Gardeners busy at work!

MLA Jeff Wilson digs his plot!

Dave keeps the garden tidy, thank you!

Workbee on the berm

 

 

TOMATO MANIA!

 

This year we are welcoming more than 10 new gardeners into our community garden. One of these new fellows is a very experienced and avid tomato grower. Last week, this keener turned under his cover crop and prepped his plot soil. He will be growing a number of varieties of cherry tomatoes that do well in the challenging Calgary climate. In fact, he and 2 other veteran gardeners are growing their seedlings right now to sell to you on May 10! Plan to buy several since they are proven varieties which will mature in our climate. Then as the summer progresses, come to the garden for quick coaching on planting, feeding, staking, pruning… all you need to know to easily grow delicious tomatoes!

Merry Christmas from the Mid-Sun Community Garden

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the yard

the branches were bare and the ground frozen hard;

The garden plots were dormant and mulched all around

to protect them from wild weeds that threaten the ground.

The perennials were nestled all snug in their bed

while visions of summer sun danced in their heads.

The new-planted trees, had been soaked by the hose

to settle their roots for the long winter's doze;

And out on the herb bed, the new fallen snow

protected the roots of the plants below.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear?

But a truck full of gifts of gardening gear.

Saint Nick was the driver - the jolly old elf

and he winked as he said, "I'm a gardener myself.

I've brought earthtainers and Jeff Casey seeds, too.

Please try them and see what they do.

To start new plants, a propagating kit.

Some shiny new benches and tablecloths too.

To host garden picnics or a herb butter “do”

For seed-planting days, I've a trowel and a dibble,

and a roll of wire mesh if the rabbits should nibble.

For the feminine gardener, some gadgets she loves;

plant stakes, a sprinkler, and waterproof gloves;

A screen and a shovel for the compost pit,

and for pH detecting, a soil testing kit.

With these colorful flagstones, lay a new garden path,

for the kids to enjoy, and bird feeder and bath.

And last but not least, some well-rotted manure.

A green Christmas year round, these gifts will ensure."

Then jolly Saint Nick, having emptied his load,

started his truck and took to the road.

And I heard him exclaim through the motor's loud hum

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a green thumb!"

garden gratitude for the season

Garden gratitude for a great 2013 growing season

We have much to be grateful for during this 2013 GROWING SEASON

·         A CELEBRATION TO BEGIN THE YEAR!  5 years of growing and all the plots rented in ONE DAY! 

·         NEW GARDENERS! What a treat to welcome many new gardeners and it was very exciting to work alongside them and see their delight in their growing and celebrate their successes.

·         RASPBERRY RAZZLE DAZZLE—Our raspberry bushes were adopted by a hardworking crew of gardeners and given a fertile bed to thrive in!  We look forward to a bumper crop of berries in 2014—with a strawberry patch too!

·         SHED—we are still so honoured to be given a shed, a safe and beautiful home for our ever growing tool collection!  Thanks, community partners!

·         PATHWAY PROJECT PROGRESS!  After hours of digging, hauling, calling, emailing, wheelbarrowing...mulching...the paths look MUCH better and hopefully the maintenance will be less for a while. 

·         Hard working gardeners and community helpers from the Dream Center, Options Calgary make our garden great!

·        Garden experiments...COVER CROPS and a POTATO CONDO.  One of gardener’s creativity and curiosity at work—and such a great learning experience!  See our blog from more info.

·         Our First GARDEN FIELD TRIP!  to Jeff Casey’s Urban farm in August, this was a follow up to a generous invitation he gave during his early spring Tomato workshop we hosted.

·         FUN-DRAISING—we continue to sell notecards, teacup bird feeders, and later this season we sold garlic for fall planting and seed for cover crops for soil improvement. All available to you.

one gardener's zucchini adventure...:)

My last zucchini was very small & shriveled on the vine. I picked it anyway & put it in a bowl on the table with my tomatoes & onions.
On a recent Friday morning when I was on the phone & computer my 2 year old grey tabby cat, Boomer, decided he wanted to play. He dropped the zucchini on my computer & proceeded to make a nuisance of himself until I threw it down the hall & returned to my phone call.
Within seconds he was back with the little zucchini  dropping it on my computer again. I think he was telling me I need to eat more veggies while simultaneously asking me to play Fetch the Zucchini. At this point I was laughing so hard I couldn't continue my phone call for a few minutes.
Who needs cat toys when you can use produce from your garden?

I learned a lesson that morning. Vegetables aren't just for people!
Incidentally Boomer is still playing it. I have no idea where it is at the moment but I'm sure he does.
Jennifer Pake

Wintersowing update--from gardener Jennifer!

