Have you collected and dried seed stalks this summer and now are trying to figure out how to extract and clean the seed? Or are you interested in seed saving/seed security, but not sure how to go about the actual process?

Nanaimo Community Gardens Society volunteers are bringing the Farm Folk City Folk Seed Cleaning trailer to the Nanaimo North Public Library parking lot on Sunday, September 29 from 1-3 for drop in seed cleaning.

This is a great opportunity to learn some basics of seed saving for this year or next! As well as speed up some of the more tedious processes.

We’re hoping to share a portion of the seeds cleaned with the Seed Library at VIRL. As well we will be assessing which of the more simple tools Nanaimo Community Gardens Society might be able to make available locally through our proposed Garden/Food Preservation tool library! See you there! #farmfolkcityfolk #vancouverisland #nanaimo #seedsaving #growyourownfood

When:  Saturday, July 20, 10-2pm

Where: Beban Learning Garden – Between the VIEX barns and the minigolf in Beban Park.

This free event offers a blend of practical knowledge, hands-on demonstrations, sustainability and community-building activities, making it a must-attend for anyone passionate about gardening.

Highlights include:

– **Winter and Fall Vegetable Transplant Sale **: Vegetable transplants appropriate for fall or overwinter garden. Lots of advice on what to seed through the rest of the year.

– **Kids K-5 garden activities.

Free Demos and Workshops

– **Tool Sharpening and Care  Workshops & Demos**: Learn how to keep your garden tools in top condition from experts.

– **Winter and Fall Gardening**: Tips for extending your gardening season through plant selection and timing.

Click here for Dorothee’s Fall/Winter Gardening Resources

**Garden Tool Selection**: Expert advice on choosing the right tools for various gardening tasks.

– **Winter Crop Protection Demos**: Practical demonstrations on protecting crops from winter weather.

– **Weeds and Their Past**: Understanding the history, identification and control of common garden weeds.

– **Garden Soil Improvement**: Strategies for enhancing soil health and fertility.

– ** Bring your own (manual) garden tools needing repairs to the event! Volunteer fellow gardeners will be available to coach you on basic repairs, as well as basics of daily sharpening, as we interpret it!

We’re also rolling out information on our new Garden and Gleaning Tool Library to be located at our Pine Street Garden! Check out our info booth!

We will be actively looking for donations of garden tools, fruit picking tools, fruit and vegetable processing equipment (dryers, grain mill, basket pickers, fancy hoes, pruners, shovels, rechargeable equipment, and more).  Contact info@ncgs.ca for info on tools needed and process to donate.

We are thankful to the City of Nanaimo for their support in these Reduce/Reuse/Share tool sustainability projects.

Follow Nanaimo Community Gardens Society facebook page and this page for updates on this event and workshop schedule.

We welcome returns and donations of:

4″ Square pots (sometimes called 3.5″)

Our waterproof plant labels.

Gallon pots are nice but we don’t use them as much.

These items can be dropped off at the Beban Learning Gardens entrance in front of the gate. Volunteers check daily for reusable pots.

We don’t use other plant pots in our production greenhouse. Any pots dropped off which we can’t use go into a free box outside our gates and they are typically picked up by passersby within a week. For a large donation of plant pots we don’t use, we will try to find another organization or grower who can.

We also re-use our labels when possible so return those too!

Below is a photo of the only items that we reuse – gallon pots, 3.5″ – 4″ pots, and our labels.

In cooperation with the city of Nanaimo, our society offers horticultural workshops year round. Check out the city’s spring/summer 2024 Activity Guide for registering for the following workshops (find listed at Adult – special interest workshops – gardening and horticulture), Youth are also welcome.

 

Garden Planning Basics

Learn about how to choose from different varieties of vegetables to help you achieve the results that you want to achieve.  Learn how much to grow for your size of family, and considerations for infrastructure, like trellises and cold frames.  Learn how to plan for a rotation of crops that will keep you in vegetables all year round.  This is especially important with prices of food rising.  It is totally achievable to have at least some fresh food to eat all year round in our climate with the right planning.  This course goes well with the Crop Protection Class.

Cost: $20 per person

Location: Beban Learning Gardens, Beban Park, 2300 Bowen Rd (between the VIEx grounds and the golf course)

Date: Sun March 10, 1pm – 3pm

Instructor: Connie Kuramoto

 

 

Laugh at the Weather – Crop Protection for Gardeners (Learning Greenhouse and Cold Frame Basics)

Learn about different types of crop protection including protective cloth, cold frames, shading, and greenhouses.  Learning to control the environment is one of the most beneficial things you can do as a grower, especially with our changing and unpredictable climate, and the extremes of weather that can come with it.  We will talk about different types of materials to use, and some tips and tricks for good environmental control. This class goes well with the Garden Planning Class.

