A start to 2016

With garden plan and soil ready, we've begun our 2016 seeding. We've planted radish, spinach and lettuce seeds.

We're also very proud of volunteer David who has been honoured as the “Gardener of the Year” by the Lethbridge and District Horticultural Society.

Gardener of the Year

Our first harvest

Yesterday (June 23), we harvested our first produce - 22 lbs of spinach!

Heat units!

The garden is beginning to flourish. On Thursday, 13 volunteers met to weed the garden, thin carrots and seed lettuce.

On Friday, the first produce was harvested! Lettuce and spinach were delivered the the Interfaith Food Bank.

What we learned? Water the lettuce well before harvesting, harvest when it is as cool as possible or have water in the harvest tub to keep the lettuce from wilting. The gourmet mix proved to be hardier after harvest than the other lettuces (Grand Rapids).

Seeding and weeding

On June 9, the Lettuce and Spinach team seeded more lettuce and spinach.

And hoed up weeds.

Shannan had a few plants left over from her home garden so these were planted as experimental crops.
Leeks, parsley, rosemary, basil and cantalope.

Emergence

Peas are up!

So are the beets!

Lettuce, spinach and carrots have begun to emerge. We dug down to check on the beans and they have germinated.

And the tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and marigolds are beautiful.

More lettuce & spinach

The Lettuce Team is planning on seeding more lettuce and spinach Wednesday, June 9 after work. They'll also do some weeding. If you wish to help, meet at the Garden between 4 and 4:30pm.

Lettuce & Spinach varieties in our garden

Lettuce

Gourmet Mix-Canada No. 1

Lettuce

Grand Rapids-Mckenzie Seeds

Spinach

Bloomsdale Long-Mckenzie Seeds

planting

After a setback of snowfall, the planting of the garden has begun in earnest. Carrots, beets, spinach and lettuce have been planted and peas and beans will be in the ground this evening. The peppers and eggplant have been transplanted as they have outgrown their pots. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant will be planted outdoors once the chance of frost has passed (typically, after this upcoming weekend).