Here are some pictures I took of the results of the winter sowing class I attended.

I sowed wildflower seeds & put the milk jug in the snow as directed.
About 6 weeks later or so tiny plants started to grow. Soon they filled the jug. When they got tall enough I transplanted them to a pot & set it on my east facing front steps. Beautiful flowers grew on long stems.

 Now they are dying but some new little green plants are popping up, perhaps to take the place of the other ones.

I planted seeds in 3 jugs @ that class. This is the only one that grew but the results are amazing & I plan to do this again next winter.
Thanks for the class, it was educational & I love the results I got.

Some of our community gardeners...and their amazing garden success

Check out Lisa's vertical garden

 

Dinner at Cheryl's...does it get any better than this?

 

 

PATHWAY PROJECT CONTINUES

Gardeners,

Just when you thought the garden was winding down....

• keep harvesting, plenty of delicious produce waiting to be eaten!

• Saturday--two gardeners are bravely steering a sod cutter through the center block, follow them down the garden path and roll up the sod
• cover crops can be planted!  Email the garden to buy yours or show up on Sunday for the City of Calgary Neighbourwoods tree planting presentation at 12pm
• an INTERFAITH FOODBANK donation is
  
  getting organized...stay tuned
• a POTATO CONTEST is spudding along...stay tuned.
• a crew from outside our garden is coming on Sunday to roll up sod, lay down cardboard and landscape fabric, mulch heavily...
• please come on out, cheer on Sunday's crew, share snacks, and enjoy the late summer blitz

SAVE THE DATE! Mid-Sun Community Garden Harvest celebration

Friday, October 4, 2013   6-9pm

Mid-Sun Community Center meeting room

Join your fellow gardeners and guests to celebrate the season

Hope to see you there!

Details to follow



Cover Crop update--you can still plant yours!

Flowering pea

·         Look at the beautiful blossoms on the cover crops!
·         An eager gardener will soon “chop and drop”, before they go to seed.
·         The tops will be left on the plots to decompose over winter.
·         Then in spring, one month before planting, the roots and tops will be tilled under.
·         12 plots have already been planted this September. Very fast work, gardeners.
·         Most crops have germinated and a few are 2” tall. YES!!!
·         Remember to water, just like in spring.
·         Crops planted in September will not flower but will freeze except for fall rye. All good.
·         Root development now will nourish the soil. Organic matter is also added.
·         A garden is regularly tilled in the fall and the spring so the only extra step is scattering the seed. For minimal effort and cost, soil can be improved.
·         It’s not too late, you may still plant and we expect rain next week.

A garden visitor....

In mid August Jennifer Pake's mother, Judy Strong, from Mesa, Arizona, came to visit.
Judy is a former member of the Richfield, Minnesota, garden club & had a vegetable garden in her back yard when her 4 children were growing up.
Gardening is not nearly as labor intensive in the desert climate of Arizona. While on vacation to see Jennifer she visited the Midsun Community Garden & was very impressed. She helped pick vegetables in Jennifer's plot & gave  the beautiful plants growing under the Midsun sign a good drink of water. Doing this reminded her of how much she misses gardening in a northern climate. She plans to return again next summer to visit her daughter & lend a hand in the gardens.
Thanks for your help Judy!--Jennifer Strong

Our First Field Trip! A Visit to Jeff Casey's Urban farm in Airdrie

Jeff specializes in growing tomatoes- heirlooms and Japanese hybrids, along with Japanese eggplants and green peppers.  He also grows organically heirloom potatoes, Japanese carrots, collard greens, kale, Japanese long and round green onions.

 

Jeff has updated his garden with new raised beds complete with insect and hail protection.  Come see two greenhouses and a couple of techniques to help tomatoes grow in our climate.

A selection of Japanese tomatoes and peppers will be available for purchase.

For more information on Jeff visit his websitehttp://www.caseysheirloomtomatoes.ca/Caseys_Heirloom_Tomatoes_of_Airdrie/Home.html

Introducing...the HERB PLOT

COMMUNITY GARDEN HERB PLOT

The Garden Team received feedback from community gardener members with interest in creating an herb plot in the community garden available to be used by current Mid-Sun Community Gardeners.  

 The plot that receives the least sunshine, plot 17 is often not a popular one for growing vegetable; therefore, becoming our first herb plot.  Once the berm is ready to plant in, the herbs will be incorporated into the berm.  Use this herb primer provided on herbs planted and how to use these herbs for culinary purposes. There are all kinds of other uses that herbs can be used for; craft, cosmetic, therapeutic and medicinal.  Please access these herbs with the awareness that we are sharing them with each other.  Share your stories with us at midsungarden@gmail.com in using the community herbs.  Provide us with suggestions of what you want to see regarding herbs in the berm for next year. Maybe you have an established herb perennial at home that will need dividing next year.  

