Mead Making & Pizza Baking Fun 8/3

Come to Pearson Garden to learn about

MEAD MAKING from Turtle, who makes some of the best mead in these mountains
and
PIZZA BAKING from Frank Cook

About Frank Cook: As an extensive traveler he has developed a deep-rooted network of people whose lives are consciously intermingled with plants, healing, and ways to create a better world. He makes a wide range of foods and medicines to share with his family, friends and community. He leads a simple life communicating, teaching, reflecting, and spending a lot of time in the forests and gardens delving deeper into the mysteries of the plant kingdom and our place in the web of life. Visit his website.

I walk the green path achieving right-livelihood through donation. I appreciate your assistance in this. Give what you can; Receive what you need. But most importantly show up at some of these outings and reconnect with nature.

WHEN: Monday, August 3rd
WHERE: PEARSON garden
408 Pearson Drive, Asheville NC
TIME: 3:00 pm

COST: by donation
CONTACT INFO: Turtle at 273-8151

Earthen Plaster Workshop 8/8

Come learn how to make beautiful natural plaster from clay, sand, and straw. Participants will learn how to mix and apply plaster on the Pearson Drive Garden cob oven. Also included will be a discussion on how to build and
use cob ovens.

Saturday August 8, 2009
Pearson Drive Garden
408 Pearson Drive, Asheville NC
10am-1pm
Cost: $30.00

For more information and registration contact Doug Sharkey
This workshop is in collaboration with the Bountiful Cities Project.

BCP is July's Friend of Earth Fare

BCP is the "Friend of Earth Fare" this month. That means every time someone uses their own bags at the stores, BCP gets a donation. This really adds up.

There will also be a cookout at the stores on the 18th, and a Tomato Fest on the 25th. ALL the proceeds from these events go to BCP.

So here's how you can help raise funds for our important work:

-- Go to Earthfare all month and bring your own bags
-- Go to the Cookout on the 18th and buy a tasty, healthy, low cost lunch.
-- Go to the Tomato Fest on the 25th and buy some 'maters
-- Volunteer at our table for a few hours on one of those days

Volunteers are REALLY needed 7/18 and 7/25, from noon to 6 (you can do all or part of this time slot) . Contact Katherine for more info on this.

Thanks!

Birdhouse Auction Success!

The first and second place winners are in the picture. Can you guess which ones won?

The Judge.

Thanks to everyone who donated, created, bought and shared in our birdhouse event! We raised $2000.00. Hope to see you all again next year!

Announcing: The 7th Annual Birdhouse Auction!

the Bountiful Cities Project Presents:
The 7th Annual Birdhouse Auction!


On April 18th, 2009, starting at 5pm, The Bountiful Cities Project hosts the 7th Annual Birdhouse Competition, Live Auction, and Celebration of Spring at the Courtyard on Lexington in Downtown Asheville to raise money for Urban Agriculture.

Featuring handcrafted birdhouses from local artists, the 2009 Birdhouse Auction will be a festive celebration of springtime! Dozens of locally made birdhouses, both functional and artistic, will be on display. The entries will be judged, with exciting prizes going to the top three winners. The entries will then be auctioned off in an old-fashioned live auction, while attendees enjoy hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer, and peruse the plants for sale. The location is the beautiful brick courtyard behind Bouchon French Restaurant on Lexington Avenue in Downtown Asheville. The 2009 Birdhouse Auction will be a lovely springtime evening celebration among friends and community!

Funds raised will go directly to the Bountiful Cities Project (BCP) to support the work of community gardening and urban agriculture. BCP is an Asheville-based non-profit with a 9-year history of supporting community gardening, urban agriculture, and food security for the Asheville community. The mission of the Bountiful Cities Project is: “to create, on urban land, beautiful community spaces that produce food in abundance and foster a learning environment for social justice and sustainability.” BCP works in and partners with 10 Asheville communities to grow food in the city: Shiloh, Burton Street, Montford, West Asheville (including Vance and Hall Fletcher Elementary Schools), Stephens-Lee, and others, running educational, youth and outreach programs and connecting communities to the resources they need to begin growing food in the city!

Community Gardening and Urban Agriculture are enjoying a renaissance as individuals recognize the health, environmental, economic and social benefits of growing, eating, and purchasing local food. BCP helps the idea become reality! Donating a birdhouse, and attending the party, will help BCP to fulfill its mission and enrich the patchwork quilt of gardens growing all over the city of Asheville.

Birdhouses are still being accepted! Donations accepted at the French Broad Food Co-op and the Short Street Cakes’ Cake Shop at 225 Haywood Road.

