Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Urban Gardening Workshop August 14, 2010

Curious about growing your own food? Ever wondered how a plant a garden? Have a
planting project and want to get advice from experts? Then this workshop is for you!

Falls Brook Centre, in collaboration with Landless Gardeners, will be hosting a workshop
on urban gardening. Farming guru, Shannon Herbert, with many years experience in
gardening and animal husbandry, will be leading the workshop. She will be providing
participants with an understanding of the ins and outs of gardening.

Topics covered in the workshop include: companion planting; urban gardening methods
and projects; backyard composting and vermiculture; beneficial insects; seed saving,
and; urban gardening as building activism. The workshop will provide an opportunity for
classroom discussion as well as hands on applications, so that participants can walk away
with the experience needed to start their own gardening projects.

If you have a garden project in mind, be sure to bring your questions and ask the experts.
This is your chance to get advice on how to make your project a success.

This weekend workshop runs from 9-5 both Saturday, August 14th. Registration fee is
$25 for the day. Lunch is not included, but the workshop will be a 5 minute walk from
Fredericton’s Farmers Market, or bring your own. Space is limited, so book your spot
today!
For more information on this workshop and to register, please contact Greg LeBlanc,
workshop coordinator – by email: greg@fallsbrookcentre.ca or by phone: (506) 375-
4310.


Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Companion Planting

This year, with a little bit of experience under our belts, we decided to try out some different techniques (like the square foot beds we wrote on in the last post). We wanted to learn about complementary plants before we planned out what crops to plant where. Companion planting "...assist in the growth of others, be it attracting beneficial insects, naturally regulating pests, repelling harmful insects, providing nutrients, part of a biological pest control program, and in some cases simply a shaded microclimate or climbing support" (Wikipedia).

A little research on the web gave us an idea of what to plant with what and as was mentioned in the last post, the square foot beds would be perfect for mixing crops.


Here are some of the companions you might try:

* Lettuce & Carrots
* Onion & Lettuce
* Peas & Beans
* Cucumber & Beans
* Beans & Carrots
* Beets & Sage



This season, we started out planting some of the above companions.. but Mother Nature sometimes has other plans. As the season has progressed, we have noticed a few beds where our seeds were not germinating. Because of this, we were able to put into practice one of the big lessons we learned last year about growing a garden: If it doesn't grow, move on!

Last year, we ended up with a lot of empty spaces because we kept hoping plants would germinate--if only we gave them time. However, as we have learned, the season in central New Brunswick is short and sweet. When something is not growing, a gardener should get in there and replace it. You could call 2010 the Landless Gardeners' "year of being ruthless"--we give seeds the time they need to germinate but if nothing comes up, we put in a new crop! This type of ruthlessness has meant our companion planting plan has definitely strayed a bit. Perhaps next year when we have learned even more about our soil and sun exposures, we will be able to plan even better.