July Workbee, can you come?

Saturday, tomorrow, is a scheduled workbee at the garden, 

July 26, 930-12

You are encouraged to come, meet some other gardeners and have fun. 

Participating in a workbee(s) is part of your community garden,

 it's where we literally put the community in the garden!

 We will be staining and installing the arbour,

painting the benches and general maintenance..weeding etc.

​

We promise you can choose the task and level of effort you put in. 

AND I promise, you will be smiling during and after the workbee,

each time I go I have loads of fun..!  really!

What you could do, if you are shy like I can be, is "check" your plot...say around 1015/20ish..and see what happens..and I promise someone will say hello....

See you on Saturday?

Kids, snacks, water bottles, and smiles welcome

And mark your calendar for Sept 6 BERM BABY BERM!

Gardeners busy at work!

MLA Jeff Wilson digs his plot!

Dave keeps the garden tidy, thank you!

Workbee on the berm

 

 

Super DAVE, the superhero of Mid-Sun community Garden

Super Dave!

What can we say?

We have our own superhero!

He does a lot...

he's reorganizing the compost,

directing mulch traffic at work bees,

fixing wheelbarrow wheels,

trimming grass and cover crops,

and here he is organizing the shed,

Thank you Dave, a big thumbs up...

 

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

confessions of a gardener....about workbees

That was me.  I'd open my inbox and groan...sometimes OUTLOUD. 

Seriously? 

You want ME to come to the GARDEN and work? 

Questions flooded the mind:

What would we do?

who are these people?

Does anyone go?

why do they go? 

Don't they have a life?

Why would I do all this extra work? 

Who would be there?

Do I have the skills?

What if someone asks ME some gardening query?

In short: 

I didn't go--FOR TWO YEARS.  The workbee went in the trash.

But I must confess...I did drive by once...it was easy--Saturday morning and I saw all these people at the garden...

and I thought, that is that workbee...and that could be me...and what are they doing?

So then I'd read the emails and see what was being "celebrated"....really?  is this for real?

So another workbee invite came, a bit too enthusiastic for my liking...

I thought "I'll just go check my garden and if things look ok I might say hi.."

I showed up all casual and nonchalant...

and there they were, eager beavers--gloves and tools and hats and smiles...really?

yes.

And they said hello and asked my name and we chatted.

A few them were weeding...I did manage to show one of them my plot,

and ask a few questions that I was dying to know about some varieties I had seen around the garden...

and I thought,

NO ONE HAS ASKED ME TO WORK YET---?

who are these people, I thought they wanted help?

after a while, I did wander over to the garden where most of the gardeners were pulling weeds from the clay and I watched. 

 I was greeted, more introductions and smiles, offered some watermelon...

and then someone asked me what I THOUGHT should be done...huh? 

I checked my watch, a few minutes can't hurt...

and that's how I went on my first workbee.

This could be you...and if you have read this far,

 you might want to know that this Tuesday there is a scheduled workbee at the garden,  August 20, 7 pm.

You are encouraged to come, meet some other gardeners and have fun. 

What you could do, if you are shy like I can be, is "check" your plot...say around 715/720ish..and see what happens...

This might be a great time to debrief this Saturdays' FABULOUS opportunity to visit Jeff Casey's urban garden (go go go!)

I'd go on Saturday too, really, even carpooling with those eager beaver gardeners...but I have a small baby and she trumps tomatoes for now...

Maybe you'll see me Tuesday night if she goes to sleep...hope so--if not, Wednesday morning I hope to be by and water..

but Tuesday I mean I hope we can meet at the garden (and the baby sleeps!)

See you on Tuesday?

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?

 

Raspberry Row..,another example of community...in the garden.

For several years the raspberry patch has struggled...some bushes flourished, others not so much. 
The goals for the patch...an opportunity to bless those walking by

(to reach through the fence and have a treat) but also fruit for the gardeners of Mid-Sun. 

 

Every year, there is a discussion about the raspberries...

and this year a group has stood up and decided to make

a concerted effort to improve the patch.

In some ways, it reminds me of the garden...
enthusiasm and hard work to lay the foundation,
 and there was struggle along the way--some parts of the garden flourished, others dwindle...and then someone comes along and puts in a TON of work like this:

Work that is blistering, heavy, tiring, and mucky...but SO rewarding:
 

From one gardener to another gardener...thank you.
To all of you who have worked really hard this year at workbees and
DUG DEEP..thank you.

Another example of community...in the garden. 
And this is why we garden here...

 

 

Workbee bounty!

       Check out the Saturday,

July 27th  Workbee!  

WOW!

  So wonderful to see familiar faces and some new faces almost finishing the first phase of the pathway project.  

Thank you to Ken, May, Dave, Maureen, Verna, Therasa, Ivan, Deanna, Jessica and Chantelle.

Better technique as we went. Watering the sod softened that cement clay! Yeah.

What footwear is not ideal...flipflops, tough feet!

Attacking between the unmulched plots!

An amazing bounty after a lot of hard work!

Weeding, watering, watermelon  and a wealth of wonderful volunteers!  Thank you! 

Pathway Project Phase 1: Gratitude for our gardeners

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

Sincere thanks to all gardeners who helped complete Phase 1!