Cost: $20 per person

Location: Beban Learning Gardens, Beban Park, 2300 Bowen Rd (between the VIEx grounds and the golf course)

Date:  Sat March 23, 10am – noon

Instructor: Connie Kuramoto

 

Saving Seeds

Plan now to save seeds this summer and fall.  By knowing what varieties to grow, which plants to save seeds from, and which ones are more difficult you can set yourself up with an abundance of your own seeds for the following year that are locally adapted to your garden.  Learn about the difference between open pollinated, and hybrid seeds, and which seeds are best and easiest to save and grow on the following year.  Also covered will be seed viability and germination tests.

Cost: $20 per person

Location: Bowen Park

Date: Sat April 20th, 2024 1-3pm

Instructor: Connie Kuramoto

 

Feeding Your Soil, Feeding Your Garden

Sometimes takes a while to have good, built-up soil. When you are just starting your garden or under stressful environmental conditions, plants may benefit from some supplemental feeding.  Learn about the benefits of natural liquid fertilizers, and how to make some of your own, using compost, weeds, and other readily available materials.  We will talk about compost teas, inoculating your soil with beneficial microbes, and making herbal teas for your plants. Liquid teas and fertilizers are easy to use and can give your plants that boost they need to ripen sooner, produce bountifully and provide your family with lots more food.  If you ever watched your garden stall, or wondered what to do to get it to produce more food, this class is for you.

Cost: $20 per person

Location: Pine St Community Garden, 271 Pine St (behind the parking lot)

Date: Saturday May 4^th 1-3pm

Instructor: Connie Kuramoto

 

 Basic Fruit Tree Pruning

 Our expert pruner will show you how to care for young and old fruit trees and grape vines in your yard. This is the workshop to attend to get hands-on learning in basic pruning techniques. Bring a camera or notebook and questions for this hands-on workshop.

Cost: $20 per person

Location: Beaufort Park Food Forest

Date: Sunday March 24, 2024 10am-noon

Instructor: Scott Wiskerke

 

Summer Pruning

If you thought pruning was just a winter activity, you have to try summer pruning!  Besides the beautiful weather, your trees can get many benefits from a summer shearing including less sucker growth and possibility of disease.  Be prepared to be outside for 2 hours. Bring your pruners and questions for this workshop.

Cost: $20 per person

Location: Beaufort Park Food Forest

Date: Sun July 7, 2024, 10am-noon

Instructor: Scott Wiskerke

 

 

 

In late fall, we received a donation of Sea Soil and it will be used in the transplant mix used to start seedlings. Volunteers in the greenhouse have been working all winter, saving  and ordering seeds, sorting and counting pots, making and cleaning labels and creating lists and timelines for what to seed and when.

 

Soon, the earliest seeds will be started and before long, the greenhouse will be full of flats of seedlings that need to be transplanted. Each pot is carefully planted by volunteers in a soil mix that has been perfected by volunteers and includes Sea Soil. This mix will nurture seedlings until they are sold or donated.

 

 

The seedlings are weeded, watered and cared for by volunteers until they are ready for sale or donation in April and May. Lots of volunteer hours go into producing these seedlings and businesses like Sea Soil are crucial to our success.

 

 

Seedlings are sold at our plant sales in the spring. Some seedlings will be donated to local organizations and gardens to help people grow more food in Nanaimo.

 

 

Sea Soil has donated enough that we will be able to use some Sea Soil in the raised beds used to grow veggies for the Good Food Box. This year there are plans to expand the amount of food donated. THANK YOU SEA SOIL for helping us!

 

Photos – courtesy Sibylle Dorn, Zurich

Thank you to all tree owners and volunteers who made the 2023 Gleaning Program so successful. Great weather during spring pollination and clear summer skies with occasional rain allowed trees to ripen most of their fruit and the yield was above average. In the Program’s 21st year of operation, 12,045 lbs were picked from June to November. Fruit yield was quite good in the entire region, especially in comparison to 2022 which was a very low yield year on the Island, mainland and into Washington State. Since 2003 the program has harvested and distributed over 250,000 lbs of fruit and produce.

 

The fruit picking started with cherries then moved to plums, transparent apples, more plums, apples, figs, Asian pears, pears, prune plums, persimmons and kiwis. Local farmers also allowed picks of corn and squash from their fields.

 

At its height, the Gleaning Program had 79 gleaners which went on 111 picks throughout Nanaimo and region and contributed 358 hours of volunteerism to the Program.

The proportion of produce donated to agencies or left on the Harvest Exchange Table in 2023 was around 45% which is much than a normal year of around 30%. The Harvest Exchange Table was full with a variety of less perishable produce like apples, pears, grapes and squash from July to November.

 

If you are interested having your tree picked or becoming a volunteer in the 2024 Gleaning Program, check our Gleaning Page in April or email gleaning@ncgs.caand ask to be added to the mailing list. You will be send an email in April with orientation dates happening in May and June.