2026 August Newsletter
Full Swing
With a new lock in place, lots of sun, and rain, the garden is doing very well. So well, in fact, that some beds have dropped fruit in them. Please connect with a neighbor to pick very ripe fruit if you will be on vacation or know you can’t get to the garden during this time of rapid harvest. If you missed a newsletter this year, you will now find them on the garden’s website. As always, if you have any questions about the garden, reach out.
ACTION ITEMS
Community TimeIf you haven’t fulfilled your volunteer hour obligation, refer to the Sign-Up Genius and be sure to check out the Gather watering options, which come with flexible times. In addition, weed around your beds, remember to turn off the spigot when you are done watering, keep the gate shut, lock the gate when you leave the garden if you are the last to leave, and take your weeds with you when you leave.
Garden Member “Above and Beyond” Shout Out to Ari!
Ari Ragonese
Garden member and Social Media Coordinator, Ari Ragonese, well known by now for her social media prowess, not only manages the Facebook and Instagram accounts for the garden, but recently went above and beyond.
She launched a one woman Colorado Potato beetle attack mission to the benefit of us all. Flush with that success, she tackled the weeds in an empty bed (since then offered to the next person in line for a truncated season), which also benefits anyone in the vicinity as weed seeds easily travel to other beds.
We love our members and appreciate everything they do to keep the garden thriving. If you notice someone going “above and beyond,” please let us know.
The Battle of the Rabbits is ON
Photo courtesy of Cartoon Network
Garden members are not the only ones enjoying the fresh produce, unfortunately. Board Member, Jenn Cotrupi, tracked down a space behind the raspberry canes large enough for rabbits to enter and sealed those holes.
If you see a rabbit in the Have A Heart Trap near the raspberries, please tell Jenn at 603.234.8368 or Board Chair Tricia Donohue at 603.969.1512 immediately to ensure prompt relocation.
Trashcan for Trash Only
We need to avoid getting on the Portsmouth Department of Public Work’s “naughty list.” How can you help? Never put weeds in the trash can located near the dog park!
Surplus Green Beans
Gather Surplus Harvest Report
Deliveries for this voluntary program officially kicked off on Monday, July 13 and we’re off to a slow start this season. Feel free to put your surplus harvest in the cooler any day of the week although deliveries happen on Monday afternoons and Thursdays between 12-1 p.m.
Meet at the Garden for the Next Happy Hour
Come to the garden to raise a glass, trade success stories and challenges, check out each other’s garden beds, and share some snacks (BYOB to all) on Sunday, August 16 at 4:30 p.m.
Unwelcome Visitors
If you see a Tomato Hornworm caterpillar chomping on your tomato plants, remove it immediately! Place it in a jar of soapy water and dispose of it at home. If a member sees a hornworm with a white sac on their back - leave it where it is! The Hornworm will do no further damage to your tomato plant and those are the cocoons from a braconid wasp which will hatch within a week and then attack the hornworms. If you see this caterpillar, please tell your neighbors to be on the look out and check your plants regularly.
In addition, continue to check the underside of your cucumber, zucchini, summer squash, and eggplant leaves for eggs and remove them as soon as you see them.
What is Solarization?
While plans are underway to bring in mounds of woodchips to fill in between the garden beds to tamp down the weeds later this season, the Board of Directors decided to try a new approach to combat the proliferation of weeds behind the shed. Watch for plastic sheets which represent solarization underway. The approach is to wet the dirt, cover the area with clear plastic, and seal the edges to trap the sun's heat to kill weed seeds, insects, and plant germs over a four to six week period.
Community Outreach Update
Margaret Witham, Board Member and Community Outreach Coordinator, continued to work with the Peer Connections and Gather’s new Grow Together Mentoring programs and shared, “It is so fun to see people who don't have much experience with plants really enjoy themselves.”
After good harvests of lettuce, sugar snap peas, and parsley, they are now onto basil with tomatoes soon to follow.
Thank you to the Community Garden volunteers who help out with the Outreach projects.
Got Time to Help with Volunteer Coordination?
Reach out if you are able to take on the role of Volunteer Coordinator or would like information about the details. This is on-line work (that fulfills your obligation to the garden) with flexible hours and it delivers a big impact on the garden!
The Board of Directors thanks Samantha Flynn for serving as Volunteer Coordinator and helping us stay on track. Thank you so much, Samantha!
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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