August 6, 2022

• Events
  • Potential event on the horizon with Sophia Roe maybe in september
  • Sophia roe is a food blogger, James bears award winning
• Landscaping
  • Split up parts of the garden to water more consistently
• Compost
  • shipment of compost delivered! 
  • Try to cut up your rotting veggies before adding to compost and don’t put weeds in there
  • Update on rebuilding compost bins: don’t have the resources to reconstruct and the cost of the pipe design is really expensive
  • Can Greenthumb redo it? Reconvene at the end of the season to decide, prebuilt options?

July 24, 2022

• Water
  • Leave mosquito dunks in the water barrels!
    • Joe is getting more
  • Hose is missing? We vote yes on using $50 on a 100 foot hose
• Rat abatement updates:
  • Green Thumb is renewing partnership with rat abatement companies which just expired and going to start again and run from July-next June.
  • Proposal to have contractors install a small plexiglass barrier for a more permanent resolution which will cost a few 1000 vs constantly paying 200/month for extermination service.
    • Looking into estimates
• Voted on having sign out front for Venmo donations
  • Can do donation jar at events, smaller fundraising events,
  • Can only have 2 events where we get money where we explicitly ask it for it (i.e. Summer fundraiser)
• Landscaping
  • Baby Morning Glorys are everywhere! If you see some pull them out :)

July 9, 2022

• Community Bed updates:
  • Add new trellises
  • Putting in pumpkin seeds, arugula seeds etc.
• Compost:
  • Person from NYC Compost noted bad odor coming from compost
  • People need to add browns to greens to counteract the odor
  • Voted YES to have a 5 minute compost demonstration at a coming meeting from NYC Compost/or Steve
• Rat Problem:
  • Out of control, need to hire a professional exterminator
  • Reach out to previous exterminator that city has used in the past
  • In the meantime do we want to use mint scented bags as a temporary solution to trash/recycling?
• Ornamental Cherry Plum Tree
  • Tree is dying with no return
  • Replace with a non-fruit tree is the best option
  • Japanese Maple is an option, we are doing research and then can vote
  • Tree can be no more than 20 ft
  • Voted YES for parks to come remove the tree
• Summer Fundraiser Recap:
  • We raised shy of $3,000 (woohoo!)
• Photoshoot:
  • Someone from Edible Manhattan Group reached out on IG to do a photoshoot in the garden
  • We have no problem but they need permits etc.
  • Proposed solution if they have permits are to put in touch with events and ask for donations

June 19, 2022

• Landscaping
  • Cherry plum tree isn’t doing well, proposal to remove it
  • Put a different tree there, maybe local
  • Vote at next meeting to remove or keep the tree
• Rat infestation/Trash cleanup
  • Need a professional service for removal
  • No system of trash maintenance
  • 0 waste at the garden? (please take your trash with you when leaving the garden!)
• Open hours
  • Discussion on schedule for open hours
• Community beds
  • Time to start picking and pruning!
  • Be conscious of sick plants and containing them
    • trim them back
    • don’t touch a sick plant then touch a healthy plant (germs spread :O)
• Annual summer fundraiser next Sunday 6/26 1-8 PM
  • Need help with setup, cleanup, potluck, grilling, purchasing items, putting up flyers

June 6, 2022

• Voted on purchasing 60 Gildan shirts for the two designs voted on: Shirts cost about $10 and will be priced at $20
• Compost: 
  • First bin is currently sealed so continue to use brown bins 
  • Make sure you chop with the hoe and add hay on top 
  • We are approved for curbside composting but waiting on details on when etc.

May 22, 2022

Community Beds

• Bring wine bottles for community beds

Landscape

• Weeding
  • Tetterwort (Greater Celandine) weeding
  • Morning Glory
• Plants from green thumb: Goldenrod and Mountain Mint

Compost 

• Replacing mesh on bins
• Squash plants found growing in compost :O

Open Garden Day

• Saturday, June 4th
• Gardens opening doors across north Brooklyn
• Need food donations: bagels?

Edible veggie plants up for grabs!

Water has been filled up, thanks Travis!

June 26 fundraiser

Can someone pickup mosquito dunks from Crest?

