Thompsonville Community Garden

Upcoming Education Sessions!

2011-07-07T21:26:00.004-04:00

There are several education sessions scheduled for the upcoming weeks at the Thompsonville Community Garden. UConn Master Gardeners will present the information on these timely topics.

July 11, 2011 Planning a Fall Garden Trish Safner

July 18, 2011 Good Bugs/Bad Bugs; Signs of Summer Stress Trish Safner

July 25, 2011 Seed Saving in the Garden Laura Callahan

August 15, 2011 Extending the Season with Cold Frames Trish Safner

All classes are held on a Monday at 6:30 p.m.

The Gardens are Thriving!

2011-06-28T09:35:00.004-04:00

The garden beds are thriving and look great. There certainly hasn't been much need for watering lately but we are looking at some more seasonable weather conditions in the coming weeks. Let's remember that the beds need 1" of water per week and that it is best delivered as a good dose twice a week as opposed to a sprinkling every day. Deep watering will encourage deep roots which in turn will help the plants should the weather turn hot.

There are still 4 beds available. If you are interested in a bed please contact http://tvillegarden@gmail.com.

Composting Class

2011-06-28T09:26:00.002-04:00

This Thursday, June 30, 2011, one of our Master Gardeners will hold a class on composting. Marty will be at the Thompsonville Community Garden at 6:30 p.m. He will review the proper composting techniques and will talk about managing the compost bins that are on the site. Please join us for this event and check back here for postings of future classes among the topics will be Seed Saving, Good Bug-Bad Bug, and Extending the Harvest.

The First Harvest!

2011-06-14T20:24:00.002-04:00

These are some of the first harvest from the the beds that were planted for the benefit of the Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen. Many of the beds are well on their way to producing wonderful vegetables.

Clean up day May 21, 2011

2011-05-11T15:36:00.003-04:00

The Thompsonville Community Garden will hold its annual planting and clean up day on May 21, 2011 starting at 10:00 a.m., rain or shine. We will have a selection of plants available (including tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, summer squash and a variety of herbs) for members to plant in their beds. Compost and tools will also be available.

If you are interested in purchasing additional plants we recommend The Growth Company located at 167 Hazard Avenue. For more information about The Growth Company visit their website at http://www.thegrowthco.com/AboutUs.asp.

If you purchase your own plants remember these valuable tips:

Don't plant vegetables that will take over your plot or grow wildly outside of your bed. Cucumbers are manageable, pumpkins are not. Some plants, such as mint, will spread everywhere.

Be careful about planting too much in your bed. Plants that are crowded will not receive adequate light and air and are more susceptible to diseases.

Avoid planting tall plants (corn, sunflowers) that will shade other beds.

Purchase plants from local nurseries to decrease the chance of buying infected plants.

We will be collecting the $20.00 fee from members that have not yet paid their fee.

UCONN Master Gardeners will be there to answer any questions that you might have regarding proper planting techniques.

See you there!

Upcoming Garden Education Sessions

2010-07-25T09:13:00.002-04:00

TVille Gardeners,

The garden is looking great. Members are doing a great job maintaining their beds and the garden as a whole! We would just like to take a minute and remind you of the upcoming education sessions. Let us know if you have any questions!

August 4th at 6pm

How to Identity a Weed and How to Prevent

The UCONN Master gardeners will also be there to help answer questions about your beds.

See you there!

Questions? Please send an email to tvillegarden@gmail.com

2010 Garden Education Sessions

2010-07-07T20:52:00.002-04:00

Gardeners,

I just want to take a minute to give you the schedule for the remaining garden education sessions. These education sessions are brought to us by the UCONN Master Gardeners and are a very valuable resource and I strongly encourage you to take advantage of them.

Ben

Write these dates in your calendar, outlook or paper, whatever you prefer...

THOMPSONVILLE COMMUNITY GARDEN

MG EDUCATION SESSIONS

SUMMER 2010

Date Time Topic Instructor

7/11/10 @ 4PM - Learn all about Composting/ Bed grading Marty S

7/21/10 @ 6 PM - Good bugs/Bad bugs; Signs of Summer Stress Trish S

7/25/10 @ 4 PM - Bed grading/Garden walk-throughs with Master Gardeners

8/04/10 @ 6 PM - How to Identity a Weed and How to Prevent them Cathy T

8/08/10 @ 4 PM - Bed grading/Garden walk-throughs with Master Gardeners

8/18/10 @ 6 PM - Learn How to Harvest, Store and Use Your Vegetables Dan G

8/22/10 @ 4 PM - Bed grading/Garden walk-throughs with Master Gardeners

9/01/10 @ 6 PM - Saving Money in the Garden; Planning a Fall Garden Trish S

9/05/10 @ 4 PM - Bed grading/Garden walk-throughs with Master Gardeners

9/15/10 @ 6 PM - Recipe Exchange with garden members

9/19/10 @ 4 PM - Garden walk-throughs and First Annual Gardener Potluck Dinner

9/29/10 @ 6 PM - How to Save Your Seeds Laura C

10/3/10 @ 4 PM - How to Extend the Season with Cold Frames Trish S

Planting Day 2010

2010-05-24T08:12:00.004-04:00

Thanks to all who participated during the Thompsonville Community Garden 2010 planting day! Many members planted a variety of vegetables in their beds. Many thanks to Trish and Gina for picking up the plants from the Growth Company. During the planting day activities members weeded and planted vegetables in their beds, cleaned up flower beds, and started to clean up the compost bins.

Check out the pics!

