Saturday, June 23, 2012

Recently...



Lots going on these summer days! This morning Food is Free Project came out to our garden to help us install our first wicking bed! It's made of salvaged wooden pallets, political signs, scrap PVC, and tumbled glass from the City of Austin. Once seedlings are established we'll only have to water once-a-week at most! We hope to construct several more of these beds at upcoming garden workdays. All produce grown in these plots will be donated. 




Wonder why there's CD's hanging around? They're there to ward away birds from snacking on our tomatoes! And to the right, yes, that's rice growing in a toilet bowl. 


Last workday we reorganized our stockpile of materials. We have so much to work with: bamboo, plywood, wooden beams, crushed porcelain, black plastic planting containers... If you have any ideas, we want to know!






Our compost operation is going strong! Composting in many ways serves as the foundation for sustainable gardening. Garden waste is not wasted at all; fallen leaves, rotten fruit, dead plants, plant trimmings all recombine and decompose to create an ideal soil amendment full of nutrition, water-retention capacity, and beneficial micro-organisms. Composting on-site generates an efficient, local-specific, closed-loop cycle in which linear inputs (such as chemical fertilizer) and outputs (such as landfill waste) of the garden can be minimized or eliminated.





Come out to our garden anytime! Our "open" workdays are Wednesdays and Sundays 5-8 PM, and we want to see you there!
Be sure to bring a water canteen! 

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Food is Free Project to lead workshop


Join us for a special event led by a representative from the Food is Free Project. In this detailed one-day demo we'll learn how to build and install a raised wicking bed, a resource-conscious gardening technique that only requires once a week watering during the summer. The Food is Free Project is a local community building and gardening movement that helps people reconnect with others and the food around them. Come out and join us as we learn about this incredible technique that saves water, time, and resources. We'll be growing community and growing food!

Date: June 23, 2012
Time: 10:00am
Place: UT Concho Community Garden, 2108 Concho St.
Who: Food is Free Project
Why: To meet great people and eat great food!

RSVP on our Facebook event, or just show up!

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Rainwater system


We have our first functional rainwater harvesting system thanks to student group Engineers for a Sustainable World!