Habitat Gardens

OCTOBER IS “LET’S GET OUR GARDENS STARTED MONTH” AT TERRAGNOMA COMMUNITY DEMONSTRATION GARDEN. Fall is the best time to plant in the Central Coast, when the soil is warm and soon the winter rains will come to quench the soil’s summer thirst and help new root systems and the soil to build up.

It’s the time of planting our beloved Roots and Shoots or in other words, our yummy, comfort food-inspired starchy roots like potatoes, carrots, beets, etc and the diversity of leafy crops we enjoy all year-round in our mild climate: lettuces, spinach, kale, chard, collards, etc. During the cool season, we do in fact enjoy some fruits too: broccoli, cauliflower and related species do especially well this time of year. Herbs of all kinds can be rampant in the winter so take advantage of your rosemary, lavender, chives, wild leeks, etc.

10/10/10 is 350.org’s World Work Party Day–Celebrating Climate Solutions

TerraGnoma is hosting a work party and you’re invited!
Let’s Get Our Gardens Started at TerraGnoma!
10/10/10, 10am-4pm

ALL DAY LONG AT TERRAGNOMA, WE’RE HOSTING SPEAKERS, DEMOS AND WORKSHOPS in our permaculture-designed, ecologically-built, habitat-rich community demonstration garden:

SPEAKERS
Meet our chickens and bees and learn about adding them to your homestead!
Discover our plant design strategies: beneficial hedgerows, plant guilds and food forests!
Learn about building with salvaged materials by visiting our dry-stacked walls, greenhouse, chicken coop and compost system!
Explore what you can do with the abundance of surplus you create!
MOST of ALL: Be part of a community and “grow with us”!

POSSIBLE DEMOS AND WORKSHOPS THAT DAY, SOME DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS AVAILABLE:

Planting Demo: Planting the new Avocado Grove and Winter Veggie Crops
Pruning Demo: Roses and other Rose family trees and shrubs
Construction Workshop: Laying out the urbanite patio and pond combo

SO YOU CAN TAKE HOME SOME INFORMATION AND INSPIRATION TO GET YOUR OWN GARDEN STARTED, we’ll also have:

Gnome-grown plants
Gnome-made treats
Gi-gnome-ous raffle

Find Work Parties in your area: www.350.org
TerraGnoma 350.org event page: http://www.350.org/en/node/23202
TerraGnoma Facebook event page: http://bit.ly/9WBlqG

TERRAGNOMA COMMUNITY DEMONSTRATION GARDEN
LET’S GET OUR GARDENS STARTED
10/10/10, 10am-4pm
1147 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, 95062
831-421-2843

Food Working Group Meeting
Tuesday, October 12th 7:00-8:30pm (second Tuesday)
El Rio Mobile Home Park Community Room
(directions below)

Looking for something to do to support the 10/10 action day this Sunday? Come help “break ground” at  Gnomestead Farm–see below.

And again, if you haven’t attended our monthly meeting for a while (or ever), you’re welcome to join us. We welcome your input!

We will be discussing the urban micro-farm project in Live Oak, establishment of a garden-share network/website, the community food mapping project, and possibly hosting a film screening this winter. Lots of ways to get involved with your local food system!

Announcements–Community Events

Work Party–Gnomestead Farm  Sunday 10/10/10
10:00–5:00; 721 17th Ave.–at the corner of Santa Maria Pl. (between Brommer and Portola)
Come and check out the spot where Leigh and Shane Klein are working to set up an urban micro-farm! We’ll be cleaning up the site, preparing the ground for sheet mulching, and starting to envision the site plan. Bring shovels, rakes, and spading forks–and a sack lunch.
For more information, email Leigh and Shane.

Directions to the El Rio Community Room:
The El Rio Mobile Home Park is at the end of Pacific Ave.
From the Eastside: take Water Street downtown, turn right on River and right again on Pacific.
From the Westside: take Mission downtown (which becomes Water St.), turn left on River and right on Pacific.
There is no parking inside the entrance to El Rio, so please park on the street or in the Lens Arts or lawyers’ office lots on Pacific (please double check to make sure that these businesses are closed for the day…)
The community room is just inside the entrance gates in the building immediately on your right.

For more information, visit http://transitionsc.org

Hello friends,

In 2008, Ecology Action was asked to be the non-profit sponsor of a water-wise garden project at the corner of Wharf Rd. and Capitola Road, adjacent to the Shadowbrook Restaurant parking lot in Capitola. The garden contains almost an acre of California native plants and water-wise landscaping features, installed by many hours of volunteer labor and private sector donations.

Due to it’s current weedy appearance, and lack of clearly defined mulched pathways, the garden is in danger of losing financial support from the Soquel Creek Water District. We need a big community response to prove to the Soquel Creek Water District that the garden is a community treasure and not an eyesore.  To this effect, a community volunteer work party will take place at the garden on  SAT. Sep. 11 at 9:00AM.

It’ll be weedtastic–so please consider coming out to weed and spread mulch with us (that the city generously delivered!) before that glass of wine on Saturday afternoon!!
Please forward this to whoever may be interested in sustaining a beautiful native garden for Capitola~Hope to see you out there!

COME JOIN US SATURDAY.  Please PASS THIS ON TO FRIENDS, FAMILY, NEIGHBORS!!

PILKINGTON CREEK CLEANUP & HABITAT RESTORATION

WHEN:  September 11, October 2 & 23, 10am to 1 pm. Please join us for one or more of these dates!

WHERE: Meet near the whale sculpture outside the Museum of Natural History (located at 1305 E. Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, 95060)

WHAT: Join our team of weed whackers to clear out invasive English Ivy and Mattress Wire Vine, an alien invader from New Zealand that’s smothering plants in Pilkington Creek that runs into Seabright Beach from the grounds of the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History. After we clear out pesky weeds we will create a natural riparian habitat with California native plants.

DETAILS: Wear long sleeves and closed toed shoes. If you have gloves and tools, bring them. Otherwise  we will supply them. Bring a sack lunch and we’ll picnic after we work.  Under 18-year-olds need to come with a parent or adult guardian who can sign a volunteer release for them.

CONTACT: For more information, contact Nancy Lenz: nanlenz@cruzio.com or 831-426-5252.

This project is a collaboration between local community members, Friends  of Parks and Recreation, Seabright Neighborhood Association, City of Santa Cruz Parks Department, and the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History. It is one of several in Santa Cruz County made possible by a grant from the Chuck Haugen Conservation Fund.  http://www.chuckhaugenconservationfund.org/

SAVE THE DATE – Fall Bike to Work/School Day – October 7, 2010

Mark your calendars now so you don’t miss out on this important event. Join thousands of cyclists during the best time of year in Santa Cruz – Fall!

Ride your bike to one of our sites and receive a FREE and healthy breakfast! Also, fall 2010 Bike to Work Day participants who complete a commuter survey at one of the breakfast sites or online are eligible to win a FREE Zipcar Membership.