Our beautiful kids garden is open for all the community, not just garden members! A recent visit left all the kids delighted.
Photos from May visits to the kids garden
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Hollenback Minutes – May 15, 2018
Hollenback Community Garden Meeting
Minutes – May 15, 2018
Introductions: Went around introducing ourselves and say what we would like to learn more about. Some topics were compost, bees/pollinators, general growing, companion planting, plant disease, etc.
Talk about bringing the Clinton Hill community members into the garden. Postcards will be made to introduce people to the garden. They can be posted and distributed to garden visitors.
It’s a good idea to bring sunblock and insect repellant.
Schedule: Review of this season’s schedule. See website for dates of workdays and meetings.
This week’s garden work day is moved to Sunday, May 20 due to rain forecasts.
Operations Committee: Reviewed weekend’s work agenda – benches, rebuilding of broken beds, compost toilet. We need ideas for grape vine trellis.
Other projects on the horizon: bat house, compost/topsoil will be deliver and will need a workday to distribute it throughout the garden, sign painting materials are available to plots and overall garden communication.
Membership rules reviewed. HCG is NOT a private garden. Keep gates open when in the garden. Always be inclusive. No loud partying. 10 PM is about the latest time to be in the garden. Be considerate of the neighbors. Use good judgement.
View of key policy. 1 work day and 2 meetings plus paid dues are needed before getting a garden key.
Remember to pay your dues: Paypal online or in person in cash. Pay dues on a sliding scale – $10-50. BY JUNE 15
Current balance in garden fund is $4,440
signup for Garden Open Hours online via google Doc.
Volunteers are needed to help with the kids, herb and welcome garden. Members who are on vacation could us help with their plots.
There are more free plants available. tomatoes, peppers, local natives plants, tulip bulbs. Next year, we need to plan for a bigger pickup from the Brooklyn Botanical Garden plant sale.
A big Thank you for contributions to PS 20 – They now have Bees!
Events: Plant sale was a bit over a break-even success. We will have more plant/bake sales.
Events Committee wants to hear your ideas. – Send in your ideas.
Harvest event aligns with the community block party.
Compost Committee needs to additional volunteers.
Please do not leave plastic bags in the compost. Take labels off your food scraps.
Use the city bins for meat, dairy, avocado pits, corn cobs, etc. Do not place in garden compost.
Water: If you see standing water, empty it. Water attract mosquitos.
Always close barrels tightly.
BQLT is the nonprofit that supports community gardens: All members are encouraged to attend their meetings and events. Report back and receive garden credits towards your members responsibilities.
People’s Garden in Bushwick is a great garden to visit.
Hollenback Minutes – April 21, 2018
Hollenback Community Garden Meeting
April 21, 2018
Minutes
Introductions: (see sign-in sheet) of committee leaders and all members. There was lots of excitement today of past and new members.
Membership requirements reviewed. Dues. 3 Meetings. 3 Workdays. 4 Open Hours. There are also different levels of membership. 2 people can act as one member. Only one member per household. Dues $10-50 per year (sliding scale). Join as a member between March 15-May 31.
Members get a key. Quorum is needed to vote on spendings of $250 plus. Just a majority is needed for spending under $250.
There are lots of ways to get in your time in addition to the standard requirements. For example, attend a BQLT meeting and report back to HCG meeting.
For now, untiling banking gets sorted out, dues should be paid in cash or via pay-pal.
Plots need to be planted by June 15. Use them or lose them.
Signing-off on bylaws by all in attendance
HIstory of HCG and NYC/Brooklyn Community Gardens: Connection to Green Thumb and BQLT for support and assistance with managing/insurance/water
Saturday, May 5 HCG will be hosting the BQLT meeting
Events:
Review of season’s schedule: Plant Sale next week – volunteers needed. Baked goods are encouraged to be donated. They bring in another revenue source.
Events committee will send a survey about possible events and event updates. Baked goods always welcome.
Members can propose and lead educational talks.
We are aiming for full-open hours on the weekends. Thursday’s 5-7 (spring) and 6-8 (summer) Friday’s 4-6. Additional hours will be write-in the binder.
