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Belmont Grows Together with a Party in the Park

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The Mural Machine’s Wayne Avenue Mural

After a great response from their South Park community mural along Wayne Avenue, The Mural Machine will be working with the Belmont Eastmont Hearthstone Community Council for a Mural Painting Party in the Park at Nordale Park in Belmont on Sunday, August 13.

“It was so exciting to see their murals being painted all over Dayton,” said Kim Petro, member of the Belmont Eastmont Hearthstone Community Council. “We’d already been talking with Etch and Tiffany about doing a mural on the pavilion at Nordale Park and we’re even more excited to have them come to Belmont now!”

More than just a day of community mural painting, the Mural Painting Party in the Park will feature sports tournaments, local artisan vendors, door prizes, a 50/50 raffles, and popular local food trucks.

“Doing a mural in the park, we wanted to make the day into a party for the whole community,” said Reggie Swickard, board member of the Belmont Eastmont Hearthstone Community Council. “In addition to the mural painting we’re going to have vendors, sports tournaments, food trucks will be on hand, door prizes, raffles and a whole lot more!

The Mural Machine and Volunteers working hard on the Wayne Avenue Mural

Belmont is an amazing neighborhood and we want to take a day to celebrate that while beautifying one of our great parks!”

Zombie Dogs and The Drunken Waffle will be serving food all day long and local artisan vendors are encouraged to submit applications at https://daytonfun.wufoo.com/forms/zu3q7110dk837z/.

Basketball, kickball and disc golf tournaments will be announced in advance, in addition to other details, all at www.facebook.com/BelmontEastmontHearthstoneCommunityCouncil/.

“Belmont is affordable and friendly. Not only is it close to a number of great businesses and recreation areas in Dayton, it’s home to quite a few of them,” Petro said. “We’re putting the spotlight on all of that. It’s going to be an awesome event!”

The first raised beds of the Nordale Community Garden

Money raised will be used to offset mural costs in addition to help fund the growing community garden in the park.

A park clean-up will be held on Aug 12th in preparation for the Mural Painting Party in the Park. Volunteers are needed and you can contact Reggie Swickard at [email protected] for more details.

This is a free event that is open to anyone of any age! For more information check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BelmontEastmontHearthstoneCommunityCouncil/

A Garden of Cocktail Delights

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Get your hands dirty!

Spring has finally arrived! The days are getting longer, the ground is thawing, and the weather is getting warmer. It is the proper time to clean out the house and to have to start tending to the yard. The first order of business will be to clean up all the leaves and sticks that have accumulated over the cold winter months. Then it is time to get the garden, or gardens, ready. If you are one who plans everything out before heading to the nursery, make sure you consider what you may be drinking during the spring and summer months. You can have all the ingredients you need for warm weather sipping within your reach, fresh and ready for muddling, infusing, and otherwise flavoring your cocktails.

All liquor, no matter what you are drinking, is in some way plant based. While you may not have room to grow corn, agave, or wheat, everyone has a small plot of land that they can put a few herbs in. Maybe a strawberry plant or two. This garden can be the base for your special gin-like concoction. Possibly a delightful blueberry or mint infused simple syrup or liquor. Many of the bitters and amari that are so popular in the modern cocktail movement have dozens of herbs and other aromatics infused in them. Jagermeister, one of the best-known liqueurs, has no less than fifty-six herbs, roots, fruits, and spices. You may not need THAT many in your garden, but it can’t hurt to have a few very attractive, easy to grow options.

Fruits

I can see some strawberry syrup, strawberry vodka, strawberry shrub…

Strawberries – Is there anything that says summer more than a ripe strawberry? Perfect for garnishing and infusing, these juicy treats go with pretty much anything. They are a relatively hardy plant that can grow almost anywhere. They prefer a lot of sun but can make it with some shade. Because of their rapid growth, you need to give them room if you are planting them in the ground. If you plant them too deep, they will not grow at all. Maintain them, and strawberry plants will produce fruit for roughly four years.  Plant them while there is still a chill in the air, then wait for them to flower. A month later, enjoy the fruits of your labor. Do not put them in bed the first year with flowers. The fight for resources will not go well.

Raspberries/Blackberries – Both pop up a little earlier in the season than strawberries do; they are almost the harbinger of fresh fruits. They will also grow rapidly, so they need room AND a good trimming. Let them go too far, and they start to turn into thickets. They do not enjoy lots of water, so be sparing when you give them extra watering. Missing the spring planting season is not a big deal; they will be fine if you plant them in summer. You can plant them anywhere in the garden, except near the tomatoes. Tomatoes can leave diseases that these berries can pick up. Speaking of…

Tomatoes – These are fruit. Keep that in mind. They are also a little sweet. If you grow them right, you can have fresh tomato juice for brunch Bloody Marys, or maybe make some tomato water. These guys are going to take a little more work. You are going to need a trellis or some method to get them off the ground and keep them clean and growing well. Like the other fruits, give them plenty of room to grow and lots and lots of sun. Unlike the berries, do not plant them too early. Cold is not their friend at all. Pro hint: plant the stem deeper for them to grow more roots and you to get more tomatoes.

