Second Garden Meeting - Monday February 22, 2010
Chelsea Public Library 6:00 - 7:30 PM
AGENDA
6:00-6:10 Welcome/IntroductionsSeed, Sow and Grow, Senior Discount, Garden Calendar
6:00-6:10 Old Business/ReviewBrainstorming: How to increase participation from all garden members: Work Day Sign Up Sheet & Summary - Requirements - Sign up, Pay Out Penalty; Child Safety; Communication: How
to improve communication among languages: Label Tools - Garden Bulletin Board - Point Person to Translate;
Executive Board
6:40-7:00 Organic Gardening
7:00 - 7:10 Steering Committee
7:10 - 7:20 Open Discussion
7:20 - 7:30 Plot Assignment
Notes (Thanks to Elaine for taking the notes at the February meeting!)
Summary of Community Garden Meeting 2/22/10 6-7:30 pm Chelsea Library
1. Positive feedback shared re: Seed, Sow & Grow program and the classes they offer
2. Reminder: senior discount avail. for gardeners
3. Sharing of garden calendar (Joe Rubin):
Tasks for next month ( as soon as ground is unfrozen) include the following:
Most important: Paths need to be raked and leveled, with holes filled in. This way the
correct amount of dirt needed to purchase can be calculated.There are mounds of dirt
next to the newly constructed beds.
Fruit trees should be pruned. Additional fruit trees can be planted after ground
completely unfreezes.
Indoor gardeners should start your seeds. Garden beds should be worked as soon
as possible.
Go after the weeds!!!!!
4. Ideas for increasing participation:
This season, there will be garden workdays once monthly, every third Sunday from 10-1.
Folks who cannot participate on these dates can create a separate workday on different dates/times, but this needs to be coordinated with Garden Coordinator's help. There will be rotating leadership of work days, with work day leader responsible for communicating information to gardeners in anticipation of the workday, completing summary of day's work, leading shared tasks ( workdays are not intended for work on individual beds) and calling fellow gardeners to reschedule in case of inclement weather. Discussion stressed importance of everyone sharing responsibility for making garden work days fun and functional for the entire season.
There is a buy out option: $10 per hour, or $60 per season, in exchange for participation in work days. Hopefully most will be able to participate in some fashion in order to avoid the buy out.
5. Garden duties will continue, expectation is that all gardeners will contribute to the general upkeep of common areas. Optimistic that this season participation will be more consistent- some folks do a lot, some folks do not.
6. Discussion of improving communication across language groups, especially English- Spanish. Suggestion to have list of tools translated. Need for key documents to be translated to Spanish. Elaine Cusick to arrange translation of several docs.
7. There is a possibility that Chelsea Collaborative can provide space/board for us to post info. Discussion about having a large bulletin board in garden itself to communicate with community at large. No decisions reached.
8. Garden is going organic this year. Info shared on what this entails and general agreement that there will be a learning curve as this approach is implemented. Misty shared a number of supporting documents. Recommendation that everyone have their soil tested. Info on how to do so can be found at the UMass Extension Service website.
9. Misty shared ideas for having a steering committee for the garden. as part of the grant applications, this is one requirement. But beyond that, having an executive board will alleviate some of the workload from Misty. There are a myriad of jobs involved in making the garden work and it is too much for any one person. Tasks can be better defined and delegated to group members. Misty shared info from the Fenway Community Gardens who have developed bylaws. If Chelsea develops something good, we could put together a packet to share with this community, and with others who want to start gardens.
10. Shared idea of possibilities for having field trips from the nearby early learning center. Point raised that we should carefully check our liability coverage and feasability of this idea before hosting any groups outside of the gardeners. Elaine to follow up.
11. Donations of food to food banks- Joe to check on the foodbanks or other likely recipients of produce. Idea raised to sell produce at Sat. veggie market in Chelsea Square with monies raised going into garden fund.
