Education
All Summer – Educational Garden @ the Town Community Gardens (to the east side of Herbert T. Clark House) Two plots have been donated by Parks & Recreation to allow GPIP the opportunity to show how to grow vegetables both in the ground and in pots. One plot will be devoted to the education of planting potatoes while one plot will offer more traditional vegetables. All produce from both gardens will be donated to the self-service Foodbank in Glastonbury. The gardens open on 4/27 and will close on 10/6. Planting will happen after the last frost. The garden will be open at various times (to be determined & posted) for viewing the garden and answering questions. Help is needed from members and volunteers all summer long. Offer an hour or more anytime during the summer. We’re near a shaded area so you can bring your chair and read while enjoying the garden.
Community Garden Kiosk – The kiosk will house food donation bins, to collect both fresh produce or other non-perishable foods and offers a little free library for books and seeds. GPIP needs members or volunteers to help pick up produce/food from the kiosk and deliver to the Foodbank at the Riverfront Community Center.
Farmers Market – Once a month GPIP hosts an informational table at the Farmers Market (Hubbard Green). GPIP members enjoy speaking with people about our organization and offering any gardening advice they can. This is only once a month in the morning starting in June. Exact Dates and times will be advised soon. Let us know if you want to join in on this fun event.
10/14/2023 Saturday @ 3p – Adult Education Invasive Plant Walk
10/14/2023 Saturday @ 3p – Adult Education Invasive Plant Walk by Jan Edmondson. – We need at least one volunteer to assist Jan in walking the perimeter of the Dog Park at Riverfront Park. GPIP donates their time for this event, however, Adult Education does charge a small fee to cover their expenses; therefore sign up is required via the Adult Education website in order to take the educational walk.
POSTPONED – NOW 10/1/2023 Sunday @ 9a (rain date 10/1) – Tree Walk down Main St.
Tree Walk down Main St. led by Frank Kaputa
We think this is the perfect Fall walk
POSTPONED – NOW BEING HELD ON 10/1/2023 SUNDAY @9A
9/30/2023 Saturday @ 9a (rain date 10/1)
Meet at: The Love Garden on Main St. between SignWiz & Evets Glassworks
The walk highlights many of the TREES OF INTEREST ON MAIN STREET IN GLASTONBURY’S HISTORIC DISTRICT that are illustrated in the handbook published by GPIP. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring your personal refreshment as this walk takes about 1 to 2 hours depending on how much conversation (Q&A) there is.
Frank Kaputa is a tree enthusiast, and co-chair of the Connecticut’s Notable Trees project (https://oak.conncoll.edu/notabletrees). He is also the chair of the Town of Glastonbury Conservation Commission. Professionally he is a software engineering consultant.
CANCELLED – 9/29/2023 Friday @ 9a to 3p – GPIP information table during HSG’s Annual Tag at the Welles Shipman Ward House
9/29/2023 Friday @ 9a to 3p – GPIP information table during HSG’s Annual Tag at the Welles Shipman Ward House – volunteers are needed to help run a GPIP Information Table (you do not have to be a GPIP member) during the Historical Society’s Tag Sale. Volunteers may stay for as little as 30 minutes or any part of the day. While there take the time to check out the tag sale for a special treasure or two. Friday is the first and most popular day of the sale. Location: Welles Shipman Ward House on Main St in South Glastonbury.
Oct 4th, 2021 – Save the Date! Fall Annual Meeting
Save the Date!
Fall Annual Meeting
October 4th, 2021
featuring James “Jim” Sirch
We are so excited about this speaker. Jim Sirch is the Educational Coordinator for Yale Peabody Museum. He specializes and is passionate about Native Plants. Fall is the best time to plant native seeds. Be certain to come to this meeting. We hope to have the meeting at the Riverfront Community Center as in the past, including a little social time before the presentation. Keeping our fingers crossed.
