RCG May 2024 Newsletter

Spring Cautions

Spring is in full bloom and the temptation is to go all in on those plants you love that perform well. Have you ever noticed that sometimes in the garden, love for plants can go awry?  There are a few types of plants that work so well in our desert gardens that we invest heavily in their existence and then can potentially live to regret it.  Below are the pros and cons of having a few of the most popular in your garden so that you can make an educated decision on whether the pros outweigh the cons.

Mint – Spreading through a comprehensive root system, mint should be planted in containers, and even then, monitored to make sure they do not leave the raised bed or pot they were planted in.  Mint can actually get up to three feet tall in ground, depending on it’s environment. The pro is that mint smells wonderful and is a deterrent for some pests, most notably white cabbage moths, ants, rodents, flea beetles, fleas, and aphids.  It can be used to make teas, drinks or as an essential oil.  The con is that mint will end up shading other plants that may need full sun, leaving the containment they were planted in or choking out the root system of neighboring plants if not controlled. 

Morning Glory – morning glory flowers are beautiful and also take off in the heat of the desert, with an impressive display of various flower color alternatives.  However, it is also known as bind weed for a good reason. The vine has an impressive way of attaching itself to other plants, trellises and fences.  Pros are that the morning glory plant reseeds itself each spring from seeds dropped from the previous year along with being able to be used in medicinal teas.  The cons are if not controlled, it will overtake all neighboring plants and choke out those that their tentacles are not removed from.

Dill – once planted, dill will forever be in your garden if it is allowed to go to seed.  While this sounds like a pro, it may add work to your garden to pull the seedlings out of walkways and areas it was not intended to be planted in.  Pros of dill are it repels aphids and spider mites. You can sprinkle the herb on vegetables, like squash, when you want to keep pests away or plant near them as companion plants.

Sunflowers – along with dill, sunflowers, if planted once and allowed to drop seed will forever be in your garden.  As a pro, the foliage and flowers create shade for the hot temperatures of summer, the flowers are beautiful, and they attract beneficial pollinators.  The cons are that they will require lots of weeding the next year if flowers are left to seed.  Cut the flowers before they go to seed to enjoy a wonderful bouquet and keep the weeding for next year to a minimum.  More than just the seeds are edible on a sunflower.  The heads of sunflowers are edible when cooked. 

June Events

Last year, we celebrated love, unity, and community with over 200 attendees, and this year we're making it even bigger!

Date: Wednesday, June 19th
Location: Ridgecrest Community Garden
Time: 10:00am-12:30pm

From interactive workshops and activities to amazing food, music, and incredible people, this is an event you won’t want to miss. Let’s come together again to honor freedom and heritage.

Please stay tuned as we will be posting workshops and activities to look out for. We have some exciting things planned. Let's continue to stand on the forefront of equity and inclusion.

Zen out, Ridgecrest… 😊

RCG April 2024 Newsletter

Here at the garden, we attempt to turn gardening into an inclusive family practice. Children are inherently attracted to gardening.  Toddlers, for the most part, love being outside, playing in the mud and splashing water.  They are shocked and excited to learn their world can expand past the front door.  With today’s temptation to vegetate rather than create, resulting from the extensive use of technology, it is important for us to teach our kids there is more to life and how they can create their own sustainable environment.  Seed gathering is a project we can do with our kids that will help with creating interest in gardening and teaching them valuable lessons that can help them throughout their lives.

Taking nature walks can be an exciting time.  This is especially true if you have vegetation around you that produces viable seeds for planting.  We used to take walks through the landscape and pick up Chaste tree, bird of paradise, and Palo Verde mesquite tree seed pods.  As a note of warning, make sure the first thing that you teach your child is to never put the seeds in their mouth.  A lot of seeds in nature, especially in the desert, can cause stomach upset at a minimum if the seeds are swallowed.  As a toddler’s attention span is limited, we looked for a way to keep the waiting period for seeds to come up as interesting as possible.  We realized when working with microgreens that most seeds can sprout using the water method for sprouting seeds so that almost every day there is an observable change that can capture their attention.

A picture for children to color will be provided at the Maturango Museum event on 4/13 at 11AM along with the ability to create scent bags to put in your favorite place, such as a car, that could use some fragrant herbs. Come by during open hours on Saturdays, from 10 to 12 to refill your scent bags. Open hours for Saturday the 13th of April will be closed so that we can attend the Maturango Museum event.

Earth day event will be held at the community garden located at 231 W. Haloid on April 20th from 11AM to 2PM. We hope to see you there.

Zen out, Ridgecrest 😊

RCG March 2024 Newsletter

This month we want to delve more into microclimates that we introduced in the last newsletter.  As a reminder, you can use microclimates to assure that your plants are situated optimally to take advantage of naturally shaded spots, warm walls and different watering levels.

Since we are moving toward our final frost date, approximately 29 March for zone 9, we want to consider the specific requirements for the plants we will be adding to our garden and create the spacing and microclimates that are best for their success.  If a seed starting package for a specific crop suggests starting indoors, a microclimate can be created in the garden for seed starting that mimics the indoor conditions for those with limited indoor space or no access to a greenhouse.  For example, use a clear plastic container (such as milk jug, storage container or 2-liter soda bottle) to cover seeds which creates warmth from the sun, encourages germination, and avoids frosts.  Once the frost date has passed, the containers can be removed, and seedlings will not experience any shock as they might from transplanting.

