October 2021
To-Do List
- Clean and organise for Fall Start to plan for fall plantings and clean out finishing warm season crops.
- Winter Soil Protection Consider planting a cover crop in your raised bed for the cool season. Their roots break up the soil and legumes like fava beans add essential nitrogen to improve soil fertility. Mulch can also be added like leaves or straw.
- Start adding your cool season crops this month: October is the month to put your cool season seedlings in the ground. Our Fall Plant Sale will have a good variety of seedlings for you to purchase.
- Check and monitor the irrigation system or hose in your bed: add tape to your connectors if you have a leak, repair leaking drip irrigation, report any heavy leaks, replace aging hoses and make sure you have a nozzle or wand installed. Be aware of the current water restrictions for our county.
- Sign New CSG Agreements Watch out for the schedule to sign your agreements in person at the garden. Ask or email your Row Leader for assistance if you have any questions.
- Consider signing up here to JOIN A GARDEN TEAM – we need your skills to build a better garden community, it’s a great way to get inspired to do your service hours.
- Last Thursdays are now finished for the year Our Summer Evening workdays operate during the warm season months from May through to Sept. See the new workdays schedule below
- Become an Open Garden Docent Our garden is now open to the public most Fridays from 11 am – 1 pm, see the HOME page for upcoming dates. Contact Margherita or Fiona if you’d like to volunteer for this Garden Team role.
Second Saturday Workdays
Our next workday will be:
Saturday, November 13th, 2021
Community Garden Workday
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Email or contact your Row Leader if you have questions about garden tasks, service hours, or general bed maintenance issues.
Public volunteers are very welcome, please register first with the Garden Coordinators: Register Here
Service Hours Task List
Organize compost area Rake up materials, cut small branches off large branches, weed the surrounding area
Move leaves from near picnic benches to the compost area
Weeding Greenhouse area. Remove any grass + weeds going to seed. Shake off soil and gravel first
Peace Garden weed pathways and perimeters around the herb garden
Flip compost bins check dates, flip bins with dates more than 3 days old
Welcome Garden weed along the front gate fence line and succulent garden
Weeding Remove grass + weeds in any community bed or area.
Empty Trash Bins into the blue skip bin in the parking lot.
Donation Beds weed grass in donation bed their pathways
Like or Follow Us on Social Media
Covid-19 Safety Information
For current updates on the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and community mandated orders please visit the Santa Clara Public Health website. Here is the link to their website:
County of Santa Clara Public Health Website
General Safety Guidelines
- DO NOT visit the garden if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you are ill and always check each week and adhere to any changes to the public mandates
- Dispose of PPE [gloves and masks] thoughtfully. Bring a small trash bag with you if you think you will discard these on exiting the garden, and take them out with you.
Garden Workday Schedule | 2021 - 2022
Below are the annual scheduled dates for community-led workdays where Service Hours can be completed.
Each Second Saturday is led by alternating Row Leaders, please mark on your calendars and be sure to attend when your Row is leading.
Second Saturdays Workday: 10am – 12pm
All Hands Zoom Meetings: 2pm – 3pm
Last Thursdays Workday: 5pm – 7pm
| 2021 | ||
| MON SEP 11 | Second Saturday | ALL HANDS WORKDAY + MEETING |
| SAT OCT 09 | Second Saturday | Cherry, Fig + Hi-Rise |
| SAT NOV 13 | Second Saturday | Lemon and Mulberry |
| SAT DEC 12 | Second Saturday | Group Garden, Orange + Plum |
| 2022 | ||
| SAT JAN 08 | Second Saturday | Apricot and Blackberry |
| SAT FEB 12 | Second Saturday | Cherry, Fig + Hi-Rise |
| SAT MAR 12 | Second Saturday | Lemon and Mulberry |
| SAT APR 09 | Second Saturday | ALL HANDS WORKDAY + MEETING |
| SAT MAY 14 | Second Saturday | Group Garden, Orange + Plum |
| THU MAY 26 | Last Thursday | Evening Workday |
| SAT JUN 11 | Second Saturday | Apricot and Blackberry |
| THU JUN 30 | Last Thursday | Evening Workday |
| SAT JUL 09 | Second Saturday | Cherry, Fig + Hi-Rise |
| THU JUL 28 | Last Thursday | Evening Workday |
| SAT AUG 13 | Second Saturday | Lemon and Mulberry |
| THU AUG 25 | Last Thursday | Evening Workday |
| MON AUG 31 | Log All Hours | Complete service hours for 2020 / 2021 |
| SAT SEP 10 | Second Saturday | ALL HANDS WORKDAY + MEETING |
SERVICE HOURS GOAL CHART
Aim to complete 3-4 service hours or more, each season. Completing these consistently helps you keep on top of the annual requirement so you’re not left cramming all your hours at the last minute! Join a Garden Team where you can find your area of service that you enjoy and do tasks on your own schedule.
| Yearly Quarter | Quarter Hrs Goal | Annual Tally |
| SEP 1 – NOV 31 | 3 hr, 45 min | 3 hr, 45 min |
| DEC 1 – FEB 31 | 3 hr, 45 min | 7 hr, 30 min |
| MAR 1 – MAY 31 | 3 hr, 45 min | 11 hr, 15 min |
| JUN 1 – AUG 31 | 3 hr, 45 min | 15 hours |
- All CSG gardeners are welcome to attend on any workday ~ you can join in even if your row isn’t scheduled for that date.