Communal Herb Garden in the works – more info to come
Water Committee: Communal plots always need watering. Do not drink the captured water, it is only for watering the garden. BQLT will hopefully be fixing the spigot and turned on by the end of the month.
Garden Work Days
Operations: Review and of day’s work: compost toilet, replacing wood in beds, clean up wood stacks, clean back shed, bench rehab, general weeding, overall cleanup, composting. Plots assigned today.
There will be a list of things To Do posted
BQLT update
Compost: Pay attention to plastic bags and non-compostable materials to be place in the garbage and the brown bins. Brown bins are collected for composting by the city. Ensure HBC has clean, easy compost (no dairy, meat, thorns, avocado/peach pits, etc).
2018 Open Hours Now Available!
Good morning Hollenbackers!
We have now opened the signup sheet for the new season. Click here to open and add your name.
Any questions, please contact us.
Meeting Minutes from August 16, 2017
INTRO: What do you want to plant for fall?
OPS
- Please chop weeds, anything invasive or covered in thorns go in the brown city compost bins
- Please weed around your plots, mosquitoes are taking over the garden
- 8/19 Workday – Craft Focus – Paint a sign for your plot, or help make one for Harvest Festival. We’ll also make smudge sticks and dipped-paint pots. Non-crafty folks can stick to general maintenance and clean up. A* will lead.
EVENTS
- Harvest Festival, Saturday, September 23, 11am-3pm (not the 24th!)
- Contest – compete with other gardeners for best produce, preserves, and in the Great Apple Challenge! Sign-up in person or email your submission to alishapetro@gmail.com If you know any prominent foodies or local celebrities who can be judges, let us know!
- Raffle – BQLT is letting us use their 501c3 tax certificate, which means all donations are tax-deductible! Raffle forms and flyers are available for distribution, update A* if you are going to ask someone, or would like us to
- Help! We will be offering workday credits to everyone who works Harvest Festival. We also need gardeners to make baked good for our bake sale.
Open hours will be available for those who clean and set up the garden. Sign-up in person or email alishapetro@gmail.com - We need kids activities, any ideas?
- Need to borrow folding chairs and folding tables from someone
- Donation requests for supplies – Let us know if we can take these off your hands!
- General: coffee canister, water dispenser, 3-ring binders, pH meter
- 8/19 Workday: craft paints, brushes, cardboard or tarps we can get paint on
- Harvest Festival: used books to sell! (bring on the day or or day before)
TREASURER
- Please pay dues to J** in cash or to the Hollenback PayPal account
BUSINESS
- Green Thumb and Grow NYC events to earn credits and stuff for the garden
- If you have a get together at the garden, you must inform garden membership, clean up afterwards, be kind to our neighbors (noise from the garden carries), and COMPOST (paper plates, napkins and all food scraps can go in brown compost bins)
- Bushwick City Farm has a petition out to save their garden from development (https://www.thepetitionsite.com/385/729/745/save-bushwick-city-farm/)
SOCIAL NETWORKING
- Hollenback is now on Instagram! instagram.com/hollenbackgarden. Follow us and we’ll happily repost your Hollenback pics! Or email them to S**, sarah.barasch@gmail.com
- Facebook photos can also be sent to S**, we’re currently seeking before and after pics, if you have any of your plot, or the garden in general (or at least the “before”)
BQLT UPDATE
- Water key – We aren’t the only garden with issues, many are complaining, BQLT will distribute new keys to every garden with this system soon. Did you know? Some gardens water their plots via fire hydrant!
- September 16 – Open Gardens Day (aka Bike Tour) – all BQLT gardens must keep gates open from 11am-3pm. This is our scheduled workday, which helps to stay open, but should we consider switching the workday to Sunday instead?
