Progress Update

We are waiting for a lease agreement from the North Clackamas School District, however we have moved forward with our planning.
The garden will have 28 plots to rent, ranging from about 50 square feet up to 200 square feet. The cost to rent a plot is still being figured out; once we know more about the operational costs (especially the cost of the lease), we will set the fee. We expect it to be in the range of $30 for a small plot and $60 for a large plot. The garden will also have four plots where volunteers will grow crops to harvest for donation.

We have commitments for two major donations:

• Wichita Sanitary Service is donating the pick up of a can of weekly plant debris from the garden. This generous donation will help our gardeners by limiting the amount of debris they will need to haul to their homes for disposal.
• Landscape East & West is donating the materials for getting water to all of the plots (pipe, hose bibs, back flow prevention, etc.) AND they have some employees who are willing to donate their time to help us install the pipes! Our garden volunteers really appreciate the help Landscape East and West's of highly skilled labor.

If anyone knows of other local businesses that would be willing to help, let us know. Here is a list of a few of the things we need:

• Water meter installation
• Chain link fence and gates
• Lumber (preferably cedar or juniper)
• Tools (heavy duty, professional quality shovels etc.)
• Hoses and nozzles
• Mulch & Compost
• Tilling, or rental of tillers (North Clackamas Parks will do the initial tilling for us, but we will need to till amendments into all of the planting beds)
• Refreshments for volunteers

Registration is open now, you will find the form on a tab at the top of the page. We will assign plots to those living in the Hector Campbell Neighborhood first, and then open it up to the entire city (assuming plots are still available) on April 15th. If registration numbers exceed the plots available, we will create a waiting list. At this point we do not know when the garden will be ready for planting, a lot depends on the weather in March and April.

We are looking for volunteers to help build the garden. If you are able to help, please let us know! Call Sarah Smith: 503-653-0015 or email hectorcambellnda@gmail.com Here are a few tasks we will need help with:

• Tilling and grading
• Staking off planting beds and paths
• Edging beds
• Moving compost
• Building paths
• Installing water lines
• Building fence
• Planting community beds

Thanks to the steering committee for their hard work on the planning of the garden, and to those who have committed to donating to the garden. This garden will be a great addition to our neighborhood!

Gardening Classes

I noticed daffodils beginning to peek out from the ground this morning, spring is on the way!

Here is a short list of upcoming gardening education opportunities:

Oregon Tilth's Comprehensive Organic Gardener Program

This program runs from March 14 - April 4 and takes place Wednesday evenings 6:00-8:00pm and Saturdays 10-3pm. Cost: $250

This multi-session program in organic vegetable gardening is designed as a hands-on course, introducing beginning gardeners to the dynamic world of organic gardening while getting your hands dirty in the process!  This series is a must for people new to gardening in general and people who have recently moved to the Pacific Northwest. It is an ideal blend of practical instruction and scientific fundamentals  -  paralleled with hands-on time working in the organic demonstration gardens. By the end, you will feel more confident and secure in your organic gardening ventures. Click HERE for more details.

Urban Growth Bounty 2012

Urban Growth Bounty's new season of classes expands your knowledge about growing abundant fruit and vegetables, raising chickens and bees, improving your soil and yard, and making delicious cheese. The classes are taught by Portland experts and will make 2012 a more sustainable, healthier year for the earth, your family and your budget. Click HERE for a list of classes.


Clackamas County Master Gardeners Events

February 25, 2012 9am to Noon, Free
Garden Discovery Day:  Have Fun with Know, Sow, Grow
Milwaukie Center, 5540 SE Kellogg Creek Drive, Milwaukie, 503-653-8100
This event is for the entire family. Adults will enjoy lectures, workshops, and a gardening clinic. Children will love the hands-on activities. During the event, you may have soil samples tested for pH and, if needed, get advice on how to balance it. Learn more by clicking HERE!



April 9, 2012 7pm, free

Getting the Respect from your Vegetable Garden! Marc Boucher-Colbert, Urban Agriculture Solutions LLC, Garden Specialist at Franciscan Montessori Earth School in Portland, OR

You can have a great year-round veggie garden even with a minimum time investment as long as you garden smart. Cut down on back-breaking labor. Win the battle over difficult soil. Squeeze out as much produce as possible from small spaces. Enjoy fresh food year-round. Come take back ownership of your vegetable garden and tell it what YOU want it to do.

