Gardening at the Farm to School Corner

Great news!  Senior students from CMESS are back at the community garden every Monday between 11 - 12.  Looks like they got a lot accomplished this week, the beds are nicely cleaned up.  

Speaking of seed..... FAB-Tahsis teacher Brooke has put out a request for extra seed and/or seedlings that folks are able to donate to the students for their garden plots.  

'We had a fantastic turnout with the students this morning!  Does anyone by chance have any spare seeds or plants that they'd be willing to donate to the Farm to School beds? Preferably things that store well or are harvested in the fall. Thank you in advance!'

TCGS president Kim Anderson further provided examples such as kale, beets, carrots, brussel sprouts, turnips, cabbage, parsnips, onion sets etc.  

Donations may be left in the community garden green house, clearly labelled F2S.  Please contact Kim via Facebook or by email so she can coordinate with Brooke, with sincere appreciation.  

Fall Clean Up Sunday, Sept 22

Fall Clean up at the Garden this Sunday, 10 AM. Bring a bagged lunch and drinking water, tools/gloves.  

A general meeting is planned during our lunch break regarding the Remote Facilities Composting Pilot Program.  

Please see your email for information regarding the pilot program.

Springtime in Tahsis

Warm spring weather is in the forecast for the next 10 days and gardeners are busy, busy, busy.  Beds are looking good, many already planted, some ready for seeds, and some still resting under their winter mulch.  

Thanks to society directors Kim, Rita, Maureen and Terry - who have all contributed to fixing drip issues at the community garden.  Work has been done on the leaking tap at our main water source, and we are waiting on a part to get the drip irrigation going in the greenhouse.  Sorry for the delay, please continue to hand water greenhouse beds until we get this fixed. 


CMESS students have sown seeds in the Farm to School corner, and students also helped clean up the tabletop beds and one of the raised beds.  Thank you CMESS students, Brooke and Terry for all that you do in support of Farm to School. 

We had a quarrel of gold crown sparrows, and quarrel we did.  The wee monsters stripped leaves off brassicas, peas and even the overwintered kale.  Fast acting gardeners placed protective netting over their seedlings. 

Thankfully, these birds are migratory and just passing through.  And following the theme of man against nature, Kim has placed a temporary cover over the black water barrel beside the greenhouse, as it was full of mosquito larvae.  

The community garden society will have a table at the PAC Bazaar, Sunday May 5 from noon til 3.  Many thanks to Kim who has donated a lovely hanging basket for the raffle, and to Rita who has complemented the raffle item with two potted Bleeding Hearts. Rita and Maureen have stepped up to look after the table, sell raffle tickets and welcome any questions you may have about community gardening here in Tahsis.  

There is one raised bed and two tabletop plots available for purchase, if you need more space, or if you are interested in becoming a community garden member.  

And finally, the next General Meeting will take place on Monday, May 27th @ 7 pm.  Venue to be announced.  Happy Gardening! 

January Updates

Welcome new members, Lynn Mohr, Janet St. Denis and Chuck St. Denis. 

Ten members attended the January General Meeting and the minutes have been emailed.  

Of note - there are 2 garden related conferences coming up.  The first is the National Farm to School Conference, May 15-17 in Victoria.  This one is on the island, so no ferries!  If you are interested or know of someone who might be, please share the link with them.  

The second conference is presented by the BC Council of Garden Clubs, of which we have been a member since the garden's inception.  BCCGC is offering a free Visioning Workshop in Surrey on February 23rd. If you happen to be on the mainland, this will be a great learning opportunity.   

We still need a volunteer to manage the Mason Bees.  This is a simple chore and ideal for someone not able to do heavier work, like blackberry slaying.  A job description has been provided by email to all members.  

Thanks and Happy Gardening! 

Summer Solstice Potluck Party June 20th

All Members - Hail the Sunshine!

It's time to celebrate 

the Tahsis Community Garden on the year's longest day. 

Summer Solstice Potluck Party

Wednesday, June 20th at 7 pm

In keeping with last year's event, invitations may be extended to family and friends - just let them know that the garden is a trash free zone and to BYOP (bring your own plate - utensils, etc) along with a dish for sharing. 

AGM Sunday April 15th

Tahsis Community Garden Society

Annual General Meeting

Community Meet & Greet

Tahsis Seniors Centre

Sunday, April 15^th 

1 - 3 pm

Everyone is welcome to join the community gardeners for a social gathering and our AGM.  Potluck dishes are welcomed but optional, snacks and refreshments are provided.  Hear about the projects the Community Garden worked on in 2017, including the drip irrigation project funded by the Tahsis Literacy Society, Farm to School garden improvements, asparagus beds and black gold aka compost.