There is also an after party at Westbook Community Garden. - 2017 Goals: Respect Community & Membership, Grow membership
OPEN HOURS
- We need to have the garden open 20 hours per week
- Wednesday 12-2, 4-6, Thursday 6-8, Saturday/Sunday 10-12, 12-2, 2-4
- Make sure to have gate open when doing water committee work (fill barrels, water common area) to earn an open hour credit
- Don’t forget to mark your name in the orange binder in the open hours calendar and/or water committee sheet
UPCOMING WORKDAYS, MEETINGS and EVENTS
- August 19, Saturday – Workday
- September 19, Wednesday – Meeting
- September 16, Saturday – Workday
- September 23, Saturday – Harvest Fest
- October 14, Saturday – Workday/Meeting
- November 15, Wednesday – Meeting
- November 18, Saturday – Workday
TODAY’S TALK: NATIVES + POLLINATORS!
- Stick around after the meeting to hear S*** and J*** discuss native plants and attracting pollinators. S**n recently attended a Greenthumb workshop on the topic and will share her notes.
Meeting Minutes – 06/14/2017
June 14, 2017 Garden Meeting Notes
12 ppl attend, held at Hollenback Garden
Intro: Josh. How long have you been a gardener and what are you growing?
OPS
- Chop up your weeds; don’t leave on the side of the greens bin
- Cover your compost with browns or greens! Or, take them to Fort Greene Farmer’s Market on Sat. mornings, or Fulton/Clinton Monday 7:30-9 a.m.
- Weed what needs to be weeded
- Plan to rebuild beds and expand welcome garden : Sara Stopek
- Fill water barrels
- Organize winter shed; combustibles stored safely
- Turn compost
- Restain benches on weeknight workday: Ben will lead
- Emerson says, thin roses, keep walkway clear
- Cut back butterfly bushes and weed herb garden
EVENTS:
- Full Moon Soiree was a success! 20 ppl attended, ladybugs released
- Ben from Brooklyn Grange attended, and contributed a dozen plants
- Harvest Fest date set for Sunday, Sept 24 to coordinate with Block Party
- We’re having an Edible/Non-Edible Weed talk on Saturday’s workday
TREASURER:
- Pay your dues to Josh by June 15; use PayPal if you have to
BUSINESS:
- Unclaimed plots will be divvied on Saturday, or we’ll plant melons
- We’re buying mulch for common areas; we’ll have it delivered and hold a special mulch spreading workday
- Shana will ask City for brown recycling bins for larger compost items
- Ask BQLT rep to call BQLT and ask about compost
- Apple tree in Joe’s plot will go to Miss Margaret’s house on Workday
- Deema volunteers to relocate her blackberry bush
OPEN HOURS:
- Wed: 12-2/ 4-6
- Thurs: 6-8
- Sat/Sun: 10-12/ 12-2/ 2-4
Notes from Meeting, May 21 2107
Hollenback Garden Meeting Notes May 21, 2017
18 PPL attend meeting/workday in garden
· Intro: Who are you and what are you growing?
Ops:
· Workday plans to rehab plots with wood from Big Reuse
· Resolve tree: Joe talked to BBG, Parks, Devlopers, no one wanted tree. Nothing worked out yet, but tree uprooted and placed in can with dirt
· Weed entrances, esp thin out milkweed. Sara leads this.
· Rachel is moving tomato volunteers to other areas, including Kids Plot
· Ernesto and Joe turning compost over
· Tomorrow in Staten Island: Shana says Compost Give-Back, free 40 lb. bags of compost to pick up. Workday credits. Josh says we can get a ton delivered = 60 40 lb. bags. If no one gets it tomorrow, we’ll ask about delivery. Ernesto to follow up.
Membership:
· Clara and Shana run new member orientation
· Decide to do Open Hours sign-up ONLY in the orange book in compost toilet, to avoid problems tracking work
· Committee hours (water, compost) get credit, but must organize with leader
Treasurer:
· Josh says pay your dues by June 15, cash or PayPal only
· Allocates $12 for ladybug buy
Events:
· June 9, Full Moon Soiree planned. Alisha invites all to come at 7 p.m., bring food for potluck-style dinner with grilling. There will be a ladybug release and plant trade.
· Pass out form: What are you good at? Alisha gets info on who wants to lead educational talks this year.
· Members talk about painting murals on shed doors.
