Garden meeting 2008-09-12
From CRCA
Friday, September 12th, 2008
Called to order at 7:00 pm
Attendance: Melinda, Jack, Julie, Catherine, Gary, Erfan
Absent (but interested): Elizabeth, Umi
Contents |
Agenda
- Composting
- Goutweed
- New spaces for gardening
Compost
Interests in composting,
- Waste management (Yard waste and food scraps can make up 20% to 30% of garbage)
- Creating compost for gardening (compost allows soil to hold more water and adds nutrients to the soil. Flowers, trees, shrubs, house plants, lawns, etc. grow better in soil mixed with compost)
Issues with composting,
- Attracting rodents (Melinda knows a pest control person who could offer advice)
Options for composting,
Build a new compost
- GVRD web site has instructions for building a three bin, rodent-resistant system
- This system requires $300 in supplies. Some supplies could be taken from current compost bin (would need truck to transport supplies)
- Time estimate to build new system would be one weekend (Jack is willing/interested to spend a weekend to complete the work)
- Current location of compost is ideal (shady, accessible)
Start trench composting
- Trench composting is an easy way to deal with kitchen and yard scraps
- Does not require building a special bin. Instead trenches dug in existing garden plots and waste buried in the trench
- Current compost box could be used to collect soil, leaves, and grass clippings. Need to check if grass clippings that include goutweed might continue to spread invasive plants
Use the existing black plastic compost bin
- Only action would be setting up a kitchen system for composting
Goutweed
- Home Depot suggested chemical spray or using compost and mulch to smother it
- Huge problem in the rose garden - need to contain it - maybe plant more grass
New spaces for gardening
- Interest in starting a garden plot in the front of 607, plus the sides of the house and near the back door
Actions
Compost
- Julie will distribute to the co-op educational material about trench composting. If the coop is interested in pursuing this idea, Julie would be willing to provide a demonstration
- Catherine will put together a kitchen info sheet about what can/cannot be composted. If the coop is interested in composting, the committee felt there would need to be educational information and a policy to ensure the key issue (attracting rodents) is dealt with
Goutweed
- Gary will buy grass seed and fertilizer to reseed the lawn
- Committee will ask for budget of $500 (composting material, seed, fertilizer)
Gardening and maintenance
- Committee will post a garden plot sign-up sheet (with a map of the houses and garden beds) for coop members to sign up
- Committee will also discuss standards/policies for garden maintenance
- Erfan has volunteered to look after the weeds in the paths and sidewalks
Next meeting
- Wednesday, September 17th, 7:00 pm
Agenda
- Spaces to convert into garden
- Existing spaces to attend
- Follow-up to action items