Become a Member!

The Tahsis Community Garden is a peaceful green gem located at the end of the Riverside Trailer Park.  Surrounded by deer fence, it offers raised bed garden plots, elevated ‘tabletop’ gardens, a large greenhouse, and is the site of the Tahsis Farm to School garden.  The Tahsis Community Garden Society supports Tahsis Days with an annual donation to the Silent Auction as well as presenting the ever-popular Slugfest.  Based on the success of last year’s Summer Solstice Potluck, there are plans to make this an annual event.  Garden volunteers always man a table at the PAC Bazaars – we’ll be at the Spring Bazaar on May 5th.

Gardening has great health benefits including increased exposure to Vitamin D, lowered stress hormone levels, increased physical strength and flexibility, the positive psychological effects of being in nature, and gardeners choose what to grow and harvest their produce at its nutritional peak.

The annual membership fees are $20 for a raised bed, $10 for a tabletop, and greenhouse plots are $10 as an add-on, or $15 as a stand-alone.  Shelving in the greenhouse is free to members for starting their veggies or flowers.

Currently, we have 4 raised beds and 8 tabletop beds available for the 2018 gardening season. 

Membership involves a commitment to participate in the overall maintenance of the garden by helping out at the Spring and Fall work parties and taking on a general chore for the season.

No one is asked to contribute beyond their physical abilities; any undertaking large or small, supports the whole.

The community garden is a registered non-profit society.

Greenways Trust Visit on June 25th

Terry shares his knowledge of micro-biology with demo Farm to School bed at the Tahsis Community Garden

Greenways Trust folk were in Tahsis last Sunday to tour the garden, see market stand 'the Local', enjoy lunch at Westview Marina, and learn about our Farm to School program. The day was capped off with a visit to the newly established Tahsis Farm.  

Many thanks to Karli and Aubrey for playing tour guides.   Have a look at  Tahsis Living Blogspot for a recap of the visit. 

Greenways Trust Visit: Sunday, June 25

Representatives and guests of Greenways Trust will be visiting Tahsis the afternoon of Sunday, June 25th on behalf of the Strathcona Food Security network. 

Visitors will tour the Tahsis Community Garden, gain an understanding about the local F2S and Breakfast Club programs at CMESS, and learn about “The Local” market stand.  

It will be a great opportunity for networking and connecting with others about the challenges of food security in remote communities.  

For more information, please contact alanna@greenwaystrust.ca 

Drip Demo May 28th

"Another shout out to 

Terry, Silvie, Maureen & Mervin, Bill & Catherine 

for showing off the community garden today. 

Terry and Silvie for the hands on irrigation system 

demo in the greenhouse. I think the public has a 

better understanding of how it all goes together 

and the different watering options that are 

available depending on what you are growing. 

 I know I do. Great job everyone!!"

- Kim, TCGS President

Garden volunteers were on site Sunday to demo the drip irrigation system.  Thanks to everyone who came out and sincere thanks again to the Tahsis Literacy Society for funding the drip irrigation project.  

The community garden is looking neat and tidy - thank you Terry, Kim, Maureen, Merv, Pat and Jim for stepping up and getting this done the day before.  That's one great haircut! 

The various components of our greenhouse system. 

A hole is punched into the header line to connect either a feeder line for a drip spike, or a soaker line directed to individual plant roots.  

Once connected, this soaker line is laid out 

to direct water to Catherine's tomatoes. 

Terry is growing ginger and melons in the centre bed, 

let's revisit this garden effort in a few weeks! 

,

Terry loops the soaker line around and Bill adds finishing touches to the bed. 

Locally milled cedar from Bill VS will be used

for the Farm to School garden upgrade - it smells wonderful.  

Next whole work project is the F2S beds. We have all the lumber and just waiting for a few more bolts to come in at Tahsis Building Supply. 

Terry will keep us all posted as to when he is ready for our hands on help.

Village administrator Janet stops by to check out our system and tour the garden.  Many thanks to Chuck St. Denis for providing all of these wonderful photographs. 

  

Learn about

Drip Irrigation

at the

Tahsis Community Garden

Sunday, May 28th

from 1 til 3 pm

Everyone Welcome

With great appreciation, the community garden recently received funding from the Tahsis Literacy Society for two drip irrigation systems, one for the Community Garden greenhouse and the other for the Farm to School (F2S) garden area. 

