"Spring is Almost Here!" so we're having another fundraiser!

Once again, the Campus Roots Community Garden Association is proud to be working with Vesey’s Bulbs to bring you a selection of quality summer flower bulbs, roots, and seeds at great prices. Funds raised will be used to match a development grant received to expand the Garden.

Details on the fundraising program:
-All products are guaranteed to meet with your approval upon delivery
-No additional shipping costs or taxes
-Every package comes with detailed planting information
- 50% of total sales will help Campus Roots improve the campus community garden

Order deadline: Thursday, April 28, 2016 (all orders must be paid in full by this date)

Samples:
Asiatic Lilies: 5 bulbs for $10
Hostas: 3 roots for $12
Strawberries: 15 plants for $15
Bleeding Hearts: 2 roots for $15
Seed Collections: $10 each for 5-6 packages of seed.

Please note: product will be shipped from Vesey’s in late April and we will deliver your product as soon as possible after we receive it. As tomato and onion seeds, which are included in the Perfect Salad Garden seed collection ($10), need to be started from seed 6+ weeks before transplanting, we caution that there may not be enough time to successfully grow these items from seed in our area and we are unable to arrange for earlier delivery of seed collections.

Check out the full catalogue and email us at campusroots@uleth.ca when you are ready to make your order or if you have questions.

Lethbridge Horticultural Society presents Lyndon Penner! -- Monday, May 25 @ 7pm, Lethbridge Public Library, Theatre Gallery

Lethbridge Horticultural Society, May 25 Monthly Meeting, Public Library

After the success of ‘The Short Season Yard’, Lyndon Penner is back and better than ever! It’s all very well and good to know HOW to grow a peony or a lily, but what do you put it next to? Lyndon is quick to explain that no plant exists in a vacuum, and where to place perennials and trees is just as important as how to grow them! Most gardening books are focused on areas much milder and more temperate than the prairies, so Lyndon has written a book JUST FOR PRAIRIE GARDENERS- ‘Garden Design for the Short Season Yard’ is written expressly for those who’d like to learn how to design a magnificent garden in OUR climate! Lyndon will teach you all you need to know to create a breath taking garden with our wind, our frosts, and our short season! At last- a Canadian garden design book that wasn’t written for Vancouver or Toronto! With charm and pizazz and a good dash of common sense, Lyndon will usher you into the exciting world of garden art and design!

How the Garden Grows! Update #2 - Seed Exchange!

An update to the update: How the Garden Grows!  

Seed Exchange Guidelines:

Prepare your seeds for the exchange:

• Divide your seeds into small envelopes or plastic bags prior to the exchange (we recommend 10-20 seeds per package).
• Label each package or attach a note card with as much information as possible to will help your fellow gardeners grow your seeds successfully, such as:

• Plant Type (i.e. Green Beans – Bush)
• Variety (if known)
• Hybrid or open-pollinated **Do not bring seed you have collected from hybrid plants.**
• Number of days until harvest (i.e. 60 days)
• Planting guidelines (i.e direct, transplant, 6” apart, 1/2 “ deep)
• Seed Source (i.e. My Garden)
• Year purchased or harvested
• Characteristics of the edible parts (i.e. Tomatoes – great slicers)

When you arrive for the seed exchange, place your seeds on the appropriate table:

• Cucubits: Cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, melons, etc.
• Greens: Lettuce, brassicas, spinach, chard, collards
• Herbs: Basil, chamomile, lemon grass, oregano, etc.
• Legumes: Beans, peas, etc.
• Roots: Beets, carrots, onions, radish, turnips, chives, etc.
• Solanaceae: Tomato, pepper, etc.
• Other: Corn, grains, flowers, etc.

The seed exchange will work on the honour system. Please do not take more packages than you have brought, until it is announced that all donors have completed their exchange. If you did not bring seeds to exchange, please wait until we have announced that all donors have completed their exchange. We have lots of extra seeds, so there will be seeds for everyone!

LECTURE & Discussion on Sustainable Water Management (read: rain barrels, ponds, etc)

For more information, check out the Vibrant LifeEco-Solutions blog entry:  Make your Pond work for you!

Who knew?! The United Nations has declared 2015 as the International Year of Soils

2015 has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Soils!

The CBC did a great two part series on soil so take a listen while you are transplanting your seedlings:

The Dirt on Soil, Part 1 & 2

"Life on earth depends on healthy soil. Yet most people don't know - or care - that the world's soils are in danger."

Want to know more?

Click the image below to travel to a great website on the this important topic.

