Mayor "pumpkin cutting" (instead of ribbon cutting) at the grand opening of Esq. Community Garden

On behalf of the Community Garden, we would like to thank everyone that came out today to the winter gardening workshop.
We would like to thank you for helping us clean up the site and fix the composters in preparation for our public event of pumpkin carving on the 22nd.
Also we would like to thank Robin for her donation of raspberry bushes that she plated all along our lonely fence.

In preparation for the public event, we also ask the plot members that did not attend the workshop to clean up their plot of all the dead tomato plants and other things that have passed their due date.
Also, we would like to ask you to carve a pumpkin and place it on your empty plot so it doesn't look too empty (since most of us don't have plant shooting out of the ground just yet). We need a volunteer/s to carve three pumpkins- two for the two small plots in the entrance and one for the high school in the back. Make sure to place the pumpkins on the plot before Friday the 22nd. Please e-mail us back if you can help us out.

Have a great evening and hopefully we will see you on October 22nd at 10am.

6th Annual Pumpkin Smash ~ November 6th and 7th

The scariest thing about Halloween is the amount of jack-o-lanterns that end up in the landfill. Keep your pumpkins out of the trash and join us for our 6th annual Pumpkin Smash! Bring your family and friends, and of course your pumpkins, and join us for Tombstone Tipping and other family games to help us raise awareness for composting! Last year we managed to divert over 13 tonnes of jack-o-lanterns from the landfill – let’s see if we can beat that this year!
The event will be held November 6th and 7th from 10am to 3pm each day.
Cloverdale - Thrifty Foods (3475 Quadra Street) : Saturday, November 6th
Fairfield - Thrifty Foods (1590 Fairfield Road) : Saturday, November 6th
Hillside - Thrifty Foods (1580 Hillside Avenue) : Sunday, November 7th

upcoming winter workshop

We are inviting you to participate at out potluck-style winter gardening workshop.

It will be held on site, on October 16th at 1pm (about 2 hours long).

We are planning to plant garlic bulbs for the winter

Please RSVP as soon as possible so we know how many garlic bulbs to purchase (email us at esquimaltcommunitygardens@gmail.com).

Also, bring along whatever food you want to share to the garden (this is not mandatory).

Participation is by donation, suggested donation is $5-10,

Rain or shine

Free Native Plant Gardening Workshop

"This FREE three hour workshop on gardening with drought-resistant native plants will:

• Identify native plants
• Review the benefits of native plants
• Teach how and where to grow native plants
• Offer tips for reducing or eliminating lawns
• Inform how to create special natural habitats, such as meadows, thickets, woodlands
• Discuss how to attract wildlife to the garden
• Include an informative tour of the native plant garden
• Review of CRD conservation programs

Instructor: Patricia Johnston, Native Plant & Waterwise consultant.

Each workshop is limited to 18 participants and pre-registration is required. Please call Swan Lake at 250.479.0211 to register. Workshops are held in the Spring and Fall."

Please see this link for the schedule and more resources

Our pumpkin patch is growing fast!!!

This picture of the pumpkin patch was taken on September 9th

please make sure

Please make sure to turn off the water after using it. The garden was flooded today because the hose was not shut off.

BBQ Friday 13th

We finally got the fences and we put digesters and composters in the garden!

We will be having a BBQ this Friday the 13th between 6pm-8pm-

At Anderson Park (Colville St)

to celebrate the establishment of Esquimalt's first community garden and to thank all the volunteers who worked hard to make this possible


We will be having refreshments, veggie burgers, hotdogs veggies, etc...
You are welcome to bring snacks as well

Hope to see you there!
Esquimalt Community Garden

Mandatory Meeting

We will be having a mandatory meeting for plot owners next Sunday, July 25th at 5pm in the garden.
We need to divide some tasks to make sure that all the communal plants get watered regularly by everyone. Also we have soil that needs to be put in the plots that are empty. This and much more will be discussed.

See you there!

How To Keep Your Yard and Garden Pest Free Without Harsh Chemicals

"Deer, slugs, and other garden destroying pests might be a part of our natural world, but that doesn't mean you have to tolerate them being a natural part of your garden. These tips will keep your plants pest-free without harsh chemicals.

