Dates to Remember
- October 28th: Ourstreet Committee Meeting, City Hall, 4:00 p.m.
- October 30: Washington Square Harvest Party, Noon-3:00 p.m.
- November 1st - 19th, Stuff the Bus Food Drive
- November 5th:
Washington Square Open House, 5:00 -8:00 p.m.
- November 7th, Daylight Savings Time
- November 13th: Last day for leaf pick-up.
- November 20th: Holiday Open House, Downtown Holland, 6:00-9:00 p.m.
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Greetings!
This month's newsletter has an outdoor theme - from open burning in the city to fall planting tips to getting out and getting to know your neighbors through the Neighborhood Watch program. If you haven't a chance to check out the new City website, go over to www.cityofholland.com and browse a bit. The new design is more user friendly and features more photos from around town. To find the Ourstreet page:
- Under Departments, click Community Neighborhood Services
- Under CNS, click Housing & Neighborhood Services
- Under HNS, you'll find the Ourstreet information on the right hand column under Neighborhood Improvement Services
Hope you have a happy fall! Sincerely, Catie Hauch Ourstreet Assistant
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Open Burning in the City of Holland
As the weather cools down, enjoying a fire in a fire pit is a great way to extend outdoor quality time with friends and family. Here are some things to keep in mind: - Recreational fires require a burn permit. These can be obtained through the Fire Department.
- Small recreational or cooking fires are permitted in chimineas or fire pits.
- Only clean, dry wood should be burned in small quantities, during fair weather periods with light breezes to carry smoke away.
- Burning grass clippings, leaves, brush, limbs or other unwanted vegetative materials is not permitted.
For complete information about open burning in the City of Holland, please contact the Holland Fire Department at 616-355-1020 or by email at firedept@cityofholland.com
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Join a Neighborhood Watch
We need to work together to create a safe community for our families. Organizing a Neighborhood Watch block club is one way to get to know your neighbors and improve your neighborhood. As an organized block, you can voice neighborhood concerns and use group power to influence city government and services. Neighbors can also work together on fun activities such as block parties and holiday events. Neighborhood Watch is:- A successful way to prevent crime as neighbors build true community - neighbor looking out for neighbor
- A fun way to get to know those living on your block
- A way to make a great impact on the community
The City of Holland uses the help of Neighborhood Representatives to organize each block. A Neighborhood Representative's responsibilities are:- Communication - Neighborhood Representatives are considered the eyes and ears of their community. They are the keys to their neighborhood, and they must also obtain feedback from and for their neighborhood.
- Gather & Disseminate Information - Neighborhood Representatives will need to direct residents to the appropriate city services when necessary. They will also need to know the needs of their community so that they can channel these needs into workshops.
- Building a better Neighborhood - Neighborhood Representatives will be instrumental in becoming involved and identify their community needs.
We are currently looking for more Neighborhood Representatives throughout the City. If you would like to learn more about being a block captain, please contact Sue Harder at 355-3139 or at s.harder@cityofholland.com
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Fall Planting Tips
For Planting Trees & Shrubs:
"Fall is a great time to plant perennials, bulbs, trees and shrubs. Container plants and balled-and-burlapped specimens usually have well-developed root systems. Because roots don't have to supply nutrients and water to growing stems and new leaves, they can concentrate on getting established. Roots grow - although slowly - even when soil temperature is as low as 40 degrees.Before you plant, make sure to allow enough time for the roots to get settled in and acclimated before cold weather sets in. If it's well into fall where you live, plant the species that are most easily established. The current wisdom is to dig a hole no deeper than the depth of the root ball or container but three or four times as wide. In fact, it's even better to dig the hole a couple of inches shallower than the depth of the root ball. Digging a hole that's deeper than the root ball and then filling it partially with backfill before placing the tree invites settling. With a few waterings and a little time, the tree could sink below ground level - a fate that could mean death to the tree." excerpt from HGTV.com, "Fall Planting Tips"
For Planting a Fall Garden:
"Fall gardens are an excellent way to continue to grow homegrown goodness even when the weather starts to turn chilly.
So what kind of crops can you grow in your garden? There are different varieties of crops you can grow. And you have to consider which ones will work for you based on your area, and the timing of your first frost. There are cool-weather crops, and cold-weather crops. (For a full list of crops, please see the article here)
If you're going to start your fall garden from seeds then you need to start them now (it might even be too late for seed-starting in many areas). Mother Earth News suggests counting back 12-14 weeks from your average first frost date, and choosing that week to start seeds. If you're already past this date, then you might want to start buying crops that have already been started. Farmers' Markets are a great place to get veggies for fall planting.
The key to successful fall planting is to get the plants growing to catch the last wave of summer heat AND allow them to mature before the first frost hits. You have to know how long each plant takes to mature so you know when to plant." excerpt from The Greenest Garden, "Fall Gardening"
For Planting Bulbs:
"Flowers blooming in spring from bare little bulbs planted in the autumn has got to be one of the all-time great miracles of nature. Hold a few daffodil, tulip, and crocus bulbs in your hand, and you'd be hard-pressed to convince anyone that these rock-like balls have the power to deliver a profusion of color just from some sunlight and water.When you're choosing the bulbs, think too about color and size of the blooms; there should be photos of the flowers next to the bin of bulbs. For the most part, smaller bulbs produce flowers that bloom earlier in the spring, and the flowers are small, like snow-on-the-mountain or crocus. The larger bulbs, such as tulips, bloom later and produce larger blooms. Make sure the bulbs are firm, clean, and free of mold.
The best time to plant is after the first frost, so the bulbs will stay cool throughout the fall and winter. What this means in terms of the calendar depends in large part on where you live, so check with your nursery about what the schedule for your area is. The first bulbs to plant, in any zone, will be the daffodils, some of the hyacinths, and camassia; next come the tulips, crocus, snowdrops, and iris, and finally the paperwhite narcissus and amaryllis.
After you dig the holes for the bulbs, add fertilizer before replacing soil. Add plenty of water as you fill the hole back in. Mix in organic material too. Check with the nursery where you buy the bulbs about how deep and how far apart they should be planted, but as a rule of thumb, you can plant large bulbs 8 inches deep, and 6 inches apart and small bulbs 5 inches deep, 3 inches apart with all pointed ends up. Add 3 inches of mulch to retain moisture and protect the bulbs." excerpt from DoItYourself.com, "Fall Bulb Planting"
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Ourstreet Program
