At least two provinces – Ontario and Quebec – have declared community gardens as non-essential amenities in order to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Thankfully the gardens are still open for business in Alberta.
At the end of last year’s gardening season, I loved so I had to find a new community garden. Thankfully I jumped on it right away and I was able to snag a spot at the Renfrew Community Garden without having to wait out a list of gardening hopefuls. Community garden plots go very quickly. It seems everyone has a green thumb in this city.
Last week the gardening association held an orientation meeting for gardeners over Zoom to discuss the upcoming season and go over the rules. Nice bunch of people. The demographic is quite different than the group in Brentwood but everyone is raring to go.
I had to email the garden president to ask about directions to the garden plot. After I figured out where it was located, I ran over on Friday afternoon. It is on the edge of a field near a baseball diamond – about 1.5 kilometres from where I live. Once again I have the option to bike or run to my bed.
I noticed right away the community garden was not fenced. I remember in Red Deer there was always deer roaming around our gardens. I wonder if the beds have been pillaged by jack rabbits and other wildlife. The fence at the Brentwood community garden was vandalized a few times last year. It was next to a playground and it was fenced.
We were told the city will turn the water supply on in May. I won’t start planting until at least the May long weekend. I am crossing my fingers that the snow has melted by then. Although it’s warming up in Calgary, we know Mother Nature can be fickle.
I have one good-sized bed (bottom right above). Last year I was lucky to snag two beds. This year I will have to think hard about what I want to plant. I would like to shake things up a bit. I always plant copious amounts of greens – Swiss Chard, kale and lettuce. I still want to do that but I would like to try to plant something new. Maybe cauliflower? What do you think?
Spring Gardening Workshop 101
The group is holding a spring gardening 101 session over Zoom on April 25 at 1 p.m. If you are interested, message me and I will give you the log in information.
Do you have a green thumb? What do you plant? I would love to hear from you in the comments below. Read more about the Renfrew Community Garden here.