How the Garden Grows! UPDATE on ORIENTATION MEETINGS

As a followup to the post: How the Garden Grows!  Plots are filling up!

All Campus Roots Gardeners (new or returning) must attend ONE of these meetings.

WHEN:  

• Tuesday, 2015 April 14, 7:30-9pm 
• Wednesday, 2015 April 15, 7:30-9pm

WHERE:  University of Lethbridge, Anderson Hall Room#118

DETAILS:  Parking at that time of day is free in front of Anderson Hall.   (See Map)

Questions?  Email campusroots@uleth.ca

Thanks to all of those returning gardeners who got back to me to let me know they were coming back.   It has been very helpful. I look forward to seeing you all there next week.

Happy Gardening,

Courtney Lamb

Membership Coordinator, CRCGA

How the Garden Grows! Plots are filling up!

Spring will soon be upon us and CampusRoots is gearing up for another fantastic gardening year.  As the Garden gets larger, the Board has decided to run our annual Orientation Meeting a little differently this year.  To accommodate more of our gardeners' schedules, we are running TWO orientation and registration meetings this year.   

Attendance at ONE (not both) of these meetings is mandatory for those wanting to garden with us whether you are a returning or new gardener:

• Tuesday April 14th (evening, time and place to be announced)
• Wednesday April 15th  (evening, time and place to be announced)

NOTE:  There will also be an informal and short, but mandatory, Garden Walk-through held at the garden in early May. More information on that will be coming out closer to the event.

In the past, returning gardeners have had first choice of the plots, after which new gardeners were offered what was still available. This was done by having the returning gardeners register first at the Orientation meeting. With running two Orientation meetings this year, that system simply won't work.

RETURNING gardeners: BY APRIL 7th, contact Courtney Lamb (Membership Coordinator) via CampusRoots  with your intention to return to CampusRoots.  A garden plot will be held tentatively subject to your attendance to one of the Orientation meetings and payment of all fees.   If you are not able to decide whether you are returning by April 7th , you are still welcome to come back and garden with us, but you will be offered one of the "unspoken for" plots along with the new gardeners (i.e., there is no guarantee of a plot let alone the one you gardened in last year).

NEW gardeners:  Email CampusRoots with your wish to be considered for a garden plot in the CampusRoots Garden.  Courtney will be in contact with you about your interest.

We, on the Board, are all very excited for the upcoming season and wish you all a fantastic and productive year. If there are any further questions with regards to membership and the upcoming Orientation, don't hesitate to ask.

Compost: Make it Hot and Break it Down. A three-part Permaculture workshop series

LSLA Workshop:  

Compost: Make it Hot and Break it Down. A three-part Permaculture workshop series 

Lethbridge Sustainable Living Association is putting on a composting workshop. 

Details are below.  Check out the promotional video:  

Workshop Dates: April 25th, August 1st, and October 17th, 2015.

Hosted by:

Josh Hellawell - http://www.synergypermaculture.ca
Tim Wickstrom - http://www.edibleearthscapes.ca

About the Workshop:
Learn how to build a three-bin composting system using recycled pallets and what materials to use to get the correct carbon to nitrogen ratio to get a hot compost. Learn how to monitor your compost pile temperature and how to adjust the temperature if needed. And finally learn how to turn your pile and prep it for winter. The workshops will be held at the Southside Permaculture Demonstration Garden.

To Register:

Registration is Free for LSLA (Lethbridge Sustainable Living Association) members or $10 for non-members. Added Bonus: Get a Free LSLA membership with your registration.

Register @ Umami Shop located at: 814 4th Ave South, Lethbridge: http://www.umamishop.ca/

Registration deadline is April 23rd and register soon as there are only 15 spots available.

Pasta Potluck and Annual General Meeting; Tuesday, 2014 October 28 @ 6pm; UofL SU240 (Galileo's Lounge)

All Campus Roots Garden Members and Gardeners are invited to the Annual General Meeting ... to be preceded by a Pasta Potluck!  We look forward to seeing everyone there!

When:  Tuesday, 2014 October 28; Pasta Potluck @ 6pm with AGM starting @ 7pm

Place:  Galileo's Lounge (North end, Food Court, Students' Union Building)

The Potluck is a Pasta Potluck; spaghetti and sauce will be provided; you bring whatever you feel is an appropriate side dish.  Please bring your own plates, utensils, and napkins

Parking is available in Lots F, FS, and G.  

Follow this LINK to a map of University Campus with key landmarks and parking lots identifed.

