Guided work party report

May 11, 2022 from Angela Hoy

We had 13 volunteers! Be sure to sign up for work parties. Click here to sign up for May sessions. . Click here for the June-Sept schedule. We are hiring a Work Party lead. Email Joanne for information.

We discussed the next phase of planting, the summer vegetables, which will take place in June; it is still far too chilly at nights for warmer season vegetables like beans and squash/cucumber/tomatoes.  We had a bit of a chilly breeze but no rain, so were able to continue weeding the vegetable beds, especially the Broad Bean and Pea beds which had sprouted hundreds of tiny unwanted seedlings.  And the rest of the 'volunteer' potatoes were removed from the Garlic, which looks almost ready for harvest (end of June).  Most of the spring planting seedlings generously supplied by Urban Roots Giving Gardens have now found homes, but we planted a few Chard and Parsley plants, and the remainder were shared between the volunteers.  We have more than enough Chives of our own, so these were donated to the Produce Library. As we had manpower available, we took the opportunity to completely turn the compost:  a barrowload of finished compost was added to the herb bed where the new Parsley was planted, after which Bin 2 was turned into Bin 3, and Bin 1 turned into Bin 2.  Not much heat, but hundreds of tiny creatures toiling away in there!  At the end of the session we were treated to delicious home-made rhubarb muffins and Mint tea , very welcome!

Our gardens' impact in the community

Check out our infographic highlighting the Riley Park Community Garden and its’ impact in the community during the past two years living with Covid. We are proud of the community in which we live and work, the volunteers who garden and support our work in other ways. While restrictions have lifted at this time, we ask our community to respect the preferences of our neighbours and that masks are welcome. Email Joanne for more information and to get involved.

Guided work party report April 10th

We had a real mix of weather today, sunshine, cool winds, hail and rain! However, our keen volunteers laboured away at pruning and clearing away foliage from the Rewilder and Pollinator beds, weeding as they went.  Some more compost from the huge heap on the car park was spread on the Espalier Orchard and some of our own compost around the replanted strawberries and blueberry bushes. Next to the blueberry bushes there are two large clumps of comfrey growing, some fo which is destined for the compost bin as it is an excellent accelerator.  A large group worked on the vegetable beds, turning and digging in the cover crop to prepare the beds for root crops and potatoes which will go in as soon as the soil warms up a bit. Angela Hoy

Be sure to sign up for our guided work parties - click through on the event calendar on our home page - and get in touch to learn of other volunteer opportunities in the gardens.

We are also looking for a gardener or farmer to run our guided work parties. This is a part-time paid opportunity. Email Joanne for more information.