EASTER EGG HUNT and GARDEN PLANTING

Join us for an Easter egg hunt

@ RockStAr garden

By the metro elevator

Saturday @ 3pm

Come find eggs and help us start

planting our garden

Questions?

Email: rockstargarden@gmail.com

Text or call: 2026569890

Blog: rockstargarden.blogspot.com

Now Saturday@11:30: RockStAr Garden 2014 Planning Session

Due to the potential for rain at the previously scheduled time, we're moving the RockStAr Garden 2014 planning session to Saturday, March 15, starting at 11:30am.  It's going to be a beautiful day, so please join us for some food and discussion about the garden and how you can be involved.  

Come with your ideas to RockStAr Garden at 19th & Burke St. SE (next to Stadium Armory metro elevator).  All are welcome, whether you have gardened before or not.  Send any questions to rockstargarden@gmail.com 

See you Saturday at 11:30!

RockStAr Garden

Growing healthy food and relationships in our neighborhood 

rockstargarden.blogspot.com 

RockStAr Garden 2014 Planning Session

It's finally spring, and time to make our garden beautiful and we need YOU to help us make that happen!

Join us from 3-4pm on March 16 for the RockStAr Garden 2014 Planning Session, when we will envision what we want the garden space to be and how we want to do it.  Come with your ideas to RockStAr Garden at 19th & Burke St. SE.  All are welcome, whether you have gardened before or not.

RockStAr Garden
Growing healthy food and relationships in our neighborhood

RootingDC conference this Saturday

Although there is still snow on the ground, now's the time to start thinking about our 2014 gardening season.  This weekend, join us at the RootingDC urban gardening conference.  The time is March 1, 8:30am-4pm.  The location is Wilson High School in NW.

Click the following link for more information and to register (FREE!):

http://rootingdc.org/

Send a text to 2026569890 if you would like to go as part of the RockStAr Garden group.

Hope to see you there!

Fruit growing in our garden

We're excited about the fruit that we are planting and now eating.  We've gotten some delicious strawberries, are watching peaches grow, and just planted some watermelons, honeydew and canteloupe.  Here's a look:

Party and Produce

We had a great party last week, despite the cool weather.  We enjoyed some delicious food from the garden, everything from pasta and rosemary bread to a hearty salad and lemon balm tea.  A fun chance to meet neighbors and dream about what else we can do at the garden.  Here's a bit of what we put in the salad:

If you missed this party, don't worry, we'll have more soon...

RockStAr Garden Party - Friday May 24 @ 6

Dear fellow RockStArs -

 

It's that time again - time to party at RockStAr Garden at 19th and Burke St. SE.  We'll be out there Friday night from 6pm to whenever the party ends.

 

Here are the main goals:

 

1. Get a tour of what's growing

2. Eat some delicious produce

3. Learn how to become more involved

4. Meet some fantastic fellow RockStArs

 

So whether you've been able to come out once, several times, or not yet this season, you are welcome to join us.  If you're able, bring a bit of food or drink to share.  We'll have some food, but there's always room for more!

 

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to send an email.  Hope this can be a great way to kick off your Memorial Day weekend.

 

Hope to see you then!

 

 

What's growing...

It's been a successful year at the garden so far.  Here are a few images of what's growing...

RADISHES

 

MINT AND BERRIES

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE

POTATOES

PEACHES

FIGS

Egg Hunt and Seed Planting

WHEN: Saturday, April 6, 10:30-11:30am
WHERE: RockStAr Garden @ 19th & Burke St. SE
WHAT: Egg hunt and seed planting
WHY: It's a beautiful day to continue our seed planting
WHO: All are welcome!  Come and bring a friend!

Send us an email if you can come - rockstargarden@gmail.com

New soil, new seeds, new friends

On Saturday we had a great turnout and got started on our spring 2013 season.  First thank you goes to the participants in our kick-off event - you all were fantastic!

The next thank you goes to Les for letting us borrow a truck to get compost from the USDA Ag Research Service Compost Research Station.  We started out our workday by pulling weeds and found mint and strawberries still thriving underneath.  Then came a bunch of compost to amend the soil.

 

 

Next we put down some seeds.  Another thank you shout out to Sarah and the Southwest community garden that donated Jerusalem artichokes we planted, along with some peas and radishes. 

 

We set up some stakes, reveled in our handiwork, and then got the season started off right with a delicious meal together - including the newly-introduced Jerusalem artichoke.

 

Want to join in the fun?  Sign up for our email list and join us when the season begins in full swing - that is, after this crazy snow-storm!

