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April 18, 2025
Spring into Action: Getting Your Community Garden Ready for the Season As the days get longer and the chill of winter begins to fade, there's an unmistakable excitement in the air—spring is here, and that means it's time to breathe new life into your community garden! Whether you're a seasoned gardener or new to your plot, early spring is a critical time to set the stage for a successful growing season. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get your garden back in full swing. 1. Assess the Garden Space Before digging in, take a good look around. Check for winter damage to beds, fencing, pathways, and water systems. Report any water line damage to the Garden Board. Look for signs of erosion, debris buildup, or compacted soil. Clean up any litter, remove fallen branches, and clear out dead plants that didn’t make it through the winter. 2. Test and Prep the Soil Healthy soil is the heart of a productive garden. Consider doing a soil test to check for pH levels and nutrient content. Most community extension offices offer low-cost testing. Once you know what your soil needs, amend it with compost, aged manure, or other organic matter to improve fertility and structure. Pro tip: Avoid working wet soil—it can lead to compaction. Grab a handful and squeeze: if it crumbles easily, you're good to go! 3. Plan Your Planting Now’s the time to map out your planting plan. Think about crop rotation, companion planting, and succession planting to make the most of your space. Choose early spring crops like lettuce, spinach, peas, radishes, carrots, and kale. These cool-weather veggies can be sown directly into the soil as soon as it's workable. Coordinate with fellow gardeners to swap seeds and share starts! 4. Tidy Up Tools and Infrastructure Sharpen your tools, clean your gloves, and check your hose for leaks. A little maintenance now will save frustration later. Repair raised beds or trellises, restock garden supplies like labels and mulch. 5. Start Seeds Indoors (if you haven’t already) If you're planning to grow heat-loving crops like tomatoes, peppers, or eggplants, get those seeds started indoors now. By the time the last frost has passed, you’ll have strong transplants ready to go into the ground. 6. Mulch and Weed Early Weeds love spring too—get ahead of them by applying a fresh layer of mulch around your seedlings. Remember to also mulch the pathways to the East and South of your plot. 7. Watch the Weather Spring weather can be unpredictable. Keep an eye on temperatures and be ready to cover young plants with row covers or cloches if a cold snap threatens. Flexibility is key this time of year. 8. Document and Dream Start a garden journal to track planting dates, weather patterns, successes, and challenges. You'll thank yourself next year! And don’t forget to take a moment to enjoy the process—gardening is not just about food; it’s about connection, growth, and joy. 9. Soil Testing Resources for Washington, D.C. Gardeners The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) offers comprehensive soil testing services through its Environmental Quality Testing Laboratory (EQTL). The EQTL provides a range of analyses, including soil pH, nutrient levels (such as phosphate and nitrate), and metal content, tailored to urban gardening needs. How to Access UDC's Soil Testing Services: Environmental Quality Testing Laboratory University of the District of Columbia 4200 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington, DC 20008 Website: UDC EQTL Soil Testing Services Contact: Phone: 202.274.5000 To submit a soil sample, you can collect soil from your garden and deliver it to the EQTL at the address above. It's advisable to contact the laboratory beforehand to confirm sample submission procedures and any associated fees. The lab offers services such as sample collection (within D.C.), courier services, and data interpretation to help you understand your soil's condition and how to amend it for optimal plant growth . Here’s to a fresh start and a fruitful season ahead! Happy planting! 🌱 May 1, 2024
Garden Cleanup & Community Picnic Join us on May 4 for our Garden Cleanup and Community Picnic . 10 am: Meet at the chips pile at 42nd & Edmunds to join the cleanup 1 pm: Garden Community Picnic - bring your favorite dish to share Meet the many new gardeners, and connect with seasoned folks. Looking forward to seeing you there! April 9, 2024
Water is turned on! Please note that the water has been turned on. We are excited to see so many of you already active in your gardens, and are looking forward to a successful growing season. January 2, 2024
Happy New Year Fellow Gardeners! We hope you all had a restful holiday season and a very happy start to 2024. Dont forget to send your plot renewal forms and payment to Gerry Frost. You will also have the option of ordering straw bales for a Spring delivery. We are looking forward to seeing you all in the garden soon! November 22, 2023
