Monday, June 7, 2010

A couple of new features on the blog. I added two tabs up at the top of the page, “Looking for Volunteers…” and “Friends of the Garden”. One will list the larger tasks we will need help with and the other is a place to put any announcements from our friends or even from yourselves, should you have anything you’d like to post. If you do, email me and I’ll be sure to get it posted.

The wheel barrow
with flowers at entry gate –this wheelbarrow has served its life helping out at the garden and has now gone on to greener pastures serving as a flower planter. It would be greatly appreciated if everyone would help water and dead-head as needed. When dead-heading, be sure to remove the seed pod as well as the dead blossom

A small herb garden box has been established in the main garden above the demo plot next to the picnic tables. When the herbs are established, feel free to pick some for your favourite recipes. There are paper towels in the shed in which they can be wrapped. As with the flower wheel barrow, please water and pluck a few weeds as you pass by, if needed. The red box next to the herbs will hopefully be the home of zucchini/squash plants, the "fruit " of which will be given to the food bank. Please help water if they look thirsty.

The "food bank garden plot" in the south garden has been planted. The plantings have been artistically arranged so the colours and overall look should be very attractive. The produce being grown this year is peas, potatoes, zucchini, carrots, Swiss chard, spinach and beets Thanks to the Gauthier-Grigg family and Godefrey and Keiko for their efforts. Don't hesitate to pull a few weeds in this plot should the need arise.

Have you noticed the composting area seems to change frequently? We have a gentleman who has graciously taken on the task of working the compost (Yay!) Dean Metcalfe was involved with the garden in its early stages working with Joan Craig, one of our founding members, and he approached us asking if he might do this work. We’re excited to see this development and hope to see it through to what looks like some great compost.
How can you help? Feel free to drop of your compost at the garden. We do ask that you keep it free of paper and cardboard(coffee filters are okay) as well as any meat scraps (don’t want to attract animals). No weeds please.

While planting, watering and weeding you garden box, please remember to remove weeds and dandelions from the area around your box. The dandelions are raging out of control. Please help by, at the very least, deadheading the flowers before they go to seed. Remember to put all weeds in our new weed compost (see previous post) now located on the former gazebo site.

Task assignments…*sigh* I’m still working on it. But you know, many of you have been with the garden for at least one full season and I think it’s fairly obvious what needs to be done especially if you were assigned a task last year. So until, the tasks are assigned feel free to fill water barrels, weed the raspberry, saskatoon and rhubarb trenches, water common areas, pull weeds etc. The beauty of the garden will always be equal to the sum of the work put into it.

Wednesday Night Workbee
I want to move one of the picnic tables into the south garden so those that garden on that side have a place to sit if needed. The pile of gravel, also in the south garden needs to be distributed around the beds to help with the muck that forms when the ground gets wet. We need to concentrate on the dandelions in the north garden as well. They are thriving this year and as I said earlier, I’d like to get that under control before they all go to seed.

That’s it for now. Hope to see you soon!