Children and youth in the Shiloh Community eating food from their garden as a part of the Bountiful Cities Project's Strong Roots Program:

Sesame Street Garden Cooperation

Click HERE to see a great show from Sesame Street!

Birdhouse Specifications

As you are building your birdhouse, consider that different birdhouse dimensions attract different types of birds. Construction materials, ventilation, drainage, entrance hole, accessibility, and predator access will also influence how habitable a birdhouse is. Birds will choose houses they find comfortable and that will keep them safe from predators such as cats, raccoons, snakes, and other birds. Refer to the following chart, keeping in mind that birds make their own choices, without regard for charts.

Species___________Floor (in)__Height (in)__Entrance Height (in)__Entrance Diameter (in)
Robin.................................7x8...............8..................................................................
Bluebird.............................5x5...............8........................6................................1 1/2
Chickadee..........................4x4.............8-10...................6-8..............................1 1/8
Tufted Titmouse................4x4.............8-10...................6-8..............................1 1/4
Great Crested Flycatcher....6x6.............8-12..................6-10.............................1 3/4
Eastern Phoebe..................6x6...............6..................................................................
Red-Breasted Nuthatch.....4x4.............8-10....................6-8..............................1 1/4
White-Breasted Nuthatch..4x4.............8-10....................6-8..............................1 3/8
Prothonotary Warbler.......5x5................6......................4-5..............................1 1/8
Barn Swallow.....................6x6................6................................................................
Purple Martin....................6x6................6.......................1-2..............................2 1/4
Tree Swallow.....................5x5..............6-8.....................4-6...............................1 1/2
Downy Woodpecker..........4x4.............8-10....................6-8..............................1 1/4
Hairy Woodpecker............6x6.............12-15..................9-12..............................1 1/2
Pileated Woodpecker........8x8.............16-24.................12-20.............................3x4
Red-Headed Woodpecker..6x6............12-15...................9-12................................2
Northern Flicker...............7x7.............16-18..................14-16............................2 1/2
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker..5x5.............12-15...................9-12.............................1 1/2
House Wren......................4x4...............6-8.....................4-6..............................1 1/4
Carolina Wren...................4x4..............6-8......................4-6..............................1 1/2
Barn Owl.........................10x18............15-18.....................4...................................6
Eastern Screech Owl and
American Kestrel..............8x8..............12-15...................9-12................................3

Materials - Wood is durable, has good insulating qualities, and it breathes. Gourds are also breathable and make great bird houses. Because they sway in the wind, gourds are less likely to be taken over by house sparrows and starlings. Pottery, concrete, and plastic houses are durable and breathable, but must be secured tightly so they will not fall to the ground and shatter in high winds. Resist the temptation to put a metal roof on your bird house, the metal is more likely to attract predators.

Ventilation - Without air vents, birdhouses can turn into bird ovens. There are two ways to provide ventilation: leave gaps between the roof and sides of the box, or drill 1/4" holes just below the roof.

Drainage - Water becomes a problem when it sits in the bottom of a bird house. A roof with sufficient slope and overhang offers some protection. Drilling the entrance hole on an upward slant may also help keep the water out. You can assure proper drainage by cutting away the corners of the box floor and by drilling 1/4 inch holes in the box floor. Nest boxes will last longer if the floors are recessed about 1/4 inch.

Entrance Hole - Place the entrance (and exit) hole on the front panel near the top. A rough surface both inside and out makes it easier for the adults to get into the box and, when it's time, for the nestlings to climb out. If your box is made of finished wood, add a couple of grooves outside below the hole for them to grab onto.

Accessibility - Birdhouses should be easily accessible so you can see how your birds are doing and when the time comes, to clean out the house. Boxes that open from the top and the front provide the easiest access and are less likely to disturb nesting birds. While side- and front-opening boxes are convenient for cleaning and monitoring, they have one drawback: the nestlings may jump out.

Limiting Predator Access - Never put up a birdhouse with a perch below the entrance hole. Perches offer starlings, house sparrows, and other predators a convenient place to wait for lunch. Proper box depth, roof, and entrance hole design will help minimize predator (raccoons, cats, opossums, and red squirrels) access. Sometimes all it takes is an angled roof with a three-inch overhang to discourage mammals. The entrance hole is the only thing between a predator and a birdhouse full of nestlings. By itself, the 3/4" wall isn't wide enough to keep out the arm of a raccoon or house cat. Add a predator guard a 3/4 inch thick rectangular wood block, to thicken the wall, and you'll discourage sparrows, starlings, and cats.

For more information, visit the US National Fish & wildlife Service webpage: http://library.fws.gov/Bird_Publications/house.html#5aDESIGN