South Overton Residential and Commercial Association

Gardener's Corner

WELCOME TO GARDENER'S CORNER

The purpose of this page is to support those South Overton neighbors who are interested in gardening. We will be running more articles on gardening and landscaping on this page and in the SORCA Neighbor News.

Rain Gardens for South Overton

by Jason Hodges

Did you ever wish you could get rid of that narrow strip of land between the sidewalk and the street? Tired of mowing it, watering it or just keeping it clean? If you’ve got concrete in this area, have you thought about removing the hardscape and returning it to green space? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, consider building your very own Rain Garden.

Rain Gardens are perennial gardens constructed in slight depressions or swales where rainwater can be captured to soak naturally into the soil. After a storm, the Rain Garden slowly absorbs and filters the rainwater, nourishing the ornamental grasses, trees, and perennials growing there. Gardens of varying sizes may be designed to beautify property, attract wildlife and reduce the amount of rainwater flowing into city streets.

The most important characteristic determining the success of the Rain Garden is the soil infiltration rate. Water must be able to soak into the garden within a short period of time. To perform a simple percolation test, dig a hole twelve inches deep. Fill it with water and record the time it takes for the water to soak in. It should take no longer than four to six hours. This test will help determine the amount of soil amendment you’ll need to make to your garden prior to planting.

If your percolation test takes longer than six hours, incorporate equal amounts of sand and compost into the topsoil you excavated from the garden. If your test results are shorter than two hours, you may need to add clay loam topsoil to your planting mixture. Regardless, always incorporate compost into new planting soils and remember to mulch around new plantings.

Make sure your rain garden is located a minimum of ten feet from any habitable structure and always check with utility companies prior to excavating, especially in right of way zones and land use easements near streets and alleys.

The primary goal of sustainable landscape development is to retain rainwater where it falls, treating water as a resource, not discharging it as a waste product. By incorporating Rain Gardens as landscape features, rainwater can be harvested, filtered and absorbed by the soil in your garden, thereby creating beautiful landscapes and reducing adverse impacts on our environment.

In next month’s issue, we will focus on appropriate plant materials and design techniques for your newly excavated Rain Garden.


Jason Hodges is the Landscape Architect and Principal of Prairie Workshop, a local design firm that specializes in sustainable landscapes. You can reach him at 773.1508 or access his web site at www.prairieworkshop.com

Past Articles

Park Dedication Draws a Crowd
by Thomas Barker

On Sunday, March 30 at 12:00 noon, SORCA dedicated the green space located at 16th St. and Avenue X. Members of St. Paul's and neighboring churches, businesses, and residents attended the event. Speakers included Pam Brink, Debbie Cosgrove, and City Officials.


How Green is My Garden
by Alys Stuart

Did you know that even an apartment dweller in Lubbock can have a garden? The Farming Garden Division for the South Plains Food Bank, whose director is charming and gracious Jenifer Smith, makes this possible. Yes, you can rent a gardening plot for only $10.00 to plant veggies or flowers. The cost includes the use of water.

The garden I visited is located on the south side of 15th Street, between Avenues V and W but there are other properties throughout the city. On my visit I met a Tech student who was harvesting some Oriental vegetables which are winter resistant. Mrs. Smith informed me that the beds can be worked throughout the year. The most productive season is soon beginning. If you’re interested in doing your own farming on a small plane, get in touch with her at 762-3831. I suggest you contact her soon as there are only a few plots available at this location.

Yes, you are responsible for the watering of your garden and the Food Bank inspects every garden monthly for water management and weed control.

Need help? There is guidance available from the staff or from other “renters.” There is also a class one may attend, “Gardening in West Texas” which has not been scheduled as yet. Or, you may wish to join Lubbock Green, a gardening club, which meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. Contact SPFB for further information.

The coordinator who served as a liaison for SPFB for the 15th street garden, Tanya Jones, who has given of herself for many years, has retired and the Food Bank is in need of someone to continue with her work. If your are interested in volunteering your time and knowledge, do get in touch with Mrs. Smith.

In the past, the John Deere Company donated the tractor so that the Farm and Garden Staff could turn the soil at the beginning of the season but have notified the Food Bank that this was no longer possible. SPFB could really use donations in order to purchase this machinery and everyone would gain by aiding this organization and preserving the condition of gardeners’ backs. Until such time as they can afford such equipment, the basic tools needed are a spade, a hoe and seeds. There is a tool shed for small implements and SPFB may have some seeds and bedding plants available which have been donated. It is not considered acceptable for those renting the smaller plots to sell their produce.

For those who are interested in growing sufficient produce for sale, the Food Bank has a program called Market Garden where a family may use as much space as needed.

Of course, all surplus produce may be donated to the South Plains Food Bank for distribution.



Spring Clean-Up Day
by Debbie Cosgrove

Join the City of Lubbock to keep our neighborhood beautiful. We need groups, muscles, and trucks to load and transport objects in alleys. Groups can win prizes (First Place = $600; 2nd Place = $400; 3rd Place = $300). Free hot dogs and sodas following the cleanup.


Parking Permit Program
by Thomas Barker

The City of Lubbock-Citizens Traffic Commission invited you to a Public Forum on Tuesday, April 15, 2003, 7pm, at Lubbock High School Auditorium, for the purpose of discussing the creation of a Resident Parking Only Zone in the neighborhood surrounding Lubbock High School. The main purpose of the meeting was to receive direct input from you on possibly expanding the Resident Parking Only Program to your neighborhood.

The program will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $150 per block and permits will be $5 for each household. Residents pay for the signs and permits. Sixty percent (60%) of residents must agree to the plan by signing a petition. You can attend the meeting on April 15 or call Jerly Hart, City Traffic Engineer at 775-2132 for answers to your questions.


Help Preserve Lubbock's History - Join SORCA
by Staff

SORCA (The South Overton Residential and Commercial Association) is committed to preserving South Overton. If you live in or own a property in South Overton, please join us. To join call Clyde at 765-8639 or visit our Web site at
http://www.sorcalubbock.com