Propagating Pollinator Plants from Seed
Including native plants in your garden is a great way to help pollinators. Expand your native plantings inexpensively by growing them yourself from seed. In this workshop we’ll discover different germination requirements for different kinds of seeds and how to plant a plastic milk jug filled with a seed selection to stratify over the winter. Proper after care will be discussed
Jim Sirch is the Education Coordinator at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. Jim was past president and is currently on the board of the Hamden Land Conservation Trust and the CT Native Plant Working Group. A certified CT Master Gardener, Jim gives talks throughout the state on gardening for pollinators and growing native plants from seed and is dedicated to helping improve backyard biodiversity. Jim was featured in the Members Making a Difference section of the Summer 2016 issue of the American Horticultural Society’s American Gardener magazine. Jim also authors a weekly nature blog called Beyond Your Back Door at: www.beyondyourbackdoor.net
5/19 @ 9a & 5/21/2021 @ 4p – Educational Garden Topic: Container Gardening
Educational Garden at Town Community Gardens
5/12 & 5/14 Topic: Cool Weather Vegetables RAIN CANCELS EVENT
Topic conversations begin at 9:10a on Wednesday and 4:10p on Friday. Topic repeats Wednesday & Friday of the same week
Guest Conversationalist: Pam Eudowe, Glastonbury Partners in Planting, Inc.
Location: Plot #68 – 45 Canione Rd., Glastonbury, CT (Behind Herbert T. Clark House)
Every Wednesday and Friday bring your questions about gardening to a GPIP volunteer at Garden Plot #68. We will do our best to answer any questions. And while you are there take a few minutes to listen to a short casual conversation on a specific topic. All produce from this garden will be donated.
Interested in volunteering at this garden or at another garden with GPIP? We need help with watering, weeding, harvesting, and topic conversationalist at this garden. Contact Pam at information@gpip.org or via Facebook Messenger
GPIP is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides beautification, education, and environmental work on the public lands of Glastonbury. All projects are funded by membership dues, donations and/or grants. TOWN DOES NOT PAY FOR OUR WORK – it is all FREE.
For more information: GPIP.org or information@gpip.org Donations can be mailed to: GPIP PO Box 378 So. Glastonbury, CT 06073 or electronically via PayPal.
5/26/2021 @ 10a – Welles Turner Memorial Library
Welles Turner Memorial Library – Plant the garden beds
Date: May 26th, Wednesday
Time: 10:00am
Location: Main St. near the corner of Main St & Hebron Ave
Chores: Planting plants and mulching
BYO: Gloves, Trowels and personal drinking water
Change….5/20/2021 @ 9am – So. Glastonbury Planters
So. Glastonbury Planters – Fill them with beautiful plants
Date: May 20th, Thursday (rain date: May 21st)
Time: 9:00am
Location: Meet in the Brookside Market parking lot. We will begin there.
Chores: Creating the planters, installing plants
BYO: Gloves, Trowels and personal drinking water
CHANGED to 5/25/2021 @ 10am – Town Center Planters
Town Center Planters – Fill them with beautiful plants
Date: May 25th, Wednesday (was previously 5/19)
Time: 10:00a
Location: Meet at the WTM Library under the Copper Beech Tree
Chores: Creating the planters, installing plants
BYO: Gloves, Trowels and personal drinking water
5/18/2021 @ 11am – Village Green – Planters to be planted
Village Green – Planters to be planted
Date: May 18th, Tuesday
Time: 11:00am
Location: Knox Lane
Chores: Creating the planters, installing plants
BYO: Gloves, Trowels and personal drinking water
5/12 & 5/14/2021 – Educational Garden Topic: Cool Weather Veggies
Educational Garden at Town Community Gardens
5/12 & 5/14 Topic: Cool Weather Vegetables RAIN CANCELS EVENT
Topic conversations begin at 9:10a on Wednesday and 4:10p on Friday. Topic repeats Wednesday & Friday of the same week
Guest Conversationalist: Pam Eudowe, Glastonbury Partners in Planting, Inc.
Location: Plot #68 – 45 Canione Rd., Glastonbury, CT (Behind Herbert T. Clark House)
Every Wednesday and Friday bring your questions about gardening to a GPIP volunteer at Garden Plot #68. We will do our best to answer any questions. And while you are there take a few minutes to listen to a short casual conversation on a specific topic. All produce from this garden will be donated.
Interested in volunteering at this garden or at another garden with GPIP? We need help with watering, weeding, harvesting, and topic conversationalist at this garden. Contact Pam at information@gpip.org or via Facebook Messenger
GPIP is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides beautification, education, and environmental work on the public lands of Glastonbury. All projects are funded by membership dues, donations and/or grants. TOWN DOES NOT PAY FOR OUR WORK – it is all FREE.
