Santa Clara Community Garden Summer Update 2020

Composting Activities – The following compost activities are taking place in the SCCG Compost Zone, immediately north of the metal shed.  Craig, Matthew, George, Bonnie, Mary and Peter have been the participants in the past few months.  Any gardeners may join the composting projects listed below by talking to any of the composters, or let Peter know by email (thurstop@gmail.com).

-The Primary Compost Crew includes Craig, George and Matthew.  They have been processing the piles of leaves and mixing them with veggies from PC market, coffee grounds Bonnie provides, and veg from the garden to create compost for everyone to use this coming year.  In the process they are also creating three new garden plots for 2021.

-The #1 Collection Bin was turned for the first time after several months of tossing whole veggies in and covering with a few leaves.  The temperatures in the bin started out around 120 degrees, dropped to around 100 for more than a month, then dropped off to the 80s.  We didn’t know what would be there, but it looked good.  So it was combined with some other compost and we will be tracking temperatures, which will be recorded on the boards attached to each bin.  These three collection bins are on the south edge of the compost zone.

-Fall Garden Clean up – We are considering ways to improve the compost materials collected from the garden in the Fall for use in the compost builds.  This means separating the materials more.  We’ll move the collection bins for garden veg (vines, stalks, etc) to the compost zone.  For now, continue to put clean veg material from your plots in a bin (or pile) west of the garden shed.  Look for more details and signs to come.

-We need egg shells to improve the calcium in the compost mixes.  Please let Craig or Peter know if you have a source of egg shells and we will set up a process for drying and using them.

Winter Gardening–Craig is planning to make Planting Mix from the Compost.  A table will be set up next to the lasagna bed to screen planting mix, and make it available for gardeners to start Fall gardens.  There is seed (kale, lettuce, spinach, broccoli) available for gardeners to start Fall gardens (talk to Craig), with the hope that some of the fresh produce will make it to the food pantry, too.  A winter garden Demo area will be set up next to the planting mix table, on the west edge of the compost zone

Self-guided Tour of the Compost Zone – The plan is to show gardeners the differences in composting processes.  Some signs have been posted on the lasagna bed, collection bins, and compost piles.  We are planning to update these signs and prepare an information flyer to guide people around the Compost Zone.

The Santa Clara Community Garden is behind St. Matthew Episcopal Church
stmatthewseugene.com on River Road north of Eugene.