The Annual General Meeting will follow.  In addition to various reports, there are two key items of business to be conducted:

1.  Elections to the Board of Directors:  All positions are open for nominations including:

-President

-Vice-President
-Secretary
-Treasurer
-Membership Coordinator
-Directors (5)

Descriptions of the duties and responsibilities for these positions may be found in the CRCGA Bylaws (Article 5).

2.  Proposed changes to the CRCGA Bylaws.  The current wording and proposed amendments are as follows.

Article 2 – Membership

Current:
       1. Any person living in Lethbridge may become a member by paying an annual membership fee of five dollars ($5).

        Amendment:
               1. Any person, family, or group living in the Lethbridge Community may apply to become a member by paying the current annual membership fee. All Applications are subject to approval by the Board.

Current:

       2. Members may apply to rent garden plots by submitting an application to the Board of Directors, signing the gardener agreement form, and paying their plot rental fees and plot maintenance deposit.

        Amendment:
               2. Members may apply to rent garden plots by submitting an application to the Board of Directors, signing the gardener agreement form, applicable waivers, and paying their plot rental fees and plot maintenance deposit.

Current:

       5. Plot rental fees are determined by the square footage of the garden plot(s) rented and are payable by all members at a general meeting. The fee per square foot is set annually by the Board of Directors.

        Amendment:

               5. Plot rental fees are determined by the square footage of the garden plot(s) rented and are payable by all members at or before the orientation meeting. The fee per square foot is set annually by the Board of Directors. Gardening members who withdraw after paying their fees, have 2 weeks after the orientation date to do so and receive a refund, after which time, all fees are forfeited.

Article 3 – Meetings

Current:

        2. The Association shall hold an orientation meeting on or before May 15 of each year. All members are required to attend the orientation meeting meeting. If a member is unable to attend this meeting, they must arrange with the Membership Coordinator for an alternate orientation session.

        Amendment:

                2. The Association shall hold an orientation meeting on or before May 15 of each year. All members are required to attend an orientation meeting. If a member is unable to attend a scheduled orientation meeting, they must make arrangements with the Membership Coordinator prior to the meeting. Plots are not guaranteed until payment is received.

Article 5 – Executive Officers and Directors

5. Membership Coordinator

Current:

        c. The Membership Coordinator is also responsible for distributing and collecting keys to the Garden and for maintaining records of such activities.

        Amendment:

                Removed 

Some advice for storing your vegetable harvest ...

The latest issue (v.9, no.9 Sept, 2014) of the Lee Valley Newsletter (Gardening Edition) has a good article on storing vegetables by Karen Bertelsen, "Storing your Vegetable Harvest."  A timely piece!

The Community of Community Garden is growing!

A new community garden is going into the London Road Area.  If you didn't get enough exercise working on the CampusRoots expansion this spring and summer, here is another chance!

Please Join us for The Grand Re-Opening of the Campus Roots Community Garden! RSVP by Sep.3.

EVENT: Field Trip to Calgary (coordinated by LDHS)

Lethbridge and District Horticultural Society (LDHS)

 Presents

Road Trip to Tour Calgary Gardens

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Costs:      $40.00 for LDHS members

                      $45.00 for non-members

Inquiries and tickets contact: 

Penny Dodd @

• Phone:  403-380-3809    
• Cell: 403-308-1217   
• Email:  p.dodd@telus.net

Deadline for ticket purchase:  June 3

Seats are limited to 56

Logistics:

         

Our assembly point is the Lethbridge Public Library.  (It is Sunday, so free ample street parking is available.  Please do not use library parking lot.)  Arrive between 7:30 and 7:45 as participants will be asked to sign a Waiver and Release Form before we depart.  We will leave at 8:00 a.m.

There will be a cooler available for any water/drink bottles you bring.  We recommend that you bring a bag lunch as the restaurants in the vicinity of the gardens are small and always very busy.  You should also have sun screen, insect repellent, walking shoes, and clothing to deal with our changeable weather.

Tour Agenda:

Garden One:  Reader Rock Garden at 25 Ave & McLeod Trail SW.  This garden is ranked by Tripadvisor as #71 of 205 attractions in Calgary. An historic garden established on a slope, with stone stairs—not very steep—leading through it, there are benches, a stream and many heritage plants. The restaurant is often closed on summer weekends as it is usually booked for a wedding.

Website:  http://readerrock.com  

Garden Two:  Centennial Memorial Park at 12 Ave & 4 St SW.  The site of Calgary’s Memorial Park Library and a memorial statue.  There are a number of tables and chairs in this garden.  It is a good place to enjoy our lunch.  The park is two blocks long, and there are no stairs in it.  There is a small restaurant in the park, but it will probably be very busy.