Plants you can start indoors or in a protected microclimate in March for zone 9:

Alyssum
Artichoke (Globe)
Arugula
Broccoli
Cabbage (Fall)
Cauliflower
Chives
Cilantro
Dill
Eggplant
Kale
Lavender
Marigold
Okra
Oregano
Parsley
Peas
Tomatillo
Tomato (Small)

Plants that are okay to direct sow outdoors in March for zone 9:

Alyssum
Arugula
Cabbage (Fall)
Cauliflower
Cornflower
Kale
Lettuce (Leaf)
Onion (Perennial)
Peas
Spinach

Another benefit of microclimate landscapes, besides creating heat or shade, is retaining moisture.  Burying a log partway in the soil or keeping rocks and/or woodchips near a plant covering the soil, will keep the moisture from evaporating too quickly.

Remember, if you are interested in subscribing for a garden bed, we have spaces available.  Click the link https://www.holisticdivineinnovations.org/subscriber-program for more information.

Zen out, Ridgecrest 😊

RCG February 2024 Newsletter

USDA hardiness zones were updated in 2023 to establish new growing zones within the US at a more granular level.  This map, shown as a screenshot from URL https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/ shows the Ridgecrest area as containing three zones within our boundaries, ranging from zones 8b to 9b.  The link itself takes gardeners down to being able to establish zoning within the block that you live on.

If you had considered yourself a part of zone 9 and now see that you are listed as zone 8b, there is no need to worry.  The way we create microclimates within our garden can change our growing abilities regardless of the zone listed.  If you haven’t previously heard about microclimates, Epic Gardener explains them as a smaller climactic region that you can create within your garden space.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP3qrTE6DRc  This video from Epic Gardener explains in detail the way you can use microclimates to grow your plants or assure that your plants are situated optimally to take advantage of naturally shaded spots, warm walls and different watering levels. 

Planting plants next to a stucco, cement or brick structure, can raise the temperature for plants if it is south facing and keep plants from the freezing temperatures in the winter.  Planting plants next to a similar structure that is facing northeast can provide a more temperate climate in the summer by protecting plants from the harsh summer afternoon heat, giving them the morning sun before the heat intensifies.

At the Ridgecrest Community Garden, raised beds are set aside for subscribers for a small fee to cover expenses of soil, water and plants/seeds.  Beds are up for renewal beginning 1 March and will continue at a price tag of $80 per year, or $45 for a six month period.  Please click the link below to renew your subscription or reserve one of the beds that are currently available.  https://www.holisticdivineinnovations.org/subscriber-program

Tip Top Arborists has sponsored the Ridgecrest Community Garden with woodchip drop-offs to assist us with gardening and raising money to pay our garden expenses. We are offering woodchips for a donation of any amount of $5 or more. Spring is a wonderful time to acquire woodchips to start preserving moisture and enriching the soil in your garden.  Follow these simple steps when needing woodchips.
1) Donate desired amount through Holistic Divine Innovations at this link https://www.holisticdivineinnovations.org/donations or scan one of the QR codes below to support
2) Send Ridgecrest Community Garden a message on Facebook to designate how many bags are needed
3) Community member will then be given instructions and address for pickup in the response. Woodchips are at a separate location from the garden due to space constraints.

Zen out, Ridgecrest!

RCG January 2024 Newsletter

Happy New Year from our Ridgecrest Community Garden team. We are excited to see what this new year will hold for us and the Community. We have put in for several grants to take the garden to the next level, looking to use low-tunnels, cover crops and expanding our compost station. We will keep you apprised of how it turns out.

Looking forward into the new year, we have had lots of people start gardening and stop gardening. Some were gardening as a trend, resulting from COVID. Others started out following a trend and found a previously unknown passion. In conversation with these people over the last 3+ years, we’ve spent some time looking at the challenges of gardening in the desert and are going to attempt to address the questions that have risen during those conversations.

Question 1 - How can I justify the cost of starting a garden? Even on the worst day, I don’t pay that much in the grocery store.

“You can never put a price tag on peace of mind. The cost to get started with a garden may seem excessive, especially if buying soil instead of creating your own soil from composting, however, knowing that you have control over nutrition, organic conditions and food to table takes away any scarcity mindset that could result from the insecurities of day-to-day living.”

Question 2 - I have had people criticizing me for using water for a garden when there is a drought in California. How should I respond?

“Usually, after the first year, soil conditions, mulch and established garden beds will conserve water and help garden beds retain water much better. There may be a heavier water consumption initially, but it will not be long term if using mulch and protective vegetation, such as sunflowers for shade and ground covers such as alyssum in the summer and woodchips in the winter.”

Question 3 - Is it possible to garden in Ridgecrest year-round?

“It is possible to garden in Ridgecrest year-round. However, you will not be growing the same crops year-round. Corn, peppers, squashes, tomatoes, and fruits are spring/summer, while fall/winter is reserved for beans, potatoes, salad greens, brassicas (such as broccoli and cauliflower), artichokes and cabbage. Rotating crops between seasons is also good for the soil.”

Question 4 - I’ve planted seeds that never came up. Why is that?

“You may have planted during the wrong season, had an old packet of seeds that were not viable, or fed an extremely hungry lizard or bunny population. Try covering the area planted with netting or upside-down wire baskets to keep critters out and make sure you are planting viable seeds in the right time for proper germination in zone 9. To test viability of seeds, stick a few seeds inside a wet paper towel and seal within a Ziploc bag, keeping it moist for the entire germination period at room temperature. If the seeds sprout within the bag, then the seeds within the packet should also be viable and ready for planting.”

Scan the QR code if you are interested in donating to the community garden, or if you are interested in woodchips for your own garden. Woodchips are available for pickup with a donation of any amount.