Hollenback March 18 Minutes
Hollenback Community Garden Season 2017
Membership Meeting Notes, March 18, 2017, at Clinton Hill Library
18 ppl attended
1. Introduction: People introduced, meet your neighbor and say something about them.
2. Welcome new folks! One new member, a dozen new inquiries online. We’ll save the ‘History of Hollenback’ talk until the April meeting.
3. Bylaws: We passed new bylaws at the end of the 2016 season. We must all sign the new bylaws at the April meeting, and turn it in to the Membership Coordinator. New rules loosely translate: 3 Meetings + 3 Workdays + 4 Open Hours (2 hr sessions)
4. Ops Report: Damian (was sick) is in charge, will let us know scheduled workdays after ice and snow melts. He intends to finish up the Back Lot Project before the main season starts, finishing adding siding to the shed, and making lockable doors.
5. Treasury: Josh. We are in decent shape, with $1300 in coffers, $400 of which was raised at Harvest Fest, thanks to good participation. Dues on a sliding scale of $10-50 are due by June 15, 2017, via cash, PayPal or sent to our gmail address.
6. BQLT: Yoni represents us within Brooklyn-Queens Land Trust, which now has 36 gardens. They are hold a big Grow NY event in the Bronx at Hostas this month. BQLT is also holding their biannual elections in May. They are working with the city to turn on the water hookup, after threat of frost is past.
7. Events: Alicia/Winnie. Focus on events: Spring event, Full Moon Soiree, Harvest Fest, plus educational talks, and events for kids. April 4- Azura Goakan Japanese school kids are coming back for another tour.
8. Steering Committee: After 2 years as a member, you should volunteer for a chair position on the Steering Committee. It’s a 2-year tern, with an older member grooming a newer member to take over, so there is always overlap and not all new members. Share the work. Steering Committee members get Open Hours credits. We have to vote on new Committee Members. Quorum is 3/4 of full members, and 2/3 of a quorum passes a proposal. But only need quorum for projects in excess of $250, or lasting longer than 3 months. If there is not a quorum at the meeting, we can vote via email or phone.
Today, we voted on some new Steering Committee Members. Current leadership is as follows:
2 Co-Presidents: BOTH SEATS OPEN
2 Ops Members: Damian/Peter/Robin half season
2 Membership Coordinators: Shana/Clara
2 Events Coordinators: Alicia/Winnie
Treasurer: Joshn
BQLT Rep/Community Liaison: Y
Compost Committee: Ernesto
Water Committee: Emerson/Joyce/Shana
9. The Plottery: Assigned plots based on seniority, and number draw from last season
Old members relocated:
Y moves to Gregor’s plot/ Shana moves to Hila’s plot/ Josh moves to Spencer’s plot
New members choose plots:
Shannon-Nancy/Edna’s old plot
Ernesto-Cody’s old plot
Sara/Robert-Susana’s old plot
Sasha-Josh’s old plot
Clara-Frank’s old plot
Alex M.-Mark’s old plot
Andrea-Shana’s old plot
Sarah B-Under the apple tree plot
Peter-Kurt’s old plot
Pollinator Plants of the Northeast Region
Recommended native plants that are highly attractive to pollinators such as native bees, honey bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds, and are well-suited for small-scale plantings in gardens, on business and school campuses, in urban greenspaces, and in farm field borders.
Opening up the 2016 Season at Hollenback!
Thank you for your interest in becoming a member of the Hollenback Community Garden. Because of the tremendous interest in Hollenback, we have limited space and we ask that prospective members work as a New Member for a year before becoming eligible for their own plot in the following season.
Membership requires the following commitments:
- Paying dues (sliding scale of $10-50/season);
- Coming to 4 workdays;
- Coming to 4 meetings (membership meets monthly between March-October);
- Working 4 two-hour Open Hour shifts.
If you would like to join the garden, please attend the First Membership Meeting and Workday at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 2.
If you can’t make this meeting but still want to join the garden, you must come to either a workday or a meeting before Monday, June 15.
If you do all of these deeply fun things, you will become eligible for a plot in 2017, as available. As a New Member, you’ll be able to contribute to the Hollenback community by helping tend to the common areas and events.
For more information, please read through the site blog post history.
Hollenback Community Garden 