While everyone is busy gearing up for winter over on Elbow by pulling the last of weeds, turning the compost & cleaning out the shed – I just wanted to take a minute to thank all our gardeners for making 2011 such a successful year for our little corner of Troy Hill.
We have gone from this
2010
To this
2011
It’s amazing what can happen in just one short year with a great group of people and some dedication. Let’s all hope that next year is even better!
The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank has started a wonderful new program that you can help with! Running August 6th-October 15th you will be able to donate any excess homegrown produce as part of their Community Harvest Program. This newest endeavor will help to connect willing recipients with all of your extra tomatoes, zucchinis & the like.
Drop Offs will be every Saturday from 10am-2pm at the following locations:
The Urban Gardener – 1901 Brighton Road on the Northside
Penn Hills Lawn & Garden Center – 200 Jefferson Road in Penn Hills
So if you have any extras from your community garden plot or your at home garden please contact Kelley at troyhillgarden at gmail dot com and she will help arrange a weekly Troy Hill donation for the duration of the program. Any other questions about the Community Harvest Program contact Kerri LaCharite at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank (412) 460-3663 x214
I’m happy to report that everything is looking absolutely lovely! Troy Hill was lucky enough to receive over 200 geraniums donated to WPC from the amazing Bedner’s Farm & Greenhouse. So, last week we loaded up two pick up trucks and a subaru to bring all of these gorgeous flowers back to our neighborhood. We took some time on our work day last Saturday to plant a portion of them outside the garden fences. And this evening we will be gathering up as many of our neighbors as we can to help plant the other 100 + flowers in the tree pits that run along Troy Hill Road. So if you’re available tonight from 5-8 feel free to meet us on the hill and don’t forget your shovel!
Just a reminder that we will be holding a group work day this Saturday, June 25th starting at 9am.
We will be weeding the garden, planing in the general beds, discussing upcoming events & projects and catching up with one another’s successes and failures.
I hope to see everyone there!
A year ago tomorrow, Troy Hill Citizens signed a contract to receive a Charm Bracelet Project grant in the amount of $2,250. (Funding made possible by generous support from the Grable Foundation.) In that year, we have maintained a healthy membership base, built ten new raised beds, planted our first harvest, and commissioned a local artist (and member!), Rick Colerich, to design and create the unique signs shown above. We are proud of our little garden that could but we still have a lot to do. Please contact us if you are interested in joining at troyhillgarden at gmail dot com – We are looking forward to a great harvest in 2011! Happy planting!
You may notice a new map page on the top of this blog that will take you to our garden layout. This shows the beginning layout of our member beds as well as the areas that are open for general use. My hope is that throughout the season we will do garden highlights and show what amazing things each of our members are producing!
Hey everyone – just a reminder that our yearly plant swap is quickly approaching. This year it will be held on April 30th from 11am-1pm in Troy Hill Citizens Park with a potluck following. So if you have extra things started please be sure to label and pot them and bring them down to share. But remember – no invasive species!
Hope to see you there!
Hey everyone! There has been a lot of stuff going on to prep for this years planting season. We are lucky enough to be participants in Herman’s Garden – a fantastic seed sharing & saving program from the wonderful company Seed Savers Exchange. And I was completely floored when the massive box of seeds showed up on my doorstep.
Seed Savers Exchange Seed Donation
We’ll be using these along with other seeds that should hopefully be arriving soon from the America the Beautiful Fund to plant out the community plots, teach planting demos and fill planters and distressed properties around Troy Hill.
We also got work underway over on Elbow street cleaning up the garden by edging out two new communal planters that will run along the fence, tearing down dead tree limbs, and clearing piles of broken stone & brick.
We will be hosting our first official work day on April 23rd and anyone who would like to help out is welcome to meet us at the garden at 10am!