Maintenance Reminders 1. WHEELBARROWS – Please do not leave wheelbarrows locked in your garden. Wheelbarrows are meant to be shared and should be returned to one of the three wheelbarrow stations before you leave for the day. 2. TRASH - Never leave trash or garden stuff in the common lawn areas of the garden, the compost area, the stick pile or along the perimeter fence. If you are not able to dispose of trash during our spring or fall trash collection, it must be brought home and disposed of in your own trash. Remember - on National Park Service land, what you bring in, you must bring out. 3. WATER – Please be mindful of water usage and water your garden sparingly. Do not use sprinklers. Please detach hoses from faucets when not in use. And last but not least, remember that there are water pipes underneath the garden walking paths, so don’t dig up there or you might end up with a geyser and a bill to repair the broken pipe. 2023 NPS RULES: Please read the National Park Service’s 2023 Guidelines for Community Gardens in Rock Creek Park on the GPCG website and here The 2021 Guidelines that are included in the link shall be considered relevant for 2023. November 20, 2023
2023 Annual Meeting on December 3 All gardeners are invited to the 2023 Glover Park Community Garden Annual Meeting to be held on December 3. Please review the email sent on November 16 for directions on the location of the meeting. This meeting will be conducted virtually as well in order to maximize the number of participants. A Zoom invite will be sent out via email the day before the December 3 meeting. The schedule for this year's annual meeting is as follows: 9:30 - 10:00 Refreshments and Collection of Renewal Forms and Dues 10:00 - 11:00 Annual Meeting The email from November 16 also included your 2024 Plot Renewal form. Please bring your payment along with the completed form to the annual meeting for collection. If you cannot submit your payment during the annual meeting, you can mail it to the Treasurer Gerry Frost as instructed on the renewal form. We look forward to seeing you all on December 3. November 12, 2023
Water Shut Off for the Season Due to nighttime temperatures dropping below freezing, we will turn the water off today. October 10, 2023
Fall Cleanup Day and Picnic Weather permitting, we will have our Fall Cleanup Day and Picnic on Saturday October 21. We will have pre-assigned cleanup activities for our army of volunteers to participate in followed by a delicious fall-themed picnic featuring some of our favorite vegetable dishes from our very own garden. October 1, 2023
Trash Collection: October 14 – October 29 There will be two collections in the designated roped-off sections at the north area of the garden next to the lilac bushes and the south area next to the chips pile. Do not put any trash in these areas except during October 14 – October 29. Unauthorized dumping on National Park Service land is a federal crime. September 20, 2023
New Listserv Connects Gardeners with Volunteers Thanks to John Coons, who has been helping out many gardeners on projects big and small, we now have a way for all gardeners to connect with garden volunteers. These volunteers are typically people on the waiting list, and eager to get their hands dirty. This listserv group may be used to find one time help (e.g. someone watering your garden plot while on vacation) to more solid co-gardening arrangements. The listserv does not replace communication through the existing listserv exclusively for gardeners. Both volunteers and gardeners who want to be part of this listserv need to sign up to the group using the following steps: 1) Email [email protected] indicating you would like to be added to the volunteer listserv. 2) Accept the invite to the group which will be emailed to you (check your spam folder). 3)- Once accepted, you will be able to send an email to [email protected] Note: If you skip step 2, you will not be able to send an email to the volunteer listserv. As a reminder, this listserv is in addition to our garden listserv, to which only registered gardeners have access to. August 5, 2023
Wood Chip Pile The pile of wood chips has been replenished and we now have quite a mountain of chips. An additional smaller pile is in the north-east corner of the garden. Gardeners, please use the wood chips to cover the paths around your plot, and in your plot as well if that's how you are covering your plot. July 15, 2023
Entering Harvest Season Many gardens are starting to bear the literal fruits of every gardener's labor. This is a friendly reminder to everyone strolling through the garden to please be respectful of what gardeners are growing and to not pick the produce you may see poking through the fence unless you were asked to do so. 
June 25, 2023
Time to Fire Up the Chainsaw Recent rains unfortunately caused a large branch to fall near the compost piles. Volunteer John Coons gladly stepped up and used the chainsaw to cut the branch into manageable pieces. Unfortunately, it took out a part of the fence with it. Repairs to that may follow. 