Zen out, Ridgecrest…

RCG December 2023 Newsletter

Happy Holidays from Ridgecrest Community Garden.
We have suspended our hours of operation for this winter. We are closed until March 2024, taking this opportunity to redesign the community area of the garden to feature in-ground beds. The last three years gardening in raised beds has allowed the soil below the beds to improve significantly. The improvement occurred through composting of woodchips, plants, and beneficial insects and worms working their way down into the natural soil. Our grow house currently contains seedlings that we will be planting once the redesign is complete. We will have an event in the spring to reveal the new layout, but until then we will be open to subscribers only.

Subscriber beds will remain in their current structure as raised beds A-Z. They will not be part of the redesign. We currently have six subscriber beds available for subscribers to begin gardening in 2024. Additional beds will be available as previous subscriptions expire 1 March, depending on whether current subscriptions are renewed. Our subscriber beds will be $100 per year in 2024. With the subscription the subscriber will receive a 3x6 irrigated bed, with seeds, seedlings and soil provided, along with woodchips. Subscribers will have the responsibility to plant, weed and compost within and around their designated space. Subscribers may plant the seeds and seedlings in the garden or bring in their own plants if there are specific plants that are preferred that are not within the plants provided.

If you would like to assist financially, please use the QR codes shown to donate.

Zen out, Ridgecrest…

RCG November 2023 Newsletter

On November 4th, the RCG conducted a food giveaway with our “season end” harvests and the beginning of our cool weather crops. Kale, carrots and radishes were just beginning to flourish and were provided as part of the giveaway. Watermelon, longevity spinach, tomatoes, peppers, basil and sweet potatoes were harvested to avoid losing the harvest due to frost as the cooler temperatures at night are causing them to die back.

Our anticipated frost date for zone 9 is November 5th. Now is the time to plant the cool weather crops to support fall/winter gardening and cool weather growth.

Our spotlight plant of the month is Longevity Spinach, also known as Gynura procumbens. Longevity Spinach, pictured in the pots to the right, is an edible plant that provides a host of health benefits along with being a ground cover, once established. Longevity Spinach grows outside during the summer and grows well during the extreme heat. During the winter, they can be kept as houseplants and harvested on demand to continue with the beneficial aspects of the plant throughout the winter. Consuming ten to fifteen leaves a day is recommended for good health Health benefits of consuming longevity spinach include treating kidney problems, rheumatism, constipation, hypertension, and diabetes.

If planted in the ground and left outside, the plant will die back during the winter and grow back from roots during the spring. The Longevity Spinach plant is a perennial in zone 9. and grows well from cuttings.

Our open hours are 9-11 on Saturdays. Please stop by to visit and pick through and plants that are ready for harvest or get seedlings to plant in your own garden. We are currently growing seedlings for fall planting.

To contribute to the RCG, scan the QR code for Instagram or Venmo to donate.

Also, woodchips are still available to the community through the garden to assist with water retention in the soil and protect roots and worms. Contact us on Facebook to find out where to pick up.

Zen out, Ridgecrest :-)

RCG October 2023 Newsletter

The third anniversary party from September was a huge success. We enjoyed the benefits of community interaction, workshops, snow cones and sharing a bountiful harvest. Thanks to Snow-Amazing for the awesome snow cones.

This past weekend we had a food giveaway during our open hours and were able to share our end of season harvest with the community.

Our first frost date is coming up fast. November 6, 2023 is the anticipated date of our first light frost (temperatures between 29 and 32 degrees Fahrenheit). For the month of October, we will be planting our fall/winter season garden. Stop by during our open hours (9-11 on Saturdays) to view the progress. We would also welcome any volunteer help during that time. During open hours, we clean up, plant, turn compost and perform any trimming or weeding needed. We look forward to seeing you.

If you would like to assist financially, please use the QR codes below to donate.

Zen out, Ridgecrest…

RCG September 2023 Newsletter

January of 2020 was the first holistic divine innovation blog https://www.holisticdivineinnovations.org/blog and addressed mental health: anxiety and depression. The blog continued into COVID conditions and ended with helping the community assess how they could relieve self-isolation tension with these 5 strategies: Unplug and head outside, plug in (together), enlist outside help, start new routines, and learn a new hobby.  The blogs in between those timeframes pointed out the benefits of gardening, how gardening can impact mental and physical health and how children and adolescents benefit from gardening and meditation. Tyrone Ledford, founding member of Holistic Divine Innovations, along with his family, saw the need for a community garden and selected a location to see their vision unfold. 

This month we are celebrating three years as a community garden in Ridgecrest, CA.  Let’s take a look back at the progress and milestones of our efforts. 

Setting a vision…The purpose of the Ridgecrest Community Garden (RCG) as envisioned is to encourage positive community engagement, restore hope, and improve the health and well-being of the community by providing fresh organic produce, education, and a space for healing and positive social engagement.

With the help of volunteers, friends, and family, the kickoff to physically establish the RCG occurred in 2020, with a kickoff of September of 2020.  COVID kept us home, but the garden brought us together to celebrate what we began to see as really important; self-sufficiency, social engagement, and healthy eating. 

Initial beds were established for the community after clearing the land (Numbered 1-12).  The subscriber beds were planned A-Z, but initially were established as beds A-O.  The subscriber program allowed community members interested in growing their own food to have a raised bed set aside for them to grow the food they craved.  The price point was set up to recover the cost of plants, soil, and water.  Volunteers supported the garden through planting, watering, and donating/funding the different infrastructure requirements of the garden. 

In 2022, subscriber beds were added through bed Y and community beds increased through 21.

Bed Z was added in 2023 and provides potted plants available upon demand allowing four-six additional plants for subscribers and community beds.