Cleaning up the flower garden

Many seeds for the garden

Many good-looking garden beds!

Starting the growing season off right!

And, if members haven't planted yet there are a few plants left by the sign that they can add to their plots.

Planting Day is this Saturday!

2010-05-19T07:46:00.000-04:00

Gardeners,

The Thompsonville Community Garden will hold its annual planting day this Saturday, May 22nd, starting at 10am. We will have plants (tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, peppers, etc) for members to plant in their beds.

If you would like to purchase your own plants we recommend The Growth Company here in Enfield. For more information about the Growth Company visit http://www.thegrowthco.com/AboutUs.asp

If you are purchasing your own plants remember these valuable tips:

Don't plant vegetables that will take over your plot or grow wildly outside your bed. Cucumbers are manageable, pumpkins are not
Be careful about planting too much in your bed. Remember, plants grow, and if you plant too much the individual plants will not have space to grow and breath.
Avoid planting tall plants that will shade other beds.
Purchase from local nurseries, as the chance for buying infected plants is less.

We will be collecting the $20 fee from members who have not yet paid.

Also on Saturday, UCONN Master Gardeners will be there to aid you with any questions you may have!

Hope to see you on Saturday!

What Lies Beneath!

2010-05-07T16:15:00.004-04:00

While Micah Burnside was cleaning up his bed he came across several tough roots. Here is Micah with one of the many 3 foot roots that he removed from his bed! Great job Micah!

Gardeners, don't forget, Planting Day is May 22nd!

2010 Spring Clean-Up Day

2010-05-02T10:50:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, May 1st the Thompsonville Community Garden held its annual spring clean up. Members cleaned up their beds, organized the shed, cleaned up flower beds and performed a number of other tasks. Check out the pictures!

Turning over the soil and adding some compost!

Clean beds, seeded and ready to go.

Volunteers cleaning out a flower garden. They found 10 bucks when they cleaned this bed!

Where should we put the bulletin board?

What to do with all this mint?

Planting Day is Coming Up!

2010-05-02T10:46:00.002-04:00

The Thompsonville Community Garden is pleased to announce our annual planting day. This year planting day will be held Saturday, May 22nd starting at 10am. The Thompsonville Community Garden Association will provide plants for members to grow in their beds including tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, peppers and a variety of herbs. UCONN Master Gardeners will be there to aid members and teach them about proper gardening techniques!

We hope to see you there!

2010 Growing Season Kickoff Meeting!

2010-03-14T22:11:00.000-04:00

Gardeners,

Yes, it is that time of year again, the Thompsonville Community Garden is gearing up for the 2010 growing season! To kick off the 2010 season we will be holding our annual planning meeting on Thursday April 1st, 2010 at 6pm in the Enfield Room of Enfield Town Hall.

News and Notes

Marty and Trish from the UCONN Master Gardner Program will be helping us again this year providing training and tips to help us become better gardeners.

Michelle Barboza has graciously volunteered to by the Thompsonville Community Garden Treasurer for the 2010 season, Thanks Michelle!

For the 2010 season there will be a $20 fee associated with having a plot. This fee is needed to cover costs including paying our water bill, buying supplies and plants, and creating a reserve fund for future large projects. Last season the average tomato plant produced over 40 dollars in tomatoes alone. Your 20 dollar fee will produce ten times its value in vegetables in your plot. Payment plans are available for those interested.

If you are still interested in your plot please let us know ASAP. As with previous years we have a growing wait list and we would like to get as many as those people plots as possible.

We look forward to seeing you on April 1st at 6pm in the Enfield Room of Enfield Town Hall. This is our community garden and the only way to make it grow and succeed is with your input and help.

Compost Update

2009-08-15T13:58:00.003-04:00

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 2 - Material is starting to break down

Bin 1 - The plant material has broken down into a nice dark compost!

July Gardeners of the Month

2009-08-15T13:46:00.003-04:00

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!

Time to Weed!

2009-07-17T22:30:00.000-04:00

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 July Education Day is Coming Up!

2009-06-29T21:25:00.003-04:00

The Thompsonville Community Garden will be hosting its July Garden Education day July 5th at 3pm. This month's topic is:

"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!

June Garden Education Day

2009-06-03T21:49:00.002-04:00

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!

May 2009 Gardener of the Month!

2009-06-03T21:42:00.004-04:00

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

2009-06-03T21:33:00.005-04:00

From Left:Katie Bednaz, Jennifer Brantley, Trish Safner and Marty Sienko

Special 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

2009-06-03T21:20:00.005-04:00

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!

The Bat House!

2009-05-25T11:03:00.004-04:00

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.

Spring Cleaning-2009

2009-05-17T14:56:00.007-04:00

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!

April Gardener of the Month

2009-05-17T14:51:00.004-04:00

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

2009-05-17T14:31:00.002-04:00

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.

Thompsonville Community Garden Education Days-2009

2009-05-07T22:25:00.000-04:00

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: How to Weed and How to Plant Vegetables

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
(Heat Stress and Pest Management)

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: Extending the Season, Seed Saving and Seed Starting for next year

For more information please contact tvillegarden@gmail.com or call 253-6358

2008 members-Contact us now!

2009-05-05T09:06:00.000-04:00

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!

Spring 2009 Clean-Up

2009-04-19T21:56:00.000-04:00

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

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2009 Thompsonville Community Garden Planning Meeting

2009-04-06T22:17:00.000-04:00

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

Welcome to the Thompsonville Community Garden Blog

2009-04-05T20:06:00.000-04:00

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.