Congratulations Rose Roots gardeners on making it half way through this banner gardening season! It is inspiring to see our hard working community growing such beautiful vegetables and flowers and working together to maintain our immaculate community spaces. It was a proud moment to get to share our stunning garden with 30 cyclists from Bike Friendly Arvada stopping by on their first annual Arvada Garden Tour. We've really come a long way in nearly Ten Years!
In the interest of process improvement and gardener inclusion and empowerment, we've made some changes below. I would especially like to thank our Steering Committee who has worked tirelessly to evaluate and improve processes for the betterment of the garden and our gardeners.
Upcoming: Tomorrow Friday Aug 13 at 7 am, Gina Schley, one of our garden founders, is offering a Pick Your Own Sunrise event along with our garden president Erin Newton, who will be playing harp at Gina's Flower Farm (www.shegrows.com). A limited number of participants may pick and arrange bouquets and get instruction on growing flowers along with a farmhouse brunch. Get your tickets now Here as there are only a few remaining.
Minutes Posted
The Minutes from our Aug 2, 2021 All Gardener Meeting have been uploaded to our website Here. Our next meeting is Tues Sept 7th at 6 pm at the garden. Email us Here at least 24 hours before the meeting if you have Agenda items you’d like to be considered if time allows.
Produce Donations
Our total produce giving donation to date for the 2021 gardening season is 628.7 lbs. For the nine years we've been donating as a garden, the total is 14,486.7 lbs. Our goal is to donate 15,000 lbs by the end of this season, so the remaining needed in donations to achieve our goal is 513.3 lbs. Thank you to all the gardeners who are donating zealously! Cindy and John Malito, for example donated over 70 lbs in one day! Keep up the good work everyone in giving back to our community.
Gardener of the Month
Some people go over and beyond to support our garden community. Margaret Jacot continues to weed in community spaces, earned Gardener Appreciation Apparel for reading the whole newsletter and finding the secret word, she supported our Leadership team in setting up our Movie Night and Music Night, helps with Youth Group activities having been a special education teacher, and on Thursday work nights, helps give neglected plots extra love. Thank you Margaret for your time and energy!
Concessionaire Agreement Update
The Concessionaire Agreement between the City of Arvada and Denver Urban Gardens (DUG), who has leased the Rose Roots Property for nearly ten years from the City, will expire Dec 31, 2021. DUG collects Rose Roots Membership dues and charges $25 per plot for liability insurance, financial management, mentorship, workshop and networking opportunities.
After discussion with members and a Steering Committee thorough review of the relative merits of renewing the agreement or starting our own 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, the Rose Roots Steering Committee voted unanimously to recommend to the City not to renew the Concessionaire Agreement so we can run our own organization through a 501(c)(3). We have completed most of the steps to set up the 501(c)(3) to be prepared to manage our garden in the event that the City decides to take our recommendation and not renew the concessionaire agreement with DUG.
Bylaws Revisions
The Steering Committee approved the following Bylaw revisions in the interest of growing community and encouraging all members to participate in leadership opportunities. The key changes are detailed below, and the full Bylaws can be reviewed Here.
Electing Officers:
"Elected leaders may run for consecutive terms only if no other member has accepted a nomination."
Note: Elected Leadership positions are two-year terms. We encourage all gardeners in good standing to run for our five elected positions, which serve two-year terms. See the website Here for details. Further information on our September elections is forthcoming.
Sub-Committee Leads:
"Sub-committee leads may serve two-year terms. Leads will be appointed by the Steering Committee elected in September for the following year and will be selected at a January planning meeting each year for the next season. If a Lead has fulfilled their two-year term, a Steering Committee member may fill that role if another gardener is not designated, or the steering committee may choose to reappoint leads as needed."
We encourage members to contact us Here if you are interested in serving in an appointed Lead role. You can learn more about Lead roles that will be appointed in Jan 2022 for the 2022 Season on the Service Teams page Here.
Gardener of the Month
Julie Lesnick is new to Rose Roots, but you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at her garden. She is quietly growing a lush variety of pumpkins, gourds, squash, zucchini, artichokes, beans, and so much more in the North East Corner of the garden. She is also leading Thursday work days along with VP Patty Sacks, and while they are a highly effective team, they would love to have more help every other Thursday at 6 pm to help with garden projects in community spaces. Julie attends our Monthly meetings and gives helpful feedback, and has offered feedback on our Westside Landscaping project. We appreciate all you do Julie!
All Gardener Service Hours
We are about half way through the gardening season. Remember to check your Service Hours Here (on the third tab in the yellow column) if you're not sure how many hours you have fulfilled of the 12 service hours per plot per season required by Oct 31. There are new yellow signs posted in the garden sheds and kiosk with the Hour Logging QR code to make it easy to log your hours on the go.
Code of Conduct
We are working on a Code of Conduct to help guide member behavior and better define expectations of a "Member in Good Standing" referenced in the Bylaws. We are also detailing probation steps which will be shared soon should the Steering Committee need to mediate gardener behavior and/or limit member participation. These tools are meant to empower all gardeners to better understand our roles as contributing members of our community and ensure gardeners help preserve a peaceful gardening environment.
In a World where you can be anything, Be Kind
Each of us make up the Rose Roots Community, and we can choose every day to reach out in some way and uplift each other to work towards supporting our mission of "gardeners growing community". There are always challenges being part of a community, just as there are challenges being part of a family, but it's important to remember we all want Rose Roots Community Garden to remain our peaceful, rejuvenating happy place, and though we have our differences, we have our appreciation for the garden in common. If we continue to treat others as we would like to be treated, sometimes put other's needs before our own, and recognize that we can all become better people through listening, learning to share, compromise, and being part of a team, we will all grow together and flourish along with our beautiful vegetables and flowers. That's the idea anyway of gardening as part of a community instead of all by our lonesome. If you made it this far, and you haven't won a prize before, be the first 3 people to email us Here to earn a prize if you can tell us how many ladybugs are in this update.
Garden Riddle for a Prize
Be the first two gardeners to email us Here to win a prize if you haven't already and if you know the answer:
Riddle: I sound like a place where roses and daisies could go to sleep. I don't think you would find me comfortable though. What am I?"
Upcoming Dates: Check the Calendar Here for details
Fri Aug 13, 7 am: Early Morn Pick your own Bouquet, Instruction and Brunch with Harp Music at Gina's Garden. Learn more Here.
Thurs Aug 19, 7 pm: Music at the garden: Laurie Dameron. Learn more Here.
Wed Aug 25, 5:30-9 pm: Rose Roots Hosts Micro-Network Social sponsored by DUG (34 gardens invited)
Tuesday Sept 7, 6 pm: Next RR Monthly Meeting
Email President Erin Newton at Leadership@roserootsgarden.org with questions.
Note: Pollinator Garden Breakfast Work Parties every Sunday 8-10 am. Every other Thurs at 6 pm we have Work Parties with leads Patty and Julie at 6 pm. This is a great way to get your service hours in and socialize with other gardeners. Check calendar for dates.
Don't forget to check pics on Facebook and Instagram at "Rose Roots Community Garden'" if you use social media to catch the latest fun times at the garden and please share your own there or email us pictures to share Here.
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