Planting days, volunteer days and plant swap events, along with workshops occurred throughout the growing season, depending on community interest and demand. Community interest extended to schools and daycare tours through the garden.

A grant came through in 2021 that provided funding to begin the Herbal Zen Garden in the lot next to the RCG.  A meandering sidewalk was added, along with two gazebos, benches and herbs, flowering trees and roses.  The infrastructure of the Herbal Zen Garden was completed and presented at our second-year anniversary event (September of 2022). 

Another grant received this year allowed us to purchase a grow-house needed for increasing our independence for seed starting, protection from elements and additional training space.  We sacrificed a few of our raised beds to make room.

Today, our community garden consists of the following

-        Stations for composting continue to provide rich soil and allow us to offset soil costs. 

-        Shed for storage

-        4’x8’ table for workshops

-        Beehive for encouraging pollination and producing local honey

-        A berry patch (mulberry, raspberry, blackberry, pineapple guava, strawberry, and elderberry vines)

-        Grape vines, lining our fence

-        Community garden beds for community harvest

-        Subscriber garden beds for individual subscriber harvest

-        Benches with built in Umbrellas for shade

-        Path for enjoying the walk through the Herbal Zen Garden

-        Fruit, flowering, and shade trees

-        Rose garden

-        Woodchips for protecting soil and weed suppression

-        Grow-house

-        Port-a-potty (a must😊)

These were all accomplished in the last three years.  We’ll be celebrating all this on September 23rd, 2023.

Our Saturday open hours begin 9/2 from 9AM-11AM for the foreseeable future. 

If you would like to partner with us, offsetting bills for our non-profit organization and/or sponsoring additional events and infrastructure as the needs arise, please scan the QR code below to donate.

We hope to see you soon.

Zen out, Ridgecrest 😊

RCG August 2023 Newsletter

We are quickly coming up on our 3rd year anniversary at the Ridgecrest Community Garden this September. We are currently in the planning phase, so please keep an eye on our social media (Facebook and Instagram) to receive notification of when the event will occur. We are so excited to see what this next year brings.

We have received a grant through GardensforGood.NaturesPath.com. We requested the grant three days before the end of their voting period and requested that the community vote for us to receive the grant called “Plant it Forward”. At the closing of the voting, they would then fund 15 of the top scoring applicants. We came in third in ranked voting behind some very large cities, like New York City, so we really appreciate the community’s support. We couldn’t have done it without you. Receiving that grant will allow us to rebuild our greenhouse. The one we previously had was destroyed by wind in 2022.

As our summer season reaches it’s peak, we have succession planting that can assist us with furthering the summer season or beginning to plant ahead for our fall season. The list below are plants we suggest planting as seedling transplants for summer succession planting. These plants will take advantage of the remaining summer temps to provide a good crop, even though late in the season. If these plants were planted from seed in August, there may not be enough time for them to fully ripen during the season.

Cantaloupe
Cucumber
Pumpkin
Squash
Tomatoes
Tomatillos
Eggplant
Fava Beans
Luffa
Melons
Okra
Peppers

The plants we suggest planting from seed in August will spend their time germinating during the heat and will begin growing as seedlings as temperatures cool. If planted in August as seedlings, they may bolt in the heat. Crops recommended planting from seeds in August/September are as follows:
Arugula
Artichoke
Basil
Beets
Carrots
Catnip
Celery
Chard
Chives
Cilantro
Collard Greens
Dill
Kale
Lemon Balm
Lettuce
Mint
Mustard
Oregano
Onions
Parsley
Peas
Potatoes
Radishes
Spinach
Turnips

Tip Top Arborists has sponsored the Ridgecrest Community Garden with woodchip drop-offs to assist us with winter gardening and raising money to pay our garden expenses. We are offering woodchips for a donation of any amount of $5 or more. Follow these simple steps when needing woodchips.
1) Donate desired amount through Holistic Divine Innovations at this link https://www.holisticdivineinnovations.org/donations or scan one of the QR codes below to support
2) Send Ridgecrest Community Garden a message on Facebook to designate how many bags are needed
3) Community member will be given instructions and address for pickup in the response. Woodchips are at a separate location from the garden due to space constraints.

GARDEN EVENTS AND HOURS

The garden will be closed to visitors the month of August due to extreme temperatures. Open hours will resume each Saturday from 9 to 11 beginning in September.

Click on the appropriate QR code to donate, either through Instagram or Venmo.

Zen out, Ridgecrest!

RCG July 2023 Newsletter

Our Juneteenth event was a huge success. With our community garden volunteers, subscribers, sponsors and partners, we were able to provide food and activities for the community by hosting a BBQ, a farm to table stand as pictured, a unity wall, and art contest. We had over 175 attendees. We look forward to many more opportunities to provide abundance to the community. 

Meet our event Partners

• Holistic Divine Innovation

• Radiant Love Bloom

• UMOJA

• Indigenous Home and Garden/Botany’s Desire

Meet our event sponsors

• Holistic Divine Innovation

• Cerro Coso Community College

• Desert Valleys FCU

• Starbucks

• Stater Bros

• Albertsons

• MV Bounce house LLC

Summer has come roaring into the garden full force in July, with temperatures immediately exceeding 100 degrees.  We are responding accordingly, using sunflowers for shade, keeping moisture in through the use of mulch and woodchips and increasing watering times.

Planned experiments for the garden to be incorporated this month include Electro-culture antenna (copper wire twined around wood) for achieving accelerated plant growth, and passive irrigation with wicking bed and olla.  Come see us during our open hours (Saturdays 9-11) to learn more about these methods and become involved in the experimentation process.