Puddle now forming due to fixes on corner of Skillman and Kingsland

• call 311 to complain about the large puddle accumulating to get enough complaints to resolve

April 24, 2022

• Mesh tops for mosquitos on the barrels have been secured!
• GreenThumb says bats are friends: exploring this option
• Voted YES to redo top of compost bin with timber rather than mesh to allow compost to decompose at a more rapid rate
• Open Garden Day June 4, 12-7PM:
  • We need someone to make fliers
  • We need volunteers to ask community businesses for donations
• Voted YES to having Charlie Waters’ band play in the garden on the following dates:
  • May 15
  • June 4
  • June 12
• GreenThumb plant distribution is May 7 – Need someone with car to help with that:
  • Pick up 10am – 1pm:UCC Youth Farm (620 Schenck Ave, Brooklyn)
    • Green Oasis Community Garden (372 East 8th St, Manhattan)
    • New 123rd Street Block Association Garden (116 W 123rd St, Manhattan)
    • Friends of Brook Park Garden (494 East 141st St, Bronx)
  • This year marks the return to the in-person plant distribution and an expansion to 4 locations! They are excited to offer each garden 4 flats of plant starts total:
    • 2 flats of veggies/flowers/herbs mix sourced from Rise & Root Farm
    • 2 flats of native plants mix provided by Greenbelt Native Plant Center
• Art Installation (still waiting on additional details):
  • Interviews conducted last year about climate change are being brought to life on aluminum, brightly colored 24×24 signs
  • Signs include question inspired by interviews with QR code link to audio collages of interviews of different gardeners from past year
  • Looking for us to put up 1 of the signs in the garden starting the week before Open Garden Days – December 15th. Hoping to have Park 12×12 sign with it indicating the art installation
  • We voted YES

April 9, 2022

• It hailed
• Open Garden Days:
  • We voted to communicate to GreenThumb the below open hours
    • MON – THURS 4pm-7pm
    • SAT – 9am – 2pm
    • SUN – closed
• We voted on getting new lids for water allocating $200  – it should be $15-20 each per lid
• The Department of Sanitation requested to use the garden to give out compost bags:
  • 3 pallets total in June or July for a few days
  • They will drop off and then pick up after the event
  • We are already getting 3 pallets delivered in that time frame so will just need to coordinate around 
  • Ariel to pass on to Outreach to reach out – we might see if Olive Garden can do it instead
• Seed Library:
  • We will have a dropbox with seeds to give to the library. Seeds will be sorted into a labeled case and binder with inventory/place to check out seeds.
  • We voted yes to allocating $35-$50 towards a clear binder and box for seeds
• Compost:
  • 2 People came by Sunday to look at the compost bin – will need an update on that in the next meeting.
• Website:
  • Mica to bring camera to next meeting to take pics for the website (postponed to 5/7)
• Continue to be careful and on the lookout for needles when weeding, picking up trash etc. Be sure to wear gloves
• Community beds look amazing!! Make sure to not step on the wood
• Proposed date for planting: May 1 :)

March 20, 2022

• Greenthumb
  • Mary picked up supplies from Greenthumb
    • pruners, gloves, watering cans, etc
• Communications
  • Mica Finehart voted in as Communications co-chair
• Water
  • Travis turned water on
• Seeds
  • Joe, Tina, Anna announced beginning of seed library
• Events
  • Voted to make Red Shed Garden last stop for the Open Garden day, which will entail hosting duties. Need more info.
• Compost
  • Vote was taken to repair compost bins only and plan for further proposal and work to be done off season.
  • Compost was sorted and removed from first and last bins to facilitate inspection for repairs
• General
  • Community beds completely revamped. Huge project that went great. Need to use available soil to fill in new community beds
  • Pile of Wood chips were distributed throughout garden
• Small rocks removed from middle garden beds near center lawn

4/9 Agenda

• Corey proposing using funds to deal with mosquito eradication

March 19, 2022

3/19 Meeting Notes

• Green Thumb:
  • Need someone to do supply pick up next Saturday 3/26 from 10am-1pm. Supplies available attached. Let Courtney and Lara know if you can go. 
  • UPCOMING: We will also need someone on 5/7 for Plant Distribution – details to come! If anyone is available on this day, please let Courtney and Lara know.

Agenda for Next Meeting: Sunday, 3/27

• Compost:
  • Need to vote on current plan or different plan next meeting
• Events:
  • Open Garden Day – June 4
  • Summer Fundraiser – June 26
  • Need people for open garden days – sign up sheet TK
• Seeds:
  • Tina has lots of extra seeds – do we want some in community beds?
  • Seed Library: If we want to start this – is there a volunteer to lead?
• To dos:
  • Community bed rebuilding
  • Spread wood chips along paths and if you are a plot holder, around your plots
  • Organize shed