To go along with our tomato workshop tomorrow, Ruby Garden Leadership Committee member and chef Dale has contributed his recipe for summer pico de gallo.  Try it and let us know what you think:

Picco De Gallo
 
Tomatoes( 1/4 " dice)                                           16 ozw
Onions ( 1/4 " dice)                                               12 ozw
Jalapenos( seeded and finely diced)                4 ozw
Cilantro( large stems removed, chopped)     2 ozw
Green Bell Pepper (1/4 " dice)                           8 ozw
Ground Cumin                                                      1 tsp
Ground Black Pepper                                           1/2 tsp
Fresh Lime Juice                                                   1/4 cup
Olive Oil                                                                   1/4 cup
Salt (optional)                                                        to taste
 
Mix all above in bowl.  Place in non-metal container and let sit for at least 1 hour for flavours to blend, stirring occasionally.
Serve with Corn tortilla chips. Or, use as condiment or marinade for fish or flank steak.

Thanks, Dale!

If you're like me, you've got a long line of baby lettuces growing in your plot, and they're running out of space.  I spent some time thinning my lettuces this morning, giving them at least 3-4" in between, which meant I transplanted some to in-between rows and pulled some to eat (if anyone else had been in the garden I would have happily given you lots of healthy, delicious lettuce plants, but alas...).  Now, it's lunch time, and I'm eating straight from the garden.

I also planted some tomato plants.  Check out the Gardening Tips and Ideas page for proper planting distances.  We have the opportunity for great sun exposure at the garden, which means high producing fruit, but the plants need enough room to grow and produce.  I planted my tomato plants 2-3' apart.

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When I arrived this morning, the tool box key box was open, which meant that I didn't need the combo to get the key.  I don't need to tell anybody how terrible it would be if we lost the tools that are in there.  Please, please, please, if you don't know how to open or close the tool box, ask for help.  Contact us if you need more information.

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There is a big pile of mulch outside the garden fence, waiting to be spread.  When you're there tending your plot, please fill a wheelbarrow or two and spread some mulch on the paths around your plot or someone else's.  It doesn't take long, and is easy.  Thanks!

New photos today, plus new announcements, and updates on the Gardening Tips and Ideas page.

The garden is looking terrific.  Keep up the good work!  And don't forget to harvest, harvest, harvest.  Those vegetables are ready to eat sooner than you think.

Calling web designers!  Is there any plotholder who would be willing to donate an hour or two to help us with this website?  We'd be very, very grateful.  Contact us here.

Enjoy the slowly warming weather.  We look forward to seeing everyone in the garden.

This year will mark the 3rd growing season that we have participated in the Ruby Garden and tended a plot. We get so much joy out of growing plants and vegetables that this year we decided we were going to personalize our space with some fun garden accessories, including a lovely custom sign with our names on it.

Jan, from Metal Garden Arts, has some great designs both custom and standard that might be a fun way for you to personalize your plot. Here is her website link so you can peruse all that she has available.  And here's another one.

Of course there are other fun ways to personalize your plot. What will you pick? Feel free to share your ideas with the group on some fun and unique ways to make your plot your home. Happy Growing!

--Valerie and Nate, Plot #42

p.s. Keep in mind that plots are not guaranteed from year to year, so don't get anything that will be installed permanently.  Also, we don't recommend spending a lot of money because you are leaving it in a public place.

We are getting very excited about this gardening season, and today it feels like seedlings may start pushing their little heads through the soil, if they haven't already. 

One of our Master Gardeners in the garden this weekend noticed a plotholder had cleaned their plot but put the refuse material over the fence instead of bringing it to the compost.  In addition, the plotholder cleaned the border and removed plants from there, including some peas or sweet peas that someone had sowed.  The Master Gardener felt it was obvious that something was growing there.

We all work hard to grow plants from seed and plant carefully and make our garden a wonderful place.  So a few things to remember as we start to garden:

1. Please garden only your own plot.
2. Please make sure to compost any organic materials from your plot in our compost bin (if you're not sure how to do this, please ask a Master Gardener, or leave your materials to be composted very neatly next to the compost bin).  Don't put anything over the fence or anywhere else in the garden area.  We will talk more about composting on our Breakfast in Bed day.
   
3. Please make sure to remove all garbage from your plot area before you leave.  Key word: community.  This is a group effort.  We do not have receptacles for garbage--it must be removed from the garden area completely.
   
4. If you have interest in working on the borders or community circle, please talk to one of our Master Gardeners, or someone on the Gardening Committee, before digging, planting, or weeding.  We will also talk about this more on our Breakfast in Bed day.
5. If you are working on the borders or community circle, please don't dig something up unless you are absolutely sure you know what it is.
   
6. If you have questions on what you can and can't plant, what you can and can't do, or just want a refresher on the rules, please refer to the Rules and Guidelines page, which also refers to our process for complaints, infractions, etc.
   

New updates today on the Gardening Tips and Ideas page and on the Resources page.  If you come across great online resources helpful for your fellow gardeners, or want to comment on any of these links, please let us know.

Good morning.  At today's meeting, we are going to talk a little about how we will communicate with you and how you can communicate with us.  There are four main ways.

1. At Work Days.  At garden work days, we often will share important garden information, so make sure you check in with the Garden Leadership Committee when you're there.  In addition, work days are a great time to meet people in the garden and get more involved in the garden leadership.
   
2. Email.  We will occasionally send you emails reminding you about events or meetings.  We will also communicate via email if we need to contact you for other reasons.
3. This website.  Whenever we have an announcement, we will post it on this website on the Announcements page.  You should check the website often for updates, as we will regularly add and update information to the website.
4. Blog.  Right now you are reading our blog.  Here is where we will post notices that changes have been made to the website.  The blog will also serve a few other purposes.  This is  where different Garden Leadership members will post items of interest to the Ruby Garden community.  In addition, any plotholder can submit a blog post about a garden related topic, including any photographs, to us at our email address.
   

Finally, if you know what an RSS feed is, you can subscribe to Ruby Garden blog posts using the button on the top right of this page. 

If you don't know what an RSS feed is, and you have a Google or a Gmail account, you can subscribe to this blog by following these steps:

1. Click on the RSS feed button on the top right of this page.
2. At the drop down menu at the top left of the page, choose Subscribe to this feed using: Google.
3. Click subscribe now.
4. You will be brought to a Google page, which you will have the choice to read the feed on your Google homepage or Google Reader
5. Choose Add to Google Reader. 
6. Sign into your Gmail account.
7. You will be taken directly to the Google Reader in your gmail account.
8. If you're in your Gmail account already, you can find the Google Reader by clicking Reader at the top of the page.
9. Every time this blog is updated, your Google Reader will be updated, and you can read the blog entry right in your Gmail.

You can also subscribe to an RSS feed in other ways.  Please contact us if you need more information.

We've worked hard to make the Ruby Garden a wonderful community garden and center for growing, sharing, and camaraderie.  Now we're entering our third year and trying to establish a long term presence on all fronts.  We've just put up this website as another portal with which you can communicate with us, share your thoughts, ask questions, gather information or learn more about Ruby Garden.

Please feel free to comment or share your thoughts.  Let us know if you have ideas about the garden or the website, if you have pictures to share, experiences, or anything at all.

Thanks!

The Ruby Garden Leadership Committee