We are changing the world...

Maybe not all at once, but as they say 'baby steps'. My wife was kind enough to point out an article in Alberta Views magazine July/August issue entitled "The Farm Next Door: Why local food - really local - is back on Alberta's political menu". It does a really good job articulating many reasons people have for getting involved with a community garden and local food.

There is also a great local food guide. I always like to take advantage of the summer to explore, trying to find unique local options for food. With this guide you have access to a "cornucopia of options for local fare, including farms, farmers markets, grocers and restaurants". Lots of the places they mention are great, and those that I haven't experienced I'm eager to give a shot.

Reflecting upon how far we have come with our little garden project, and then reading an article like this; I can't help but feeling all warm and fuzzy that we are part of something bigger , something beyond our little garden project; we are contributing to a political/social movement. But hey, if thinking about it that way doesn't float your boat, and in no way shape or form do you ever feel warm and fuzzy; then at least you can say that you're trendy, people are taking notice and writing about your actions, and you're a mere breath away from becoming famous!

Either way our garden rocks! I'm having a blast so far, and hope you are too. Catch you lake side.

Ohhh my aching back...

I think we've covered the notion of relaxing in a lawn chair while enjoying the fruits of our labour, but that requires lugging chairs down to the garden. So much hard work gardening, and weeding, and watering, and, and , and. What more work do we need?  Carrying chairs equals more work. Well we've remedied that, no more carrying chairs around. Thanks to the Devonian Gardens' recent renovation and a few volunteers' efforts (thanks to Deanna for the use of her truck, and Michael and Joanne's muscles) we were able to pick up a pair of beautiful benches for a steal. Check'em out, and better yet try them out. Solid as rocks and a perfect addition to our blossoming garden. They may look a little rough around the edges now but wait a few weeks and you'll see a magnificent transformation. Hmmm...ended up binging a little more work in the end anyway, funny how life is like that. I know a bench for my weary bones will be totally worth it in the end, I'm rather tired of sharing the grass with the mosquitoes. Besides I don't think they like to share.

Time for a little veggie thinning...

No your veggies are not too fat! In fact, the fatter the better I say. But to get them that way you often need to thin out what you have planted. Tightly bunched seedlings don't produce big juicy carrots because there is too much plant competing for too little space, water, and nutrients. I found some helpful information on desired veggie spacing (the Thinning Table below) and also some helpful hints on how to go about the thinning process (a two step thinning hints based on carrots).

A warning; I am not an experienced thinnerer (that is not a real word) so you may want to run these distances by an experienced gardener before you start pulling. But as far as I can tell the spacing distances make sense and the hints on thinning are what I sometimes use when pulling weeds (as far as the watering goes) so I assume they'll work on veggies as well.

Thinning Table

Thinning Hints
The Hints are done for carrots but I think you should be able to apply them to any veggie if you cross reference the Thinning Table.

Step #1
Water carrot seedlings well before thinning. This will allow you to pull them out without breaking the roots, the smell of which attracts carrot root fly. Simply grip the seedling to be removed between thumb and forefinger and pull. Aim to leave seedlings at 1" spacings.

Step #2
After three to four weeks, repeat the thinning procedure to leave the seedling at a spacing of 2" apart. This second thinning usually produces tiny carrots that can be trimmed for use in salads or as a garnish (thats right, eat'em don't toss'em).

One week and our name will be born...

Submissions have been flowing in for potential names to our garden. With only one week remaing until the June 30th deadline we have over 20 entries. I have a feeling it will be a difficult vote to win as there are some terrific names floating around. There is still time for everyone's ideas to be heard, email your best to cmroy@yahoo.com with Garden Name as the subject.

Our water, convoluted but not polluted...

As all of our gardeners are aware, the City of Calgary has done a great job providing us water. In order for us to access our water, we have to run what I call "The Gauntlet",  so named because you need strong hands to turn the water line on and off. Check out the "Accessing Water" section if you want step by step instruction on how to get the old juices flowing. If you are already experienced and know the ins-and-outs,  pull out a hose or set up a sprinkler. I think, and many others have suggested, that a lawn chair, a good book, and a sprinkler session make for a perfect summers eve. Remember to conserve and stay water wise when possible, visit the City's website for more info.

Full scale rabbit alert...

I think on the whole there had been at best a subtle optimism when it came to rabbits and our community garden, and at worst denial of what can now be said to be 'the inevitable'. Well the optimism has been shattered and the denial put asunder. The 12 inch raised beds are definitely not enough to deter our little furry friends (some as large as I goats I think) from nibbling our greens. Unfortunately some of our gardener's beds, the plants that are more mature, have been the targeted victims. So until we get our laser guided rabbit defense system installed you have a few options, either fence your garden or feed the rabbits. There are also so called rabbit proof plants, but I think our rabbits are of some mutant breed that don't follow the established rabbit plant rules, as their eating habits haven't been all that discerning to date. I have put a small fence around our garden and a few other gardeners have erected fences varying from chicken wire to decorative landscape fencing. Our struggle continues, we shall prevail!