May 27, 2023
No Water! It's every gardener's nightmare - the weather is perfect, it's the weekend, you need to (and finally have the time to) water the garden. Only, there is no water. Recent placement of a utility pole led to some digging near the garden's main waterline and unfortunately, our pipe was cut. With no water and no clear answer on when this would get fixed, Board President Mike Minton jumped into action and started digging. Hours of sweat later, Mike had cleared the broken pipe and worked with our plumber to replace the segment. Thanks to them, the garden had water by the evening! May 6, 2023
Spring Cleanup Day and Picnic We are so thankful to all of you who came out to help us with the Spring cleanup. Your support made it possible to move the trash that had accumulated behind the compost pile; we tackled the woody weeds pile which will soon be chipped, over 200 bales of straw were moved and neatly stacked, and as a reward, we had a picnic. A big thank you to all of you who shared a dish! It was much appreciated. April 30, 2023
New Wheelbarrows Thanks to Ace Hardware in Glover Park and Garden Board Member John Coons, we have replenished our wheelbarrow stock. John is in the process of assembling the wheelbarrows, and he has also taken the lead on working with our youngest gardeners to name the new equipment. Hereby, we proudly introduce Flor and Rolley! April 10, 2023 Maintenance Reminders For Gardeners Wheelbarrows– Please do not leave communal wheelbarrows locked in your garden. Wheelbarrows are meant to be shared and should be returned to one of the three wheelbarrow stations before you leave for the day. Woodchips - Periodically, we have woodchips dropped which are for gardeners to use for maintenance of walkways, and in your plots. Please leave the shovel, marked as garden property, at the chips pile. Trash – Never leave trash or garden stuff in the common lawn areas of the garden, the compost area, the stick pile or along the perimeter fence. If you are not able to dispose of trash during our spring or fall trash collection, it must be brought home and disposed of in your own trash. Remember…on National Park Service land, what you bring in, you must bring out. Water – Please be mindful of water usage and water your garden sparingly. Do not use sprinklers. Please detach hoses from faucets when not in use. And last but not least, remember that there are water pipes underneath the garden walking paths, so don’t dig there or you might end up with a geyser and a bill to repair the broken pipe. Keep it Organic – This is an organic garden. Please abide by the rules of the garden and keep it organic. March 23, 2023
Soil and Mulch Sale As you may have already seen on other channels, there are a few mulch/soil and plant sale fundraisers going on that are benefitting different sports teams at Jackson-Reed High School (formerly Wilson HS). Soil and Mulch Sale (Delivery to your garden plot is an option) This sale fundraiser benefits the Jackson-Reed ultimate frisbee team. All sales have to be ordered by Sunday, March 26th. Funds will help to cover the costs of tournaments, travel, and coaches, and to build up financial aid funds to ensure that costs are not a barrier to full participation by any student who wants to play. The team will be selling mulch and soil conditioner to be picked up from in front of the Jackson-Reed High School building OR delivered by their amazing players (for an extra $20) to customers' homes. Delivery to your garden plot is an option ($20 delivery fee applies). All deliveries are made on Saturday, April 1st! All sales have to be ordered by Sunday, March 26th For delivery to the garden, put your normal address in the address line, then in the comments box at the end, put Glover Park Garden and your specific plot number. Plant Sale Fundraiser Jackson-Reed's Crew Team is also holding a plant sale fundraiser. Sales will close March 31st at midnight. Please consider supporting a rower from Glover Park, by clicking on the athlete's name below Riley - Olivia - Olive A wide selection of plants is available, and there is a discount when you purchase by the flat (15 pots of the same 4.5'' plant). You must live within 7 miles of Jackson-Reed in order to fulfill your order. Your plants will be delivered to your door by a rower May 6-7th. Thank you for considering supporting the local school community. 3/28/2020
Important Announcement From the National Park Service Dear Gardeners, The following is a message from the National Park Service. The attached safety poster provides safety recommendations and should be followed by all gardeners. Thank you. COVID-19 precautions should be followed by all gardeners. While Rock Creek Park has closed it's indoor areas including Visitor Center, historic buildings, concessions facilities, and bathrooms, outdoor areas of the park remain open. But visitors, including gardeners, should remain mindful that this is a serious public health crisis we are currently facing, and only by taking the necessary steps can we reduce the rate of infection. Please do not hold any garden-wide volunteer days or group events this spring. Please remind gardeners to maintain social distancing of 6 feet, regularly wash hands, stay home if they are sick, and everything else you've been hearing. Wearing work gloves while gardening, especially while using shared tools, is also a good way to prevent spreading any germs. I've attached a sign we've been posting in the parks, you are welcome to print it out and post it at the gardens and/or email it to your gardeners. Please continue to follow guidance from public health officials and the DC Mayor's Office regarding any activities outside of your home. Water Turn On in the gardens will begin as early as next week. We only have one plumber on contract, so when your specific garden gets their water turned back on will depend on other plumbing needs that may arise in the park, so it may take more than a week for all of them to get done. I appreciate everyone's patience and the plumber will get to you when he can. Spring Garden Inspections by NPS will be postponed for now. I am currently on telework at home but still reachable by email and phone. I am not sure when we'll be back to our offices. If this lasts much longer, I may do inspection visits by myself and then schedule a time after my visit to the garden with each of you to discuss over the phone. In the meantime, our Maintenance staff is in the park but is practicing social distancing (only one staff per vehicle and spreading out at work sites) so we'll do our best to fulfill requests for wood chips and other needs but please be patient as we sometimes get stretched thin. covid-19_safety_poster_8.5x14_js.pdf |
In the News: Glover Park Community Garden |
