Ladner Community Garden

The plans for Ladner Seedy Saturday and Garden Expo are almost complete. The Seedy Saturday and Garden Expo will be held on February 9, 2013 at Ladner Baptist Church from 10-3. The church is located at 5624 Ladner Trunk Road here in the village of Ladner, BC just  a short 20 minute drive south of Vancouver. When you arrive at Ladner Seedy Saturday and Garden Expo you will enter at the side door on the west side of the building. There is lots of free parking and handicap parking as well. As you enter the church there is a fireside room where we will be having our presentations. Next to the fireside room is a large gymnasium that will be filled with vendors selling seeds, plants and garden accessories or services. We will even have a children's table where kids can make a craft to take home. Admission to the event is free but if you would like to donate to the Ladner Community Garden, that would be great. We grow food for the South Delta Food bank and can always use se

What is a seed swap? A seed swap is when many people meet to trade seeds. They have too many or don’t need the seeds they have and want to trade for seed that they are looking for. Seed swaps are also social events and full of fun. One gets to meet other gardeners, learn about seeds and perhaps try a seed they didn’t know about.  So to get started, check out your seed inventory. Bring in what you will not be using or have too much of. We encourage you to bring in open pollinated seeds as they can be saved from year to year. If you are not sure what your seeds are,we have master gardeners on hand to help. Once you find your seeds, you must package them with the following on the front of the package. Using small envelopes for this works great. common name  number of seeds annual, perennial or biennial? were they bought or collected? hybrid or open pollinated? Latin name if possible Bring seed in between 10am-1030am so they can be sorted alphabeti

 Have you attended a Seedy Saturday before? For many it may be the first time so lets see whats happening. Seedy Saturdays have been around for over 20 years with the first one being held at VanDusen Botanical Gardens back in 1989. The event became so popular that they have sprung up all across the country. So what is at a Seedy Saturday? Its an event where you can come to purchase open pollinated seeds and heritage or heirloom seeds for your garden. Open pollinated seeds mean that in the fall you can let a plant or two go to seed and then you can harvest the seed and use it the following year. Think about it, saving seeds means you save money plus you are preserving seeds that may not always be available. Heirloom seeds are seeds that have been around for hundreds of years. For example, last year I had someone bring in some Swedish brown bean seeds that her family had brought to BC in the 1800's and they had been growing the beans here on Westham Island ever since.

I cant believe its a new year, full of promise of great yields from the garden and more taste sensations. The best part about growing your own food is being able to enjoy the harvest with our families. Just knowing you have grown your own food is a reward in itself. Did you want to get a head start on the gardening season? Remember to pick up your favourite gardening catalogues to see what new for 2013. Our local seed suppler, West Coast Seeds has a new catalogue out. Their seeds are good to use as they are suited to our climate here on the west coast. Don't forget to come and enjoy the second Ladner Seedy Saturday and Garden Expo on February 9,2013. It will be held at the Ladner Baptist Church from 10-3. Guess what, its free! We are still taking registrations for vendors so if you have a local product or service that would fit well, please call me. We always like to see every facet of gardening at the show. We like to promote organic growing and seed diversity so we wi