Little Diggers - Ideas & Inspiration

Little Diggers planning meeting coming up in two weeks.
On Sunday February 6th at 173 Colvilleton. Meeting time is 1:30 pm.

This will be the DIGS Little Diggers' planning meeting at the Harris's about the upcoming children's gardening program for this spring. If you are interested or would like to participate in plans for Little Diggers events, please do join in. All are welcome.

This year, the theme might be: cooking and eating the harvest.
That brings up so many good ideas! (Maybe because I love eating so much! haha).
Do you have good kid-related food-cooking-eating ideas?
Then join in! Or send them along (email at top of this page.)

And just because I loved this cooking show when it first aired, here's some bracing outdoor deep-frying of batter-covered brassicas by Jamie Oliver.
Oooh, that spicey batter really gets the taste-buds going! (although I wouldn't be deep frying outdoors in the community garden with tiny tots running around --- But Jamie Oliver sure has the ferour for food!)

Part 1: Harvesting your brassicas, cutting them up and cooking them up:



Part 3: Cauliflower/Broccoli stuffed Caneloni (very squishy & cheesey!)



General garden information: All are welcome to come down to the community garden workparty most Saturdays, (changing to Sundays from May until end of August) from 10 am until 12:00 noon.
If you'd like to garden, become a DIGS member ($10 a year) or ask questions, just show up, or you can use the email at top of this page.

The DIGS community garden is open to everyone. Drop by anytime; the garlic should be peeking up above its mulch pretty soon! :>) Spring may just be in the air!

The Little Diggers program starts the beginning of May and runs every Sunday 10:30 am until 12:00 until the end of August.

Enjoy planning for this season's Little Diggers program, 1:30 pm on Feb. 6th!
Bring your cool EATING ideas (ha ha!)

Best, Jen

Our Garden Plan - Jan 15th first draft

Dear Gardeners,

From our meeting this morning, Sat. Jan 15th, the plot plan is all rotated and in this cartoon rendering, very very good-looking (!)



Click on this 'first draft' jpeg above,in order to view the picture in "large".(and then use back button to return here again.)

The two EARLY crops for spring planting will be a salad bed and vine peas in beds 1 and 3. Spinach and other cool weather lettuce seed can be started indoors in about seven weeks. So we've visualized a "salad bed" with a mixture of lettuce, scallions, radish, baby spinach....wowza. I'm visualizing!

So the EARLY crops are decided (green), and some of the HEAT LOVING summer crops (red) are sketched in the above version as well. We're planning the rotation at the same time.

Heat-loving zuccini and winter vine squash just might work in pots if we perhaps try small, compact varieties? That would make lawn cutting easier; let's think about that.
Small quickly maturing crookneck squash suitable for our raincoast.
Another bush-sized butternut squash type suitable for our climate (short season.)

More seed-selection to come; and some contemplation of onion sets, and even shallots!
:>)
We had fun making group decisions and many thanks for the hot beverages and cake!!
Yum! :>D
Thanks so much to all the helpers and thinkers!
More exact varieties to check seed orders for, but moving ahead well!

Best, Jen

P.S.
Local planting times for spring seeds are given here.

P.P.S. And we have to remember the Winter veggies too. Here's a list of locally successful winter veggie varieties.

Here's a chart showing times of year to plant each veg:

Crop Rotation Chart - reading the timeline

To enlarge the above sample, click on the above drawing, then use the back button to return here. (look for "You are Here" to help read the above sample chart.)

How to Read Our Crop Rotation Chart:

At today's meeting, we filled in our Two-Year Crop-Rotation planners so that we are always following the "Early-Winter-Heat-loving" cycle of crop rotation. If you need a refresher on how this works, have a look at the short video.

This is easy to learn and remember, and we use this method so that our soil always stays fresh and fullsome through successive, intensive year-round plantings of vegetables. The idea is to use the space intensively, so that there is something to eat in all for seasons, but to use the space wisely, so the soil stays rich and fertile through successive plantings.

However, you may have trouble reading the brightly coloured chart if you don't realize that the TIME of year runs up the right hand side. Each bed is shown progressing through time, from 2010 to 2011.

See above diagram, click on it to enlarge, and look on the right side for "YOU ARE HERE".' The future is Spring 2011 and Summer 2011 on the right.

Then you can plan which crops occur next in the rotation of each numbered bed.

Hope this helps chart-readability and general time-line orientation.

If you want to see the list of what veg are 'early - winter - heat-loving" there's a full list of all common vegetables here.

