2025 July Newsletter
Summer is here
The perfect sunny location for the Portsmouth Community Garden definitely suits our fruits, vegetables, and flowers. The strawberry plants produced a delicious crop this season and next up are the blueberries and raspberries. Please help yourself (leave some for others)! As always, if you have any questions or any recommendations for how to improve the gardening experience this year, reach out.
ACTION ITEMS
Happy Hour of the seasonWednesday, July 16 from 5:30-7 p.m. for the garden’s first Happy Hour of the season and some hands-on instruction on how best to prune your tomato plants and battle pests that are rearing their ugly heads at the garden. Remember to check the whiteboard in the shed for the latest updates.
Knotweed Alert –Take Action
If you see a knotweed seedling, dig deep to pull up the entire root system and place it in the bin marked KNOTWEED in the shed. Shout out to Grace Carmichael (and her partner) for doing a comprehensive search during the last Community Time.
If you see a red flag in your bed, it means you had knotweed. Keep an eye on that location as it may come back.
Tomato Time Happy Hour
For the first Happy Hour of the season on Wednesday, July 16 from 5:30-7 p.m., bring your beverage of choice and enjoy a snack or two (this is not a full blown potluck, but if you have something you really want to share … feel free to bring it along.)
Curious about how to prune your tomato plants or need a refresher? Board Chair, Tricia Donohue, will take 10-15 minutes to share best practices and provide a hands-on demonstration. The Tomato Talk portion of the evening starts at 6 p.m.
Member Reminders
Feel free to add to the compost holding bin to the far right of the bins. Remember the following: no weeds, no diseased plant matter or bug-infested plants, and make sure to cut into smaller pieces. Thanks to Jay Kobzik and Ben St. Jean for getting the bins ship shape during a recent Community Time.
Weed around your garden beds. This stops the weeds from spreading! We expect a load of wood chips soon and will share information about a wheelbarrow brigade when it arrives.
If you have time to do some urgent chores, please log your time on the whiteboard. Two areas, along the back fence to the right of the compost bins and along the front gate, desperately need to be weeded. Shout out to Laura Gunning for organizing the shed!
Coil the hose correctly so that it comes off easily for the next gardener and make sure to drain it when you finish.
Close and lock the gate if you are the last person in the garden.
Have fun!
SQUASH those Squash Bugs!
Gardeners reported sightings of squash bugs, striped cucumber beetles and red humped caterpillars in select beds. Every time you go to the garden now, check for bugs and let your neighbors know if you have seen them in your bed. One effective approach is to hand pick them off and dispose of them in soapy water. Leave a container in your bed for ease of use, see photo. Check for eggs underneath the leaves and use duct tape to lightly pat the area to remove them.
If you missed the Annual Meeting or want a reminder, review the helpful Garden Pest Talk with Leslie Stevens blog post on the garden website.
Got Surplus Harvest? Donate to Gather
To date, the Portsmouth Community Garden donated 1,000+ pounds of surplus harvest to Gather to help fight food insecurity in our community. Deliveries for this voluntary program, start the week of July 14. Volunteers will deliver on Mondays and Thursdays, but new this season, feel free to put your surplus harvest in the cooler any day of the week.
This season, we provide the option to be responsible for a week of watering the Gather Bed (to the right as you enter the gate). If interested in doing this for your “give back” hours, sign up via the Gather Waterers and Harvesters tab in Signup Genius.
Garden Squad Directory Available in the Shed
Refer to the Garden Squad Directory on the bulletin board to connect with your closest neighbors (still missing some photos). Expect to receive a copy in your inbox in early July for ease of reference.
Use the directory to let your “neighbors” know if you see pests (as they can easily jump to other beds), need vacation coverage or could use a hand with watering.
Check out this great picture of Holly Ranson and Adam Atherton. They are most excited about growing tomatoes (this time with cages now that they know how tall they can grow) this season. Stop by Bed 1J to say hello.
Check out the Portsmouth Community Garden on Instagram or Facebook
New to the garden? Find us on Instagram and Facebook – search “portsmouthcommunitygarden.” Be sure to check out the fun posts on social media, led by Ari Ragonese. If you see them at Bed 4D, say hello to her, her husband Daniel and her gorgeous children, Auggie and Gemma. If you take a great picture, send it to Beth Hartnett.
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