Organic Entrance

It is always gratifying when the right elements fall into place to create something beautiful and useful for all of our garden members to benefit from. Elements being materials, intent, inspiration and the right mix of people! It has long been a desire of the garden to improve the entrance area by making it safer and also honour the esthetics of the garden. Enter a pile of found bricks, a team of willing garden members and an organic design process inspired by naturally flowing streams and the eternal circle. It all came together this past week and now our Kits Garden is even more inviting.

 The beginnings of our inspired lotus / tear drop at the top entrance area.

 Sh*#load of bricks!

 Floral interlude for your pleasure...

 Our fearless Gatherers of Bricks! A monumental effort in transportation of said found bricks to our garden. We estimate that each brick weighs 5 pounds so it was a herculean effort - thanks guys. I think between them they made 7 trips!? 

Natural designers.

The design crew.

A sentinel emerges...

A passerby likes what she sees - what a gorgeous and rare white german shepherd.

Almost done! Around 5:30 pm (started at 10:00 am!) and no... unfortunately that is NOT a beer in hand.

 Just under the garden gate... and heading towards the 'LC' design (don't ask)

Our entrance settles in... from everyone's input and creativity - it turned out better than we could have imagined.

Apple Blossom by the shed.

Beginnings

This time of year is all about beginnings 'cause it's all about planting the seeds that still love that little bit of cold in the air and soil but are just waiting for those sunny days to take off! I have to say it's something I continue to marvel at every season - those tiny seeds that turn into actual plants and flowers. 

 Cut and come again mustard - by next week it will have reach the micro-gourmet stage ready for the picking. If the sun holds out it may be even sooner than that.

 Mmmmmm, yummy Mesclun - so tiny and pretty right now.

 You can already see the little red radish forming at the bottom of this tiny seedling.

Any guesses?... Carrots.

 

April showers on hold for our work party

Great turn out for our April work party. It was a beautiful spring day for getting at the weeds and sprucing up the garden in general. The garden is looking wonderful after all the hard work by everyone last weekend… of course there is always more to be done but that is the nature of a garden! Special kudos to our local Whole Foods (Capers) for continuing to provide us with organic sustenance at our work parties and to David, our garden Chair, for making that happen. That is 5 years running now -  I think that is pretty cool. The sandwich and fruit platters were gobbled up.Lots of people ended up staying the whole day in the garden - and really - who could resist? Seedlings are starting to pop out of the earth and before we know it summer will have arrived.

Spring

Spring has sprung and as usual the most inspiring season of the year - no contest. Each season has it's merits and joys in the garden but all of the elements that inspire are abundant in spring. Renewal… transformation… hope… the list goes on.

A Kitsilano Community Garden in Spring 2014

As I must weed and transplant in this garden of ours,

perhaps you too will spend quiet hours

            In your plot

            Your special spot

That from this earthly soil

we look up at promising blue skies and toil

Before the moon has cast it’s pale into the night,

let’s meet with worms and pull out goutweed - the fright:

A tiny seed, a egg yoke yellow daff, an exquisite tulip about to burst

A hellebores more royally purple than a queen whose cursed

A garden basket waiting to collect, the promised bounty lovingly nursed,

We’ll try the secret garden waltz while secret magic happens

beneath our feet -- quietly -- creatures rule.

First Work Party of 2014!

The exciting first work party of 2014 took place on a rainy old Saturday - March 8th.The rain helped all the members to easily pull out weeds and do some transplanting. 

This year's experiment with the garden purchasing bagged soil energizer from one of the local garden suppliers (David Hunter) got underway so it will be interesting to see if we notice any difference this year. I think most of the members bought 2-3 bags for their plots which should definitely give a good boost to the health of the soil. And if all goes according to plan this season we are hoping that more efficient composting will happen and give us lots of garden produced good stuff to add to our plots and common areas to further build up the health of our soil. 

As they say in Texas, the back area beautification project continues and it was cleaned up 'real good'!  To continue in my inexplicable texas drawl inspired by one of this year's Oscar nominated actors is…"awlright awlright awlright".  

Buttons adorning part of a birdhouse, now on the back of the shed, are leftover
 from a 1960's olive green pants suit - guess what member?!