - directions
Second Floor Conference Room
Email tvillegarden@gmail.com for more information
tvillegarden.blogspot.com
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Welcome to the Thompsonville Community Garden Blog
The Thompsonville Community Garden is located on Main Street (across the street from the Fire Station) in Thompsonville, Connecticut.
Interested in becoming a member of the Thompsonville Community Garden Association (TCGA)? Email us at tvillegarden@gmail.com
Check back often as we post minutes from TCGA meetings, gardening tips, UCONN Master Garderner education session and much more.
Interested in becoming a member of the Thompsonville Community Garden Association (TCGA)? Email us at tvillegarden@gmail.com
Check back often as we post minutes from TCGA meetings, gardening tips, UCONN Master Garderner education session and much more.
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