Bed Z will be set up as a wicking bed and will determine if the benefits in water conservation are significant enough to encourage us to modify the existing bed structures in the fall to wicking beds before planting our fall garden.  Examples of ollas and their use will also be visible and tested.  Electro-culture antennas will be used in bed Y to highlight any deltas in growing rates to other beds as they are intentioned.

The Ridgecrest Community Garden board president, Tyrone Ledford, identified an opportunity a grant for $7,500 with the organization gardensforgood.naturespath.com that considers community engagement in determining if a grant is warranted. With the power of community and the support of many others, we were able to rally over 800 votes to come in third place, behind New York and Philadelphia.  The website has stated that winners will be notified on July 6th, via email or phone.  We appreciate all the love and continued support we have received. You continue to uplift and motivate us, and we are honored to have such a strong support system!  We will let you know once we hear the results.

If you are interested in contributing or volunteer opportunities, you can email us at communitygarden.ridgecrest@gmail.com.  If you are a subscriber and would like to see your bed featured in a future newsletter, along with an interview on your “why” for gardening, please send a message via Facebook messenger to Ridgecrest Community Garden.

Zen out, Ridgecrest 😊

RCG June 2023 Newsletter

For the month of June, we are going to ask that no one harvest from our community beds. We will be saving the harvest to incorporate a farm to table demonstration at our Juneteenth event on June 19th, from 9am-1pm. If you are a subscriber, please continue to harvest from your beds.

We'd like to thank Tractor Supply for donating 6 fruit trees to our farm.

Their donated trees are going to help feed families for years to come.

Blenheim Apricot

Katy Apricot

2x Gold Kist Apricot

2x Fuju Persimmon

Come celebrate Juneteenth with us as we share a beautiful cultural experience with FREE food, beverages, arts and crafts, fun activities, educational workshops, and lots of fun prizes.

We will also be hosting a raffle to win very special prizes. We are having a BBQ cookout style celebration that will have lots of activities for kids and adults. We will provide a list of activities and itinerary for the event soon. We will publish a list of our sponsors on Facebook and Instagram after the event.

Sign up to be added to our email list to stay up to date with what's going on at the Ridgecrest Community Garden. Receive emails about volunteer opportunities, events, and updates. In about a week, you should start receiving emails from communitygarden.ridgecrest@gmail.com. Fill out the form here: https://forms.gle/SV3y3b72yUgLRpEr6

Thank you all for being a part of our agricultural journey in transforming our community.

Zen out, Ridgecrest 🙂

RCG May 2023 Newsletter

Subscriber beds A-Y after Earth Day event held April 22

Ridgecrest Community Garden has now reinstated open hours weekly from May through July. Our open hours will be from 9-11 each Saturday. A member of our staff will be available onsite to answer questions, direct volunteer efforts, and assess the progress of the garden. Address for the garden is 231 W. Haloid St. in Ridgecrest. We look forward to seeing you there.

The Earth-Day event, held April 22nd, was a huge success with approximately 100 community members stopping by to walk through the garden, help with composting, planting, weeding and general encouragement and community engagement. Umoja sponsored the event for us and was extremely supportive at the event, along with their generous donation. Find out more about their organization at https://umojacommunity.org/.

Community assistance on Earth Day

Community engagement on Earth Day

Our next two events in May are May 15th and May 20th. May 15th event will be covering edible cacti and will be held from 10-11:30am. The event will be hosted at the RCG by Sandra, owner of Botany’s Desire in Ridgecrest. The May 20th event will be a plant and seed swap, also from 9-11. Bring an extra plant or seed, trade with someone else, or just bring yourself and take any extras that may not have found a home.

We are currently in the planning stages for our Juneteenth event that will also involve a food giveaway. We will be looking for volunteers, along with donors. Stay tuned for more on Facebook and our June newsletter.

We appreciate any donations provided to the organization that can help us continue with the work of educating the community, sharing our harvests and being a place where community can come together to enjoy the soon to be thriving garden and serenity of the herbal Zen garden.

We continue to offer woodchips to the community for a donation of any amount of $5 or more. Woodchips are a wonderful way to protect soil, retain moisture and inhibit weeds/grass. Follow these simple steps if you would like to pick up woodchips that have been provided to the Ridgecrest Community Garden by Tip Top Arborists, one of our sponsors out of Lancaster.
1) Donate desired amount through Holistic Divine Innovations at this link https://www.holisticdivineinnovations.org/donations or scan one of the QR codes above to support
2) Send Ridgecrest Community Garden a message on Facebook to designate how many bags are needed
3) Community member will be given instructions and address for pickup in the response. Woodchips are at a separate location from the garden due to space constraints.

Zen out, Ridgecrest 😊

RCG April 2023 Newsletter

What’s New at the Garden?

Our March planting day event occurred on March 18th.  We really appreciate all the community that came out to support.  We planted trees, cleared beds, provided subscribers with planting options, planted spring plants that were cold tolerant in the community beds and met with potential subscribers and volunteers from the community. 

Our next event will be on Earth Day. The Earth Day Event will be held at the Ridgecrest Community Garden at 231 W. Haloid on April 22nd from 10 to 12. We will be planting trees, checking harvests and weeding with volunteer assistance. The event will be sponsored by Umoja.

What’s New in the Garden?

