1. Carolyn expressed kudos to Thom Hardenbergh & Ed Bell for the ongoing progress on the “Honey House”.
Carolyn also expressed kudos to Gynn McDonald (& herself) on their clean-up of the area behind the fig trees. All agreed the area is much improved. Carolyn requested that folks do not leave “stuff” behind the figs.
2. June minutes approved.
3. Treasurers Report, as presented by Carolyn on behalf of Barbara Seiple:
Current balance: $5430.06
Disbursements: $22.00 Peco
$525.00 Scheckman tree care (per contract)
$6.98 plant
$189.00 framing of proclamation for Libby
The garden received a 2010 6-month water bill for $1218.00, which is nearly triple from the same period the year before. Garden will try to confirm the meter reading, since the increase may be due to a faulty reading. Recommendations to control excessive water use include; only the water team turn the water off & on, limit the use of hand-held hoses, unless needed by the committees for watering. If you turn the water on for any reason, make sure you turn it off when finished.
Comment: barrels have been low/empty on occasion and need to be filled.
Question: is there a leak somewhere which is going undetected? Response was we haven’t seen evidence of one, but if you see one, please inform us.
4. Committee Reports: Flower Committee; expect to start seeing powdery mildew on plant leaves, we expect this to be a bad year because of the heat and weather. One solution for this is to mix 1 part milk with 10 parts water and spray the plants. You may have a sour baby bib smell for a few days, but it works. Another variation on this recipe involves baking soda and dishwashing soap to help it stick better. Contact Lisa if you want that version of the recipe.
Lisa Rubens requested that folks leave the Virginia creeper alone that is growing on the wall by the East gate. It helps dissipate heat build up on the wall and cool the plants below.
The fig tree is in heavy fruiting, and the grapes in the arbor look great.
Don Schump did a presentation to campers this past week that was well received.
The final tally from the plant sale is $1533.00. Great job!
Clarification for assistant gardeners: you simply need to fill-out paperwork for contact purposes and make sure you read the bylaws and are familiar with the rules and regulations of the garden. If you have an assistant gardener, please work with them on this matter.
5. The Honey House will be a multi-use facility, one section will be for storage for the garden, the other side will have a stainless steel counter/sink unit, an extractor for honey, and a workbench. This area will be available for people to use as a work area.
The project is paid for and under budget. The garden still needs to raise $5,000.00 for interior fit-out of the spaces. Carolyn is working on a grant request for QVNA. On Saturday 7/16 there will be a green-roof workshop. The cost of the workshop is $20 and is a fundraiser for the fit out of the honey-house. The workshop will be run by the green-roof contractor installing the roof system. Participants will learn about green roofs as well as participate in the construction, preparation and planting of the roof. Light refreshment will be provided for all the participants. It should be a fun event! The event is co-sponsored by NGA and SWQVCG.
6. Libbyfest Report: Lovely Affair
Good Food
Libby Pleased
Thank You All!
7. Barbeque: We have our first donations for the silent auctions and are actively looking for more items. If you have items or can solicit loved ones, friends, neighbors, colleagues, or local businesses, please take a form. Every item needs a form, and we have generic gift certificates for businesses that may want to donate but have no gift certificates of their own. QVNA will accept donations for tax purposes on our behalf.
Elizabeth Coleman & Shanna Flanagan are coordinating volunteers for the event, and want to see you there. There is a sign-up sheet that will also be left in the shed for those who have not signed up already. Categories for shift work during the barbeque include:
- Food Prep (be a sous chef to a star)
- Set-up
- Clean-up
- Ticket takers (8)
- Servers (in shifts of 1-1.5 hours)
Brian will be the chef again this year. The event should be great fun!. Tickets this year are $12.00 for adults and $5.00 for children < 5 years old.
Contact Elizabeth if you have questions on how to volunteer.
8. Bee Inspection; The hives were inspected by the State this past month. Bees are supposed to be registered with the State. Inspectors come every 2-3 years to inspect the health of the hives and look for the spread of disease. All our hives are healthy and passed with flying colors. Our mite counts are low. We should not see the inspectors again for another 2 years.
9. It’s that time of year for the 2011 PHS Garden Contest judging. There are 3 judges who will be visiting gardens between 7/5 and 8/12. They will visit just once and give us only 3 days notice. When you see the email of their imminent arrival, please get to the garden for clean-up. You can review this year’s judging criteria on the website.
10. Barbara McKenzie is looking for recipes to post on the website, especially if they use produce from our gardens. If you have a favorite recipe you want to share, please email Barbara.
11. The next garden clean-up day is this Saturday 7/16. It will start early to beat the heat and run from 8:00-10:00AM. After the clean up, stick around for the green-roof workshop! If you are not able to make the earlier time, you can record your hours on the sheet in the shed to earn cleanup credit.
12. 7/23 will be a major bee inspection day. BEE prepared for cranky bees! The beekeepers will start at 9:00. On 7/30 the beekeepers will be back to remove honey to take to Delaware for extraction. Yes, the bees will be cranky again that day. Bees, like us, just don’t like hot & humid weather. Extraction is earlier this year in order to give us time to treat for mites, and to build up better hive populations for winter. You can sign up now for honey; 8oz jars are $5.00, 1lb jars are $10.00.
Meeting adjourned at 7:39PM