Better living through chemistry has given us off-the-shelf and factory-manufactured solutions for any problem you can imagine. Many people, however, want to forgo using harsh chemicals in their yards and gardens to avoid unnecessary chemical exposure. This guide highlights a variety of ways you can keep your landscaping lush and your gardens unmolested by pests without having to spread toxic paste on anything or use a sprayer that requires an OSHA-approved canister mask to use safely. We'll start with the easiest solutions that you can apply now—even if you're a renter—and move onto the more time-consuming solutions that require more advanced planning. For the sake of readability we'll be referring to the space you're working on as a "garden" for the rest of the article, but all of these methods work equally as well on landscaping in general"

For the rest of the article please visit the lifehacker wesbite: click here

Thank You!

We would like to thank Brother Nature Organic Seeds for their great contribution to the Esquimalt Community Gardens. We greatly appreciate all the organic plants that were recently donated (including sweet peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes)!
If you would like more information on the locally based organic company please visit their website at www.brothernature.ca

Finally Gardening

We got water!
we finally got water yesterday and we assigned the plots this morning. All members can now start planting their plants.
We got 2 "welcome" organic tomato plants in all the plots, and hope all will enjoy the tomatoes in the end of the summer/ or in the fall.
We are hoping to get the fence sometime next week, and then the composers can go in the garden for everyone's scraps. Educational workshops will soon be planned for winter gardening and other things members might be interested in (if you have a preference or any suggestions please let us know). We will need volunteers to organize those so let us know if you can help out and when.
Also we still have a few plots available. Please express your interest via email. I hate to see any plots empty.

Come down to see ho people are utilizing their plots so fast!

Another 2 work parties this weekend!!

We have two work parties this week to finish the beds!

Friday June 25th 5-8pm and Saturday June 26th 10-4pm

Please come out to help us if you can!
If you have registered for a bed but have not paid yet, please bring the payment along with you and give it to our treasurer: Mark Salter.

See you there!

Saturday work party

We will be meeting on Saturday, June 19th to build all the beds.
We got all the wood cut today and now it has to be assembled!

Meeting is in Anderson Park at 11am

Pirrrate Gardening- June 12th

Garden plots are now available!

The Esquimalt Community Gardens Society is now accepting applications for a plot at Anderson Park. Apartment dwellers are prioritized for a plot, but residents that are renting in a house and have no access to a yard are also eligible. Expressions of interest are recommended to be submitted by email on Friday June 11 at 5pm. The deadline for applications (including payment) is Wednesday, June 16 at 5pm. If there is greater demand for plots than supply available, and applicants meet the selection criteria outlined below, a lottery may be held.

The criteria for selection of members include the following:
1. Esquimalt resident
2. Living radius (closest to the garden)
3. Willingness to volunteer- which includes that the plot owner agrees to share responsibility with other members in the general up-keep and maintenance of the garden and participate in some public events (times are flexible)
4. Reside in an apartment building / rent in a house that doesn't have access to a yard
5. Year round use of the plot (there will be workshops that teach winter and fall gardening)

Plots have an annual membership fee of $60 which cover the basic expenses of maintaining the garden, such as water and insurance. The initial payment will be valid until May 24th, 2011.

If you are interested in membership only (open to all), no plot (which covers access to workshops and volunteering) the annual fee is $5; and this covers personal injury insurance.

upcoming events

Dear Friends,

We are one step away from finally planting our roots in the Anderson park Community Garden.

The sun is shining and we are very excited we have come this far for the first time!

We had a great meeting today, very productive and lots of information to share, lots of stuff happening this week.

We have sent out invitations for people who are eligible for a plot. Congratulations!

For those of you who have received an invitation for a plot, please confirm by Friday, June 11th @5pm. The community garden policy and the agreement of the community garden with the township is now being drafted. We will have the policy ready by Friday night or Saturday morning, and we will be sending it out then.

We have an "ongoing workparty" this week and everyone is welcome to come and help us out!

This Wednesday, June 9th we are meeting at Mark's house (832 Rockheights Ave) @5pm we will be building boxes for the plots.