- Once you’ve attended, please be sure to fill out the LOG YOUR SERVICE HOURS online form (below) and log your hours in decimal format, numbers only:
- EG: if you work for 30 mins, enter it as 0.5 If you work for 1 hour and 15 mins, enter it as 1.25
There is a monthly Task List that is made available and posted, so if you’d like to contribute service hours outside of workdays, you can easily log an hour or two each month.
Happy Gardening!
Log your Service Hours
Service Hours Log
Check how many hours you have previously logged. To log new service hours, go to the form above.
As a registered CSG gardener, you must annually fulfill and log 15 x hours of service by August 31st each year, per your Gardener’s Agreement. It’s very easy to achieve and helps keep our lovely community garden maintained and looking good.
You can check with your Row Leader what needs doing near your Row OR there is a monthly Task List posted here and on the garden kiosk noticeboard near the main gate. So if you need to contribute service hours outside of workdays, you can easily log an hour or two each month.
Happy gardening!
Join a Garden Team
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CSG Garden Teams – 2021
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| Garden Team | Team Name | Status | Project Overview |
| Childrens Garden | Kids Gang | JOIN TEAM | Fix signs, build new tipi, repair dig zone, build bed covers, add lemon tree |
| Vermicomposting | Worm Wranglers | TEAM FULL | Harvest castings in April, build new stand/structure, new signage |
| Plant Sales + Greenhouses | JOIN TEAM | Plant Sale: seeding, watering, up-potting | |
| Chicken Coop | Chicken Tenders | TEAM FULL | New hen photos, update front signs, prepare summer budget |
| Garden Maintenance | |||
| Raised Bed Repairs | JOIN TEAM | Repair current damaged beds | |
| Irrigation | JOIN TEAM | ID all local main shut-offs, upgrade perimeter drip lines, repair water tanks | |
| Pest Management | Critter Crew | JOIN TEAM | Continuing from Winter schedule …. |
| Community Composting | Compost Crew | JOIN TEAM | Flip/wet bins weekly, run chipper weekly, manage pile, build wire corals |
| Communications | |||
| Garden Kiosk / Noticeboard | JOIN TEAM | Team to help update each month, clean cobwebs, replace fabric. | |
| Online / Social Media | JOIN TEAM | Recruit content crew, make google photos shared folder, | |
| Garden Signage + Safety | JOIN TEAM | New signs: GG, Gate, Compost, plant sale poster, shed murals | |
| Publicity + Events | JOIN TEAM | **EVENTS ARE TEMPORARILY CLOSED | |
| Education + Training | JOIN TEAM | CSG Youtube | |
| Community Food Gardens | |||
| Fruit Trees, Berries + Vines | The Pruners | TEAM FULL | compost trees + vines, design summer irrigation + harvest schedule |
| Food Forest | Donation Drive | TEAM FULL | Prepping for Spring / Summer crops soon |
| Citrus Grove | JOIN TEAM | Prune early spring, compost all citrus | |
| Seed Garden | Donation Drive | JOIN TEAM | Prep left side for tomatoes, add compost, asses border/fence |
| Plum 3 | Donation Drive | JOIN TEAM | Rebuild bed, weed |
| Plum 9 | Donation Drive | JOIN TEAM | Weed bed and pathways, harvest for March |
| Apricot 2 | Donation Drive | JOIN TEAM | Weed bed and pathways, harvest for March |
| Community Ornamental Gardens | |||
| Rose Garden | The Rosies | TEAM FULL | Plant new memorial rose, fertilize, check soaker hose |
| South Perimeter Garden | The Bloomers | JOIN TEAM | Detail weed, recruit team members, prune back for Spring |
| Peace Herb Garden | JOIN TEAM | Weed border/paths, add compost/manure, repair drip irg. prune dead plants | |
| Patio Container Garden | TEAM FULL | Plant Gaura in large blue pot, | |
| Welcome Gardens | JOIN TEAM | Refresh all pots, add flowers, new welcome sign, | |
| Pollinator Patch | JOIN TEAM | Weed, add compost + mature leaf mulch, prep new seedlings, add plant ID | |
| Honour Garden | COMING SOON | Add rock borders, add mulch, woodchip pathways, ID all memorials | |
| The Pergola | JOIN TEAM | Add vine to MG Corner, weed beds, clean + oil structure, add flower seeds |
Gardeners Google Group
All Gardeners are required to be subscribed to the CSG Google Group. This is our primary way to send out regular updates with essential garden information, including hints + tips, event announcements, and day-to-day changes or notifications. It’s also a great way to stay in touch with your fellow gardeners and connect with your local community.
This is a private group and you should be automatically subscribed on becoming a member.
LOGIN HERE to open Google Groups Login Page
Agreements and Documents
- GARDEN BED AGREEMENT: 2021-2022 For registered garden bed owners only.
- VOLUNTEER LIABILITY WAIVER For all volunteers: download a copy of our waiver, sign and return to CSG.
- THE GROUP GARDEN Information on how to join the Group Garden while you wait for an individual garden bed.
- GARDEN HOSE GUIDE read this before buying a new hose for your plot!
- AUTOMATIC WATERING SYSTEM Information on the correct pieces and configuration of your automatic watering system
- UNATTENDED WATERING AGREEMENT Complete this form to get approved for your already installed automatic watering system