Ladner Community Garden

You sure can't beat this weather for the end of March. I don't recall having it quite so warm. It is definitely time to get our gardens growing. If you are unsure as to what to plant first ask someone in the garden or check out the handy chart from West Coast Seeds located in the front of the log book in the shed.  Our water has been turned on by the parks department and we didn't even ask. Thanks Delta! They must have seen the huge pile of soil we ordered last week. Its been a  busy couple of weeks in the community garden. We have had 38 yards of soil brought in for the gardeners that ordered and paid for it. It sure looks like great soil but I noticed it has dried out on top quite quickly. It must be all this sunshine. If you are planting seeds, be sure to water them after planting if the soil feels dry to the touch. Better yet, water the soil before planting to prevent washing the seeds away. Don't forget to label what you plant. You can save money by making

Work Party Reminder! Soil Shoveling Work Party: Saturday March 23 Big thanks to all those who made it out for last week's bed-raising and garden cleanup project.  Our second work party is this Saturday,10am-12pm.   This week, we will be placing fresh soil into the Children's Beds.  Soil will also be available for all those who arranged to have their beds raised, and who paid for soil to fill them.  Please come out and lend a hand: we always appreciate your help The shed is stocked with tools for the garden community to use.  Thanks for keeping it tidy!   The shed is also stocked with the new volunteer hours log book, so be sure to record any hours you spend helping out with community projects at the garden.  We hope to get our projects finished this spring so we can all put out feet up this summer and enjoy a community meal or two together.  Lynn and her helpers are busy getting some of the allotments filled with soil today. Thanks

 Spring is here and there is so much to do at the community garden. You can see the grass has really greened up and it won't be long before it needs to be cut. This weekend we will concentrate on building some new beds and getting things tidied up. There are stakes to put away, weeds to pull and plants to compost. Even though its only March, plants are beginning to grow. The garlic that we planted last fall is up and the Kale is looking pretty.  How can you resist Kale in a salad? Did you know that after Kale goes through a freeze the taste changes and it gets even better. There is no easier plant to grow than Kale.  The Primula are blooming in the rock garden. They are such a welcome site. The Iberis or candytuft is opening its white blooms. It must love the warmth tucked in by that rock as my Iberis at home is way behind and nowhere near flowering yet. More garlic in the allotment beds. I am still using last years garlic in cooking. The best thing I ma

I know you just looked outside at the rain and thought really? A work party? Yes, this Saturday is our first work party of the year. We are building some of the allotments and the children's garden beds up in height for those of us who cannot bend over yet. Oh I don't know who that could be. Yes, its me. With my new hip I cant bend over at all for a few months which is really crimping my garden style. Hopefully with the children's beds being a bit higher we can sit and plant with ease. The students are coming back to the garden for a class on April 8 so the beds have to get built. You didn't hear me mention soil, did you? The soil isn't coming this weekend. It won't arrive until March 21 as we may need a rest after the building this weekend. So mark your calendars, this Saturday, March 16 is our work party day from 10am -12pm. We have the tools needed but just need a steady hand to help aligning the boards and moving the lumber where it has to go. Thi

Spring is just around the corner at the Ladner Community Garden. I hope everyone is ready for a busy spring. Just think, its only 12 days away! I was at the garden today and its still a bit soggy but with more sun each day it will dry up quickly. There is lots to do and our first spring work party is on Saturday, March 16 from 10am-12pm. We are going to clean up the garden, do some weeding and add some height to some of the raised beds. So if you are handy with tools or can help out with weeding and general tidying, you are welcome to come and help. You know what they say, many hands make light work. If it rains we will postpone our work party to the Sunday, March 17 at the same time. On March 23, we will be ordering new soil for the children's garden and getting the beds filled and ready to plant. The grade three class from Southpointe Academy will return on April 8 for their first garden class. It may be good to leave a bit of soil to shovel to keep them busy. They love digging!