12. Keys were distributed.
Important dates:
**First garden workday, Sunday, March 21. 10 - 1
**Next garden meeting: Mon, March 22 @ Chelsea Collaborative 6-8
**Open House for the new headquarters of Chelsea Collaborative: Wed., MArch 4, 5:30-7:30
**meeting to flesh out the ideas for a steering committee: Mon March 8 ( email Misty for more details) 6-8
AGENDA
6:00-6:10 Welcome/IntroductionsSeed, Sow and Grow, Senior Discount, Garden Calendar
6:00-6:10 Old Business/ReviewBrainstorming: How to increase participation from all garden members: Work Day Sign Up Sheet & Summary - Requirements - Sign up, Pay Out Penalty; Child Safety; Communication: How
to improve communication among languages: Label Tools - Garden Bulletin Board - Point Person to Translate;
Executive Board
6:40-7:00 Organic Gardening
7:00 - 7:10 Steering Committee
7:10 - 7:20 Open Discussion
7:20 - 7:30 Plot Assignment
Notes (Thanks to Elaine for taking the notes at the February meeting!)
Summary of Community Garden Meeting 2/22/10 6-7:30 pm Chelsea Library
1. Positive feedback shared re: Seed, Sow & Grow program and the classes they offer
2. Reminder: senior discount avail. for gardeners
3. Sharing of garden calendar (Joe Rubin):
Tasks for next month ( as soon as ground is unfrozen) include the following:
Most important: Paths need to be raked and leveled, with holes filled in. This way the
correct amount of dirt needed to purchase can be calculated.There are mounds of dirt
next to the newly constructed beds.
Fruit trees should be pruned. Additional fruit trees can be planted after ground
completely unfreezes.
Indoor gardeners should start your seeds. Garden beds should be worked as soon
as possible.
Go after the weeds!!!!!
4. Ideas for increasing participation:
This season, there will be garden workdays once monthly, every third Sunday from 10-1.
Folks who cannot participate on these dates can create a separate workday on different dates/times, but this needs to be coordinated with Garden Coordinator's help. There will be rotating leadership of work days, with work day leader responsible for communicating information to gardeners in anticipation of the workday, completing summary of day's work, leading shared tasks ( workdays are not intended for work on individual beds) and calling fellow gardeners to reschedule in case of inclement weather. Discussion stressed importance of everyone sharing responsibility for making garden work days fun and functional for the entire season.
There is a buy out option: $10 per hour, or $60 per season, in exchange for participation in work days. Hopefully most will be able to participate in some fashion in order to avoid the buy out.
5. Garden duties will continue, expectation is that all gardeners will contribute to the general upkeep of common areas. Optimistic that this season participation will be more consistent- some folks do a lot, some folks do not.
6. Discussion of improving communication across language groups, especially English- Spanish. Suggestion to have list of tools translated. Need for key documents to be translated to Spanish. Elaine Cusick to arrange translation of several docs.
7. There is a possibility that Chelsea Collaborative can provide space/board for us to post info. Discussion about having a large bulletin board in garden itself to communicate with community at large. No decisions reached.
8. Garden is going organic this year. Info shared on what this entails and general agreement that there will be a learning curve as this approach is implemented. Misty shared a number of supporting documents. Recommendation that everyone have their soil tested. Info on how to do so can be found at the UMass Extension Service website.
9. Misty shared ideas for having a steering committee for the garden. as part of the grant applications, this is one requirement. But beyond that, having an executive board will alleviate some of the workload from Misty. There are a myriad of jobs involved in making the garden work and it is too much for any one person. Tasks can be better defined and delegated to group members. Misty shared info from the Fenway Community Gardens who have developed bylaws. If Chelsea develops something good, we could put together a packet to share with this community, and with others who want to start gardens.
10. Shared idea of possibilities for having field trips from the nearby early learning center. Point raised that we should carefully check our liability coverage and feasability of this idea before hosting any groups outside of the gardeners. Elaine to follow up.
11. Donations of food to food banks- Joe to check on the foodbanks or other likely recipients of produce. Idea raised to sell produce at Sat. veggie market in Chelsea Square with monies raised going into garden fund.
12. Keys were distributed.
Important dates:
**First garden workday, Sunday, March 21. 10 - 1
**Next garden meeting: Mon, March 22 @ Chelsea Collaborative 6-8
**Open House for the new headquarters of Chelsea Collaborative: Wed., MArch 4, 5:30-7:30
**meeting to flesh out the ideas for a steering committee: Mon March 8 ( email Misty for more details) 6-8