Ladner Community Garden

Harvesting time is a busy time for gardeners. All the spring sown vegetables are ready to harvest. I was in the community garden this week and I see lots of peas waiting to be harvested. I have already harvested my peas twice. You can't wait until all the peas are large or you will end up with tough woody tasting peas and thats not a good thing. Pick your pods as they mature but don't leave them too long. Split one open and eat them raw to test them out.  Shell them by splitting the pods open and use your thumb to send the peas into a small bowl. Add the pods to your compost or to the composters at the community garden. Peas can be frozen on cookie sheets and then placed into a freezer bags for longer storage. From my little patch in the children's garden I have already frozen a kilogram of peas. I think I am the only person growing broad beans this year. I would give them a try. They are planted early in March and are so easy to grow. Above is a photo of...

What is it about gardeners that we are always looking for the telltale signs of spring? We are on the alert for those cherished sign of rebirth in the garden. I couldn't help myself when I walked the community garden yesterday. I had to look. I was pretty excited to see the tulips that the grade three class planted are up. We had covered them with some straw for protection. Its time to pull it off the beds. You have to love Desiree's broad beans. She planted her seeds in the fall and these plants definitely have a head start. Check out the garlic coming through the straw. This garlic was planted last fall by an allotment holder. You have to look really close on this grass. Its just beginning to show new green shoots at the base. I will be cutting this plant's old growth back next week. The Sedum Autumn Joy is also growing like crazy. So we have lots to do in the next few weeks. Cleaning up the plants in the rock wall garden will give it a nice fresh...