Energetic Workers Make Sweeping Reforms

Once again, energetic neighbors of all ages rolled up their sleeves and "dug in" their heels to transform the English Meadows Common Areas.

Willing workers included Cheryl Spicer, Denny and Caroline Walsh, Leanne Winkel, Matt, Lori, Alex and Caty Underhill, Diego, Patti and Nelson Amador, Keiron Spaulding, and Keeghan Ice.

Trees planted were two Redbud, 1 Cherry tree, and 1 Austrian White Pine. Bushes planted included 3 Weigala, 3 Diablo Ninebark and 2 Russian Sages. Four dead trees were removed. Trees in Common Area #3 had the soil around the bases tilled, and landscape fabric and mulch added. Ajuga, and periwinkle ground covers were planted at the bases of the trees. Trees along Eifert by the pond in #3 were fertilized.

An industrious crew removed many weeds under the dogwood bushes along Eifert. Four bushes along the access path to Common Area #1 were removed from clay soil. The hard clay was replaced by a rich mixture of peat moss, vermiculite, cow manure/compost and garden soil blended with a "Quick Start" Miracle Grow fertilizer. Then dusty hands and faces covered the soil, placed landscape fabric around the base and topped that off with Cypress mulch. While the adults did the bushes, the younger members removed a slippery crust on the access path which was the cause of at least one fall.

God showed His approval of our efforts by blessing all the plantings with a nice rain which began just as the work was ending. In fact, we accomplished so much that we are cancelling the October 2 planned workday. We're done until next spring!!!! MANY, MANY THANKS to all of our volunteers who have worked very hard and FOR FREE to beautify the areas that we all enjoy! If you have not yet participated in one of our workdays, we encourage you to think about doing so next spring. We have a lot of fun and get to know each other better and our neighborhood is looking great. We can hardly wait to see the fruit of our labors grow. If you see one of the volunteers, say "thanks" to them for what they are doing. TAKE PRIDE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD!

Saturday's Workday a Wonderful Aching-Back Success!!!

Tired workers take a break on Patti Amador's deck. Little Caesar's yummy pizza, bread sticks, cookies and flavored water hit the spot after a morning of diligent pruning and mulching activities.

Denny, Caroline and Joe Walsh worked hard with John Derby to shape and clean up the cul de sac on Glendurgan. Spirea and juniper bushes were pruned, a wild tree that was growing through the arbor was removed, and weeds were removed from the rock garden. Round up was sprayed on the weeds in the street. Denny said he and Joe would donate some mulch and put it around the bases of the bushes later this week.

Meanwhile, Diego and Patti Amador, Joan Narodowiec, Leann and Mason Winkel made progress as they laid down newspapers under the spruce trees on McCue and then spread cypress mulch over the papers.

When the "cul de sac wizards" finished their project, they also came and helped the motley crew with cypress-smelling hands and spruce-scratched faces.


Of all the workers, it is rumored that the "main man" who did most of the real work was four year old Mason! :-))) Mike Winkel headed up the child care division so that wife Leann could spread her expertise around.

Some workers on the mulch crew were somewhat distracted by a well built, tanned runner who complimented the crew on their good work.
Other workers’ major concern was the "smiling face" they turned toward passing motorists on McCue as they bent over to distribute the mulch.

Seeing that the condo association owners lacked their President's leadership, Cheryl Spicer made her way to where the group was laboring. She was happy to "cuss" and "discuss" strategies for future cooperation between the condos and the rest of EMPOA.

Workers munched on energizing snacks of cheese sticks, granola bars with welcome swigs of water along the way. The smell of spruce reminded the crews of Christmas memories and cold weather, although the day was sunny, breezy and balmy.

The originally scheduled workday ambitiously pretended we could last until 4:00 p.m. The true "weight" of aching backs was demonstrated when Diego Amador made the proclamation that he was finished after lunch. A loud chorus of voices rose in agreement. There were no protests.

