January 24 What’s New for Hoe & Hope in 2024: Join us to celebrate new members and hear about important Civic Projects. In addition to new & old projects, Dudley McBride will report on the new OUR Garden raised beds and describe the work done last fall to prep them for spring planting. Then to celebrate our many new members, we will participate in a group activity to introduce ourselves and get to know each other.

February 28 “Why Flowers Are Beautiful”: presented by Dr. Michael Grant. Why are there so many beautiful, colorful flowers in the world and what purpose do they serve?  Join Dr. Michael Grant who taught Biology and Statistics for over 40 years at CU and hear his answer.

March 27 Soil Health: presented by Mikl Brawner. Mikl will talk about soil health, how to fertilize & how to amend. He is the owner of Harlequins Nursery in N. Boulder and is dedicated to helping the gardening community learn about sustainable plants, materials and methods. His current passion is soil health and energy-efficient greenhouses. https://harlequinsgardens.com/

April 24 Lawn Conversion: presented by Micaela Truslove the Commercial Horticulture Specialist at the CSU Extension, Boulder County. Micaela will discuss lawn conversions plus the use of growing native and plants adapted to our Colorado environment.

May 22 Annual Plant Exchange
Location: Home of Joanne Dinser (address in Directory) Bring five plant starts, divisions, whole plants, bulbs and garden related items to exchange with members.

June 26 Annual Flower Show: Bring a single flower or flower arrangement from your garden. Categories and themes to be announced at a later date. Prizes to be awarded!

July 24 Plumbumpy Farm Tour, 7337 N. 63^rd St, Longmont, @ 10AM.  Visit one of 7 farms that is part of Earth’s Table, an all-volunteer non-profit working to eliminate food hunger in our community. Earth’s Table maintains multiple garden sites in Boulder County and donates 100% of fresh produce to local food banks including the OUR Center. Stan Stutzman, manager of Plumbumpy, will be our host and speaker.

August 28 Harvest Potluck, Tomato Show & Tasting
Location: Roosevelt Park) @ 11 AM. Bring a dish to share from vegetables or fruits grown in your garden or from a local farm or farmers market. Bring your home grown prize tomatoes for a taste off. Prizes to be awarded!

September 25 Native Grasses:  presented by Lyndsay Gonzales who is the Small Acreage Management Coordinator at the CSU Extension. Lyndsey will discuss the basics of native grasses, why they are important, and how they grow. She will harvest and bring samples for us to have hands on experience and learn how to identify the many common grasses found in Boulder County.

October 23 Hands on demonstration and member participation project making a seasonal decoration using dried flowers or other seasonal materials. Details to be published in newsletter.

November 20 Annual Business Meeting:Members will vote on the 2025 budget and the slate of officers presented by the Nominating Committee. The open committee sets for next year will also be presented. Come ready to volunteer! Following the business agenda, Derek Von Drehle, Senior Horticulture Technician for Longmont Parks  will do a short program about his experience and future plans for dealing with Japanese Beetles. Derek is known to many of us as the senior gardener at the Roosevelt Rose Garden.

December – Annual Holiday Luncheon
Wednesday, December 18 – See November newsletter for details