Vegetables

Rhubarb is amazing, offering a tart crispness to cocktails.

Cucumbers – I could almost write “see tomatoes” for how to grow cucumbers. They want something to climb on, want warm soil, but they like much more moisture and fertilizer than the tomato. Throw some mulch on top of that soil to keep that water in, and you will have happy cucumbers. Perfect to muddle into a refreshing gin cocktail or use as a garnish.

Rhubarb – Hear me out. A simple rhubarb syrup, or making a batch of bitters with a little rhubarb as part of the mix, is a delight to have in your repertoire. Rhubarb growing is another early indicator that spring has sprung. This is one plant that enjoys the Ohio winter. More freezes of the ground can produce more stems. All rhubarb needs is fertilized, wet soil, plenty of sun, and some room to grow. Take care of this celery-like vegetable, and you can expect savory delights for up to eight years. Do NOT eat the leaves.

Herbs

Mint – You know that you’ll be having juleps and mojitos when it gets warm. There is no excuse for not having scads of mint in the garden or around the house. Growing these in pots and keeping them well trimmed is the best way to check their growth. Left to their own devices, they can take over a yard. Maybe the next yard. Possibly the world. Mint is aggressive when it comes to growing, but shy when it comes to the sun. Keep them in in the shade if possible. To get even tastier Kentucky Colonel in your harvest, trim the flowers when they start to appear. That will encourage more leaf growth. Which means more juleps for everyone.

Maybe I promised you a herb garden. Just not a rose garden.

Basil – You are already growing tomatoes, right? Add a little sweet basil to that plot of land, and you have plenty of flavors covered. They not only taste amazing together, but they also grow well together. You can plant them in pots while it is still cold out, then transfer them to the soil when it warms up. As the stalks get taller, they will start to flower. Like mint, trim the flowers when they start to emerge. Then bruise them up with some strawberries for a vodka infusion.

Rosemary – This potent herb can provide a refreshing burst of flavor to cocktails. You do not need much muddled into a cocktail to get that flavor going. Another easy grower, put it in the sun and stand back. This little herb will grow as much as you will allow it. It is a low maintenance herb to have. When the soil around it gets a little dry, give it some water, but otherwise do not worry about it much.

Sage – Delicious, and not just for cooking. It goes well with many fruits, especially citrus. Citrus is the soul of many cocktails, and sage and citrus work well together. Throw in some gin, and you have the base of an excellent cocktail started. This plant will sit nicely with the rosemary and the strawberries, so grow them all together. It loves our Midwestern weather and will thrive in this mild climate. It grows out, not up, so this is another one that needs a wide berth. After five years, digging it up and planting a fresh plant is recommended.

Mint juleps for all the days of the summer!

This is by no means a complete list. Dill, lemon verbena, thyme, and many other herbs can be added, depending on the flavors that you love. Marigolds, violets, and roses are edible and can offer some lovely garnishes to your cocktails. They may be useful additions. If you are looking at the long game, apple trees and grape vines will grow in this area, so you can start on those now and see some results in five years. You can even grow your lemons indoors if you have the patience, the vessel, and a window with good light.

The variety of things you can do with these plants is extensive. Even if you do not have a plot of land to call your own, you can use one of the community plots of land that Five Rivers MetroParks offers. Many herbs and flowers can also be grown indoors so that you can put fresh mint in your cocktails all year round. While the weather is nice, head out into the yard and get your hands dirty. Spend a little time getting your garden ready now, and you’ll be enjoying a strawberry basil lemonade cocktail right out of your backyard.

Register Now For Miami Valley Gardening Conference

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MVGC11_Photo01MetroPark’s annual kick-off to the spring gardening season will take place Saturday March 1st at the Sincalir Ponitz Center.  This year’s theme is Gardening for the next decade.  Enjoy breakout sessions led by local experts on Plant Selections for the future, Proactive choices for a better environment, Playing in the garden, and The Most Beautiful Garden is YOUR Garden. Fee includes breakfast snack, full lunch (vegetarian options available), breaks and covered parking. Online registration $50. Walk-in and phone registration $60.

Register

Walk-in late registration will be accepted on the day of the conference for $60. Please call 277-6545 for information.

mvgc14_jeff_lowenfelsKeynote speaker Jeff Lowenfels is an international proponent of organics and the award winning author of Teaming With Microbes: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to The Soil Food Web. His weekly column has appeared in theAnchorage Daily News for over 37 years and he was once an Editor of the Harvard Lampoon, America’s oldest humor magazine, so his talks are alway humorous and witty and entertaining. He is also a reformed lawyer; the combination of garden writing and law earning him the moniker: America’s Dirtiest Lawyer. In addition to writing, Jeff hosted a statewide tv gardening show. Today, Jeff has a popular radio show.

 

mvgc14_thomas_rainer

Thomas Rainer, the second keynote speaker is a registered landscape architect, teacher, and writer living in Arlington, Virginia.Thomas is a passionate advocate for an ecologically expressive design aesthetic that does not imitate nature, but interprets it. His planting designs focus on creating a modern expression of the ground plane with a largely native palette of perennials and grasses. Thomas has designed landscapes for the U.S. Capitol grounds, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and The New York Botanical Garden, as well as over 100 gardens from Maine to Florida.