Milwaukie Center, 5540 SE Kellogg Creek Drive, Milwaukie, 503-653-8100

Home Orchard Society Events
Click Here to check out their events page. Be sure to save the date for the Fruit Propagation Fair
Saturday, March 17, 2012, 10am to 4pm, Clackamas County Fairgrounds, Canby, Oregon.

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CCG Mission Statement

It is the mission of the Campbell Community Garden to provide a place for community members of all ages who share a common interest in organic gardening to grow fresh food for their family and friends, to strengthen community bonds, and to maintain an active use on the Hector Campbell School grounds.

Our Neighborhood Garden: We Can Start Planning for Spring Planting!

It looks like the School District is going to let us build a community garden at Hector Campbell School! There are still details to work out, but we can start moving forward. I will be at our neighborhood meeting on Monday evening (Nov. 14th) and at our Homewood Park Work Party on Saturday (Nov. 19th), stop by if you have questions or want to learn more about the project.

This location was chosen for us by the School District because it won't interfere with the play fields or play ground. It is nice and sunny too!

I'll post more information soon.

~Sarah Smith

Garden Planning Survey

We would like to hear from other experienced Community Gardeners about their experience working in a community garden, If you are a Community Gardner, please take our short 10 question survey. Please share this survey with others involved in community gardening, we want to gather as much information as possible! Here is a link you can share via email (cut and paste it):

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YJQHDHD

As we get farther into the planning process we will post a survey for gardeners who want a plot in our neighborhood garden, so if you don't have experience in a  community gardening situation yet, please wait for that survey.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Fall Gardening

A revised proposal has been submitted to the school district for the use of the Hector Campbell School grounds for a neighborhood community garden, we are waiting for their response. Ideally we would start working on the new garden this fall before the soil is too wet from winter rains; but if not, we will just have to wait until spring. Anyway, fall is a great time to learn new gardening techniques, plan for spring planing and next summers harvest, AND plant a winter garden!

Learn


Lettuce growing under plastic in January

Clackamas County Master Gardeners Fall Garden Fair: Saturday October 8th at the Milwaukie Center, 5440 SE Kellogg Creek Drive, from 9:30am to Noon. Attend "10 minute university" seminars, have your soil PH tested, and have questions answered by Master Gardeners. Click HERE for a complete schedule of the days events. And while you are there take a walk around the building and check out the Centers Community Garden beds.

Plan

Take time to think about what vegetables your family likes to eat, how much they eat, how you would prepare home grown veggies, and how you would store your harvest. Think about which plants you should grow from seed and which you should plan to buy as starts from the market. Take time to look through seed catalogs and study online resources like the OSU Extension Services results of their vegetable variety trials. 

Kale grows well through the winter.

Plant

Don't stop growing food just because summer is over! Our climate allows us to grow some things year round with just a little protection from the cold. Some edibles must be planted in the fall: October is the time to plant garlic to be harvested early next summer. See the OSU Extension publication "Fall and Winter Vegetable Gardening in the Pacific Northwest" for a good overview of winter gardening. Most of the crops will need time to establish themselves before the real cold weather sets in, so it may be a little late to start seeds, but veggie starts can be purchased at the farmers market or at the nursery.

Growing Vegetables in Containers

If you don't have a big yard for a vegetable garden, or just want to get a little vegetable gardening in before we get a community garden plot in the neighborhood, try growing in containers.

This 10-Minute University (really almost 30 minutes) video, by Clackamas County, was filmed at the Oregon City Farmers Market. It has good tips to get you started. And here is a link to an article on growing veggies in containers from Around Town Magazine.


Master Gardener 10 Minute University-Growing Edibles in Containers from Clackamas County on Vimeo.

Here is a highlight Master Gardener, Darlene Reimer's tips from the video:

• Bigger is better than small when it comes to containers, roots need room to grow.
• Good drainage is important; containers must have drainage holes.
• Don't use garden soil in containers, use a good quality soil less mix that will drain well.
• Mix a slow-release fertilizer into the soil as you fill the pots.
• Water the plants well before planing them in the container and then water them in.
• Keep the plants watered and fertilized as the season progresses.