All of the participants agreed they were proud of their accomplishments. Later, several couldn't resist the urge to "return to the scene of the crimes" to lovingly admire their hard work. Many projects are still on the "to do" list. Two more workdays are on the schedule for September 11 and October 2. Come join us next time. We really did have a lot of fun! Our motto: Take Pride in our Neighborhood!

Another HOT Landscape Committee Meeting

Members of the Landscape Committee welcomed our newest member, Leann Winkel, at its August 17 meeting. She lives on the cul de sac on Glendurgan and brings that area's perspective to our activities. Patti Amador gave an update on the items which have already been accomplished in such a short time by the committee.

The committee agreed to try combined meetings with the Garden Committee, since many of the members are the same. The meetings will be on the third Tuesday of each month. September 21 is the next meeting that will be held at Patti's house at 7:00 p.m.

The committee discussed the list of projects that need to be done and scheduled "Landscape Workdays" on Saturdays, from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. on August 28 and September 11. An additional tentative workday was scheduled later for October 2. A list was provided to the committee of useful equipment for the workday. An e-mail will be sent to other EMPOA residents who have also expressed interest in lending some "elbow grease" to our projects.

Patti reported on the cost of the mulch needed to apply on the spruce trees on McCue Rd. Menard's had a sale, which ended on August 8. Patti said she would ask the Manager of Contracting Sales if he would extend that sale date for our purchase. If not, it was decided to wait until it went on sale again.

Tom Arthur told the committee that MSU and LCC both were interested in working on our project. MSU has already contacted a professor who would like to participate with us as a class project. LCC's representative is enthusiastic also and Tom will see if she is available for our September 21 meeting. Even if both colleges want to work with us, the activities could be divided up by common areas and, if they agree, both could be involved. Paul Pirrotta mentioned that MSU's program focus is for management's involvement. LCC's has more of a "community" approach and staff and students are not afraid to "get down and dirty" with their direct methods.

Paul said that the geese population has temporarily increased because of the upcoming migration. In the spring, we can contact the DNR (Dept. of Natural Resources) to see if they will help us do a "goose roundup" to remove geese before they reproduce. When babies are born in a certain area, they always return to that area.

Patti reviewed the expenditures that have been made so far. She estimated the cost of the mulch for the trees should be within the budget. Patti encouraged committee members to view the photos of English Meadows online. Tom Arthur set up a link on the blog that will go to the pictures.

Resources for pruning trees and bushes were shared with the committee, including an on-line demonstration (which Tom Arthur demonstrated) to show how pruning trees affects their growth. Committee members were encouraged to participate in the online demonstration to supplement their pruning skills.

Denny and Caroline Walsh expressed concern for how the yard waste is disposed of on workdays. They buy the large paper bags and save the waste to take to Valhalla Park when the township allows people to bring their brush and yard waste there. They said if things are thrown in the ditch, it could later cause a blockage when it floods. Patti said she would investigate waste disposal options. Caroline also felt it would be beneficial to contact Capital Area Management and Cheryl Spicer, President of the EMPOA condos association to clarify what trees belong to the condos and which belong to the rest of EMPOA.

There were no assignments made other than the workdays. Patti will e-mail everyone with an update of the specifics on the projects. It was agreed to meet behind Paul Pirrotta's house at 9:00 a.m. on the 28th.

Patti showed pictures of a "creeping crud" that is growing on spruce trees. She said she would try to contact the MSU Extension to find out what it is and if it is a disease that will kill the trees. The next meeting date was set for September 21 at 7:00 p.m. at Patti's house.

August Harvest

Tonight we harvested our first August harvest: Onions, zucchini, basil, chard, tomatoes, and a couple of carrots. We also planted four different kinds of lettuce for the fall: green leaf, mesclun, bibb, and romaine.

Several kids joined us tonight:


Harvesting the onions.