The Urban Farmer suggesting safe planting dates between 1-20 March for Ridgecrest was not aware of our impending hailstorm.  We lost a few of the plants that we planted to the cold, but are planning to try again on Friday, the 7th of April when temperatures at night are expected to stay consistently out of the 30s.  The plants we suggest considering for planting are as follows:

Arugula
Artichoke
Basil
Beets
Cantaloupe
Carrots
Catnip
Celery
Chard
Chives
Cilantro
Collard Greens
Corn
Cucumber
Dill

Pumpkin
Radishes
Spinach
Squash
Tomatoes
Tomatillos
Turnips

Eggplant
Fava Beans
Kale
Lemon Balm
Lettuce
Luffa
Melons
Mint
Mustard
Oregano
Okra
Onions
Parsley
Peas
Potatoes

Bonnie Plants donated a truckload of plants to the community garden that we were able to share with subscribers. We want to thank them for their generosity.

The Kerr McGee spring kids camp came to the garden to learn how to make seed snakes. They made it back just before it started to hail.  Lots of fun had by all to get our spring wildflowers ready to plant.  If you’d like to try this at home, here are the instructions for creating your own start to a wildflower garden…

•Add 1/2 cup each of soil and kitty litter

•Pick out seeds

•Place all together in a Ziplock bag

•Mix together by shaking and massaging bag

•Open bag and add water until moist

•Close bag and mix again until uniformly moist

•Roll mixture while still in bag to form a snake (or form into a ball if you prefer to create a seed bomb)

•Allow to dry, dig a hole the size of the seed snake, remove the snake from the bag and plant in your favorite garden pot or flower bed

If you are interested in contributing or volunteer opportunities, you can email us at communitygarden.ridgecrest@gmail.com.  If you are a subscriber and would like to see your bed featured in a future newsletter, along with an interview on your “why” for gardening, please send a message via Facebook messenger to Ridgecrest Community Garden.

Thank you for all the community support…

Zen out, Ridgecrest 😊

RCG March 2023 Newsletter

What’s New at the Garden

Winter weather prevented our BYOnd Sprouts event from taking place on the 25th of February. While our garden (town, and state) received much needed precipitation, we took the time to watch from afar, stay warm and dry, and cancelled the event.

The Almanac (https://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates/zipcode/93555) has listed our last frost date as March 24th with a growing season of 226 days. We’ve been watching the weather, and what a show it has put on. However, we feel that having our planting day on the 18th of March will be safe enough to move into spring planting, with any chance of frost being light (or short lived) so that we can get a jump start on our spring planting. We’re anxious to get started. We’ll be creating a Facebook event inviting community and subscribers to come plant with us. We are in early days of planning an April 22nd Earth Day event, as well. Our sponsor(s) for that event will be revealed in our April Newsletter. If you are interested in sponsoring any of our events or volunteering, please email us at communitygarden.ridgecrest@gmail.com

Our Herbal Zen Garden continues to fill up with plants and trees that will provide aroma therapy and nurturing to soul and body. We have increased our aromatic plants through the rose garden, herbs lining the walkway and Eucalyptus trees that will provide much needed shade in our hot summers as they get older. Our new grape section, located against the east wall of the garden is our latest addition. The layout is shown on the right with what we have planned at the moment. We’ll update as we get closer to Earth Day where we will be adding trees from those sponsoring the event.

Our subscriber program still has beds available for those that want to try their hand at gardening in the desert or sponsor someone that can’t afford the fee but wants to garden. Take a look at our subscriber program for more information to sponsor or sign up. We don’t want you to miss out on any of the gardening season. Our last frost date is fast approaching, and we want everyone equipped to garden at just the right time.

Click on the appropriate QR code to donate, either through Instagram or Venmo.

Zen out, Ridgecrest :-)

RCG February 2023 Newsletter

The Ridgecrest Community Garden, board president Tyrone Ledford, was presented the Ridgecrest Community award by the Ridgecrest Area Association of Realtors.  Award was presented in recognition of outstanding contributions and dedication to the health of the Ridgecrest area community.  We appreciate all the love and continued support we have received. Your love and support continue to uplift and motivate us, and we are honored to have such a strong support system! We look forward to more involvement with the community as the gardening season progresses.

The Urban Farmer planting calendar suggests that our last frost date will be 1 March in 2023, so we will not be spring planting before that date.  In preparing for that, we are changing the hours of the Community Garden to be closed during the month of February, except to subscribers and scheduled events.  So, for the month of February, the garden will not be unlocked on the weekends.  We will publish new open hours for the garden in our March Newsletter. For the time being, the garden will only be unlocked when a team member can be present to assure appropriate use of the garden space and maximize garden benefits to the community.

We now have added four new subscriber beds to the Ridgecrest Community Garden configuration. Subscriber beds now total 25 to allow more of the Community to grow and sustain a part of their food supply through this wonderful resource.  Please visit this link https://www.holisticdivineinnovations.org/subscriber-program to get more information, sign up for a bed or to sponsor someone else that may not have the financial resources to pay, but would still like to garden. 

We will be holding a BYOnd Sprouts event (Bring Yourself Only and Decide (BYOnd) to Eat it or Plant it) on February 25th, from 10 to 12. We will be providing the sprouts, soil and containers, or you can bring your own container to nurture your sprout indoors until our frost date is past.  Location will be at the garden, 231 W. Haloid St.

If you are interested in contributing or volunteer opportunities, you can email us at communitygarden.ridgecrest@gmail.com.  If you are a subscriber and would like to see your bed featured in a future newsletter, along with an interview on your “why” for gardening, please send a message via Facebook messenger to Ridgecrest Community Garden.

We continue to offer woodchips for a donation of any amount of $5 or more. Follow these simple steps when needing woodchips.
1) Donate desired amount through Holistic Divine Innovations at this link https://www.holisticdivineinnovations.org/donations or scan one of the QR codes to the left to support
2) Send Ridgecrest Community Garden a message on Facebook to designate how many bags are needed
3) Community member will be given instructions and address for pickup in the response. Woodchips are at a separate location from the garden due to space constraints.