On Thursday, June 10th we are meeting again to continue the work at Mark's house (@5pm). Shaw TV will be there to film and interview people. We will be doing Pirate Gardening for Buccaneer day! Everyone is welcome to come, the only requirement is to dress like a pirrrate. If you don't have one, just an eye patch and a bandanna will do (hook is recommended), you can dress up from there as pirate-like as you wish!

On Saturday, June 12th @2pm we will be continuing our work on site (Anderson Park). Pirate costume (or at least an eye patch and a bandanna) is mandatory! - consider you are coming to garden! No tools needed!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email us at esquimaltcommunitygardens "at" gmail.com

Public Event

We will be having a table at the Esquimalt Gorge Park for the Rivers and Oceans Day. This will be on June 6th between 12- 3pm

Come to help us out, or just come by to show some support!

meeting update- June 2

Thanks for everyone who showed up to the meeting during the sunny and windy period!

Our next meeting will be on Monday, June 7th @ Serious coffee (upstairs) on Esq. road at 5pm

We were supposed to meet with Geoff, the guy from the high school to discuss educational opportunities, but unfortunately he did not came out, and we will have to reschedule that meeting with him.

On the bright side, we divided a few very crucial tasks. Those are the following responsibilities that were discussed by members and those will be done by next week:

1. Drafting the community garden policy- Fawn took on this task
2. Drafting of an agreement between the municipality and the community garden- this will be done by Jenny
3. Registering for the B.C Council of Garden Club in order to get insurance to cover for members of the garden- this task will be done by Olga
4. Contacting Coast Capital to open a bank account- this will be done by Olga
4. Call Recyclistas to get a good deal on a bike rack- this will also be done by Olga

Also, we are hoping to have a work party on June 12th, we will keep you posted when we know more details!!

Hope to see you next week!

Tuesday meeting - May 25

A big thanks for everyone who came out today to the meeting!

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, June 2nd in Anderson Park at 4pm.

Although we have not yet determined the cost for the plots, we have established a criteria for selecting candidates for the garden plots, the following will be considered:

1. Esquimalt resident

2. radius (closest to the park)

3. apartment buildings and/ or condos without adequate yard

4. willing to volunteer (this will be further defined in the next week or so as to what 'volunteering' entails

Also, the Esquimalt Community Gardens will have 5 executives, the following are the people on the list:

1. Mark salter

2. Olga Liberchuk

3. Jana Heins-Kaemmer

4. Fawn Beckwith

5. representative from the high school (not yet confirmed)

Depending on when the fences will be established either in the first weekend of June or in the second weekend of June the garden will be constructed and we will need lots of volunteers (no construction experience is necessary)!!. You will be updated once we get any news.

Thanks!

Thank you so much for all the ones that took time to come down today to Anderson Park and share their support, ideas and suggestions.
So far we have been focusing on the approval of the garden and its design.
We have now come to a point that we have enough interest and support from the community and we are planning to construct the garden in the first week of June. No construction experience is necessary!

For all of you interested helping out, please express your interest!!!


Our next public meeting which will be held on Tuesday (May 25th) at Serious Coffee (upstairs) on Esquimalt Rd.



Also, below is information about composting workshops that are offered in the Esquimalt recreation center in the next two weeks that may be of interest to you:



COMPOSTING WORKSHOPS & BIN SALE

Be the change you want to see in the world - learn how to compost!
Did you miss Esquimalt’s Composting Bin Sale on April 17th? We have good news—there are still bins available! Sign-up for one of the below workshops and receive a voucher towards a subsidized composting bin from the Compost Education Centre. Spaces are limited, prices apply to Esquimalt residents ONLY.
Composting Basics
May 26, 2010
6:30 PM — 8:30 PM
FREE, Recreation Centre
This workshop covers the basics of composting, including vermicomposting, hot composting, and speeding up your backyard bin. Esquimalt residents who attend this workshop will receive a voucher towards the purchase of a subsidized composting bin! (Composter $50, Digester $85)

Composting for Small Spaces
June 2, 2010
6:30 PM — 8:30 PM
$15, Recreation Centre
Want to begin composting but don’t have a backyard? Learn how to vermi-compost and start turning your kitchen scraps into nutrient-rich supplement for plants. Esquimalt residents who attend this workshop will receive a voucher towards a FREE worm bin! (Value: $42.95)

