As winter’s end approaches...

at least according to local groundhogs, people are starting to shift their minds towards spring and summer. Hopefully being outdoors is somewhere near the tops of your spring to do list. One of the best ways to get outdoors in the spring is to dabble in some gardening. Whether you’re a beginner or someone who would just appreciate another seasoned gardener’s opinion there is a number of educational workshops that the community garden group wants to offer to their members this year and if there is interest expand this to all members of the community.

Workshops may include subjects such as:

• Composting Basics
• Starting Plants from Seed
• Food for Small Places
• Growing Food for the First Time
• Vegetable Gardening for Zone Three

Any other ideas would be appreciated and can be sent to garden@northernhills.ab.ca.

If you are interested in vegetable gardening and want to participate in these workshops keep watching the community garden blog or follow the Community Garden link at http://www.northernhills.ab.ca for more information and updates.

There are also some other great local educational opportunities offered by The Calgary Horticultural Society and Green Calgary, being but a few. Below is a great example of a fast approaching event, it looks like a lot of fun.

Canvassing the neighbors...

Seeds Are Best When Shared

Part of the reason for having a community garden is to strengthen neighborhood relationships and start new ones. As the winter weather ebbs and flows dedicated volunteers are preparing to get out and meet the neighbors closest to the latest proposed community garden in Coventry Hills. As part of getting to know the neighbors and introducing them to what a community garden is all about we are sharing some of our donated seeds. It is quite amazing to see the variety of flowers and vegetables that thrive in Calgary's unpredictable growing zone. And if you want to have big beautiful plants early in the season, it's never too early to start thinking about what you want to plant.