Mid-Sun Community Garden Blog

Saturday, 18 January 2014

an invite to the CGRN Kitchen Table Discussions 2014

Hello Gardeners!

Are you brimming with ideas?

Like to have your finger on the pulse of what's going on?

Would you like to learn more about community gardens?

Then this is your opportunity!

The Calgary Garden Resource Network is hosting their 2014 Kitchen Table Discussions.

Members of other Calgary community gardens come and share and learn from one another.

Some of our garden team members are hoping to go, but we'd like to open it up to all gardeners.

All we ask is that you share with us what you'd learn that could help our garden,

you can email, chat, whatever works for you.

Here are the details:

All sessions will be held at the Office of the Calgary Horticultural
Society at 208-50th Ave. S.W. from 7:00-8:30 pm. There is ample free
parking in front of the Society’s newly painted terracotta office and
coffee/tea will be available to keep our throats clear as we participate
in lively and positive conversations.

Topics and dates so far include:
• Wednesday, January 22nd- Beauty in the Community Garden
• Wednesday, February 19th- Soil Issues

• Wednesday, March 19th - Community Gardeners as Local Food
Ambassadors
• Wednesday, April 23rd – Weeds, Diseases, Bugs and Urban Critters

As previous participants we would like to personally invite you back to
the’ table ‘ and would be delighted if you and/or another gardener in your
Community Garden are interested, willing and available to be part of any
or all of these working table top discussions. Should more than 10 people
wish to come to a particular discussion we will have a second table
upstairs and/or other dates will be added as the goal is to involve all
folks that wish to be at the table.
Please email Janet at cgrn@calhort.org to reserve & confirm your spot at
the 2014 Kitchen Table Discussions!

Wednesday, 25 December 2013

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!"

Friday, 4 October 2013

Not ready to stop gardening? check out this book...looks interesting!

The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener
How to Grow Your Own Food 365 Days a Year, No Matter Where You Live
By Niki Jabbour
Who among us wouldn’t like to put something fresh from the garden on the table in mid-January? “Even in the dead of winter, we’re able to harvest vegetables”, says Niki Jabbour in her book The Year-Round Gardener. Those words are bound to make Canadian gardeners take notice, especially since Niki gardens in Nova Scotia, a province not noted for its balmy climate. In Niki’s book she tells us that success is all about getting the timing right and that there are three growing seasons: cool, warm and cold—a new way to think about the seasons in which veggies grow. One chapter is devoted to growing into winter; something many gardeners may never imagine possible.

The book is written from hands-on experience and jam-packed with detailed information and insightful instructions to ensure successful harvests, for example “intensive planting techniques”. The second part of the book deals with the importance of choosing the right crops and takes the form of an encyclopedia of vegetables and herbs covering their individual planting, growing and harvesting requirements. Side bars (“Niki’s Picks”) tell you which varieties are her favourite performers and why.

What makes this book unique?
The notion of being able to harvest vegetables year-round is foreign to many Canadian gardeners.The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener removes the mystique and opens your eyes to the possibilities. This book is not dumbed down in any way; rather it provides solid information written in an easy-to-understand manner that any level of gardener can follow.

Price: $23.95
Publisher: Storey Publishing