Tomatoes:


Tilling the ground for the lettuce:


Planting Lettuce:


Our vegi draft:


A serious handful!

Cabbage and Red Pepper Salad

Veronica sent me this recipe with the caveat that these items aren't in our garden. Ahhh...but the red peppers will be soon. And didn't we just pull up a bunch of cabbage? Looks good. We'll have to give it a try.
Tom

From Veronica:
Here is a recipe I just made this week. Unfortunately, it really doesn't include things in OUR garden, but it is good.

Shred/chop 1/4 head of cabbage
Dice 1 red pepper
Cut corn off of two ears of corn

Mix a couple tablespoons lemon juice and olive oil, two teaspoons honey and salt and pepper to taste. Add to veggies. You can add/lesson ingredients in the dressing to suit your taste. I like it a little sweeter than tart. I actually got this recipe from Real Simple magazine. I think it is good with either chicken or salmon.

Harvest Day - First Big (or little) Variety

Tonight the humidity disappeared, a gentle breeze blew through the community green, and we gathered to do our first big harvest of the summer that had a lot of variety in it (lettuce, chard, basil, carrots, cucumber, zucchini, tomatoes, beets). We also planted some fall plants (broccoli, beets, carrots, peas). My favorite picture from the evening is of all our hands holding varieties of what we harvested:



The carrots and the beets are still quite small so we decided to thin them and leave them to keep growing. We're not sure why they didn't do so well. We're guessing it had to do with the soil that is in those beds. It was basic top soil that we bought from a local landscape company and we trucked it in ourselves. The square foot gardens, on the other hand, are growing plants like a rain forest. Those three beds all have a mixture of 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 compost (composed of five different kinds of compost for a variety of nutrients). That homemade soil mix is obviously much better than basic top soil. So tonight we tried to improve the soil in our first beds by adding some compost and peat moss. We'll see how it turns out. We're still learning.

Improving the soil of our "old" beds. Adding composted manure, peat hummus, and peat moss.


Eggplant blossoms. The picture doesn't do the color of purple justice.


A fine bunch of gardeners:


We had a great harvest of lettuce, basil, and chard. Three cucumbers. Two zucchini. Some very small carrots (red, yellow, white, and orange). Some tiny beets. Three broccoli florets. A great beginning.


Standing next to our "new" beds that have our "new" soil: 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 compost (composed of five different kinds of compost: mint, yard waste, mushroom, manure, and a general compost). These plants absolutely love the soil they're in!


The carrots were so small that these were thrown in the compost pile. I rescued them and Sarah washed them up. They're beautiful but tiny (about 1/4 inch thick!):

Exciting Landscape Committee Meeting!

Thursday, July 22, 2010, was the second meeting of the EMPOA Landscape Committee. The committee is steaming ahead with great ideas and progress. Leann Winkel was welcomed as a new member.

Dr. Pat Crawford from MSU's Landscape Architecture program was present to gather information on our project and let members know if we might qualify for assistance from their program.

We discussed our major objectives for the 2010 season. Those are: 1. Add mulch to the trees to protect them from our lawn maintenance company's weed whacking around the bases (which kills the trees).
2. Formulate a "Master Plan" for landscaping the common areas. The committee members would also like to do an affordable project which would show some progress in beautifying some area for this year.

Dr. Crawford talked about several ways the project might be approached. She committed to reviewing our project with Landscape Architect Department Professors to see if they would accept our project for their students. Also, she said it might be possible to round up a couple of students who could work with us yet this summer on a stipend. They would make a "Master Plan". She said this type of plan would provide a realistic "picture" of how things could look from an aerial perspective. We indicated that we would be doing the projects in phases possibly over the next five years.

Tom Arthur has been contacted from LCC's program and will followup with them as well to see if their representative can meet with the committee. One of the differences between LCC and MSU's programs is that MSU focuses on a theoretical "management" perspective. LCC's focus is more "business" oriented and that program might be more "hands on". Tom reported his findings on several types of benches (with costs) which might be useful for the large pergola in common area #2.