Work bee attended on July 6

Cheryl, Lisa, May, Ken, Theresa, Jennifer, Richard, Frederique, Juliette, Dave

Work bee attended on July 13

Pam, Ty, Calgary Dream Centre team: Andy, Andrew, Gerry, Karyn, Lisa, Chuck, Florence,

Kerry, Dave, Maureen, Deanna, Wade and his wife and young son, Kim and Avi

Work bee attended on July 18th

Cheryl, Lisa, Cathy, Sheri
 

Work bee attended on July 20th

Pam &Ty, Calgary Dream Centre team: Robert, Mark & Ken, Cheryl, May & Ken, Deanna, Kerry, Jennifer, Cathy Lewis

First workbee of 2013!

THANK YOU!

FOR

 Visiting us at the garden table EARLY Saturday morning at Stampede breakfast - lots of questions and sharing.

AND

Joining us for the workbee afterwards.

What was accomplished?

•  All cardboard was moved from community centre's storage area and garden shed to outside the shed and tarped, now we can get in the shed!  Cardboard will be used in pathways project - keep tuned for dates.
• Tidy of the shed.
• More supplies ready for pathway project put in the shed.
• All the garbage was dumped into the bin in parking lot.
• Great attack on weeds in perennial bed and that invasive sumac
• Two plots dug up that are going to be planted with a test project of cover crops to increase soil nutrients (more details to come on this project)
• Whipper snipping between the plots

Lots of people from the pancake breakfast were strolling around the garden and viewing our beautiful bounty.  People were amazed what can grow in 4ft X 8ft!

BEST of all was

time spent with old friends and new friends.

As always

laughter, sharing and caring.  

 

and 

 It didn't rain!!

Thank you to Dave for donating the tomato cages.  These are in the shed if community gardeners need them in their plots.  

 New gardeners first harvest.....ahhhhhh....mmmmm

 

 

RESCHEDULED COMPOST PICKUP--Thank you for your offer...and STAY TUNED for new date

THANK YOU

FOR SIGNING UP TO Help on APRIL 20TH.

We need to reschedule

as the compost pile donated is frozen.

As much as we love to get our hands in the soil, this will have to wait

for mother nature. We will keep you posted with a new date!

Community shout out--plot number help

A Community Shout Out

YOUR TALENTS ARE NEEDED

How?

Mid-Sun Community Garden plots need renumbering. 

We can’t find our plots!

              Needs:

·        Letters A through to O

·        Numbers 1 through to 47

·        Small

·        Clear to read

·        Will be attached to the side of the plots

·        Durable to withstand elements

Maybe you have some unused pieces of wood

stored that’s itching for a project? 

A time frame of completion by May 25^th when we

have our first Work Bee and Telus Day of Caring

to help us install all of those new letters and numbers

you so graciously made!

 Share your great plans with the garden team midsungarden@gmail.com

Fall Bed Clean Up hints

Even though the weather is summer-like,

 some have begun putting their plots to bed...

It's important to clean up your plot(s) no matter your

intentions for renting that plot again...

prepare the garden bed this fall the way you'd want it done for you

for a tidy winter and spring

 

WEED!

Please weed the bed, especially the sides...this makes the spring growth spurt for the weeds slow down.  2012 spring saw 4 gardeners weeding empty beds for 3 hours...let's not repeat that.

**You can leave peas and beans in your bed--just chop and mix them into the soil**

CHOP!

If we all chop what we put in the compost, it will break down MUCH faster and our compost king will have a much easier job.

If you're not sure what to do with your compost contribution, you may add it to the black bins.

ADD COMPOST! 

Add compost from the spring pile OR the ready to use pile in the compost bins. 

This will add nutrition to your plot 

 MIX!

Use one of the many tools we have and mix the compost and yoru garden bed soil so that the soil is loosened and the "good stuff" is mixed through.  Notice the height of the soil?  That's what you should aim for.

 



August Workbee Buzz! wow!

What a day!

Our most attended workbee yet! 13!

We worked hard and accomplished much!

Thank you for all who came out and enjoyed the sunshine, and for bringing the snacks and the smiles!

 

Remember this bushy, shady tree that was blocking sun to the gardens?

Well check it out now!

Our pathways are clear!  Thank you! 

The perennial bed is hosting a more diverse population all the time! 

Thanks for your donations Kerry!

Checking out the potatoes!

Transplanting raspberries!

Theresa cleaned up the U Pick bed!

Snacks, smiles, and stories! 



Love...in our garden--really!

While we were working in the garden at the workbee...

we noticed an interesting set up...

and so we posed...

and wondered...

and thought, wouldn't it be fun to have a wedding in the garden!

and so, YOUR little garden  (sniff, sniff)

was the special spot for a wedding vow

renewal ceremony....

(ok, ok, so I was curious, this is from across the street...I asked the bride )

But really...this is a HUGE credit to all gardeners for their hard work!

July workbee...love, yes really!

Wow!  What an exciting day!
We had a great workbee with 11 hardworking gardeners helping out!
THANK YOU!
Check out this transformation since May 2012! 
Good work gardeners...these workbees are fantastic!





the Garden under the sign...May 2012





the garden under the sign July 28,2012

 Thank you for the tomato cages and stakes...

watermelon, scones, cheese, and meat!

A delicious break, great fellowship...

and maybe we'll see you in August?