Just to prove that our rabbit problem is no laughing matter I scoured the Internet for rabbit jokes and the following is the best I could find.

Bunny Humour:

Waiter, what is this hare doing in my salad?
I believe he's eating your lettuce.
(That's right, there is clearly no humour when it comes to rabbits)

The great potato question...

Planting potatoes is an adventure in education. There are many a potato rule for planting and I had to check more than a few sources before I felt comfortable enough to dig in. Thanks to all the gardeners who put up with the beginner questions. Anyways here is the most useful information I found:

1. If your potato has more than 2 eyes or sprouts cut it in pieces to increase your yield. If you follow this rule with larger seed potatoes you can get 2-4 mounds per potato.
2. Plant your potatoes about 12" apart. The closer you plant the potatoes the more competition they will have for nutrients with neighboring potatoes, if you want big potatoes give them space. Likewise if you want smaller potatoes plant the hills closer so that the competition for nutrients works for you.

3. Wait until your potatoes have started to sprout before putting them in the ground and plant them with the sprouts facing up. No one had an exact idea of how big the sprouts should be before they went into the ground. I have an idea that mine (shown in the picture) had gone a little too long; the potatoes actually started to feel like raisins.
4. I also heard once you cut your potatoes up you should let the cut marks dry to prevent molding in the ground. I didn't have time, so I'll let you know how they turn out.
5. The consensus seem to be for potatoes to be planted 6" in the ground for optimal growth.
6. I also hear things about mounding your potatoes and don't know if they are talking before or after they start growing above ground. I looked into the mounding phenomenon and think I have narrowed down the reason for doing so, it has to do with how potatoes grow. The sprout comes out of the potato until it finds sun above ground. The sprouts use the energy from the potato for this initial growth stage. Once above ground the sprout takes its vitamins from the sun, soil, and water which it uses to send further shoots back into the ground to create potatoes. I think the mounding must help more potatoes to grow because it allows the shoots to keep growing up and down (more space and nutrients). The mounding may also help with water drainage (if you water potatoes too much they get scabs). Needles to say I didn't mound...yet. I'll see what happens.

If you have helpful hints for potatoes please feel free to add them, I know I can always use the help.

Planting seeds for the future...

The weather appears to be getting better for the Northern Hills Community Garden members. It only rained one of the days on planting weekend. But as usual spirits were high and people were eager to get planting, especially since Kate offered refuge during the rain on Saturday. The orientations for all gardeners went well and now everyone is ready to watch for their first sprouts.

That is if you were patient enough to plant only seeds, some just couldn’t wait and needed to see some colour in their beds; Sunny’s plot definitely has a head start (I may have to beg for some scraps while I wait for my own veggies). All in all the area looks great, and there already has been an overwhelming response from residents of the area.

The variety of plants is amazing, and I can’t even tell what they are since most are still in the ground; I can’t wait to see what pops out of the earth. But word going round is that Michael’s plot will be one to watch as he has sewed some heritage grains.

Lisa’s son has what I call the perfect recipe for gardening; equal parts planting and sitting back in a lawn chair enjoying the park (I probably add in a little extra sitting myself). Carla and her son were driven by their rabbit concerns and have constructed a fence that I’m sure if they marketed in the neighborhood could keep them busy for years. I may have to ask for the blueprints as my wife seems to lose a third of everything she plants every year.

Elizabeth seems to share this same fear of rabbits. She returned on Sunday to check on her Saturday’s hard work only to find that every single plant had been eaten…Oh no wait! The rabbits were only playing a trick on her; instead of eating everything they just moved all her plants two plots over. That seems odd, maybe it wasn’t rabbits after all; could it be that someone (name begins with the letter E) had a little trouble reading the garden map (that she made) and planted the wrong plot? Either way the garden looks great and everyone had a great time.

Hope to see you at the garden.

The community garden would also like to extend their thanks to the following organizations which supported our construction through donations or discounts. Without their generous contributions we would have been challenged to get this off the ground.

City of Calgary, Parks
Sobey’s
RONA
Home Depot

Planting and orientation weekend...

A mandatory orientation session designed by the City for all users of the garden as well as potential volunteers (ie. food bank beds) will be covered off this weekend. This will only take a half an hour. There are three sessions set up for this weekend - please attend one of these. Please bring a lawn chair and mosquito spray. An information package has been developed for all of us gardeners - especially those of us that are new to vegetable gardening - which has been emailed to gardeners that have signed up. If you didn't get one and are interested please contact cmroy@yahoo.com.

Orientation Time Slots
Saturday at 9:00 AM Sunday at 9:00 AM Sunday at 1:00 PM

At that time we will also be taking any outstanding user agreements and payments (please bring along a copy of the user agreement previously sent to you). A bed will be assigned to you once this is received. Each bed has a name (a herb or spice). Have fun everyone, it should be a great weekend.