March 23 Garden Party

We're excited about our Kick-Off Garden Party for the year at RockStAr Garden, and we hope you can join.  Here's a few more details:

Please join us at 10:30am at RockStAr Garden at 19th & Burke St. SE.  If you have any garden tools to share, please bring them.

We'll get to know each other and then dig right into the fun - literally.  We're going to harvest some swiss chard, and then pull out the weeds, and apply the compost.  Then we'll get some seeds in the ground.  If we have enough people, we will also get some signs painted.

Please send an email to rockstargarden@gmail.com if you plan to attend.  See you soon!

March 23 - RockStAr Garden Kick-off Party

On March 23 at 10:30am we will have our garden launch - and it's going to be great!  We're going to prepare the soil and put the first seeds in.  Fun for the whole family.  More details to come.

Envisioning our Garden in 2013 - Join Us March 10 @ 2pm

Happy Spring!  It's that time again, when the snow turns to rain and everything comes out of hibernation.  And for RockStAr Garden, it means time to make our space beautiful and colorful all over again!

What's it going to take?  Your great ideas!

Come join the conversation on what YOU envision in this space at 19th and Burke St., SE, DC.  What would you like to participate in?  Are you great at caring for plants?  At art or photography?  At organizing parties?  At cooking up delicious foods grown in our garden?  What is it that YOU are passionate about?  We've got room for you!

Our next brainstorming session will be on Sunday, March 10 at 2pm.  It will be a gorgeous day to be outside and meeting our neighbors and dreaming up a vision for the next year.

See you Sunday at 2pm!

Harvest Party Pictures

Announcing our Harvest Party

Please join us at RockStAr Garden at 19th and Burke St. SE on Saturday, October 20 at noon for our 2012 Harvest Party.  We will clean up the garden, harvest the rest of what we have growing, enjoy food together, and continue to build relationships in our neighborhood.  Please bring something to share (your favorite fall dish or drink).  Gloves and tools will be provided.  Look forward to seeing you there!

Pictures from August Party

A wonderful time was had by all during our August garden party.  Chef Anthony led several neighbors in a delightful experience of cooking and eating food together.

The menu included:
-Jambalaya (using spices from the garden)
-Lamb and Lentil and Carrot Stew (carrots and herbs from the garden) -
-Swiss chard wraps filled with rice, almonds, and raisins (swiss chard from the garden)
-Stuffed squash blossoms (squash blossoms from the garden)
-Herb bread (adapted recipe used basil, oregano, and rosemary from the garden)
-Hibiscus and lemon balm tea (lemon balm from the garden)
-Ice cream: mint, lavender, and strawberry/apple/beet (mint, lavender, and beet from the garden)

A few pictures:

Announcing our August 25th party

We're going to have another community garden party on Saturday, August 25, featuring more produce from the garden. 

Want to participate?  Here's how:

Option 1: Be one of the first 10 to sign up to prepare food with our neighborhood Chef Anthony.  He will begin cooking at 4:30pm on Saturday.  Items on the menu include: lamb and lentil soup, swiss chard wraps, and stuffed squash blossoms.  Don't miss this chance to learn from a culinary expert.  Email rockstargarden@gmail.com to sign up.

Option 2: Use some of the herbs and produce from the garden to bring your own dish to share.  A few ideas: rosemary chicken, lemon balm pesto with fish, basil and tomato bruschetta, or zucchini with garlic, basil, and mint.  Stop by the garden to see what inspires you.  Email rockstargarden@gmail.com if you need help finding any of these herbs. 

We will meet at 6:30pm on Saturday to enjoy our food together.  Don't miss this opportunity to join your neighbors for a delicious and delightful evening together.

 

A RockStAr Photographer

One of our RockStAr regulars volunteered to take pictures of what's growing and did a fantastic job.  Check out her photos below: the RockStAr sign, a watermelon, a zucchini, and tomatoes.

Bursting with orange colors

The garden has become quite colorful, and here are a few examples of what we've got growing.  Marigolds are planted throughout the garden to keep the bad bugs away (mosquitos, aphids, etc).  Sunflowers were planted as a companion plant for cucumbers.  The variety of cucumber we planted actually had a yellow-orange peel, which can be seen in the photo next to the St. John's Wort, carrot, and poppy.  And one friend of the garden shows off how much he loves carrots!

Potatoes: From the Ground to a Delicious Dish

The pictures below capture some of the transformation of our garden's potatoes, from the moment we dug them up to when it turned into a delicious potato salad, thanks to some great helpers.