Garden Committee

Primary Purpose of the Committee

The Garden Committee shall operate and maintain specific outdoor Garden space, and engage in community participation in said space at MakeICT.

The Garden Area presently occupies the MakeICT courtyard. This includes the yard area inside the sidewalk from the South Wing to West Wing doors; The Pavilion; An 8,500 square foot Organic Community Garden comprised of communal and rental spaces, and a two foot buffer for planting south of the chain link fence.

Lead (2023): Sherry Ibrahim

2023 Meetings:

Sunday January 15 10 AM classroom 1

Sunday February 19 10 AM classroom 1

Area Maps forthcoming.

Access Policy forthcoming.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Create and maintain a Garden.
• Organize classes related to gardening
• Provide information on gardening in an area on our forum

Current Policies

• Do not pick crops or flowers from any plot that is not your own. Community plot harvesting guidelines will be posted during the seasons; generally speaking, garden volunteers receive first choice and remaining crops will be placed for general MakeICT member use and/or donated to area community food banks. Pollinator Garden flowers are never to be picked as they serve as food resources for pollinators.
• The MakeICT Garden is an organic space. Do not use unapproved fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, weed repellents or any other products that will affect other plots. Please refer to The National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances for allowable chemicals.
• The Pollinator Garden next to the south doors is a completely pesticide free space - even organic pesticides are forbidden as they will affect butterflies, bees and moths. Only biological control insects (such as ladybugs for aphids) are allowed.
• Noxious weeds are prohibited. Invasive plants which are not designated noxious weeds are only allowed in above ground containers. This includes the mint family. You are responsible for researching what you purchase/plant to know if it is considered invasive in Kansas/horticultural zone 6b.

Important Forms

• none yet

Members

Chair - Sherry Ibrahim
Vice chair - Sean Sandefur
Aaron Rivers

Scott Sullivan

Bill Youngers

Jay Swan

Bee (Bridget) Wherrell

Jesse Schlenker

Pollinator Garden

Request submitted on January 5, 2023 to Monarch Watch for free milkweed for schools and nonprofits.

The Pollinator Garden is located on the south west side of the South entrance, currently bounded by the sidewalk and the west edge of the south wing of the building.

Meeting Notes

Jan 15 2023 Garden Committee Meeting

2022 Garden Committee Meetings

2021 Garden Committee Meetings

Class Ideas:

Herbology 101: Soil Success: Profiting from Preparation

Herbology 102: Watering Wins - Surviving Droughts the Lazy Way

Herbology 103: Fertilizer Fortunes: What do all those letters mean, and which ones do I need?

Herbology 801: Forbidden Flora: Toxic Treasures in Herbology with Professor Sprout

Kansas Noxious Weeds - prohibited in Garden

https://agriculture.ks.gov/divisions-programs/plant-protect-weed-control/noxious-weed-control-program

National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (for Organic Gardening)

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-M/part-205/subpart-G

Other resources

Media:Soil_sample_2_NW_corner_MakeICT_garden.pdf

Media:Soil_sample_1_East_half_MakeICT_garden.pdf
Gardening Online Resources (includes Sedgwick County Extension Links)

Commitment approved at the March 18, 2021 Board meeting. The MakeICT Garden Area was formed in the  April 21st 2002 MakeICT Board Meeting with the motion: "The Garden Committee is formally requesting designation as an Area. Should the Board act favorably towards this motion, we propose that the Garden Lead be Sean Sandefur. Furthermore, the Garden Committee shall remain intact and steer garden rules, communal planting, and events."