A Few Notes

Water
The water is officially and finally on. I have filled some barrels to get everyone going but not all. I am handing over those reigns to the volunteers who belong to that task. On that note, if the barrels are ever empty and you happen to be spending some time at the garden, feel free to fill one or two up - as in you don't have to wait for someone else to do it. We have quite a few more barrels this year so I'm hoping we won't empty them as fast as we have in the past.
There is confusion every year on how to turn on the water in the garden. If you want to know how, come by the garden on a Wednesday night while I am there and I will show you. It has proven too hard to explain in written form and much easier to demonstrate but it still all boils down to "turn on tap - get water".

The Fox
Some of you may have noticed a bushy tailed visitor in and about the garden. A red fox has taken a liking to the garden area and is spending a lot of time patrolling the area for ground squirrels and mice. This is a good thing for the garden and free pest control at its finest. Having said that, I ask that you do not try to feed the wild animal or leave food for it. I also ask that you keep an eye on your pet and children if you bring them to the garden. The fox has shown aggression towards a smaller dog in the garden and wether that's due to territory, a young family close by or an easy meal, I don't know but we should not be tempting the animal in any regard.

Task Assignments
I've posted the task assignments above. If anyone is confused about their task or where to find it, contact me and I will explain further.

Planting 
If you haven't yet, this weekend would be a great time to plant. Rain and warmish temperatures are forecast throughout the weekend which the seeds will appreciate. Remember that the deadline for planting is June 10th. Plots not planted by that date may be turned over to those on the waiting list or planted for the foodbank.

Have a great weekend everyone!

May Catch Up

What is it about spring in the North that makes us feel like we just don’t have enough time in a day? I’m a bit behind in my posting so I’ll just get right to it.

Work Bees and Tasks

There is a work bee on every Saturday of May from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Come for an hour or come for four. A great way to make a dent in those volunteer hours. We are mostly doing clean up in and around the garden and thanks to the tremendous show of gardeners last weekend, we have most of the heavy work done. Thanks again to all of you that were able to help out.

Starting in June, I will cut the work bees down to one night a week and that night will be Wednesday night. We usually run from 6-8 pm. Wednesday night work bees are a “Rain or Shine” affair. I draw the line at snow which may seem funny but last year on May 16^th we had this:

Taken from my front door. I'm hoping Mother Nature has a kinder plan for us this year.
I am still working on task assignments but hope to have that wrapped up this weekend. I will email everyone when that is done.

Greenhouse

I'm doing the greenhouse a little bit different this year and will only be offering space for 6 gardeners. I found last year that we had a lot of donations with no one to take care of them and often in pots that were too small to even withstand a day's lack of watering. I currently have three gardeners expressing interest so if you are interested shoot me an email and I'll make the space happen for you.

Planting
The general rule of thumb for the "safe to plant" date is any time after the Victoria Day weekend, this weekend in fact. I've been keeping an eye on the seven day forecast and Environment Canada is still forecasting below zero temperatures for next week. I know some of you have planted already and if your seed is underground it should probably be fine. The growth may be a bit delayed because of the cooler nighttime temps but I don't think it is anything to worry about. I wouldn't suggest any transplants yet, if you intend to use them. Even with the aid of row cover, they may suffer some damage. As for when to safely plant? I would say sometime in the latter part of the next two weeks.

Water
The City of Whitehorse will not hook up our water system until the frost is out of the ground (very slow this year) and all risk of freezing has passed. This is one more reason that it may be a good idea to hold off on planting. I will let everyone know when it is in place.

Biffy

The port-a-potty should be in place for this weekend in its usual spot behind the shed. Please use at your own risk. I do not clean it nor do I take care of it but it will be emptied once a week. Be courteous to the next user when you do use it. I usually keep a couple extra rolls of toilet paper in the shed should the need arise.

I think that's it for now. If you have any questions at all, please shoot me an email. I hope to see many of you on the weekend and until then, enjoy the returning Robins and the beautiful Crocus' on those southern exposed ridges. I haven't seen any dandelions yet, have you?

2013 Garden Sign Up

Our annual sign up date has been set! April 6th at the Whitehorse Food Bank (306 Alexander Street) from 12 noon - 2pm.
This is a sign up only. Bed assignment and orientation will follow at a later date in May (to be announced). Fees required for sign up for a new members are as follows:
$20.00 annual membership fee,
$20.00 bed deposit,
 and $5.00 key deposit (for shed)
For a total of $45.00

If you are a returnng member from last year, you need only pay the annual membership fee of $20.00 and possibly the key deposit if you require another key.

Sign up is first come, first serve and each gardener is allowed to sign up for one plot only. Those gardeners who fulfilled their volunteer hours from last season and wish to return, are given first choice and preference to their existing plots or a new plot if they choose to move.

Any questions can be directed to me, Kathryn, at dugsyukon@hotmail.com.

Look forward to seeing both new and familiar faces! See you then.