Matt Underhill told the committee that recommendations from landscape suppliers for trellis plants for the pergolas were basically three plants - wisteria, honeysuckle and trumpet vine. Although trumpet vine can be somewhat invasive. Honeysuckle and wisteria seem to be the favorites. Patti showed members a rough initial sketch for plantings in the pergola.

Patti Amador made contact with Landscape Architects & Planners who did the plans for the Delhi Township Veterans Memorial Gardens. They forwarded a proposal for making a "Master Plan" which would cost around $500. Tamara Jorkasky, Project Manager came and did a "walk through" of the property. The committee will hold on to their proposal until getting input from LCC and MSU's programs. Patti made contact with Colleen Cooper, Master Gardner who is actively involved working on the Veterans gardens. Colleen works on an hourly basis and can make recommendations for specific plantings.

Other contacts made with vendors were Menard's, Lowe's and Schaefer's. Patti explained to the committee how discounts and rebates can be received from them. Patti purchased three landscaping books for committee use. One is on stone and patio landscaping. One is on deck, gazebo and materials useage. The third book details overall "big picture" landscaping. The last included an excellent software program for landscaping by Punch software.

Prices will be gotten for mulch and a workday will be scheduled for applying around the trees. Another idea discussed was to install a sign and plastic bag dispenser asking residents to dispose of dog droppings.

Patti took approximately 100 photos of English Meadows which have been uploaded to Picasa.google.com. Once there, click on Web Albums and type in English Meadows Community Garden. These photos will be useful for anyone working on the project and will also provide a "before" historical record for comparing the end results.

Paul Pirrotta committed to three action items: 1. Talk to the DNR to get specifics regarding the "spring goose roundup" program for eliminating geese. 2. Do a survey of EMPOA members to see who might be willing to "donate" plants for the future. Donations could be from existing plants or could be donations toward purchase of new plants or shrubs. 3. Talk to drain commission to find out in which ways we need to coordinate with them.

It was decided by the committee to try and combine the meetings of the Garden Committee and the Landscape Committee on the same 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. Since most of the members are on both committees, this may save some time. The next meeting will be on August 17 at Tom's home.

Fall Planting

Dear Gardeners,
We had a meeting this evening and decided to plan two fall planting days on the next two Sunday evenings. So here's the schedule and what we'll be planting:

Sunday, July 25 - 7PM
Planting: Carrots, Peas, Beets
Harvesting: Carrots, Beets, Zucchini, Lettuce, Basil, Chard, Cabbage

Sunday, August 1st - 7PM
Planting: Spinach
Harvesting: Harvesting: Carrots, Beets, Zucchini, Lettuce, Basil, Chard, Cabbage

Hope to see you there!
Peace,
Tom

Planting Calendar

I've put together a calendar based on the planting schedule in the Square Foot Gardening Book. This calendar assumes an average last spring frost of May 31st and an average first fall frost of September 18th.

This calendar can also be found here.

It's Basil Time

We harvested our first basil tonight. So what to do with basil? Here's a couple of links to get you going and a favorite recipe of ours. Enjoy!
Tom

Basic Basil Pesto Sauce (toss with pasta, or use as a spread on crackers, or in an omelet, or as a pizza sauce)

Rachel Ray - Three Vegi Penne with Tarragon-Basil Pesto

and our favorite...

Basil-Tomato Tart
1 unbaked pie crust
1.5 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
3 to 4 Roma or 2 to 3 medium tomatoes
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup mayo
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp ground pepper

Place pie crust in 9" pie plate. "Flute" edges by pressing with a fork and press holes in the bottom with a fork. Bake as directed.

Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and cool on wire rack. Cut tomatoes into wedges; drain on paper towels. Arrange wedges on top of melted cheese. In a food processor combine basil and garlic (or mince with a chef knife). Cover and process until coarsely chopped. Sprinkle over tomatoes.

