Organic Fertilizer Test

The Inspire Coop is testing an organic fertilizer. The beans and squash in my community garden plot are part of that test. this picture shows the beans after the first application. July 7, 2016.

Gardening; Yard and Community Garden

A Community Garden

First, this is the tomato we are growing and saving seeds: Chalk's Early Jewel. 

Second, in the Campbellton Tribune, on Friday April 15, the first of two articles on soil.

Third, over the years, I have had a plot in several community gardens, all were different, yet all had much in common. I believe the community garden can transform a vacant plot of land, whether it is asphalt covered or bare soil into a thriving oasis. The oasis does more than enable people to grow some food, fruit, herbs and flowers for themselves, it also grows hope as it builds community. 

A community garden can be the foundation upon which a neighbourhood develops local resilience and begins the creation of a strong and viable local economy. Stay connected to read how this I possible and as always your comments and questions are welcomed.

This Year's Garden

Winter is hanging on, a cold wind is blowing and the snow is melting, slowly. However, gardening season is coming. Well, I feel it is always gardening season but the actual get out and get dirty, the best aprt, is on its way.

The Campbellton Community garden will add three new beds. One is a heritage garden. Vegetables that would have been grown in this region or similar climes or their closest living relatives, will be plants. The purpose is twofold, to save the seeds for future gardens and to savout the foods, our ancestorscared for and consumed.

Seed saving is at the forefront of this year's gardening endeavours. The Inspire Coop has received tomato seeds from Seeds of Diversity. We will be planting a minimum of 20 tomato plants ( more on the variety, next post) and saving the seeds. We will also snack on a few.

A third garden bed, the mandala garden, will be planted with seeds borrowed from the Seed Library. The Seed Library is a partnership project with the Campbellton Centennial Library. We will save some of the seeds to return to the Library and set up a Food Is Free project with the rest of the garden's yield. All our efforts will be documented and shared. Stay connected for updates.

Plot Number 6: How A Community Garden Began

The Campbellton Community Garden has been a great success over the three years it has been operating. We are planning a book about the garden with photos taken by our two young garden photographers. The book will provide insights about what community gardens are as well as gardening tips and techniques. Stay connected for details. 

"Fresh food is good food,and the freshest food you can get is food you grow yourself. However, not everyone has the space where they live to grow anything. This is where community gardens enter the picture. A community garden is a plot of land, the size will vary, where a number of people come together to grow what they need.

There is often a contract to be signed. The contract sets out the terms under which the garden operates. For example, keeping your site weeded, respecting the other gardeners and using only organic materials are common items in community garden contracts.

One of the greatest challenges in developing a community garden is finding a site that is suitable for this purpose. Ideally, the gardeners would own the land, but a long term lease is the next best arrangement.

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Garlic and daffodils

My garlic and fall bulbs will arrive soom. When they do off to the community garden. Will post planting pics.

July, 2015 Community Garden

Community Garden 2014

A friend and I built  a mini-greenhouse so I could start planting early. Planted in early May.

The Community Garden

The Campbellton Community Garden is a major success. So much so that we will be producing an ebook focused on the garden and the gardeners. Lots of photos. Stay connected for details.

"A community garden is a plot of land that is usually divided into subplots with each gardener having their own plot. You can grow herbs flowers or vegetables or a mix of all three.

There may be a communal plot where you grown corn or squash which is then shared." more

Beans

The beans in my community garden plot got off to a slow start but the recent heat is moving them along.

"For the home gardener, there are two types of beans that you will want to consider. One is the pole bean. Pole beans will need some kind of support; a support that is strong enough to keep the plants from tumbling to the ground."  more

Starting A Community Garden

This tells the story of how a community garden began. "One of the greatest challenges in developing a community garden is finding a site that is suitable for this purpose. Ideally, the gardeners would own the land, but a long term lease is the next best arrangement." more

The Campbellton Community Garden Players

The Campbellton Community Garden Players presented Welcome to Our Garden at the Campbellton Centennail a few weeks back. The children made the puppets and were assisted by Kerry and Tara to organize the play. Script by myself.

Potatoes Growing in Used Tires

This year we decide to experiment with potatoes. We had a surplus of seed potatoes and a number of sued tires on site, so we put them together to create tater towers. I checked on them the other day and they are doing fine, even though we were a bit late in the planting. Our plan is to give away the potatoes, on Saturday food swap days in the community garden.

Kale from my Community Garden Plot

Last planting at Our Community Garden Plot

Me at The Community Garden

First Plant at Community Garden

Campbellton Community Garden, July 2013

A Permaculture Garden at the Community garden

The We Are Nature Working Experience met this am. We agreed we will install a garden based upon permaculture principles at the local community garden. The Campbellton Community garden is expanding from 15 plots to 40.

There is a good sized space left for us to work.

A Community Garden

We have one community garden which is being expanded this summer and the possibility of a second one.

 
A community garden is a plot of land that is usually divided into subplots with each gardener having their own plot. You can grow herbs flowers or vegetables or a mix of all three.

There may be a communal plot where you grown corn or squash which is then shared.
Each gardener tends their own plot according to whatever rules the groups ahs set.
For example, you may want to grow organically and in order to do this then all the gardeners would need to agree.

Terms such as whether the garden is organic or not are best set out in a contract which each gardener agrees to and signs before the season gets underway.

There may be communal work days. Especially at the beginning and the ending of the season to take care of site preparation and clean up as well as putting the plots to bed for the season.

There may be chores that all share. When I was in Saint John, New Brunswick, for example, I belonged to a large community garden and there were chores such as cutting the lawn in the common areas and doing a bit of weeding and composting. Each gardener signed up for a shift.

In Thunder Bay I was a founding member and for three years the coordinator of the Regent Street Community Garden. The garden began when a small group of us who lived within a few blocks of each other decided that we wanted a community garden. We contacted the City which leased land to citizens for gardening and asked them if there was a space that we could use.

There was. so we took a tour and did a site inspection. Once we decided to proceed we set up a neighbourhood meeting to inform the neighbours of what we planned and to encourage members to join and to ask any questions that might arise and that way deal with any potential problems.
There were a few questions but the meeting went well and 6 weeks later we met at the site and began to prepare the beds.

The best aspect of this community garden was meeting the people who lived near me but who I did not know. In the garden we became neighbours and when I was out walking I’d often see one of the gardeners and we would chat.

The garden was a friendly place to spend time and talk with others about a common interest.
We held gardening classes on site in order to share our knowledge and exchange experience. The community garden is a great way to grow you won food, flowers and friends. 

So if you want to garden, but do not have a place, or simply want to garden with others find out if there is a community garden in your community, and if not start one if you can.