There was also some damage to the grass surrounding the plots during their filling with soil. This was due primarily to the soggy weather. Our gardening team is currently discussing options regarding repair. Any comments or concerns please contact Chris Roy cmroy@yahoo.com.

Plots and plants, but no name???

It's time to name our garden. So put on your thinking caps and get creative. Check out the "about the northern hills community garden" section to see what we're trying to accomplish and then let the creative juices flow. If your idea works better as part of a sign, go with it. We'll be making signs with the name eventually, so killing two birds with one stone would be great. Submissions and inquiries can be made to cmroy@yahoo.com. The deadline is June 30 so don't delay. Good luck.

We've had it up to here...

The words of our beautiful cedar beds, not mine. Why would they say it, because it's literally true. They are officially filled with dirt thanks to a handful of very committed volunteers.  Thanks so much to Brenda, Marlene, Michael, Wendy, and of course Joanne. It just wouldn't be a party without her. A few blisters and broken backs later and everything is ready for the big weekend of planting.

Of course it rained again, but only while we were working. We now expect this so everyone was prepared, even Brenda with her shorts (don't you know its easier to clean muddy legs than muddy pants). Everything looks great, planting weekend should be a blast. One step closer to great veggies. Yay!

Warm hearts and jubilant spirits trump frosty spring weather...

The average Calgarian was definitely not spending the weekend of May 29th outdoors. Waking up on Saturday one couldn't help but feeling a little bewildered; temperatures near zero, snow covering the ground, more snow falling, where the heck are we? Calgary of course. Any other place the day would have been a complete write-off. But Northern Hill's residents had committed to build a community garden and build they did.

It was an epic effort by all, a day I'm sure that won't be forgotten for many years, a day where every single participant gave their all. Every time I looked around people were hard at work and of course having a little fun as well. After 3 odd years of living in Calgary Suresh is still wondering why people think Calgary weather is so much better than Edmonton? Luckily he had Sunny, Marianna, Brenda and Kate to help with warm spirits and show him how to use a drill. Just jokes, I think we can safely say that we are all on the verge of joining the professional drillers union.

Perhaps we were all just as lucky that John and Heidi came prepared, surely helping to thaw every one's bacon at one time or another. They had a second home built by the time the day got underway; complete with event tent, trailer, chairs, heater, and probably even the kitchen sink if we looked hard enough. Attila and Eleno found another way to keep warm, building beds at a frenetic pace, continuously testing their own record time of 15 minutes per bed.

Paul and Lisa were trying the same method to keep warm, but were unfortunately paired with a third party that was more interested in soaking up the atmosphere (that's my attempt at an excuse for slowing them down, sorry guys). While Rory (a volunteer coming all the way from Bankview) was questioning his commitment to check out what a community garden was all about, he still had a great time and "learned a lot". He too was slowed by my preoccupation with the ‘atmosphere’.

Perhaps no one had a better way of keeping warm than Elizabeth; I didn't take an official poll, but at a mere 5 million layers of clothing I think she holds the record. It really makes me wonder what she does when its winter? Jeannine had to be especially brave as she tackled the most difficult job, the money collector; come on out freeze your butt off and then give us money? Marlene exemplified the no quit attitude shared by the group, even though she showed a little later than most you had to practically wrestle the drill from her hand to get her to take a break.

Wendy, our community association president, had her whip cracking...just kidding, she took some great pictures and was swarmed when she and Elizabeth appeared with goodies in tow (or maybe that was just me); provided by our very generous sponsor's Sobeys and Tim Horton's. Yay for sandwiches, fruit, coffee, and tea.

Some found other ways of dealing with the weather. Genny and Kristin were having a competition to see how quickly their toes could turn blue; which Brenda and Rigel must have thought looked like fun because they decided to try with their fingers. TJ was helping John keep warm by requesting a few extra precision cuts. Sounds to me like perfection offers a few bonus perks. Cheryl was only able to help with the setup and cleanup (hmmm...how did she wiggle her way out of this one). However she was able to snag us another event tent from Moxie's to help us keep warm and dry (well at least try) so I guess we can let this one slide.

And of course there is our fearless leader Joanne, calm, cool (perhaps more cold that day), and collected. I like her ear muffs, they must help keep the copious amounts of details in her head. Maybe thats my problem, I gotta get some ear muffs. She has taken a rag tag bunch (I can at least speak for myself) and helped us accomplish something wonderful. No one could have done it better. Our heartfelt thanks, our community is lucky to have her.

I think Michael and his daughter Leona echoed how we all felt at the end of the day when he remarked (and I'm paraphrasing because I have the memory of a sparrow) at how surprising it was for a community effort to accomplish so much, in so little time, with most people being complete strangers.

In all it was a great day and an amazing experience. We built and placed 24 beds in 3 hours. I think it looks fabulous already and we've only just begun. Now we can look forward to a break in the weather when we can start sewing some seeds and enjoying the outside, not just the people we’re sharing it with.