Here's a short list:
Early – carrot, lettuce, peas, parsnip, radish, early cabbage, fava or broadbean.
Winter – beet, cauliflower, chard, collard, cabbage, celeriac, daikon radish, kale, Kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, onion, purple sprouting broccoli, parsnip, root crops, spinach, rutabega, mesclun.
Heat Loving – beans, broccoli, beet, corn, celery, basil, cauliflower, cabbage, chard, carrot, cucumber, dill, leek, mesclun, onion, parsley, potatoes, parsnip, radiccio, squash, peppers, summer turnip, tomato, watermelon, zuccini, herbs.
Fallow – buckwheat, crimson clover, fava bean, fall rye, oat, winter field peas, white clover.

Note: Fava bean is popular because it's actually edible. All others are tilled under.

See last year's seeding plan here.



Best, Jen

Rain barrels - affordable

Dear Garden Lovers,

From this mornings seed meeting, we have the contact information for an affordable, locally made rain barrel, that is screened against bugs, and easy to use.
Here's some information from elsewhere on the net:

Singing in the RainHarvesting the Treasure from the Sky
Feature sponsored by Friends of Cortes Island Water Stewardship Project

$55 - Lantzville, Phone: (250)390-5199

Article:
"I literally got hooked on rain barrels. I started out with one and I just had to have more. I added another and another and now I've got 12 rain barrels to catch the rainwater off my house," says Dirk Becker. "To my amazement, they can fill up in as little as 20 minutes (over 500 gallons). I'm also thrilled by how well our plants respond to the warm rainwater and the micro-nutrients it contains. And by using rainwater in the garden, we draw less water from the well, so it's less likely to run dry."

Becker lives with his partner Tanis Dagert on a small farm in Lantzville on the east side of Vancouver Island. He studies how methods of food production affect water, soil, and the Earth in general. From that study came one of Dirk's well-being projects, one that could benefit hundreds of gardens and a multitude of water-dependent creatures on Georgia Strait. Dirk makes rainwater collection barrels and sells them at a substantially lower cost than most such devices. "It became obvious to me that I needed to encourage others to participate in enjoying this treasure from the sky rather than getting rid of it," says Becker.

Dirk spent months researching rain collection systems all over North America. He found that the most efficient and economical way to collect rainwater safely is with used 45 gallon food grade plastic barrels. Now he assembles and sells these barrels, ready to catch the next downpour, with a brass tap for a hose at the bottom and a hole in the top for a downspout, as well as bug screen to keep out insects.

The barrels sell for only $55 with the fittings, almost half of what they cost from other sources. Further, for every barrel sold through an environmental group, Dirk donates $5 back to the group. "My goal is for everyone on Vancouver Island to be collecting and using precious rainwater," says Becker, who admits he will also help facilitate delivery to the BC mainland when he can.

Dirk Becker might not get rich with his rain barrels, but he and the communities that use his product will be rich in the most satisfying way: they will know they are making a difference. "Now when it rains, we have the satisfaction of knowing that we are filling our barrels, caring for our gardens, and replenishing our supplies of a vital and diminishing resource."

* Contact: Dirk Becker, 7560 Fernmar Road, Lantzville, BC. Ph: (250)390-5199 for directions.
----------end quote
Best, Jen

January things to do in the Garden

http://www.gardenwiseonline.ca/gw/resources/2010/01/06/january-garden-do-list

Here is Carolyn Heriott's list of things to do in the garden in January...without the slush I imagine.

Local Garden Events

Seedy Sunday: Sunday, March 4th, 2012
10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
$3 at door; Bowen Park Complex.

Everybody is welcome to attend this popular annual event. Trade or purchase organic and non-hybrid seeds, native plants, bee houses, rain barrels and other tools for self-reliance. There will also be an activity centre for kids! Bring your own seeds to the seed exchange table.

This popular event, which is put on by the local Foodshare Society and the Nanaimo Community Garden Society, traditionally takes place on the first Sunday of every March, just in time for gardeners to pick up a great variety of seeds, seedlings, and other gardening material and supplies. The focus is on, but not limited to, organic, heritage and heirloom seed varieties. Attendees should be sure to bring their own well marked seeds to trade at the seed exchange table.

-Seed Exchange
-Speaker Talks/Presentations
-Exhibitors
-Open-pollinated Seeds
-Seedlings, Plants
-Displays & Demos
-Garden & Food Products
-Kids’ Activities
-Master Gardeners
-Seedy Cafe

SCHEDULE OF PRESENTATIONS:

#1-10:30 Basic Seedsaving Techniques
#2-12:00 Growing Wild berries in your Backyard
#3 -1:30 How to Grow More and Change Your World!



---------------------------2012

Dear Gardeners,
Cate just sent a great list of upcoming events.
Totally check it out; movies, talks and more.

Best, Jen (and thanks so much Cate!)