Website for Memorial Park:

http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Pages/Locations/Downtown-parks/Central-Memorial-Park.aspx

Garden Three:  Lougheed House at 13 Ave & 6 St SW.  This 2.8 acre terraced property was named “Beaulieu” (meaning Beautiful Place) when it was established in 1891.  It was originally a formal Edwardian garden, and today is a more informal mixture of perennials with annual beds created with a different theme every year.  There is also a small vegetable and cutting garden with plants used in the house and restaurant.  The house is open for tours (at a cost of $8.50 for adults, and $6.50 for seniors.)

Website:  www.lougheedhouse.com/

Garden Four:  Rundle Wood Garden at 46Ave &16 St SW.    This garden and nursery is in the large lot (about ¼ acre) of a private home.  The gardeners trial many varieties and new species every year.  You will see plants no other nurseries carry.  There are plants for sale (cash or cheque, only.)  We will have some boxes in the luggage department of the coach for any plant purchases we can’t resist.

Website:  www.rundlewoodgardens.ab.ca

Leave Calgary for Lethbridge at 4:00 p.m. at the latest.

Late Blight - Current advice on destroying infected plants

The Potato Growers of Alberta (who obviously have very real concerns about Late Blight!) have a very good (in this author's opinion) handout (PDF) on identification and handling of plants infected with Late Blight, including picture of diseased plant parts.  Of particular note is their advice on removing infected plants reproduced below for even easier reference (emphasis added).

The advice to bake infected plant parts using black plastic and the heat of the sun is reported to be very effective.  Key, though, is to dispose of the baked plant parts in the garbage to be buried in the landfill; DO NOT COMPOST them or put them in the City's Green Waste system.

As for protecting yourself against Late Blight, there is advice in our posting on the topic from a couple of years ago.

*****************************************************************
How to properly destroy infected plants

Potato and tomato plants with Late Blight on them should be promptly, carefully, and completely destroyed to avoid sending the disease on to other gardens or farms! 

DO NOT pull affected plant because this process can dislodge spores into the air where they can be wind-borne to neighboring plantings. 

To destroy individual plants 
* Pull a large dark plastic bag over the plant first. 
* Cut the plant off at ground level and tie the bag. 
* Put the bag in full sunlight so that the contents  will be killed by the heat from the sun. 
* Once the plant is dead, the fungus is also destroyed and the bag can be discarded with regular garbage. 

To destroy several adjacent plants 
* Cut the plant stems near ground level. 
* Promote destruction of the plants by placing a dark plastic cover over them so that heat from the sun will kill the tissue. 

Once affected vines and leaves have been destroyed, the potatoes can be dug and eaten, but better to eat them soon, as they will not store. 

DO NOT put affected potatoes in the compost pile because if they survive the winter, new sprouts from these potatoes could be the source of inoculum next season.

Source:  http://www.albertapotatoes.ca/files/LateBlightBrochureGardeners.pdf (Accessed 2014-05-13)

WARNING: Alberta Agriculture advises that Late Blight continues to be a risk for Tomato and Potato plants

Alberta Agriculture is alerting everyone to the continued risk of Late Blight.  This is a fungal infection that attacks tomatoes and potatoes primarily although it apparently can infect peppers, eggplants, and (surprise!) petunias.  

The disease is carried on live plant materials; we are advised to watch plants raised from potatoes seed and transplants purchased at garden centres, both of which could be carrying the fungus into Alberta from another location.  

A couple of years ago, Leona wrote a posting on the CampusRoots blog about Late Blight that included advice on what to look for as well as tips to practice good plant hygiene if you find it.   If you are further interested, you might want to check out the anxiety level about Late Blight on the Alberta Agriculture website (sorted by most recent postings first).   

On a personal note, a gardening buddy gave me some tomato seedlings last year that were healthy to the end of the season.  However, when she forwarded this alert to me a few days ago, she noted that she lost all her tomatoes last year to Late Blight; it must have come into her garden through some other vector.  

So the advice is to watch your plants and deal with the situation accordingly.

Gardener Orientation: Tuesday, 2014 April 22 @ 7pm in UofL AH116

The new Membership Cards for 2014 are ready for pickup!  Membership cards entitle members to 10% discounts on edible plants and seeds at selected local gardening centres. Come and get yours by attending the Gardeners Orientation for new and returning Campus Roots gardeners!

Orientation will be held on Tuesday, April 22 at 7pm in Anderson Hall, Room AH116.

