We held our 2012 Garden Kickoff Meeting this past Saturday, and we were very happy with the turnout! It was nice to see so many returning gardeners, and we were excited to meet some of the “new recruits” for this year as well!
At the meeting, we gathered all the gardening forms and payment for the year, briefly reviewed the Garden Rules, and answered questions.
All the forms are available for download, if you click on the “Forms” tab above. There are also copies for viewing in the “Garden Information” tab.
Here are the questions we received at the meeting, and their answers!
1) How do I know if seeds and seedlings are Non-Genetically Modified, or Heirloom??
The simplest answer is: if the package doesn’t specifically say “Non-GMO” or “Heirloom” on it, assume the seeds or plants are modified, and therefore cannot be planted in the garden.
Speaking personally, I have never found Heirloom seeds or seedlings at any of the large retail chains (Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire, Home Depot, etc.), so I ordered all my seeds from Vesey’s last season. We received a couple of great tips at the meeting- Community Natural Foods and Amaranth Whole Foods Market both stock Heirloom, organic seeds and seedlings, and all the other suppliers we have already sourced are listed at the top of the page, under the “Seeds and Seedlings” tab. The tab will be updated with any additional sources we find as we progress through the season!
If online shopping is not your thing, or you can’t find what you are looking for in the stores in Calgary, the next best source are your fellow gardeners! We have some amazing growers in our community, who diligently gather seeds from their plants at the end of each season, and most are willing to share (or swap!) their extras! Ask around at the garden cleanup day- you never know what you might end up planting this year!
An upcoming post will address the reasons why using Non-GMO/Heirloom seeds in the garden is so important!
2) Are children welcome at the build days or weeding meets?
Of course! The more the merrier!!
However, there are three caveats- first, if you are volunteering to complete your work requirements, the children must be of an age where they would not need your constant attention and supervision, so that you are able to work.
Secondly, St. Barnabas Church, St. Barnabas Community Garden, or any members thereof are not responsible for supervising or ensuring the safety of any children onsite.
Finally, we cannot guarantee continuous access to indoor spaces during the work days, so any children should be prepared to spend the majority of the day outdoors.
3) What about Compost?
Our compost bin was completed last year.
All grass clippings and garden material are to be placed in Bin 1 (on the left). Larger plants should be chopped up, to help things break down faster.
For now, we would like to ask the gardeners NOT to bring any compost items from home. In our research, we came across a lot of conflicting information regarding compost and allergens- some sources claim that allergens persist, other sources claimed that a proper compost pile would get hot enough to destroy any allergens. We want all the gardeners to be able to use the compost we produce, and for that reason we need to keep it clear of any potential allergens or non-organic items.
Additionally, we realize that several gardeners have home compost piles, and may use a different method than we have chosen. Last year, we had some issues with the compost being prematurely turned and flipped, so this year we would like to ask all the gardeners to leave the compost alone. Place your items in Bin 1, use the pitchfork to turn the new vegetation into the pile, and leave the rest to the committee! If we do need help, or need someone to take over the compost duties, we will be more than willing to ask for help!
4) What about the church lawn?
Grass clippings from the church lawn will be put in the compost this year- the lawn is not being treated with any chemicals of any kind, which ensures our compost will remain organic. However, we will be dealing with dandelions as a result. Each gardener is responsible for pitching in with weed control- if everyone checks the lawn and pulls a couple of dandelions each time they visit the garden, keeping everything under control will be a snap. You don’t even have to pull the whole plant- keeping the leaves in place ensures that nutrients are pulled up to the surface through the deep root system, and as long as the flowers are pulled off before they go to seed, there will be no spreading!
5) What about water?
We are going to have the rain barrels set up at the beginning of April, so water should not be a problem as long as we get some spring showers!!
There are taps on the side of the church, however we are not completely sure that the garden has permission to use them. Jagdutt is checking into this for us, and when we find out, we will post the information here.
In the meantime, if the rainbarrels are empty, please plan ahead and bring some water from home!
6) What about garbage?
Dandelions and other weeds are NOT to go into the compost heap. There are several black garbage bins lined up between the Church Hall and the Scout Hut, any weeds or other garbage can be deposited there.
7) Saturdays are very busy for me, and I don’t know how many of the workdays I will be able to attend. Can I set up another time to come to the garden to fulfill my work requirements?
Unfortunately, no.
We chose Saturdays for our workdays for several reasons- we would be able to work without worrying about disturbing those inside the church, easily arrange for supply delivery, maximize the daylight hours, minimize the number of mosquitoes bothering us, and park on the street! We have laid out a schedule for garden construction and maintenance, and it is important that we keep up with that schedule and complete all the tasks we have set out for the day. Any delays will push back completion of other projects in the garden, and if we have any raw materials delivered (mulch, soil, etc) they cannot remain on the ground overnight, they must all be in place by the end of the day.
We do understand that our gardeners have busy lives, and we also understand that some commitments cannot be rescheduled. This was the reasoning behind our Proxy Rule.
If a gardener is unable to attend a mandatory work day, they may appoint a Proxy to attend in their place. A Proxy can be anyone who would be a reasonable substitute for you on the work day- a friend, family member, coworker, neighbour or fellow gardener. They will be expected to stay for the entire length of the work day, and will have access to the same amenities as all the other gardeners.
Please note- if you are a gardener who is acting as a proxy for another gardener, the work hours cannot be counted towards your commitments as well as theirs.
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There are other Questions and Answers in the “F.A.Q.” tab above, and if you still don’t find the information you’re looking for, feel free to send us an email!
And don’t forget to join our St. Barnabas Community Garden Facebook Group to keep in touch!