In a medium mixing bowl combine remaining mozzarella cheeses, mayo, Parmesan cheeses and pepper. Spoon cheese mixture over basil mixture, spreading evenly over the top.

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until top is golden and bubbly. Let sit 20-30 minutes before serving so cheese can firm up. Makes 8 appetizers or 4 main dish servings.

Garden 2.0!

We all came together again this morning to practice a little square foot gardening. We built and planted three 4x4 foot gardens. Two of them have trellises. We're pretty excited about how our garden keeps growing! Check it out.

Frames:


Making the soil: 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 compost (5 different kinds!)


Filling the boxes:


Making the square foot grids:


Making the trellises:


Planting the plants:


Finished product:


Our garden:


If you want to get involved, it's not too late. Drop me an email.

Newly Formed Landscape Committee!!

At the last meeting of the EMPOA board, an exciting proposal was approved to establish a Landscape Committee for making improvements to the common areas. A budget was established which will use existing funds. Patti Amador was appointed chairperson for the committee. Members who volunteered to serve on the committee are Patti Amador, Tom Arthur, Veronica Davis, Blair Darling, Sarah Koch, Paul Pirrotta, Caroline Rodocker, Denny Walsh and Matt Underhill.

A first meeting was held on Thursday, June 24 to discuss plans for "need" and "dream" projects. Members will investigate with Lansing Community College and MSU that have Landscape Architecture programs which might design a "master landscape plan". Members decided to address the following "focal points": Front sign area and pergola, large pergola in common area 2, pergola in Glendurgan cul de sac, area around large 2 ponds, area near firepit and gardens and common area 4 (natural area). Everyone agreed that efforts would be made to prune existing trees and shrubs in order to salvage existing plantings.

The committee made a "To Do" list of projects and made the following assignments:

Matt Underhill Make contact with landscape suppliers to get information on native plants that are drought resistant (since EMPOA does not currently have any method of watering areas). Especially climbing vines which may be used for the pergolas. He will also discuss possible discounts which may be available to EMPOA for products used. Suggestions for plantings near the pergolas included grapes, wisteria, clematis or climbing roses.

Tom Arthur Contact LCC and MSU for information and possibilities. Investigate options for a bench to place in the large pergola and cost involved. Investigate how to make it "theft proof".

Patti Amador Get information and cost analysis for mulch around trees and bushes. Design a plan with cost analysis for landscape garden with large pergola . Obtain designs for lookout landings on the 2 large ponds or possible gazebo. Get cost for composite materials which will last and have minimum upkeep. Discuss and coordinate with Drain Commission.

It was also suggested that ground covers, flowers and plants could be used around tree bases. Members also spoke of finding a way to pump water from the ponds to water the landscaping.

We know that many EMPOA members might be able on occasion to "lend a hand" for special projects. The committee will keep you posted on our activities and if you want to help, don't be shy! Wait until you see how English Meadows begins to "bloom" and all our properties increase their value. We just know you'll love it!!! We know the potential for real classic beauty is great here. The committee will meet again next month on July 22, 7:00 p.m. at Patti Amador's house.

Community BBQ

Click on the poster to see it bigger.

Planning Meeting

Dear Gardeners,
Our planning team met tonight (that is to say, anyone who showed up!), and we made some plans. Here they are:

1. I've got $250 from five families so far. If you're able to get me $50 by Tuesday, June 22nd (when I'll be going shopping for garden 2.0) that would be great. We'll build as many 4x4 gardens as I have received money for on the 22nd.
2. We're going to be following a process called Square Foot Gardening. You can read about it here: www.squarefootgardening.com. This process is easier in several ways although the soil for it is a bit more expensive.
3. We'll break ground (although there is no breaking ground in this process!) on Saturday, June 26th @ 8AM.
4. We've got a community BBQ that night at 6PM at our house (please RSVP!).
5. Does anyone have art skills to make us a sign?

