Downtown Community Garden - Des Moines Iowa
Growing Together @ the corner of E 6th and Scott Street.
Winter seed swap
Hey gang!
I'm trying to set up a winter seed swap/get together with the downtown gardeners and the franklin gardeners.
I'm thinking we reserve a conference room at a local library for an afternoon, maybe a weekend afternoon for a few hours. Really casual, come and go as you please.
Swap seeds, swap advice, etc.
What would y'all like?
I'm trying to set up a winter seed swap/get together with the downtown gardeners and the franklin gardeners.
I'm thinking we reserve a conference room at a local library for an afternoon, maybe a weekend afternoon for a few hours. Really casual, come and go as you please.
Swap seeds, swap advice, etc.
What would y'all like?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Drew Matthew Maifeld on -
This sounds great !
Lets consider making this a day for all Des Moines community gardeners and consider it a recruitment day for new members as well ?
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Permalink Reply by Holly Hartling on -
I love this idea! I newly joined this group, and it would be a great way to meet people!
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Permalink Reply by Alexander Grgurich on -
I'm up for this, just joined the group and am a gardening newbie, but wanting to learn and grow some great vegetables.
I'd also offer up my business' space downtown, across from the sculpture garden. It's called Foundry Coworking and is at 1312 Locust Street.
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Permalink Reply by Sandy on
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Welcome, Holly(Egg) and Alexander! I didn't end up saving seeds from last year, but am up for a get together this Winter. I am calculating what to plant, as we speak. I think I may try potatoes this year, since I can start planting them in April. I've missed the garden so much, this Winter.
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Permalink Reply by Holly Hartling on
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Hi Sandy and Alexander! I've missed gardening, too! At least this awful snow is insulating our perennials, right!? Last year I did container gardening. This year I'm feeling ambitious, and I think I will put in a full-fledged garden. I also have a LOT of interesting hostas and other perennials that will be ready to split, so, if anyone is interested in a hosta exchange when it gets to be that time, I'm your gal.
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Permalink Reply by Drew Matthew Maifeld on
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Would someone like to propose a date for a seed swap and get-together ? Jennie or Donna - this is mostly in your court :)
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Permalink Reply by Jennie on -
Oh! We have been working on this, but we were stymied by lack of spaces. every place wanted 20-40 dollars for us to use a space to have this swap. Alexander, use of your space would help immensely! Now, we are combining swaps for the Downtown and the Franklin gardeners, so I think we could get 12-40 people. Will your space handle that many? We would need a couple of tables and a half a dozen chairs at least. Originally we were aiming for the 20th of this month, does that day work for you Alexander?
-Jennie
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Permalink Reply by Alexander Grgurich on
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Our space can definitely handle 40 and we'll set out some chairs along with the tables we already have. I think you'll like the space a lot (lots of natural light and a huge skylight).
Saturday, Feb. 20th works for me. Just let me know and I'll let the office mates of ours know that we'll be using the space, which is no problem at all.
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Permalink Reply by Jennie on
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Ok, lets say 10am-noon. That's a good time for a Saturday meeting. :-)
Drew, can you send an email to the Downtowners? I'll send out an email to the Frankliners.
Feb 20th, 10-12, Foundry Coworking
www.foundrycoworking.com
Suite 204
1312 West Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309.
Things to bring:
-either paper envelopes or ziplocks or something to put seeds in (check office supply stores for small ziplocks)
-a marker/pen
-gardening thoughts from this past year to share with fellow gardeners
-Seeds!! (either seeds you've saved, or seeds you've bought) It helps if you know what they are and how old they are, but bring anything you'd like to share, I'm sure someone will take it. :-)
-Seed catalogs. Bring your favorite catalogs, maybe you want to order a packet of melon seeds, but you know you won't use all 25 of them, perhaps someone else was interested in that same variety and y'all could split them.
-Garden plans, we can look over each other's plans, maybe tweak things. :-)
-Ideas! This will be a great time to visit with fellow gardeners, and brainstorm new ideas for this coming year.
-Friends! This can totally be an outreach afternoon, if you have a friend who's been interested in tending a plot, bring 'em out and we'll set them up with some seeds maybe.
AM I forgetting anything? Come out even if you don't have a lot of seeds. If you have a lot of something and you're sure you want to get rid of some, feel free to pre-package them for quick dispersal. Depending on the plant type, 10-20 seeds is a good swappable amount. Less than that if its a large plant or rare or valuable. More than that if it's something minuscule like lettuce.
I'll plan on bringing a few of my vegetable/herb guides so we can look things up if we need. I'll try and bring my "seed to seed" "Organic gardening A-Z" "How to grow more vegetables..." plus a couple more.
-Jennie
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Permalink Reply by Sandy on
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Sounds like a great time, but unfortunately we won't be able to make it. I already have Sydney signed up for a toddler art class at that time. Hopefully we can meet up again in the Spring.
