Rotten tomatoes and other lovely things

Frederick Fleming House on 22nd has been making their own compost for a while now and has generously offered to provide the Garden Club gardeners with some of their extra compost.  I think if gardeners sign up for it then we can have each person pick it up as it become available. Send me an email that you would like to be on the list for compost and when your name comes up, I will let you know. (cgc.nyc@gmail.com)
Also our own compost bin at 22nd and 8th still could use some coffee grounds, fruit & veggies, brown napkins, leaves and plant matter. Remember when you clean out your pits, to save the stems, leaves etc. and put them in the bin. The sooner we fill it, the sooner we'll have compost!

Pit destruction and its aftermath...

Jared in Tom Duane's office did us a solid this week:
Several pits around 12th Street and Eight Avenue (our formerly unknown southern district) that Robert (17th & 8th) had also gardened, were ripped up without notice and all of the plants there destroyed. Christine Quinn's office helped find out who committed this dastardly deed and Tom Duane (and Jared) penned a terrific letter so that this does not happen to any other adopted pits without appropriate advance notice.
The letter is below.
A giant "thank you" to our guardian angels!

A Disturbance in the Force

So Eric caught a woman rifling through the plants in his pit this week and a nearby crossing guard told him she had taken plants out of his pit before (and possibly Paul's pit as well)along Ninth Avenue. Eric snapped a pix so if you see this woman (from behind) at a pit, tell her nicely to look but don't touch!

Beautiful Tree Bed Contest (deadline August 3rd)

Hurry, there are only three more days to enter the "Beautiful Tree Bed Contest" sponsored by Million Trees NYC!! Deadline is August 3. The winner gets a Home Depot gift card and other loot. Enter your tree pit or vote for Luis (who's already entered). Go to http://www.facebook.com/MillionTreesNYC/app_254553244581393

Experimental Compost Station

Some of you may have noticed the compost tumbler next to the pits on the south side of 22nd Street and 8th Avenue. It is an experiment in creating our own compost. (This is an unofficial project so let's keep its existence on the down low.)
**Bring your dead leaves, coffee grounds, egg shells and vegetable peelings and put them in the bin labeled #1.
 **We are supposed to have an equal mix of green stuff and brown stuff so if you bring vegetables, be sure to include an equal amount of brown napkins, shredded cardboard, newspaper, coffee grounds or dead leaves.
 **Please chop up both the greens and browns before putting them in the bin; The smaller the pieces, the faster we get compost. For example, if you put a whole head of cabbage in there, it will take more than a year to beak down.
 ** I will post a flyer above the composter for more detailed information.
 **Once bin #1 is filled we wait 3 months (fastest) to a year (for chunkier matter) until we get fine compost. Meanwhile we start filling bin #2.
** Remember patience is a virtue

 Flower Power!

Hydrant water

I have spoken with two people who assured me that the gardeners would not get into trouble for using the hydrants to water our pits. The first person was at the firehouse on 19th and 7th and the other was from Green Thumb, part of the Parks Department. She said she would see about getting us a letter we could laminate in case someone tries to ticket us. In the meantime, I have a hydrant opener so if you need water, let me know and we'll give it a whirl. Email me at cgc.nyc@gmail or call. You know the #. FP Missy

A very grateful and admiring shout out to the pits at 30th Street and 8th Avenue (right now our northern satellite garden). Easily one of the toughest locations to work but the plants and flowers really make a difference and look just lovely. Allen just quietly and with no help took it on and transformed that corner. Another spot/and person I have been loving lately is Kent who took on 23rd and 7th. I walk by there often and instead of feeling sullen and harassed there, I now smile at his beautiful flowers. Same goes for the southside pit with Phil's roses. You make me very proud. A golden cosmo for all of you. Flower Power!