Compost tea being used on the Harvard campus to treat the lawn. If Harvard does it, it should be a no-brainer!

Some changes to the event schedule.  Click on link above to check out the new program!

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PLOT YOUR SUCCESS IN A COMMUNITY GARDEN – JANET MELROSE – March 28/13

We now have 115 frost free days in Calgary (this has changed in recent years) but is still the most variable climate in the world!

Raised Beds have a micro climate – warmer soil sooner but depends on the height of the beds. Temps can vary from 4 – 20 degrees from bottom to the top.

Beans and cukes – sensitive and wait to plant them until June 20th!
Kale, carrots, swiss chard like frost will do okay planting earlier.

Get a soil thermometer.

Top dress the soil 2 – 4 inches

Call 311 for leaf and pumpkin mulch

Soil Fertility in a Raised Bed (it’s all about the compost!)
– compost sometimes helps the nutrients move through the soil
– straw uses Nitrogen to break down (give it time in the composter)
– scratch coffee grounds (good for N) into the soil every couple of weeks. Don’t just empty a bag onto the top of the garden.
– Too much nitrogen causes plants to be leggy and grow too fast. Need a balance.
– Regarding animal manures – know your source. Many animals are treated with antibiotics and things so be wary.
– Leaves are the best thing to put all over the garden and can be used as spring and fall mulch.
– Grass clippings are also good for nitrogen
– Newspaper adds carbon
– fish fertilizer, kelp meal
– epsom salts (1 c. Epsom salts to 4 litres of water for magnesium and calcium)
– gypsom for calcium and sulfur to decrease alkalinity
– put a TUMS in the planting hole
– egg shells for calcium
– powdered milk
– rock phosphate
– yellow leaves on tomatoes – could be a lack of nitrogen; purple leaves – lack of phosphorous
– ADD DIFFERENT THINGS TO THE COMPOST ALL THE TIME – LAYER GREENS AND BROWNS

WATER REQUIREMENTS:
- Great crops require consistent water nt he right amounts, when they need it and where it can get to the roots of the plants.
Eg. Carrots need water when the root is forming, lettuce needs water when the leaf is forming, tomatoes and potatoes need water all the time.
– use organic mulch
– plant close together but not peas and beans
– wood mulch – best for pathways
Use all the space in your garden plot – your space is limited so use it to the best advantage.
Limit your crops to just a few so you have a good mix.
Companion plant eg. 3 sisters – corn, beans and squash; swiss chard, carrots and scarlet runner beans
Don’t grow 1 crop plants – cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli
Grow plants that are not “prima donnas” – ie. Tomatoes take too much effort so keep them at home
Grow early leaf greens, arugula (gets spicier with time), mustard greens, beets, swiss chard, quinoa, spinach (Janet recommends Bloomsdale)
Harvest OUTSIDE leaves of greens so they will continue to grow
Sow a late crop in August
ROOTCROPS – THE EASY 3
Beets, Radishes, and Carrots

– EAT the beet tops and bottoms
– eat radish tops, too
– thin the beet crops
– thin carrots with scissors and lay the stems down to add nutrients to the soil
– grow radishes about 3” from carrots
– sprinkle play sand with the carrot seed when planting to help break down the soil
– put a v-shape into the soil V with a trowel and drop the seeds in

Beans and peas – use an innoculant from the garden centre – coat the seeds and plant them – don’t soak them. Least viable of all the seeds. They do not keep more than a season.

Beans need warm soil and use mulch around them to keep cut worms away. Put a trellis in for all of them (pole or bush bean) — right away.

Onions, Shallots and Garlic – LONG DAY VARIETY
– great for insect repelling
– don’t put inions with legumes ie beans and peas
– garlic – every community garden needs this!
– Start leeks now in milk jugs placed in a sunny spot
– control the chives

The Later Leaves
lettuce
swiss chard
kale
A few plants go a long way
Pinch back the bolting flower
Pull out lettuce if it starts to bolt – attracts insects – get rid of it!!
Try Tom Thumb, butter, loose leaf. Romaine needs space and fertile soil
Swiss chard – eat it small!

Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower – attracts tons of bugs, use row covers right away
The Tender Ones – grow at home
- summer squash, cukes,
– squash – Janet grows hers in her compost heap

Tomatoes, peppers and herbs – too irresistable for passersby
They like shelter and good moisture control
herbs – keep them handy at home

Other favorites for the community:
Shelling peas, strawberries, pumpkins, 3 sisters guild

Harvest early, harvest often
Grow what you like

Sunnyside Hillhurst Farmers’ Market – Harvest Celebration – October 2nd – enter something in the friendly contest!!

Friendly Contest for Community Gardens – details to follow about a contest to raise the most food for the FOOD BANK.

