Garden Update: Mint, Nettles and Schedules

[Jack Downs]

Gardeners,

A few random notes and reminders for you:

• Two of our most troublesome weeds in the gardens are mint and nettles. If you see these in your aisles or plots, please remove as thoroughly as you can to avoid spread. 
• Some of you may also see an occasional milkweed plant popping up. If you intentionally keep these, make sure they stay in your plot and remove the seed pods before they spread in the fall.
• Although we are off to a very good start this season, we have a couple late plot owner changes and are bringing in new gardeners from our wait list. Those plots may take a while to get going. We ask or patience and the recognition that some minor disorder in plots is allowed. Gardening in a community means you can't expect perfection or complete control.
• PHA gardeners, please keep posts or other items out of the aisles as I need to mow. And if you begin to suffer wildlife problems, consider ringing your plots with a low barrier of chicken wire or something similar. But if you do, please attach to posts on the inside of your plot.
• Saturday, June 6, is a work day. Penfield gardeners, if you can spare a hour or two at about 10 a.m., please come by and help out. As usual, for PHA gardeners the obligation is less structured. But the shed could use a sweep.
• Saturday, June 13, is our street drive. We meet in the Hawkins Hall lot and start at about 9 a.m. We usually go till noon or a bit later. We need help, but you don't have to work the entire event. If you can spare an hour, please stop by.
• If anyone has connections with a tree-trimming service, please talk with them about getting a wood chip delivery to the garden. So far our attempts have not been successful.

See you at the garden,

Jack