Best wishes,
Sandy
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Permalink Reply by Donna on -
I just invited the Drake Community Garden members. If any of us want to get more members or a waiting list we should canvas, it is suppose to be a Community Garden. And while I think individuals should have a plot, there is suppose to be a rotation. Everything I have read about maintaining a Community Garden has been about involving the community, this helps with thief. In my plot garden I think it would be fantastic to have rhubarb on one side and raspberry bushes on the other, something to offer people who don't have a plot; as a beginning. I can understand people not wanting to give up their plots, it takes time and money to bring in dirt and fertilizer.But as I and people around me experienced it isn't as easy as putting a seed or transplant in the ground. I don't feel as though that means people who have the time, money, and knowledge should take away an opportunity from some else to grow food. From what I have understood there is a waiting list for the Franklin plots ... while I greatly admire what the Urban Ning is trying to do, there may be people who want to grow their own food.
Completely off topic I know, but take a walk through the Franklin Community gardens. There should be a limit to 2 plots! My bed sucked, the woman in front of me tried. The women beside me, through some miraculous measure got her plot moved to the "other side," the side that drains, a little. The Franklin Community garden is hogged, taken over ad not very well managed
I, as an advocate for Community Gardens, am jealous of you guys. I want our garden to have a rain catchment system, porta potties, butterfly gardens, rain gardens, herb gardens ... I think it's great there are landscape architects but it's OUR garden not their resume. It's our community. It's our Des Moines, not the USDA's fight for it. It's a human right to have gardens. We deserve them. Rant, I know and that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the architects involved but this is something for the people and Des Moines is Progressive ... right?
Bring you seeds. Bring Tea! Bring Banana Bread. Just come!!! :P
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Permalink Reply by Jennie on
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I'm sorry Donna, but your post is very confusing.
Thanks for inviting the Drakers! That's awesome. Did you forward the email that I sent out?
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If any of us want to get more members or a waiting list we should canvas, it is suppose to be a Community Garden.
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Do we want a waiting list? How many of the plots spoken for right now? I'm not sure we need to canvas. Why does it sound like you are suggesting it's not a Community Garden?
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And while I think individuals should have a plot, there is suppose to be a rotation.
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What do you mean by rotation? If I spend a couple of years building up a plot's soil and beneficial organisms I'm not going to want to give it to someone else.
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But as I and people around me experienced it isn't as easy as putting a seed or transplant in the ground.
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What are you trying to say here? No, it's not that easy, that's why we work so hard at practicing the craft, building up soil and saving genetics. :-) And I'm confused, are you talking about the Franklin or the Downtown garden? Last year was a tough year, it was cold and rainy and blight-y. Nobody had a steller year, but I'll share some of the tricks I used last year, that worked really well to mitigate the losses.
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I can understand people not wanting to give up their plots, it takes time and money to bring in dirt and fertilizer.I don't feel as though that means people who have the time, money, and knowledge should take away an opportunity from some else to grow food. From what I have understood there is a waiting list for the Franklin plots ... while I greatly admire what the Urban Ning is trying to do, there may be people who want to grow their own food.
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This whole paragraph confused me.
The Urban Ning? The Ning is just a site to chat and share pictures, what are you saying it's trying to do? And who's taking opportunities away? The whole point of the gardens IS for people with the time/money/knowledge to grow food, if someone doesn't have those things, why give them a plot? Who are you talking about here?
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There should be a limit to 2 plots! ... The Franklin Community garden is hogged, taken over ad not very well managed
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I kinda agree with you here. There are some old members of that community garden that have a half a dozen plots merged into super plots, although in their defense they have put in the time and energy, and they keep them well maintained. But with the size of the waiting list, perhaps the coordinator should step in and help divide some of that back up into individual plots. This particular complaint would be better directed at the leadership of those gardens, not here on the seed swap thread of totally different garden space darlin. :-) Although, I really liked the coordinator from last year, S. Bruner, but it sounds like she's not the coordinator this year, I'm a little confused as to who's the leader there right now, but that just second's what you said about it not being very well managed.
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I, as an advocate for Community Gardens, am jealous of you guys. I want our garden to have a rain catchment system, porta potties, butterfly gardens, rain gardens, herb gardens ... I think it's great there are landscape architects but it's OUR garden not their resume. It's our community. It's our Des Moines, not the USDA's fight for it. It's a human right to have gardens. We deserve them. Rant, I know and that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the architects involved but this is something for the people and Des Moines is Progressive ... right?
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Again, a confusingly contradictory paragraph. :-) If it weren't for the "architects," (I'm assuming you mean Drew?) there wouldn't BE a downtown garden for "the people." And you're one of "the people" involved with the Franklin gardens aren't you? Why don't you start such things if you want them? If I'm still in Des Moines once the ground thaws, I will totally help with those ideas. I will come out with my shovel and if they haven't fixed the drainage problems, we'll just start with drainage ditches dug by hand, put in a rainwater catchment where it seems best and fix it ourselves! Those plots that were underwater last year weren't doing anybody any good, so I don't think we'll offend too many people if we just take matters in our own hands. :-) Don't just wait for the leader to say "Let's do it," just DO IT. And what on earth are you talking about the "USDA fight for it?" :-) Maybe you can clarify your thoughts next Saturday in person. Maybe too, if we have enough people show up from the Franklin community we can get a posse together to address some of these issues.
-Jennie
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