All for now. Keep up the great watering and wedding. Happy gardening.

Peace,
Tom

Harvest Time!

Tonight we had our second harvest, and I remembered to bring the camera this time. We were able to harvest baby lettuce, cabbage, kale, chard, and mustard greens. I wasn't sure how this was going to work trying to have everyone harvest together, but so far it seems to be working out well. Anyone who wants to join in the fun is welcome. Email me. We've got a meeting this Wednesday to plan the next stages for the garden.

Harvest Time!

It's harvest time!

Sarah and I were watering and wedding tonight and we think it's time to harvest our first harvest of kale, mustard greens, some spinach, and romaine lettuce. We're going to harvest some tomorrow (Wednesday, June 2) at 5:30. If you're not able to be there at 5:30, just let me know (email) and we'll hold some here at the house and you can come by later in the evening or the next day or two. This is just the first of many more harvests!

For those of you who have no idea how to cook kale, I found a recipe from Bobby Flay on the Food Network website. Pretty easy! Here it is.

And here's a recipe for Braised Mustard Greens by Rachael Ray.

Garden 2.0

Dear Garden Friends,
We had our garden meeting this morning. It was a small but mighty crowd! Here's what we've decided to do.

1. Wednesday, June 16 @ 4:00PM - Next Garden Meeting (to prepare for our next gardening day on...)
2. Saturday, June 26 @ 8:00AM - Groundbreaking Day 2!
3. Saturday, June 26 @ 6:00PM - English Meadows BBQ & Potluck (meat provided, bring a dish to pass, serviceware, and drinks)

In order to prepare for gardening 2.0, we've decided to ask each family to contribute $50. If this is a hardship, please contribute what you can. Please get this to me before the June 16th meeting, so we know how much we have to work with for the 26th.

I'll be directing folks in terms of harvesting in the coming weeks or so. Things are coming close to being ready for harvest.

Peace,
Tom

Garden Meeting (tea)

Hey Gardeners,
I hope you've noticed all kinds of new things popping up in the garden. Lots of seedlings. I just added some tomato plants tonight that I got for free from the Garden Project. Its still a little early for tomato plants, but since they were free and were already having tomatoes on them, I thought there wasn't much to lose, but if we get a frost yet, they probably won't make it. So goes the life of the garden.

So a couple of notes:

1. We need to get together to make some plans for the next stages of our garden. Let's plan on this Saturday morning, May 29th, at 9-10AM for garden tea at our house. I put an agenda below.
2. I was switching out the nozzle on the hose at Paul's house and the hose sprung a small leak below the handle of the nozzle. Paul thinks its fine and it will just get your hand a little more wet. Just wanted you to know.
3. Great job on keeping up the watering schedule! Special thanks to Paul for being our fail-safe checker. He's keeping an eye on the garden each night. So far it doesn't look like we've got any bunnies in the garden. Yeah!
4. Sarah and I have chives out the wazoo in our personal garden. Also lemon balm. If you want either of those, let us know and we can get you some or you can just come cut some for your cooking for the night.

All for now.
Peace,
Tom

Garden Tea Agenda
1. Check-in (what's on the agenda and does anything need to be added)
2. Plants
a. Rotation
b. New planting schedule
3. Another box or two
a. square foot gardening?
b. when to build?
c. costs
4. Long-term costs/money
5. Communication/Advertising
6. Next meeting
7. Check-out (what went well in this meeting and where was their room for improvement?)

Groundbreaking - May 15, 2010

Today we had 20 people (kids and adults!) show up to ground break our garden. We began at 9AM and finished around 3:30PM. At first two 4x8x1 gardens didn't seem like much, but we're glad we didn't plan much more. It was quite a day with the kids helping out just as much as the adults. Here's some pictures to show the day's work. For the full album on Facebook click here.