Rescue operation

Today Matt and I walked up the street to the construction area to try and find out which agency tore out MCG yesterday. Calls and emails to DPW and SFPA have so far yielded no concrete answers. 

The construction manager on site apologized and said he was just following orders. His company's site manager was called down to talk to me and apologize too - after all they're just following orders. 

They showed me the plans, signed off by DPW in August 2014. So there's that. And they let us into the area all the plants were dumped in. We rescued 3 wheelbarrows of Dietes, a clump of Chasmanthe bulbs and 2 Agaves. Everything else was too torn up to make it... So sad. 

I spent the rest of the day planting and watering the rescued plants while Matt wrote an obituary for his brother. Yes, a crap week on the whole. 

MCG no more

This was the scene that greeted me today. Mariposa Center Garden (on Mariposa, across from Center Hardware) is gone. Wiped off the face of the earth. Well, actually, scraped off and dumped in a pile under the 280, across the way.

I'm dumbfounded. I called Hathaway Dinwiddie and left a message asking if that construction company at work in the area did it. I called the SF Parks Alliance and left a message for our contact there - doubt they know anything, but they will help rectify if they can.  And Emily emailed DPW too. I suspect I know who did it though... j'accuse Caltrans!

The strip of land was DPW owned, so this shouldn't have happened. It was planted starting in 2009 with donations from The Godmothers and Center Hardware and lots of backbreaking volunteer work, and contained dozens of Dietes, 2 olive trees, several Yuccas and Agaves, rosemary bushes, native Dendromecons and Eriogonum, Cistus "Sunset", Lavateras, and so on.

If I can access the pile of wilting plants under the freeway tomorrow, I'll rescue the plants that can be rescued (Dietes, Yucca, Agave?) and demand an explanation from who ever did this. A simple heads up that this was to happen would have resulted in consternation, but we could have rescued the plants and put them at PRG or PG.

I mean, come on.

Then, to cap it all off, Matt and I went up to PG after this discovery to move an Agave and found the new tool chest broken into and all the pruners and small tools gone.

Well you know what? Screw this. Back home we go, get the power tools and fix and reinforce the chest. I even planted a few Agaves on the steps area in a spiteful mood, noting that someone had stolen a few plants from there recently and feeling all the more annoyed.

Crack heads and government agencies and thieving plant enthusiasts: Much annoy. So hate.

Steps done! Sort of...

Today Matt and I headed up to the garden at 9am with 2 hammers, drill and bits, level, set square, pencil, and a belly full of coffee to finish the steps.

With 4 steps remaining, we decided to make a longer viewing platform in the middle of the run as with higher risers, the steps were digging too deep into the side of the slope (and causing rubber arms from using the digging bar to cut through rock...)

We leveled off the dirt removed to make a smooth ramp at the base of the steps, and shoveled lots of dirt into the surrounding beds to get rid of it.

At the end of the day we finished with 7 steps versus the 8 planned. Perfect, aside from needing a few extra bricks for the last step.

I left a layer of sand on top of each step to allow it to sift into the cracks. I'll brush it off tomorrow when it's had a chance to settle.

Then, this winter we can replant the area - this time with only the toughest of the tough plants: Agave striata, Leucophyta brownii and Achillea "Coronation Gold" - pretty much all that's survived the drought in this spot!

Home to rest at 3pm. Another long day, but well worth it!

Steps get started

Today Matt and I were at Discount Builders Supply at 9am to buy wood for the steps. Last built in 2009, they'd finally succumbed to rot so it was time to rebuild - this time with pressure treated wood.

Instead of cheapo landscaping timbers we bought treated 4x6s and instead of making 2' wide steps, we had the lumber cut for 3' wide. This will make fewer steps (8 vs 11) that are taller. That should make steps that are much easier to walk on.

We began by removing the rotten old steps and found that the 24" rebar stakes were pretty firmly stuck in the ground. A quick google showed that Burners always have the best ways to remove rebar, using vice grips and some lumber to lever them up. That got each one out of the ground in about 30 seconds, versus the 10 minutes of hammering, twisting and grunting we'd tried before.

Next was drilling the new wood and excavating the larger steps. Digging bar essential. Heavy work. My poor, bruised hands...

Then leveling carefully, adding the new step risers and back filling. Our tamper does a great job pounding dirt into place, and on top of each step I put a layer of sand bag material to suppress weeds. Each step top now has 12 bricks, versus the 9 in place before. I bought a bag of sand to fill the gaps between the bricks too.

With fewer steps, we'll end up dropping down the slope too fast so we're planning to make a bricked viewing platform half way down the steps to take that into account.

We quit at 3pm, after installing 4 steps due to total exhaustion. We cordoned off the area and dragged ourselves home to rest. Gonna be so very sore tomorrow! Hope we can finish this job this week.

Join us at our next workday!

Showing off the garden
 to visitors from Germany

We need your help to keep the gardens in good shape! Volunteering is a fun way to get your hands dirty and invest in your neighborhood. Our workdays are always busy and rewarding, with neighbors coming by to show off the garden to visitors or taking their dogs for a walk.

Laurie & pups enjoying
the street park

Please join us on Saturday November 7th from 10-12 at Pennsylvania Garden. We provide all the necessary tools and training, green and black thumbs are all welcome. Please contact me at emily@psgsf.org if you have any questions.

Hope to see you there!

New tool chest!

Today's volunteer workday was warm and sunny - not too hot. at 9.30am Matt and I were at the lumber store buying everything needed to replace the tool shed with a new, stronger, wooden tool chest.

We got to the garden at 11am with all the lumber cut and hinges, handles, hasps and so on ready to go. Matt set to work trimming some wood while Nate turned the compost heap.

I set up the watering hoses for a good soak - the garden has clearly benefited from the recent watering and rain and some plants have sprouted up quickly! Other plants still need a soaking to make it through. John helped me water, while Emily weeded and cleared trash.

I cut back the Leonotis leonurus in the brights bed to 1/3 of it's previous size. It was gangly and sad looking, though showing new growth after watering.  Should bounce right back. I used the branches cut off as mulch at the base (instead of adding the the mountainous compost heap) and soaked the plant thoroughly.

After the workday ended, Matt and I forged on, trying to complete the building task. We took a break for lunch at 2pm and finally got the chest completed at 4pm. We put away the hoses and wheeled down to Fregosi for storage,and put all the tools in the new chest with a sense of satisfaction.

The lid needs the be a little bigger - we'll get another sheet of plywood, and varnish it, hopefully tomorrow. But it's a very solid trunk with a good sloping lid to repel water and people who want to sleep in top of it - I hope it lasts for years to come!