Registration: Recreation Centre front desk or Call 250-412-8500
www.esquimalt.ca/compost

Also here are some useful links of workshop & compost information:

www.esquimalt.ca/compost

Composting Basics Workshop - May 26, 2010 - http://www.esquimalt.ca/events/events05261001.aspx

Composting for Small Spaces - June 2, 2010 - http://www.esquimalt.ca/events/events06021001.aspx

see you soon!!

location change- public meeting

Please note!!!
The upcoming meeting on Moday will remain at 5pm, but will now be in Anderson park instead of the coffee shop. See you there!

public meeting

don't forget the pubic meeting at serious coffee this upcoming monday at 5pm!!

Open House

meeting reminder

Dont forget!! This monday at 5pm we have a public meeting at serious coffee again, and after, at 7pm we are heading to the council and we will be in the council chambers! Please come on out and show your support!!

A quick update

Thanks for everyone who was able to come out today! We had a great discussion, interest is growing by the week! We have a public meeting again, same place same time:
May 10th Esq. serious coffee (upstairs) @5pm, also after the meeting, at 7pm we are going to the council meeting once again.

We have decided, as a Task Force, with some public insight, that the best thing to do is go back to the council to approve one of the two top sites. The choice is now down to Fraser st. and Andersen Park (right beside esq. high school). Last council meeting that we went to, council approved all the sites but referred the issue back to Esq. staff. We can't start working on a site because staff did not come back to us yet with their recommendations of a site, and it's been 2 weeks since we asked for a meeting with them.

Since the horticultural deadline is approaching, we are pressed for time, and we have no other option but to go back to council and request a decision on the matter, without referring the issue back to staff.

If you can, please come out- at least to the council meeting- to show the council your support, and to show that there is demand in the community for public gardens!

Have a great week and see you there!

Public Meeting reminder!

We are meeting again this Monday!

Please come on out, we'd love to hear your feedback!

Same place same time:

Esquimalt Serious Coffee (upstairs) @ 5pm

Public Meeting Reminder

The Community Garden Task Force has a public meeting tomorrow

at 5pm in serious coffee (upstairs)... be there or be square!!

Bring your friends, neighbours, family and lots of input!!

Happy Earth Day!!!

Hopefully we will see you all in our next public event- seed to spoon in Esq. United Church on 500 Admirals

Public Survey!!

Dear friends,

we now have a public survey on the Township of Esquimalt website up and running!

Your input is important to us, so please take the time to fill the survey! (it's only 9 questions)

http://www.esquimalt.ca/surveys/CommunityGardens.aspx

Communuty Gardening was approved by the township!!!

Yesterday was a crucial moment!!
Last night we had our proposal to the council meeting, which was also approved by the council. We were aiming for the town square, right in front of the library partly because it can hold about 20 plots. Council, however, reject this place for their own reasons, so we have to work with smaller... places that hold between 6-10 plots, depending on which one will be finally approved.
The council has directed our request to staff to finalize the decision regarding the first site of the community garden.

The two sites that scored highest on the list, also were the ones preferred by council, were one on 537 Fraser St (the residential house next to the teen centre), right next to Esquimalt recreation center and the second one in Andersen park on Colville road (right next to Esq. high school and Craigflower); both sites have easy accessibility to public transit as well as good accessibility to parking spots.

We are focusing on one site at the moment, but once we get it going we are looking to establish more sites throughout Esqumalt, with the help of the community of course. So there's still lots of work ahead of us and lots of future vision as well!!Right now we are waiting for the staff recommendation regarding the final... site approval... If you would like to get involved, either volunteer in our public events, volunteer establishing the community garden or simply reserve a plot once it gets established please e-mail the Task Force to express your interest and support:
esquimaltcommunitygardens "at" gmail "dot" com

Welcome!

Welcome to the newly established Esquimalt Community Gardens page!!

This page has been created for updates, public input, suggestions, discussions and ideas to share.

Feel free to contact us, or to leave comments below our posts. We hope you will find this page full with fertile information for sustainable living in an urban area!