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March Brings Sunshine to the 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 labels out of recycled yogurt containers.

On Tuesday, April 2 we are having our first spring meeting at the Ladner Library. It will begin at 7pm in the side room and we will go over some plans for the garden and answer any garden questions you may have. Please try to attend the meeting so we can welcome all of you back and say hello to our new gardeners. Kids are welcome.
If you haven't got a membership card card yet, you will be able to get one on Tuesday.


We hope to have our first class begin soon. Would you like to learn how to build an herb spiral? We started the base of our herb spiral last year and it needs to be finished. This is a project that anyone can build in their  yard in no time. We will have a sign up sheet at the Tuesday meeting if you would like to participate. Once the herb spiral is complete, it can used by all. That way you won't need to have large plants like Sage and Oregano in your allotments at the expense of other vegetables.


Did you know we have a school garden? We have a grade three class come to the garden every two weeks from September to June during the growing season. They only come for an hour but you would be amazed at what 28 children can accomplish in that short time period. Would you like to help us with the class? It will be happening on April 8 and 22 and May 6.


May 6 is a big day for the class as we will be planting for our Mother's Day tea cup plant sale. We need lots of help this year. A good portion of the money raised from this sale goes to the local food bank. If you have any unused teacups or teapots that you would like to donate, we can sure use them. They don't have to have saucers or lids. The school would like to plant 500 tea cups! Yes, that's a lot compared to the 100 of last year.
That's it for today. Happy Easter to everyone!

Happy Gardening,
Kristin


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