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Monday, February 21, 2022

Cold but Clear


This week: The Community Garden plots are now looking clear, clean and weeded. The Saturday work parties have been fun and informative. Everyone is wanting to plant seeds, it's been so warm in the day, but last night there was SNOW! And there may be ice ahead, so we must clean our tools, mend our fences, and hold back from planting just yet! :>)

Outdoor sowing of peas was begun, and the community garden's broadbeans are looking great in their mulch duvet! It's still too cold to plant radish, turnip, spinach and pak choi, unless you sow under a cover, but according to the planting charts,  it's a good time for starting indoor seeds for leeks, onion, New Zealand spinach (good for cooking!) and perhaps a tray of cut-and-come-again mesclun if you have indoor lights or a not-too-cold greenhouse.

We enjoyed tasting cider (and one beer) at the social part of the work party. And laughs are had by all. Very enjoyable to be back. 

And, if it's too frosty to plant seeds, we can listen to a podcast interview about seed saving!

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Podcast Topic: 

Diversity of locally-sourced seeds needed to ensure food security

Listen here on i heart radio

Fiona Hamersley Chambers, owner of Metchosin Farm, speaks about the importance of genetic diversity in seeds and why locally-sourced seeds are needed in order to maintain our food security.

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P.S. Oh yes, and I've updated some of the links in the right sidebar (but not all). Photos are welcome for put up here too, from gardeners!!

Saturday, February 5, 2022

February inspiration

 Happy 2022 and welcome back to this blog!!

It's February and here are some new gardening inspiration sources from Cate!

1. Library book: Huge news!  A single book by Eliot Coleman from our own library, blew minds this week.

The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep-Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses by Eliot Coleman

Update: Here is the author himself in a 2018 presentation explaining how winter gardening in a cold greenhouse works: (video)


Feb 12/22 update: We plan to do two beds in the DIGS garden with radish, turnip and carrot rotation to be planted in March. Today (Sat workparty) we fertilized (RealMcCoy), limed, turned the soil, and topped it up with compost. Mike tamped it down with a rake. Looks good. Jim is ordering specific radish seed. After seeding, it will be covered with row cover cloth.

Also from Cate early February:

2. BookStephanie Hafferty and Charles Dowding book in the VIRL library.

3. VideoFrom Lawn to No-Dig abundance in five months

4. Magazine Article: Community Gardens of the World: In Chicago

Enjoy the information everyone, welcome back, and thanks Cate.


P.S. One more interesting presentation from Eliot Coleman! (video)

5. Eliot Coleman discusses "real organic" as opposed to co-opted corporate labels of 'organic':

Best,

Jen