April School Garden Classes Begin

Now that spring break is over, the grade three class is returning to the garden. This week they will be planting the seed tapes they made in March. It was a great rainy day project for them to do. In all, they made 62 feet of seed tape. That's a lot of vegetables!

They will be planting lettuce, spinach, spicy greens, radishes, carrots, beets, potatoes, onions, broad beans and peas in the one hour they are at the garden. Did I tell you there are 28 students this year so many hands make light work.

The students come by bus from Southpointe Academy in Tsawwassen. They learn everything about gardening from starting seeds to harvesting and tasting their own vegetables. They usually start their day by spending time just observing in the garden. There is so much to learn by seeing the changes nature brings. From the buds that swell in spring to the light frost that covers kale in the fall, they learn to see the changes and identify the different seasons.

When planting, they learn to measure so their math skills are tested. They have to read seed packets so they know how to plant the seeds. They also work in groups and learn to work as a team. Gardening is also good exercise and a good way to burn off all the pent up energy after sitting at a desk all day.

Last fall the students planted a 100 mile diet salad garden. Tomorrow they will taste some of their overwintered crops such as kale and arugula. In just weeks they will see their first seeds come up and we will hopefully harvest something to eat at the end of June. That's what's different about a school garden. The garden program begins in September and people always ask "What can you plant then?" Winter gardening is something more people should try. Crops that are left over winter get even sweeter with a touch of frost. Plants such as kale are perfect for children to enjoy. They love it!
After a short winter break the children are back in the garden in spring, eager to get digging. Give a child a pile of soil and all of a sudden they all want to use a shovel. From March to June the children come every second week to tend to the gardens. This year they have nine raised beds where they will be growing food for the food bank.

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Growing Your Own Food

Carrot harvest Growing your own food just became even more important than ever. As prices increased this fall we saw lettuce and cauliflower go up in price. Reasons for that are many but the drought we had could be one of the reasons. Overall the transportation costs of everything are up due to the high cost of fuel and that's being passed on to the consumer. Of course, many of us are not earning any more than we did before. I predict that 2023 will see another resurgence of food growing like we did at the beginning of the pandemic. Some of us may be doing it with less space than we had before so that creates more challenges. Just to let you know how popular gardening has become, our community garden has a waitlist of over twenty people. They may not get a spot in the garden for several years. It's probably time for a new community garden to be set up in the community. To save money in the winter think about growing crops that store well like carrots, potatoes, win

Its Official!

Its official. We finally received our incorporation papers. I know, what does that have to do with a community garden? Well you just don't start planting as we found out very quickly. You have to apply for a name for your society through the provincial government. First you apply for a name by checking trademarks and copyrights. Luckily Ladner Community Garden Society wasn't taken. You pay a fee for the name right away. The next step is applying for incorporation. You want to form a society and have directors as you can't lease public space without going through this process. Okay, another fee, a hundred dollars to be exact. Applying for incorporation is writing bylaws which can be painful at best if you want to write your own. Thank you Mark for doing such a wonderful job writing our bylaws. If you don't write your own, there are easier ways such as following out set bylaws as given in the Society Act. Our hard work as paid off as we received our red seal of approval

Ladner Seedy Saturday & Garden Expo 2020

Ladner Seedy Saturday and Garden Expo 2020 returns on March 7, 2020. Join us as we enter a new garden season full of hope and promise. After all the rain we've had we need a few flowers and vegetables in our gardens. The event runs from 10:00am-3:00pm at the All Saints Anglican Church at 4755 Arthur drive in Ladner,BC. Our ever popular seed swap returns so bring your seeds to trade for something else. Be sure to package your seeds in paper envelopes and that the seeds are clean before packing. Our vendors are filling the hall quickly and will have an array of plant related goods for sale. From seeds to plants and garden decor there will be something for everyone. Admission is by donation. Please help us continue to grow food for charitable organizations. As all gardeners know, soil and seed comes with a price and this event is our only fundraiser. Over the last few year the Ladner Community Garden has grown and donated vegetables to the All Saints Church monthly community m

Ladner Community Garden

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