News and Events

The Morgan Hill
Community Garden

News and Events

Garden News

December 8, 2011

In this issue:

Our year in the Garden

Our Mission and Goals

Class upcoming

December Tips & Events

New acquisitions

Putting stuff away

Our Year In The Garden

During 2011 the Morgan Hill Community Garden accomplished this:

Gave 14 free classes open to the public
Held two potlucks
Weeded outside the Garden on Morgan Hill Beautification Day
Volunteers built the shade structure
Volunteers built the Compost Center and have continuously staffed it
All planned plot construction was completed
We participated in Morgan Hill Earth Day
A fine article about us was published in the Morgan Hill Times
We were included on the Committee For Green Foothills South County “Quality of Life” tour
The Bee Man and our volunteers installed a successful swarm of honey bees in our hive
Our logo design and sign was completed and volunteers installed the sign
We donated close to 200 pounds of fresh produce to the St. Catherine Reach Out Food Bank
We honored Mike Johnson for his donation of all our irrigation equipment at the MH Community Foundation Philanthropy Day luncheon
A volunteer built 11 benches and a hose rack for the cost of materials, and rehabilitated tools
We received compost, soil, and plant donations
Our School Garden Committee had its first meeting
We agreed with the Master Gardeners at the South County Demonstration Garden at St. Louise that we will publicize their free gardening classes and they will publicize our free gardening classes
We obtained our County and State Tax exemption via our Federal 501(c)(3) tax exempt status

Our Mission and Goals

When we sought to start a community garden, we were asked to describe our intentions to improve our community. We made a contract with the City for land, we applied to a grantor for money, and we applied to the IRS for a tax exempt, non-profit status. We received generous donations from local business people as well. Together we can continue to live up to our promise to be a community asset.

Our mission is to bring sustainable community gardening to Morgan Hill.

Our goals:

to educate families in how to grow fresh food to put on their family table for 12 months per year
to provide free organic gardening education to interested Bay Area residents
to introduce gardeners to new varieties of produce
to benefit gardeners’ health through improved diet and gardening exercise
to benefit our community by donating our produce to needy families
to bring sustainable organic gardening education into the Morgan Hill schools.

Upcoming class: So. County Demonstration Garden

Pruning and Caring for Your Roses FREE

Saturday, January 28, 2011 at 1:30pm to 3:00pm. David Giroux and Marianne Sugg, bay area Master Gardeners, will give you exact techniques for winter rose care and pruning. Hospital Boardroom at St. Louise Regional Hospital, 9400 No Name Uno, Gilroy. More information available at http://www.mastergardeners.org/events or call (408) 282-3105

December 2011 Tips & Events (Master Gardeners)

http://www.mastergardeners.org/email_lists/lists/archive.php?x=135

New Acquisitions

6 new red-handled trowels have been purchased for your gardening pleasure. They are hanging on the pegboard in the shed. Be sure to put them back when you finish gardening. One of the new wooden handled trowels is still missing. If it broke that is ok. Just send an email to info@mhcommunitygarden.org

Also new is the bicycle pump hanging on the pegboard suitable for pumping up wheelbarrow tires.

Putting stuff away

Over this year we have accumulated a respectable number of tools and gadgets in our shed. You are most welcome to use anything in the shed that will help you. Please return it to its place: put the lid back on paint, hang the hand tools back on the pegboard, hang the hoe, rake, shovel back with its like tool on the pegboard. The yellow wheelbarrow lives at the VTA fence.

We all look forward to a great 2012 in the Community Garden.

Happy Holidays.