Angela and Joanne visited Strathcona Community Garden to view their apple pressing process and composting area. This 3-acre garden was transformed from the False Creek mudflats and city garbage dump into a flourishing community garden that has served as the model for a city-wide community gardening program.
The Garden includes a heritage apple orchard with over 600 espaliered trees, a herb garden for the use of local residents along with bee keeping, composting programs, and an acre set aside for wildlife.
This blog has highlights of the trip for general garden, composting and apple pressing.
Be sure to sign up for the Composting Workshop September 17th with Angela Hoy and Save the Date for the return of our Apple Day on October 1st.
The Garden
Pictured below from left to right: the mature espaliered orchard with many dozens of trees; the wisteria walkway which must be a delight in the Spring making a return visit for sure; their ample greenhouse; and solar panels on a shed roof (we do plan to add another solar panel to our shed).
The Composting System
We also visited the composting area where we found Carla Frankel and several other volunteers hard at work chopping, sifting and barrowing in contributions to the massive pile of material to be processed. Pictured below: The “Advice” Board; There are 9 bins which are emptied in rotation. A new one is being started to the left of the “Advice” picture; Carla and Angela - Blackcurrant prunings root very easily, and Angela took the opportunity whilst at Strathcona to rescue some and take them home for planting and, if successful, to move them to RPCG to join the Berry Patch; Sifting finished compost. The sieve doubles as a front for the bay when not in use. We also saw the pile of mature horse manure from Southlands Farm for kick starting the compost!
Apple Pressing
In preparation for our RPCG Apple Day, October 1st, we wanted to see the process at Strathcona Community Garden. We are pleased that we may borrow the mulcher – 1st pass on the apples – that you see below in the two pictures on the left. The equipment for the 2nd step we are looking to the Tool Library to source. The equipment at Strathcona shown on the right below is not very portable for us to use.