All gardeners are required to attend this Orientation or make prior arrangements for an alternate orientation with the Membership Coordinator by contacting campusroots@uleth.ca.

Plot deposits and rental fees are due by April 22 (at the Orientation!).  Rentals not paid for by April 22 will be released to the waiting list of gardeners (and there is a waiting list!). Why?  Simply put, we need to have your commitment in order to be able to release available plots to our waiting list before the gardening season actually begins.  In the past, delays meant new gardeners could not take advantage of the full growing season and we think that is kind of unfair.

Requests for Roto-tilling will only be accepted at the Orientation.

SEED EXCHANGE!  We always purchase more seed than we need so bring along the extras and swap them with others.  Check out our Seed Exchange Guidelines for information about preparing your seeds for exchange.

Please note:  We are growing in numbers so to facilitate an orderly process in assigning available plots, no documentation will be accepted until the completion of the orientation.  You can amuse yourselves by exchanging seeds, signing up for work groups, and simply getting to know each other.

It is time to think about your garden!

Okay ... the holidays are over, the tree is down, the snow falls, the wind blows ... but we can escape by thinking about, dreaming about what else?  GARDENING!

Likely you are starting to order your seed catalogues but before you put your order in, perhaps you want to check and see what seeds you have left over from last year and years previous.  If nothing else, you can prepare your stash of seeds for the usual seed exchanges.

Mother Earth News is a good source of advice on gardening (among other things).  Check out the article on Savvy Seed Care for some guidance on sorting seeds, cleaning seeds, and generally getting them ready for the seed swap.  Included is advice on when you might want to skip seeds and buy transplants and how long seeds are usually viable. 

The key word here is "viable."  It would be a bit of a waste to throw out perfectly good seeds based on some general advice so here is a video, Home Germination Testing (~20 minutes) produced by Seed Savers Exchange, to illustrate how you might go about testing that viability and the PDF handout that accompanies the video:  Home Germination Testing (PDF).

Enjoy!

 

Garden Seminar: Composting; Saturday, September 28 @ 2pm, The CampusRoots Garden (Weather permitting)

Good soil doesn't just happen.  It is created by amending what we have with rich, composted vegetation. 

The Garden has 3 composters to help our garden community build compost for use in developing our garden plots.  Composting is not unlike cooking -- you need the correct ingredients in the correct proportions, mixed at the correct time.

So let's put those composters to use!  Come to this seminar and let's cook up some compost!

Presenter:  Leona Jacobs

Location:  The CampusRoots Garden (Parkway Drive)
Date:  Saturday, 2013 September 28 (Weather Permitting!)
Time:  2-3pm

Please NOTE: 

• This seminar is open to the public. 
• Public are asked to RSVP to campusroots@uleth.ca. 
• Public will be asked to sign a waiver before being able to attend.

Its Back! Our "Fall into Spring" Garden Bulb Fundraiser!

In waning days of this summer, why not look forward to next spring … especially spring flowers!  As a fundraiser, the Campus Roots Community Garden Association is proud to be working with Vesey's Bulbs to bring you a selection of quality fall flower bulbs at great prices.  Funds raised will be used to complete the expansion of the campus community garden in 2014.

Fall bulbs are planted in the fall and are among the earliest blooming flowers in the spring. Bulbs are a fun and low-maintenance way to add colour and texture to your garden. They can even be grown in pots, both indoors and out, and are great for cut flowers. Returning year after year, bulbs make great naturalizers. 

Details on the fundraising program:

• All bulbs are guaranteed to meet with your approval upon delivery
• No additional shipping costs or taxes
• Every package comes with planting information
• 50% of total sales will help Campus Roots improve the campus community garden

Order and payment deadline:  Friday, September 27, 2013

Samples: 

• Tulips: 12 for $12
• Giant Daffodils: 15 for $15
• Dutch Iris: 25 for $10
• Giant Allium: 6 for $10
• Snow Crocus: 35 for $12
• Garlic: 2 heads for $10

Check out the full catalogue.  Questions?  Want to place an order?  
Please contact us at campusroots@uleth.ca.

Promoting Local Food: Volunteers needed to help with Apple Picking

Lethbridge Fruit Pickers is looking for volunteers to help pick apples.  Volunteers pick the fruit and share the harvest with the owners of the trees all the while doing something to help the local food system.

You can offer you help as an individual or register a team of pickers (minimum of 5 people).  If you are interested, call Gil Leclair at 403-593-2030.

Read more about it in the Lethbridge Sun Times.

NOTE:  If interested in helping on the CampusRoots team, please email campusroots@uleth.ca.  The more the merrier!