 

What's going on behind the signs?

What’s going on behind the signs?

Or how to “read between the lines”....

 

Last year we had an exceptional rough year with theft and vandalism.  
Police were involved we focused on how to try and stop this.

Steps in response:

• Were featured on Global TV with Nancy Hixt.

• CBC Radio interview about garden theft.

• Spoke many times with our community liaison officer, Constable Sara Killington.

• Met with Janet Melrose from the Community Garden Resource Network.

• Attended meetings at the Calgary Horticultural Society with other community garden representatives to discuss how they were handling similar situations.

• Researched other community gardens signs on our personal travels around North America.

• Accepted a position on the board for 2013 to have our voice heard, and also to be mindful of the community centre in what we do.  One of us attends monthly meetings.  We had representation at many of the 2012 meetings.

• Got a quote for a video surveillance of the garden area.

• Did late night surveillance.

• Discussed the feasibility of installing a chain link fence to enclose the garden.

• Accepted a cash donation from Tower Chrysler to assist us in stopping theft and vandalism with improved signage.

 

A Calgary Police Officer who had worked in the Victims Assistance Unit said the garden was too accessible, too open and therefore vulnerable.  He emphasized GARDEN responsibility to take preventative measures to avoid both theft and vandalism.  He recommended signs and lighting to start with.

Our local Constable, Sara Killington stated, “Signage would help negate perpetrators using the defence of believing the produce is for public consumption.”  She suggested specific wording to make police prosecution more feasible.

We created signage to define the ‘rules of the garden:  If you didn’t plant it – do not pick it!

The sign’s design, wording and placement clarify the ‘rules of the garden’ to all visitors entering the garden from the curb or from the playing field. 

Watch for new motion-sensor lighting!

Last board meeting – new motion sensor lights were approved to be placed by the doors on the exterior of the building on the garden side for increased security.

Other ways we were advised to reduce the risk of vandalism is to show a sense of pride and ownership.

This includes:

• Installation of two new Mid-Sun Community Garden signs to bring awareness of what we are – created by Sheri Reed, who used a special anti-graffiti paint coating on the signs

 

• being on top of cutting grass in between all the plots

• having a deadline for plots to be planted

• plots weeded

• harvesting produce before plants go to seed

• keeping the garden area free of garbage and no overflowing garbage container

We did lose some of our gardeners last year due to theft that occurred.  We chose to take action rather than being complacent. It brought us closer as a community.

We want to celebrate our successes!  This year has already exceeded expectations for community growth.  The shed!  Eye-catching painted signs!  New gardeners!  Garden Launch party!  Phase 1 of the Pathways Project completed!

Summer is short and life does get busy for all. 

• Ask the gardener beside you if you need help with your plot. 
• Do what you can do when you can do it.  
• We are community and there is much more than plants growing in the garden!  
• Let’s work together to protect and enhance the garden and community that is growing.  
• You are encouraged to continue sharing your views. 

Happy gardening!

The Mid-Sun Community Garden Pathways Project..what is it all about?

The Mid-Sun Community Garden Pathways Project

What’s it all about?

 

The mission is to develop mulched pathways among garden plots and as a perimeter around each ‘block’ in the garden, namely the West Block facing the playing field (Phase 1), the Centre Block in front of the compost bins (Phase 2), and the East Block facing the street and school (Phase 3).

The purpose is to block out weeds which are not easily mowed, and thus need to be regularly weed whipped, which has been labour intensive.  Also to enhance garden appearance and create a visual perimeter for the garden to lessen potential vandalism. 

The plan is to replace weedy paths among garden and around plots by cutting out sod, lining with cardboard, then landscape fabric, and filling with 6 inches of mulch.  A berm around the perimeter of the garden facing the field, fence and street provides a way to use sods, plus a visual boundary.

 

The Pathways Project is now completed for the West Block of the Garden (Phase 1).   

What’s next?

As we are able, with additional resources and labour, we can proceed with the Phase 2 and then Phase 3.

 Good News!

• A neighbour in our community donated her rose bushes to us.
• We are seeking expert advice from the Community Garden Resource Network on how and when to transplant these beauties into the berm. 
• Once the sods have broken down into soil in a year or more, we are interested in your ideas of what to plant in the berm area e.g. potatoes for the Food Bank?  Fruit shrubs?