Ladner Community Garden

June is here and all of our gardens are planted. Thanks to all of our allotment gardeners for doing such a fine job getting their seedlings in. The gardens are full of vegetables almost ready to harvest. I know I am having lettuce envy over some of the gardeners. Lettuce just won't grow well back in the children's garden. I use the same seed at home and its fine. Lets take a walk through the garden today.     The rockery which borders the front of the community garden is full of blooms. The Sweet William or Dianthus barbatus is stunning, isn't it? This plant attracts butterflies and bees to the garden.  Next to it is Limnanthes douglasii or poached egg flower. This cute as a button flower is easy to grow from seed. Let it self sow to have it year after year in your garden. This flower attracts hoverflies to the garden and they eat aphids.  The Campanula rambles nicely over the rock wall. This spark of blue in June is a welcome sight. There a...

When the idea of starting a community garden came up last year, I had no idea how it would end up.I tried to visualize the end result but I am overwhelmed as it has exceeded my expectations. Not only has it enabled first time gardeners to grow food but it has created a new community within the wonderful one we live in. If you think you are going to just drop by and water your garden, guess again. It rarely happens as conversations flow from one gardener to another, and ideas are shared.Hours later you go home wondering what you did in the garden but that's okay. New friends were made, lessons learned and that's what community gardening is all about. Its hard to believe this part of the allotment garden looked like this at the beginning of July. We had a late planting season and things were just beginning to grow. These are the same gardens as of August 30! I love the lushness of all that food growing. The food bank garden was part of our design. We wanted...

I had to post today as I wanted all the allotment owners to know that a city employee came to visit the garden today and she was amazed! She couldn't believe that everyone had plants growing already. Its been just three weeks tomorrow that we built this garden and I am so proud of all the hard work that has gone in to its creation. I am pretty excited that the children's garden is going in tomorrow. Someone asked why it was important to put this garden in now when classes don't start to come until September. They even wondered what we would grow in September. It takes time to grow a garden as all of you know but many non gardeners don't quite get it. In my greenhouse are a flat of pumpkins and squash just waiting for a new home. If I plant these seedlings in the middle of June they will be ready for the children to harvest in October. The children will use their math in the garden by counting pumpkin seeds or measuring and weighing the pumpkins. They will also be able ...

I am so excited! It seems like this new community garden cannot happen fast enough.The interested parties have already met twice to discuss the garden. I have also met with the city parks department and they showed me a map of this park.They offered its use and was I ever surprised! This park has two sections, a north and a south side with no trees to shade any future gardens. Hubby and I and our team walked the park and it is perfect for what we have planned. The park is about three acres on each side. We decided the north side is the best as far as drainage goes.It has very few neighbours looking towards the park and is right next to a pair of tennis courts, a children's play area and a parking lot. Yes, parking is already there! Now I doubt the city will let us use the whole park but right now it just looks like pasture. I have a feeling it had dairy cows on this site years ago. Just look at its potential. I have been drawing up a garden design, not once but twice now. If you lo...