Books (recent publications that Janet likes)
Teaming with Microbes
Great Garden Companions
Weeds of the Prairies
Garden Bugs of Alberta
Small Plot, Big Harvest
Matthew Biggs Complete Book of Veggies
Fast Fresh Garden Edibles
Edible Plants for Prairie Gardens

http://www.calhort.org/garden-show.aspx

In Attendance: Alison, Carolyn, Christy, Heather K, Jen, Marni, Michelena, Pam, Rachel, Sara
CM, Sara K
Regrets: Cheryl N

Dates to remember:
- Sunday, Feb. 24 – returning gardeners must drop contract and payment off at
Cheryl Northey’s – 4224 5 Ave SW: Marni will email contract to those returners
who have expressed interest.
- Thursday, Feb. 28, 7:30-8:30: Small Hall – registration for new garden plot
renters
- Tuesday, April 2, 7PM – Next Garden meeting: 22 Windermere Rd (Sara K’s)
- Community Service workers have been booked at the garden on: April 20&21,
April 27&28, May 11&12, June 1&2. Projects include: digging swales, building
ground level veggie beds, tree planting, watering system, bed preparation.
- Saturday, May 25, 2-4 – Garden celebration (after the cleanup and before the
pub night).

1. The Celebration, Saturday, May 25 – 2-4
- Carolyn was going to talk with Patti Nowlin from Sunnyside Grocery this week
regarding catering possibilities. We are looking for finger foods.
- Marni has talked with Natalie Findlay from Baked By Natalie. She will do mini
cupcakes with garden related decorations for $1.00 each.
- tea, coffee, lemonade, water for beverages
-Rachel has catering/food contacts and experience so she and Carolyn will talk
about what contacts she will make.
- we’ll need napkins, cups (can we source biodegradable ones?)
-activities could include Alison’s slide show inside on a loop, outside tours of the
garden, a planting for the children to take home &/or plant in the garden
(Heather K could help with supplies for this), short thank you speeches at 2:30.
- GIGYYC grant is $1200.00. The bulk will probably be spent on food.
- Alison will create the invitation using ‘our tree’. It will go in the Warbler and
we’ll ask Norm to print off copies to include in the thank you notes. Carolyn,
Marni and Sara will work on that list and getting them out.

2. Garden Contract – returners by Feb. 24: open registration Feb. 28, 7:30-8:30; Small
Hall
- Marni read out the updated contract and hopefully all necessary changes have
been made.
-she will email it out to those gardeners who have indicated that they would like
to rent a plots for the 2013 season. THESE CONTRACTS MUST BE
RETURNED, WITH PAYMENT, TO CHERYL NORTHEY’S BY SUN. FEB. 24. -
4224 5 Ave SW.
This will let us know how many plots will be available for the Feb. 28 registration
evening, 7:30-8:30, small hall.
- things needed for Feb. 28 – contracts, community membership applications,
list of positions/jobs to sign up for, information on NON-GMO seeds
- Christy mentioned that she talked with someone from the city who is available
to come out and talk to us about expansion plans when we need help.
- Signs – we will be needing some for the garden this year. Vera made some
beautiful ones last year. We will work on getting more created this year. Vera
has agreed to work on them.

3. Tree Grant
- Sara K has almost completed the Edible Tree Grant. It look fabulous! She and
Carolyn will make sure it gets sent in by the end of Feb.

4. Art and Garden Blessing
- Dylan has been in touch with Michelena about his murals. He is wanting an
outside surface to practice on! Let Michelena know if you have one. We are
aiming for his designs to be presented to the WCA board at the March 19
meeting.
- Michelena is also still working on tracking down someone who can give an
Aboriginal blessing at the May 25 celebration. Casey Eaglespeaker is one
contact and she has also talked with the U of C about it. Stay tuned.

5. Legacy
- Pam presented her write up of the Legacy Garden information so far. This will
go in the upcoming Warbler.
- discussion on how to display names of the donors/those being
commemorated. Perhaps metal tags with imprints of the information. These
could be hung from an arbor at the entrance of the garden. More information is
needed on where to purchase and cost of tags and who could build the arbor.

6. Little Free Library – http://www.littlefreelibrary.org
- Blythe Butler, a community member, brought forth the idea of having a free
lending library at the garden (using the ideas provided by the Little Free Library)
We decided that it sounded like a great addition to the garden and would be a
draw in to use the space as well. Blythe will take the lead on this and let us
know what support she needs as we go along with it.

7. Next Garden Meeting – Tuesday, April 2, 7PM – 22 Windermere Rd (Sara K’s)

Please join us:

Thursday, February 28th

7:30pm – 8:30pm

Small hall  in  the Wildwood Community Association Building – 4411 Spruce Drive SW.

• Sign up for a garden bed – new size beds this season
• Information on Legacy Trees

Please Note :

• Cash or cheque payment is due upon vegetable bed registration.
• You must show your current Wildwood community association membership card to rent a bed.
• WCA membership cards will be available to purchase  for $25 ( new annual membership price) Cash or cheque* is accepted.
  

* A separate cheque is required for a WCA membership purchase.

Questions? Please contact Marni at 669-4588 or Carolyn at 242-3053 or email us at:  garden@mywildwood.ca

This project was supported by Calgary 2012 and the Cultural Capital of Canada program