Zen out, Ridgecrest 😊

RCG January 2023 Newsletter

Wishing you a happy new year!

Ridgecrest Community Garden and Herbal Zen Garden have completed their seasonal change and now sit in anticipation of starting the spring planting in February.  Herbal Zen Garden irrigation is now complete and ready for warmer weather to start.  The recent rain was an unexpected blessing that will start the seeds germinating as soon as warmer weather ensues. 

As in our private lives, the new year is also a time for our garden team to have goals.  Goals such as meeting more of the community, providing more educational opportunities and more outreach events.  Subscriber beds will start anew this spring, so we welcome the opportunity to welcome new subscribers and sponsored participants soon.  More information on subscriber beds is available at this link https://www.holisticdivineinnovations.org/subscriber-program.

Tip Top Arborists continues to sponsor the Ridgecrest Community Garden with woodchip drop-offs.  To assist us with raising money to pay our garden expenses, we are offering woodchips for a donation of any amount of $5 or more.  You can receive your woodchips by following the simple steps below.

•Donate desired amount through Holistic Divine Innovations at this link https://www.holisticdivineinnovations.org/donations or scan one of the QR codes to support

•Send Ridgecrest Community Garden a message on Facebook to designate how many bags are needed. Community member will then be given instructions and address for pickup in the response. Woodchips are at a separate location from the garden due to space limitations.

If you are interested in an entire truck drop off from Tip Top Arborists, feel free to contact them directly at their phone number in Lancaster to request a drop off be made directly to you.

If you are interested in contributing or volunteer opportunities, you can email us at communitygarden.ridgecrest@gmail.com.  If you are a subscriber and would like to see your bed featured in a future newsletter, along with an interview on your “why” for gardening, please send a message via Facebook messenger to Ridgecrest Community Garden.

Zen out, Ridgecrest 😊 We look forward to seeing you in the new year!

RCG December 2022 Newsletter

WHAT’S NEW IN THE GARDEN?

This time of year, where freezes and cold temperatures slow growth, put plants into dormancy and kills off annuals, has a tendency to dampen the desire for a garden. In our case, we are using this time of year as an opportunity to plant fall/winter friendly seeds/plants, refresh soil and woodchips and add compost to beds. It also is a time for looking at your current garden layout to determine what worked and what didn’t in the previous season. Was there too much sun, not enough shade, not enough room for plants to spread out? Our vision for this coming season was to clear out beds, encourage subscriber activity and allow for additional engagement. Four subscriber beds have been added to the Ridgecrest Community Garden subscriber section to expand our ability to accommodate subscribers.

Plot map of the Ridgecrest Community Garden

The subscriber bed labels have been revised to put the bed labels in order from A-Z. As you can see on our plot map, Beds labeled A-D have been added to the area where our greenhouse used to reside before it became a sequel to “Gone with the Wind”. Thank you to our volunteers this past weekend that assisted with painting the new letters. Beds A-Y belong to paid/sponsored subscribers and will contain harvests grown for consumption by the subscribers. Beds E-Y have subscribers currently assigned, gardening and growing fall/winter plants. Bed Z, next to the port-a-potty is actually a compost bin and contains compost for use within the beds. Garden beds that have a number associated with the bed or have no identifier will contain food grown for the community. The numbered beds are available for the community to harvest from as our fall/winter garden progresses.

Beds A-D are currently available. If you are interested in becoming a subscriber or want to sponsor someone to a bed, please follow the instructions at this link. https://www.holisticdivineinnovations.org/subscriber-program

Herbal Zen Garden Rose Section

Roses in benches to be moved once dormant

A new section has been added to the Herbal Zen Garden containing rose bushes. As the roses go dormant for the winter, we will be adding more roses to this section from existing rose bushes throughout the community garden. Our goal is to create a centralized rose garden with flowers and fragrance that will provide serene beauty and a peaceful aroma for community members to enjoy.

WHAT’S NEW AT THE GARDEN?

Christmas Decoration at 231 W. Haloid on the gate

A community member brought a wonderful Christmas decoration and left it on our gate. We were so thankful and excited to see it. That incredible gesture of generosity and sharing gave us the idea of displaying ornaments from the community within the garden. If you would like to share an ornament with the community, please bring it by the community garden at 231 W. Haloid during our open hours, Saturday & Sunday, 9-4 and hang it on our tree within the garden. The Christmas tree will be arriving on December 3rd. We will do a special tree decorating with the ornaments brought to us on the 17th of December to share some cheer in the neighborhood. The tree will be up throughout the rest of the year, coming down on New Year’s Day. We hope you’ll join us in adding to the joy and goodwill we want to promote within the community.

Young farmer pointing at The People’s Garden Sign

Great news! After a lot of hard work, our garden is being recognized by the USDA as a People’s Garden. What does this mean? Well, it mean’s that we are recognized as a garden that empowers our community to participate in local food production and provide diversity and resiliency to the food supply chain. That also teach about the benefits of sustainable, local agriculture and how gardening can foster community collaboration, provide green gathering spaces, and benefit the environment. Our garden is also newly recognized by the USDA and FSA as a farm. We have a farm in Ridgecrest!! How exciting!

Scan QR Code of your choice for donations/support, subscriptions or woodchip purchases. For woodchip purchases, once payment is made, contact us through Facebook to schedule woodchip pickup, as woodchips are kept at a different location due to space restrictions. Zen out, Ridgecrest :-)

RCG November 2022 Newsletter

WHAT’S NEW IN THE GARDEN?