2012 AGM

We're a little late but we will be holding our 2012 AGM on Wednesday, January 30th at Maryhouse (506 Cook Street). It will be the usual potluck affair at 6 p.m. followed by the meeting at 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome. Come meet the board! Come join the board! Or just stop in to say hi!

Fall is Here!

Hello all,

Fall is upon us. I just have a few little updates for you.

PARSo far, this season, we've donated 187 lbs of produce to the Whitehorse Foodbank through our Plant -A- Row initiative. If anyone has any of their harvest they would like to donate for the program, mark it in your garden with a marker from the shed and I will collect it or feel free to harvest it yourself and drop off at the Foodbank. If you do drop it off yourself, I ask that you let me know the weight so I can add it on to our grand total. On a side note, in case anyone has marked their lettuce and wondered why I haven't taken it, it is likely that it is just too bitter. Summer heat (not an issue for us!), not enough water, plant maturation and too little/too much nitrogen can all lead to a bitter crop. I've heard, but not tested, that leaving the lettuce in your fridge for a couple days can help take away the bitter taste.

Bed Clean Up
When you harvest your crops be sure to put all compostable waste into the main compost. If you have a really weedy bed, please do not put the weeds into the main compost but rather into the weed compost. Even better, separate the two and put them in their respective spots. After you've cleaned out your plot turn the soil about a shovel's depth and leave it to breath for the winter. This also helps if you've had any problem with root maggots or other pests by exposing the larvae to the colder temperatures, and hopefully killing them, over winter. The deadline for bed clean out is September 30th especially if you plan to not return and wish to claim your bed deposit. I must be notified prior to the end of the month if this is your intention.

Volunteer Hours
All volunteer hours have been tracked and recorded and totals can be found here. These numbers are all based from what you've written down in the shed on the record sheets. If you feel your total is incorrect or if you worked hours that you did not write down, please let me know and I will get it sorted.

Work Bees
Work Bees will continue until the end of the month and I will likely hold one final Saturday work bee to put the garden away for the winter and as a chance for those of you who still need hours to redeem yourselves. This usually ends up being weather dependant so I will let everyone know as we get a bit closer to the end of the month.

 If people are looking for extra tasks, the compost always needs attention. Whatever is in the bins needs to be spread on top of the pile. If there is any early season compost by the sifter, it needs to be sifted. All the common trench areas should be free of weeds and grass. The water will likely be shut off in the next week or so as the colder temps move in.

That's all for now. Enjoy your weekend!

Harvest Social, Volunteer Appreciation & Rhubarb Rendezvous

Attention Gardeners!
Mark your calendars!

Harvest Social, Volunteer Appreciation &a Rhubarb Rendezvous Event!

The great “Rhubarb Rendezvous” is returning as the theme for this year’s Harvest Social. This is our way to show our appreciation for our many gardeners, volunteers and friends.

~ Three events have been rolled into one! ~

Plan to drop by for a rhubarb-themed snack and beverage, and to take home some rhubarb recipes. Take a break from the usual Wednesday work bee, have a nibble and socialize!

When: 7:00 – 8:00 pm on Wednesday, August 15th

Where: Whitehorse Community Garden,

in the main (north) garden, over by the shed

Why: To socialize and to show our appreciation for our

gardeners, volunteers and friends of the garden.

~ For more info contact Randy at 633-4379 ~

Plant a Row and things...

Hello Everyone,

I hope everyone is staying warm in this cool windy weather which feels like a really strange thing to say in the middle of July!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I've started dropping of veggies at the Food Bank. Last week was my first drop off with 3 lbs of spinach and 3 of radishes. Small but welcome!

If any of you have any produce that you don't think you'll use or have just planted too much than you can handle or just want to donate, mark your plot with one of the PAR (Plant a Row) markers in the shed and I will see that it gets there. Typically, I will be collecting on Wednesday nights at the work bee, sorting, weighing and then dropping off on Thursday mornings. Of course you are always welcome to drop off your own donation. If you do, and if it is convenient, weigh it and let me know as we always like to track our donations from the garden in weight. We don't have a lot of PAR markers but we do have a volunteer working on more for us. If we run out I'll have to come up with something creative. Also feel free to send me an email if there is something really specific in your plot that you would like to donate.

Those of you with plants in the greenhouse, don't forget to water. Even though it is cool outside it can still get pretty warm in the greenhouse and plants, especially as they get larger, will need to be watered regularly.

If anyone is having issues with the gophers, please let me know. I have trapped several already but it doesn't take long for new ones to set up camp. We have a family of about 8 chipmunks living in the garden as well. They have a fondness for some plants, especially peas, but it hard to protect your plot from them short of covering the whole thing in fine mesh. Typically, the babies leave and we have the parents stick around for awhile but more or less it seems like a temporary problem.

I think the water is sorted out now. It seems touch and go. Sometimes there are no problems and then other times we can't get a drop out of the tap. I've talked to the city and they can't seem to locate any kind of disruption in service so we'll just have to deal with it. A big thank you to those volunteers who have been keeping the water barells full.

That's it for now. See you on Wednesday night!