SCHEDULE:
7:30 am Check-in, late registration and refreshments
8:05 am Welcome
Carrie Scarff, Deputy Director, Five Rivers MetroParks
Betty Hoevel, Education Supervisor, Five Rivers MetroParks
8:15 am Morning Keynote: Jeff Lowenfels
“Teaming with Nutrients: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to Optimizing Plant Nutrition”
9:20 am Session One: Plant Selections for the future
  1. Tomatoes: Matt Kleinhenz, OSU Extension vegetable specialist
  2. Geraniums and begonias: Duke Stockslager, Stockslager’s Greenhouse and Garden Center
  3. Maples: Tomasz Przepiorkowski, Studebaker Nurseries
10:15 am Morning Break — door prizes, demos, book signing
10:40 am Session Two: Proactive choices for a better environment
  1. New importance of the suburban lot: Art Trese, Ohio University
  2. Turf alternatives : Cliff Deitering, President, Wengerlawn Nursery Co.
  3. Pests and diseases–is anything safe?: Joe Boggs, OSU
11:35 am Lunch — demos, door prizes, Great Hall
1:00 pm Afternoon Keynote: Thomas Rainer: “Sustainable Garden Design”
2:05 pm Session Three: Playing in the garden
  1. Healthy garden, healthy gardener: Stacey Walters-Best, Garden for the Health of It
  2. Plant a cocktail: Tim Pritchard, Five Rivers MetroParks
  3. Fun Plants, Fun Things in the Garden: Teresa Jones, Meadow View Growers
3:00 pm  Afternoon Break
  • Book signing, door prizes, previews of 2014 FRMP programs
3:35 pm Session Four: Laura Deeter: “The Most Beautiful Garden is YOUR Garden”
  • Great gardens are always impressive, and with help from Laura’s great skill and insights, you can create your own most beautiful garden and have fun doing it!
4:30 pm Pick up door prizes

Need a Garden? Then Grow With Your Neighbors!

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Gardening can bring a community closer together. Learn about available opportunities at http://www.metroparks.org/gwyn.

If you’re a renter like me, you may look upon homeowners with envy for their ability to cultivate and grow their own fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs. Urbanites with a lack of available green space probably feel my pain, too. So what’s a veggie-loving city slicker/tenant to do? Grow With Your Neighbors.

This program, founded in 1986, helps those without land become more self-sufficient and promotes healthy lifestyles by providing space where patrons can grow their own food. “Originally called Dayton Urban Gardens, this movement emerged as a way to encourage creative use of vacant land, Brother Ed Zamierowski served as the first coordinator,” says GWYN Manager Luci Beachdell. ““Today, the program is centrally managed at Wegerzyn Garden MetroPark as a program of Five Rivers MetroParks. Our goal is to promote local, neighborhood development, especially in low-income areas, by turning vacant land into a resource for food production and neighborhood beautification. By establishing a network of neighborhood gardens, the program encourages the development of new gardens and offers assistance to existing ones.”

Eating local is a hot topic. Urban agriculture has exploded on the local scene, with 40 community gardens (including hundreds of plots at Wegerzyn Gardens and Possum Creek MetroParks) open in 2010 and another eight slated to open in 2011. So chances are, wherever you live, you’re close to a community garden. “But Val,” you might be saying, “I don’t exactly have the world’s greenest thumbs. I’m lucky if I can keep a cactus alive. How do you expect me to cultivate produce?” GWYN’s got you covered. The program has built-in support of managers and volunteers willing to lend their time and talents to assist the horticultural-impaired. “We love to help new gardeners get started,” Beachdell says. “From planning to tilling to building beds, we want to give gardeners the know-how they need to be successful and self-sustaining.” In addition to available free or at-cost gardening programs offered through Five Rivers MetroParks, there are also several community garden “road shows” in which MetroPark horticulture experts are on hand to answer questions.

It’s never too early to introduce kids to the concept of local foods. First Lady Michelle Obama is helping shine the spotlight on gardening and incorporating more fruits and vegetables in our diets, especially for children. The City Beets program operates out of Wegerzyn’s community garden to educate youth on gardening and leadership skills as they grow their own produce, then preserve or prepare their goods to be sold at the PNC 2nd Street Market. “We also work with schools interested in creating a school garden in the same ways that we work with new and existing gardens. We help them plan and prepare, and do some basic gardening run-throughs,” Beachdell says.

You, too, can make others envy your giant gourds when you visit http://www.metroparks.org/GWYN.

Another great benefit of community gardening is neighborhood improvement. In addition to the beautification of transforming a former vacant lot into an attractive and productive garden, GWYN gardeners frequently donate excess crops to local food pantries, giving the gift of good health to others.

Now that you’re out of excuses, put down the Cheetos and pick up a shovel. You, too, can become a gardener and live a life more nutritious and delicious. Contact Luci Beachdell if you’re interested in taking a plot in a community garden near you, or info on how to start a community garden in your neighborhood.