Within the next few weeks, we will be preparing for our fall/winter season. This preparation consists of a variety of tasks, including cleaning out garden beds, refreshing soil, mulching beds, and planting new frost tolerant plants or seeds.

When cleaning out our beds, we initially determine whether our garden beds contain annual or perennial plants. If plants are annual, we will remove and compost them to make way for our fall garden. As the nights cool to the 30’s most annual plants will not survive. Perennial plants that are not frost hardy will die back during the winter but emerge in the spring when the soil temperature warms. Perennial plants that are frost hardy should be protected by woodchips or removed from the soil and put into a pot if they need to be kept in a greenhouse for the winter. Our initial frost date here in zone 9 is anticipated to be November 6th (https://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates).

WHAT’S NEW AT THE GARDEN?

This weekend we held a BBQ and food giveaway from harvested community bed plants and vegetables donated from our subscriber beds. This event was so much fun for all involved that we plan to have them more regularly. Please watch Facebook for event notifications.

Our landscape continues to change. We have expanded, allowing greater public interaction with our garden space through creating four additional subscriber beds and adding additional trees and plants to our zen garden. If you would like to subscribe to a bed for the fall/winter growing season or would like to sponsor someone else to use a bed, please contact us to determine availability at communitygarden.ridgecrest@gmail.com. To donate for additional plants and structure at the garden, scan one of the QR codes at the bottom of this newsletter.

During October, we had consecutive weekends with volunteer days. We appreciate so much those that have taken the time to further the dream of the community garden through their involvement and support. Thank you!

Tip Top Arborists has sponsored the Ridgecrest Community Garden with woodchip drop-offs to assist us with winter gardening and raising money to pay our garden expenses. We are offering woodchips for a donation of any amount of $5 or more. Follow these simple steps when needing woodchips.
1) Donate desired amount through Holistic Divine Innovations at this link https://www.holisticdivineinnovations.org/donations or scan one of the QR codes below to support
2) Send Ridgecrest Community Garden a message on Facebook to designate how many bags are needed
3) Community member will be given instructions and address for pickup in the response. Woodchips are at a separate location from the garden due to space constraints.

GARDEN EVENTS AND HOURS

November events will begin November 12th with cleaning out community beds and adding additional soil and mulch.

November 19th, we will be planting and adding seeds to the community garden beds along with conducting a plant swap for those that would like to participate.

Open hours for November and December will be 9AM to 4PM on Saturdays and Sundays. The gates will be unlocked and the garden open to the public during that time. Feel free to come and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the garden or volunteer your time. For those coming to volunteer during open hours, there will be a to-do list of tasks we would love help with posted just inside the gate on the Zen Garden side.

If you would like to talk with a garden representative, please email us at communitygarden.ridgecrest@gmail.com to schedule a time to meet with a rep. With the exception of published events and requested meetings there will not be a community garden member on duty during the winter season. Thank you, again, for your love and support.

Zen out, Ridgecrest :-)

RCG October 2022 Newsletter

WHAT’S NEW IN THE GARDEN?

Our October “OPEN” hours are each Saturday and Sunday from 8 to noon. Visitors and volunteers are welcome. Come walk through the garden, chill out on your own, talk to staff member on duty, volunteer to weed, water, spread woodchips at any time during our open hours. Depending on usage, we may adjust our hours for November to account for visitor preference, so if you are able to stop by, if you would like to see open hours adjusted to a different time, please let us know. We know on Saturdays we are competing with some very well attended events, such as the farmer’s market, so want to make sure we are open when you need us. A group of volunteers today helped us water, weed, and spread woodchips.

During our open hours each weekend, we will have a craft starting at 10AM. Our October craft is building your own Olla (slow-release waterer). Please bring your own supplies from the supply list below or watch us build one.

Supply list:
Clay or terracotta pot (unglazed)
2 saucers (one that covers top of pot and one that covers bottom of pot)
Squeezable waterproof silicone
Acrylic paint of desired colors to paint the lid
Paint brush

Volunteers watering

Volunteer assisting with weeding and harvesting

Tip Top Arborists has sponsored the Ridgecrest Community Garden with woodchip drop-offs. To assist us with raising money to pay our garden expenses, we are offering woodchips for a donation of any amount of $5 or more, per 30-gallon bag.

Simple steps to follow to donate for woodchips:

1.Donate desired amount through the donate button at this link https://www.holisticdivineinnovations.org/donations or scan one of the QR codes to support

2. Send Ridgecrest Community Garden a message on Facebook to designate how many bags are needed

3. Community member will be given instructions and address for pickup in the response to the message. Woodchips are at a separate location from the garden due to shortage of space.

WHAT’S NEW AT THE GARDEN?

Our grand opening and anniversary event, held September 24th, was very well attended. We had a wonderful time. Here are some pictures from that event. Donations and engagement from volunteers and the community were amazing. Some attendees even came from out of town to assist and witness the ribbon cutting.

Everyone was encouraged to sign up for our raffle and either take seeds, herbs, harvested vegetables or wood chips packaged in gift bags. Winners for our gardening kit and watering pail were John D for the garden kit and Shelley Snider for the watering pail. Thank you to all who participated in the raffle.

Mayor Bruen also stopped by to look around and talk to staff and attendees and provide some words of encouragement for the garden’s future. Thank you for your attendance, Mayor. We appreciate your support.

Stay tuned and keep an eye out on Facebook Ridgecrest Community Garden page for future events and weekly weekend craft changes. Planning for a fall festival and special Halloween event is underway and will be published there.

Zen out, Ridgecrest :-)

Scan QR Code of your choice for donations/support and woodchip purchases