The greenhouse system is operational.  For any community members interested in learning about drip irrigation, garden volunteers will be on hand this Sunday to demonstrate its benefits and provide information on installations.  Drop by anytime between 1 and 3 pm. 

The Farm to School garden is currently ‘under construction’.  Its drip irrigation set up will use three different types of systems, and the installation will provide more of a ‘hands on’ learning experience for community members.  Date of this event to be determined.  A sign-up sheet for the F2S installation will be available on site on Sunday.  

Spring Clean Up April 30th

What a great day at the garden on Sunday!  

President Kim has these words of thanks:

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

To all the members and non members that came out to the work party on Sunday. 😊  You are such a dedicated lot to brave the weather. The Green House  looks FANTASTIC inside and out.  Please do not bring anything back in, we will be installing the irrigation system as soon as it comes in Yippee!   Picnic table and bench are all cleaned as well. Terry was on brambles and planning the new F2S bed design.  All materials will be ordered early next week. So nice to have some students Brody and Seth involved in the garden this year. Oh to be young and limber again...  Was hoping to get some burning done but will have to reschedule that for a drier day 😊  Thanks again for your commitment to maintaining this gem of ours and may the Sun Gods  😎 shine sooner than later.  

Happy Gardening everyone🐝🐝🐝🌞🌞🌞 - Kimberley  

The rain held off (more or less), the greenhouse was cleaned up with avon bubblebath (!), Terry battled blackberries, Kim scrubbed the greenhouse (wash/rinse/repeat), Maureen worked with quiet dedication, Juanita came an hour early, Catherine and Bill dug right in, Silvie cleaned the bench, Cookie made her observations and sought out potential petters, Patricia chipped in and exuded peace, Debbie and Louis stepped right up looking for jobs to accomplish, and newest members Brody & Seth helped with hoses and even got a row of peas planted.  Many thanks to mom Allison for capturing the event with these photos, and for grabbing a sponge and joining in.  

Maureen and Seth

Brody is ready to plant

Kim blasts away at the greenhouse

Peas are planted

 Cleaning up bed 17

A job for our tallest volunteer

Recounting of Ubedam Theatre's great show on the weekend. 

 Long standing volunteer Cookie

Terry gives Silvie the scoop on F2S plans

Debbie and Seth having some fun, clouds held off for the most part.  

Greenhouse Clean Up April 30th

Great News!  

The Tahsis Literacy Society has approved our grant application for funding the Drip Irrigation Project.  

We will be installing drip irrigation in the community garden greenhouse and in the Farm to School garden area.  

We have opted for a variety of drip irrigation systems so that all community members can learn about drip irrigation installations and see what might work best for their own home gardens.  Drip irrigation keeps your plants happy and conserves water. 

But first.... we need to clean up the greenhouse! 

All hands on deck this Sunday, April 30th at 11 AM. 

Let's get her done! 

Planting Crowns On the Queen's Birthday

We finally got a nice sunny day in Tahsis and the timing was perfect - there were 50 asparagus crowns to go into the 

Farm to School garden. 

 

A last minute call went out to CMESS students and a few were able to participate in the planting with Organic Master Gardener Terry. 

Our resident 'Duck Lady' Juanita, suggested that if anyone had a birthday today, that would be a good way to remember the planting.  Resident 'Corgi Lady' Silvie, piped up, 'why it's the Queen's 91st birthday!'

So we planted asparagus crowns on Her Majesty's birthday - and we even had a (royal) Corgi there to supervise, with Maester Percy the Spaniel as (official) Advisor.  

 

Granger digs in.

 

 Beneath the Holly tree, Natasha planted the primroses that were used to decorate the food table at our AGM.  

The Mason Bees will enjoy these.  

Lining up the planting area as 

Cookie the Corgi circles the group. 

Sweet Percy waits for a treat

Beautiful day, thank you Terry for sharing your knowledge and thanks to the young Tahsites who came out to help.  We'll remember this planting day in the years to come when the asparagus is enjoyed @ Farm to School.  

&

♛♛♛ A Happy Birthday to Queen Elizabeth! ♛♛♛

Hail Asparagus! ♛

Our shipment of 100 asparagus crowns from West Coast Seeds  has arrived - 50 for the school garden, and 50 for garden members.  It will be two years before our first harvest, but after that we hope the plants will keep producing for years to come. We are planting Guelph Millennium, all males.  The above link will take you to an article all about asparagus.