Announcements

Deborah Smeltzer

LOCATION CHANGE!

On Tuesday, 9/19, Deborah and David will park their dump trailer in the GRASS ALLEYWAY next to the Shed at approximately 9:15 a.m. The Yuck Bin contents will be loaded first. Then Workday Participants are encouraged to load any green waste from gardens. The trailer will depart at approximately 1:30 p.m. (after the potluck lunch).

There is a second green waste removal scheduled for Tuesday, October 17th.

If green waste is accumulating in the interim, an optional collection date will be scheduled for Tuesday, October 3rd.

Check announcements for trailer location.

Garden Co-Managers

In October, we're going to tackle cleaning out and reorganizing the equipment shed and area along the alleyway.  This includes throwing out/donating unused items and disposing of expired materials.  Between now and October 1st, we are asking all garden coordinators and other leaders to identify what materials of theirs they want to keep by applying a piece of blue tape with their name, garden and phone number, printed clearly.  This gives everyone a couple more weeks to identify.  Thank you for assistance in helping us spiffing up this part of the garden and making it more user-friendly!

Your loyal garden managers 🙂

Kay Torrance

On Sept 15th, the Discovery Garden was officially 27 years old!  Wish it a Happy Birthday and admire how it has grown.

Bobbi Lemme

Irrigation is winding down for the year.  Let me know if there are any major irrigation needs for next year so I can budget for it.  So far, I have another line for roses, another line for rhododendrons, and lines for the Front Door garden.  Otherwise just the usual gushers we get from chewed lines! 💦

Deborah Smeltzer

On Friday, 9/15, the compost mulch bin was filled with 5 cubic yards of Class A screened compost mulch from Town of La Conner Wastewater Treatment Plant. This material is available for use in the Discovery Garden free of charge as a donation to Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners.

Please note that the public can access free regular compost mulch (finished, but not screened) at the Compost Kiosk in front of the treatment plant located at 12154 Chilberg Road, La Conner (just east of the traffic circle at the parking area for the fire station). Bring your shovel for self-loading. See:  https://www.townoflaconner.org/211/Yard-Debris-Services-Rates

Laurie & Jessamyn

We are in desperate need of large (10-25 gallon) pots for peonies and other shrubs. Square 1 gallon and round 2 gallon pots are always appreciated. These pots can be left near the plant house door anytime.

September is the time to begin fall perennial division. Plants we are looking for are - Peonies, Iris, Bergenia, Hosta, Rhubarb, Brunnera (Jack Frost) or anything interesting in your yard. Contact Laurie or Jessamyn to find out when to bring them to the plant house.

We will accept Astilbe and Crocosmia in the spring.

Thanks!

Claudia Wells

I sure would appreciate assistance tending the Entry Garden through the month of September.  Thank you so much!

Virgene Link-New

We'd really appreciate some help in the Rose Garden with dead-heading, removing black spot leaves and petals and hauling mulch.

Thanks!

Kathy Wolfe

The vegetable garden is beginning to wind down as we move into fall. We will be finishing up the harvest of a few crops, gathering some seeds for next year and bringing in compost and soil to mound the empty beds in preparation for planting next spring. Any time you have to give us would be much appreciated!

Beverly Dale Crunk

I'll need help this week to spread that newly delivered compost! Thanks for helping this garden look terrific for the fall season. Also think about becoming a co-cordinator for this garden.

Garden Co-Managers

Sign In / Sign Out - Use the Sign In sheets in the Shed, Plant House or Greenhouse to sign in with the date, your name, the time you started working in the garden, where you worked in the garden and the time you left the garden.  Be sure to Sign Out when you depart.

Driving/Parking - 5 mph speed limit on NWREC property. Park in the gravel lot or in the grass along the NW Fruit garden.  Please do not obstruct views of our signage.

Tools - Please clean your tools and wheelbarrows before you put them away.

Compost Area Guidelines
- NUTSEDGE AND POISON HEMLOCK, go in the Invasive Weeds black plastic bag in the compost area. This is taken to the trash.

- ROSES, DISEASED MATERIAL, HORSETAIL, SPOTTED SPURGE, BUTTERCUP and most other weeds goes in the YUCK BIN. YUCK BINS are on the north wall of the wheelbarrow shed. Remove dirt first. This is taken to municipal waste. If you can't find the YUCK bins, please ask.

- WOODY materials need to be laid straight into the BROWN BIN for easy removal. No Roses, and No Greens that can be chopped. Woody material is processed in our chipper. Diameter of the sticks should be no more than 2.5 inches. Bent and heavily branched sticks need to be trimmed. Your prep effort means the Compost Team can spend less time processing all the material and less fuel running the noisy chipper.

- Knock all SOIL off green or woody material and leave in your garden area. SOD goes in the SOD BIN. Shake off soil and separate it from your greens. Soil does not make compost. There are screens in the compost area, you can put over a wheelbarrow to help remove the soil.

- CHOP ALL GREENS into bins #1 or #2. Long grasses and day lilies must be chopped - do NOT put in the Brown Bin. They will foul the chipper and disable the machine resulting in costly repairs.

- PLASTIC, METAL goes in the TRASH. This includes plant tags, wire, stakes, string, plastic sheeting, zip ties, etc. Try to be alert to foreign objects that do not belong in the compost (or the chipper) and remove them to the garbage.

If you are not sure where something should go, read the signage, or ask. When in doubt, put it in the Yuck Bin or the trash.

Compost Piles - La Conner compost/mulch is in the large bin north of the Shed. There is also compost from our DG generated process available in the compost area.

Sluggo - located in the wheelbarrow shed inside the cabinet to the right of the door as you walk in.

Lost and Found - Lost and Found is located in the box in the center of the shed.

Pesticide Use - Click here to download the Pesticide Approval Form.  Please email the Garden Managers BEFORE applying pesticides to your garden. Advance notice through email is the only way we can notify your fellow Gardeners that you are using pesticides. Glyphosate (Round Up) and Pre-emergents (Preen) are included in the notice requirement. You do not have to declare the use of Sluggo (Iron Phosphate).

Grants - SCMGF has a Grants team. We are responsible for submitting grant applications when appropriate. If you have a budget request that cannot be met with our regular budget, we might be able to get the funds needed through a grant. Please fill out the grant application request form and submit it via email to :  grantsteam@skagitmg.org

Budget - The current budget is always posted on the Members Corner under the Foundation and Board Financial tab.  Click here to put in a reimbursement request.