Garden Plot Plan

May 14, 2024


Because I won’t have the plot until the end of the March at the earliest, it’s my plan to focus on summer crops to start. I’m trying to choose vegetables based on what I like to eat (duh), how easy they are to grow, and what people have suggested. So far I have: tomatoes, basil, and sweet peas. Ooh and I definitely want to grow some happy flowers for some happy pollinators.

The garden plots at Oswald Park are not big, which I think will be great for a novice gardener like me. I don’t really know what I’m doing and I tend to fill my summers with activities. The thought of having a relatively small space in which to mess up in sounds just about right. I took a look at the “square foot garden plan guide,” which shows how many plantings to do per square foot. This is what the current plot map looks like:

Most of the plants above can be direct sown, but the tomatoes need to be started early. I had a few seeds left over from a failed balcony container gardening experiment a few summers ago, and I bought a seed packet from the CEC, too.

I’m planning on traveling for a two week span over the summer so I’m also thinking ahead to watering needs. At the Victoria Seedy Sunday, I met the folks from Mayne Island Clay Works. They make these beautiful “ollas,” which are designed to buried in the ground and filled with water that is then slowly released to surrounding plants. We have one in the CEC retail space right now, and I’m kinda obsessed. I sent them an email, and they’ll bring one down to Victoria the next time they’re here doing deliveries. I’ve got this wild idea that I can dilute the Bokashi liquid in the olla for my fertilizer and irrigation needs. Stay tuned.

Next Steps

And we’re rolling, people! I’ll be keeping an eye on my tomato starts, drinking coffee for the Bokashi bran, making the Bokashi bran, and planning my planting dates for my other vegetables. Check back in a few weeks to hear how I’m doing!

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June 22nd, 11-3: Summer Solstice Garden Party

May 30, 2019


Join the Compost Education Centre on June 22nd from 11-3pm for our Summer Solstice Garden Party, a satellite event of Fernfest, located in the Teaching Gardens of the Compost Education Centre in the heart of Fernwood!

Chock full of awesomeness, the Summer Solstice Garden Party, which is part AGM, part community celebration and part silent auction, is sure to deliver the goods during a packed weekend. Heck, with all the fun things going on around the city, we might as well call it a city-wide Summer Solstice Festival!

At the Compost Education Centre, located at 1216 North Park, we will hold our Annual General Meeting from 11-12. Here, members in good standing can vote on issues important to our organization and learn about the CEC’s extraordinary accomplishments in 2018. AGM attendees are automatically entered to win a door prize, and also receive a free meal ticket for our afternoon bbq in the garden! (Yep, we’re bribing you to show up for an important meeting.)

Following the AGM, at 12 and 2pm, our Site Manager, Kayla, will lead interactive site tours. Not gonna be here at 11 for our AGM, or not familiar with our site? Never fear, volunteers at Fernfest’s Field of Dreams will be waiting to guide folks to our Teaching Gardens, and signage around the neighborhood will point you in the right direction. During these 30 minute Site Tours guests will learn through sight, smell, touch and taste about our Teaching Gardens and multifaceted educational programming.

From 12:30-2:30 we’ll be serving up bbq eats and ice cold drinks by donation; simultaneously we will be hosting our annual silent auction in our Strawbale Classroom. Auction items are comprised of donations from an array of local businesses, from swanky restaurants, to useful gardening supplies, and those much needed self-care gift cards!

So come, celebrate the fruits of our garden (and our labor), relax and visit in the garden with good music, good food and good company while supporting the Compost Education Centre’s commitment to accessible education, environmental sustainability, and, undoubtedly, composting. Whether you’re a longtime friend of the Compost Education Centre or a first time visitor we would love to have you!

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