For more information: GPIP.org or information@gpip.org Donations can be mailed to: GPIP PO Box 378 So. Glastonbury, CT 06073 or electronically via PayPal.
5/5/21 @ 9:00a & 5/7/21 @ 4:00p – Educational Garden Topic: Soil
Every Friday bring your questions about gardening to a GPIP volunteer at Garden Plot #68. We will do our best to answer any questions. And while there take a few minutes to listen to a short conversation on a specific topic.
Location: Community Gardens behind Herbert T. Clark House 45 Canione Rd., Glastonbury, CT
Topic conversations begin at 4:10pm. Topics repeat Wednesday & Friday of the same week.
Topic today: Soil and planning
Guest Conversationalist: Greg Foran, Park Superintendent, Tree Warden, Town of Glastonbury
RAIN CANCELS EVENT
Interested in volunteering at this garden? We need help with watering, weeding, harvesting, and topic conversationalist. Contact Pam at information@gpip.org or via Facebook Messenger
GPIP is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides beautification, education, and environmental work on the public lands of Glastonbury. All projects are funded by membership dues, donations and/or grants. TOWN DOES NOT PAY FOR OUR WORK – it is all FREE. For more information: GPIP.org or information@gpip.org Donations can be mailed to: GPIP PO Box 378 So. Glastonbury, CT 06073 or electronically via PayPal.
New Roses at the Median Gardens
A few of the dedicated Median Gardens volunteers learned the best way to plant roses from GPIP member Bruce Lester, a master gardener. Bruce also volunteers at Elizabeth Park’s famous rose garden. GPIP is always looking for ways to educate our members about the care of plants and to promote an understanding of the value of biodiversity among flora.
Beware the Beasts in Your Backyard
– Adult Ed. Course a Great Success
In May 2014, GPIP partnered with the Adult & Continuing Education department to offer a course: Beware the Beast in Your Backyard to help our community recognize and control invasive plants such as Oriental Bittersweet, Japanese Knotweed, Garlic Mustard, Burning Bush, Multiflora Rose and more. Information on native plants was also included. It was a 2-night course: a classroom meeting plus an outdoor class at Riverfront Park for a Plant Walk to identify these aggressive plants. 15 people attended.
The course was taught by Michael Corcoran who is affiliated with the University of Connecticut’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Coverts Project and the Connecticut Audubon Society.
Plant and Landscape Resources
Helpful Links
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State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
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University of Connecticut College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Organizations
Mulching around Trees
Your Community Beautification Committee brings you this timely gardening tip.
By Bob Shipman and Della Winans
You must have seen trees mulched in this manner. But do you know that this can be harmful and may cause death to your plants? Although roots require a constant moisture supply, the bark cannot sustain life in a constantly moist situation. This constant source of moisture can cause rot, fungus, and diseases to occur in the bark.
The mulch around this tree is ten inches deep! It should be no deeper than four inches and the mulch should be back at least three inches from the trunk and root flare at the base.
You may not notice any ill effect in the first year or two, but the long-term effect can cause death. You must keep mulch back at least three inches from the trunk. This includes the portion of the trunk that flares out at the base.
The purpose of mulching is to retain moisture, moderate soil temperature, reduce weed competition, protect the plant from mechanical damage from lawn mowers and string trimmers, and add a finished appearance to the planting. But don’t use too much. Two to four inches above the proper soil level is the recommended depth. So if you plan to re-mulch this year, be sure the total depth of mulch does not exceed four inches. The roots near the surface need oxygen. A deep mulch prohibits oxygen from reaching the root system.
Organic mulches breakdown and contribute to the fertility and structure of your soil. Fine textured mulches such as leaf compost or finely ground bark mulch should be applied only two inches deep, while coarse textured mulches such as bark nuggets, may be piled up to four inches deep. The coarse nuggets allow more air penetration whereas fine textured mulch packs down and impedes air penetration.
Mulches whose main component is wood (cellulose) may attract termites and also tie up the nitrogen from your soil as they decompose. Since bark contains little cellulose, composted bark mulch is preferable over other wood mulches. Many of the red color-enhanced mulches are composed of shredded wood and therefore deplete the soil of the nitrogen that your plants need for good growth.
Mulching has many beneficial aspects for your plants. It has the additional benefit of adding a finished appearance to your total landscape. However the mulch should not be the dominant feature of the landscape. The overall design and the plants themselves should be the focal point.