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Its a Spring Work Party Weekend!


I know you just looked outside at the rain and thought really? A work party? Yes, this Saturday is our first work party of the year. We are building some of the allotments and the children's garden beds up in height for those of us who cannot bend over yet. Oh I don't know who that could be. Yes, its me. With my new hip I cant bend over at all for a few months which is really crimping my garden style.


Hopefully with the children's beds being a bit higher we can sit and plant with ease. The students are coming back to the garden for a class on April 8 so the beds have to get built.
You didn't hear me mention soil, did you? The soil isn't coming this weekend. It won't arrive until March 21 as we may need a rest after the building this weekend.
So mark your calendars, this Saturday, March 16 is our work party day from 10am -12pm.
We have the tools needed but just need a steady hand to help aligning the boards and moving the lumber where it has to go. This may be a good day to get some tidying up in your plots if time allows. I know I have Kale to move and a few weeds to pull.
Come prepared for mud as the ground is a bit damp but we hope it doesn't pour rain on Saturday.


If you haven't started planning your garden yet, now is the time to get started. You can plant peas and  broad beans anytime now. If you want to know how to grow peas, check out my blog here. Peas are best planted every two weeks so you have a succession of harvests.
If you ordered soil with the group, it will arrive on Thursday, March 21 and there is lots of soil. This soil is ONLY for those who paid in advance so please don't help yourself. Half the soil will be going into the children's garden since it has never been topped up since the community garden opened in 2011. So don't be overwhelmed at the enormous pile when you see it. For those who ordered new soil, you will be getting 1.23 yards of soil to add to your new raised bed. This year we ordered from West Creek Farms in Fort Langley. The soil has been recommended by the master gardeners along with soil from  Eco-soil and Transform. I have tried the soil from West Creek Farms in the past and it doesn't contain any green waste.
Did you want to learn more about gardening? The Corporation of Delta has their spring garden classes starting and they are free. Check out their link here to see what they offer. The first two classes are on organic vegetable gardening.


The students that come to the garden for classes are holding a plant sale in May. We are looking for donations of bone china tea cups. They don't need saucers but we will gladly take them if they do. We are also looking for old teapots that may be missing their lid. The photo above is from last years sale and they sold out in ten minutes. This year we are making four times the quantity we did last year. Phew, I am exhausted thinking about it. Last year the children donated $500 to the local food bank from the plant sale profits.
If you have any questions about your allotments or the work party, I would love to hear from you. Contact me at deltagardener at dccnet.com

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