Kitsilano Community Garden

2013 - A New Year Begins in the Garden

I forget what this is? Type of Viburnum? Do tell

Spring is on the way... and the garden had it's Annual General Meeting to look back on the year and make plans for the new year! So many great initiatives were accomplished in 2012 and it's great pondering the new season in these last cold days of winter. I don't know about you but I already have quite a few packets of new seeds to plant and if it stays relatively 'warmish' this weekend I'm planning on doing some weeding!

We are so lucky to live in Kits as even in the colder months there is a variety of plants to see and smell! The shot above was taken on a late afternoon neighbourhood walk... the white buds look like exquisite jewels floating in the air.

Speaking of local plants, today, I was made aware of this great resource about pacific northwest plant knowledge "GPP" (out of Seattle) Check it out: .http://www.greatplantpicks.org/about/

See you at the kick off spring work party - Saturday, March 9th! (if not sooner)

Here is another opportunity to refer to the 2013 work party dates... enter these dates into your diaries, smartphones, post-it notes on your fridge, etc:

Saturday, March 9
Sunday, April 14
Saturday, May 18
Wednesday, June 19 (evening)
Sunday, July 21 (potluck)
Wednesday, August 21 (evening)
Saturday, September 21
Sunday, October 20

Winding down...

Perfect
It's that time of year when the garden is winding down...It's a beautiful time in the garden with a stunning array of colours that seem even more gorgeous with the back drop of grey skies and crystal clear fall light. As the trees and plants transform into their winter palette it's a time to ponder what a great season it turned out to be... with the white and red dahlias still showing off as a reminder of the summer...and a pointer to the season to come. It is a quieter time in our garden - with a beauty that is maybe not so obvious but there for you to enjoy.

Last strawberry before winter

Echinacea

Sunflower - detail

Sunflower in the Hobbit Tree

A rare jewel on offer

Lucky gardener

Edamame

Through the Arbor is a doorway to a new world...

Our garden entrance has been enhanced by a cedar arbor... next spring it will have roses and grapes.... ahhhhh

Arbor crew (Alison is hiding)

September Summer Work Party

Wow, it's a never ending summer... we had fabulous weather for our second to last work party of the season. Lots of garden members turned out and we got a ton of stuff done - including planting our leftovers from the plant sale, reorganizing the tool shed, grooming of the compost bins (emptying, chopping, relayering... phew), retrieval of gorgeous stone slabs from the railway track, weeding weeding weeding, and feasting on the generous sandwich, vegetable and fruit platters donated by our local Capers. Have fun harvesting the rest of your fall bounty and enjoying the last of our summer weather. A few snaps from the day...

Compost Crew

Capers... it has been a slice...2 years of generous donation of organic food at every work party!

Ergonomic Compost Chopping Block

Inaugural Kits Garden Plant Sale!

A few snaps from our fundraiser on the weekend. Thanks to Eiko and Tara for capturing images from this fun event - definitely a keeper for next year!

Super sales person - Inessa!

Setting up shop

Herb bunch maker

Tussie Mussie mayker

Plant Sale - Saturday!

Spread the word! We are having a plant sale this Saturday to raise fund for the garden - specifically to help pay for an arbour that will go by the main gate - if we make enough - perhaps we could afford to build two arbours for both gates - here's hoping.

We will also be selling bundles of herbs and tussie mussies from the common areas - as well as any donations of excess veggies from the garden members. Please get in touch with Alison or Deirdre if you want to contribute bounty from your garden towards the sale. I know that I will be hoping to offload my beans - as I don't believe I can eat any more!!

July Potluck Work Party

Lots of yummy food at our annual pot luck work party, a well deserved treat after all the hard work that was done. Some highlights were a major clean up behind the shed and proper compost layering... creation of a new patio area in the back (espalier apple tree to come), weeding and revealing the existing Squamish stone pathway, some hard pruning to shrubs and trees and some other stuff too!