Open House With Atco Gas

There will be an open house at St. Mary's University May 7th 4:00pm-7:30pm in the McGivney Hall regarding the new pipelines being installed by Atco Gas through Fish Creek park.

Check out the Metro news article here

Garden Plots Available!

There are two garden plots available! 

First come, first serve!

Contact us at midsungarden@gmail.com to get a plot while you can.

Spring Clean Up April 25th

The spring clean up usually includes:

- raking dead leaves and papers from the garden and bagging them   

- installing the butterfly houses and preparing mud pullding ponds for summer

- tidying up the compost area

- weeding the perrenial garden and the raspberry /strawberry plots

- repairing any damanged plots if neccessary 

- installing the hardware on the 4 new rain barrels.r

- cleaning and and weeding your personal plots

- installing hoses.

 and anything else not listed.

Please RSVP by Saturday April 25  if you are attending  to permit us 

to order sufficient refreshments for this work bee. 

midsungarden@gmail.com

April's Garden to-do list

Theres still time!

It's hard to believe April is already here! With all the great weather we have been having you may be itching to get your hands in the dirt so here are a few suggestions of things to get you started on this month.

It's time to clean out those beds and dig compost in as soon as the soil can be worked. Be careful of the bulbs you planted that have yet to show themselves as well as those perennials. Dig and divide perennials, such as day lilies and irises if the ground has thawed.

Fertilize established lawns and make sure to first rake away all the snow mould and dead grass left behind.

If weather allows, plant onion sets, lettuce, spinach, peas, sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus), carrots, radishes and parsnips in the garden.

Indoors, continue to start seeds of squash, melons, and corn. Start tomato seeds if you plan to set them out under protective covering next month. 

Start gladiolus corms indoors. (We have a great selection of bulbs and perennial packages at the store now so definitely come out and take a look!)

Sprout seed potatoes by moving them from cold storage into room temperature. We have potato sacks that you can plant up now and they can be moved inside and out to utilize the days warmth. 

In the last week of the month, remove winter covering from tender roses, perennials, and strawberries. 

In flowerbeds near the end of the month, plant lilies, primroses, and lilies-of-the-valley.

Plant raspberries towards the end of the month, but wait until the soil has begun to warm before planting strawberries. You can plant them indoors and place them in a sunny south facing window until your beds are ready.

Start broccoli seeds indoors for an early crop - but don't delay: soon it will be too warm.

Thanks to Lisa for sharing Garden Retreat's April gardening tips! 

Alder Talk with Peter Demong Ward 14

I will be hosting another session of ALDERTALK this Saturday, April 11 from noon to 2 p.m. at the Queensland Community Centre (649 Queensland Drive SE). ALDERTALK is an opportunity for Ward 14 residents to visit their Councillor in an informal face-to-face setting. It's a chance to get to know one another, discuss problems, or even brainstorm for the future. You can learn more about Aldertalk at www.calgary.ca/aldertalk.
If Saturday doesn't work for you, ALDERTALK will be back again on May 30 at the Lake Bonavista Community Centre. I hope you can join me on one, or both, of these occasions.
Sincerely,
Peter Demong
Councillor, Ward 14
Phone: (403) 268-1653 / Fax: (403) 268-3823
Twitter  /  Facebook  /  Linkedin  /  Contact Ward 14

What's Going On At The Garden

Grow With Us

Gardeners love the month of May. At this time of the year, we gaze upon our beloved patches of dirt, seeing in them what perhaps no-one else can see, and begin to tend them like pampered children. If you happen to drive by the Mid-Sun Community Garden this month, there you will see us, heads bowed, digging and dreaming, raising up something truly beautiful for our community. Why don’t you join us? Garden plots are only $20 for the year and everyone – rookies, seasoned gardeners, anyone longing to fall in love with a patch of dirt – is welcome. To enquire about available plots, please contact us at midsungarden@gmail.com.

Watch Us Grow

The growth of the Mid-Sun Community Garden over the past few years has been remarkable. Through the efforts of our dedicated volunteers, the garden has become a manicured oasis in the heart of Midnapore. We have a shed, composting bins, a delightful seating area and mulched walkways surrounding our individual plots. And there is more to come, thanks to the wonderful staff at Lowe’s on 130 Avenue SW. 

As part of the Lowe's Canada Heroes employee volunteer program, these community-minded folks raised money all through the month of March for the Mid-Sun Community Association and the community garden. The store was covered with posters promoting Lowe’s support for our community. Customers were asked to donate $2 so that their names could be prominently displayed on paper pagodas in the store. What a great way to raise awareness and support for the community garden program at Mid-Sun!

One of our garden volunteers, Kim Taylor, agreed to be thrown behind bars for the cause on March 20, raising over $600 in bail money. Bravo Kim! Thanks for stepping up for the community garden.

Lowe’s donated over $1,000 to the community garden in 2014, and we look forward to working with them to bring more improvements to the garden in 2015. Thank you to the Lowe’s staff at 130 Avenue SW and to all the customers and supporters who helped make this fundraiser a big success.

Be Beneficial

This is going to be a great year in the garden, but we need lots of help. All our gardeners are asked to be “garden beneficials,” choosing a volunteer role according to their interests and abilities to help make the garden – and the world – a better place.

You can contact any of the volunteers on this list for more information:

GARDEN TEAM 

Secretary/Treasurer – Dave Bisanti
dbisanti@shaw.ca
403-201-2202

Fundraising – Kim Taylor
kimandav@telus.net
403-466-8388

Activities Assistant – Sabine Sellmer
sabine2396@hotmail.com
587-228-3337

Garden Blogger – Brianna Maryon
shoesaremymuse@gmail.com
403-701-8095

Mid-Sun Messages – Katherine Matiko
katherinematiko@gmail.com
403-256-8818

We are currently looking for a volunteer to represent the community garden on the Mid-Sun Community Association Board of Directors. Please email midsungarden@gmail.com for more information.

Learn more about the Mid-Sun Community Garden at mid-suncommunitygarden.blogspot.ca.

The Mid-Sun Community Garden is located beside the Mid-Sun Community Centre at 50 Midpark Rise SE. Admiring visitors are always welcome.

Thank you to Katherine for submitting this post.