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Gardening 2014

Last Garden Drop In Times: Sunday, October 26, 2 - 4 pm and Wednesday, October 29, 3 - 5 pm.

Well, this is the last of the news for the garden at Dufferin for this year. This Sunday and Wednesday will be the last garden drop in sessions of the season. Sunday we'll be putting the vegetable beds to sleep for winter what with planting the rest of the garlic, dismantling the bean trellis and spreading compost. Our cold frames need to be repaired too and put in place over the kale and salad greens. Wednesday will be given to tidying up loose ends and eating our green tomatillos in delicious roasted and raw salsas with corn chips after our garden wrap up.

Many thanks to all those who turned out to help us this season! Stay tuned for more garden news in February when we begin seeding our tomatoes in the rink house for next spring.

Drop In Garden Sessions:, October 12, 2 - 4 pm and Wednesday, October 15, 3 - 5 pm

"This the weekend to give thanks and that is what we'll do doing our garden session on Sunday. We are going to celebrate the harvest season with a Green Tomato Party and we'll cook up a tasty mess of green tomatoes from the garden. On the menu will be Fried Green Tomato Pancakes and Green Tomato Pie. We'll enjoy our feast after the regular garden session of harvesting, weeding and watering.

New Drop In Times: Sunday, October 5, 2 - 4 pm and Wednesday, October 8, 3 - 5 pm.

A special shout out to two charming drop in volunteers last Sunday, a pair of neighbourhood kids who helped us plant two donated sycamore seedlings down at the south end. They also enthusiastically helped to mulch and compost other saplings in the park. Our containers of newly planted arugula and salad mix got watered very vigorously too. Kudos for identifying the milkweed plants - special habitat plants for Monarch butterflies.

The upcoming drop in sessions will have different starting times to take advantage of the waning sun.

Gardening Drop In Times: Sunday, September 28 3 - 5pm and Wednesday, October 1, 4 -6 pm.

It's so nice to be working in garden these days, enjoying this truly glorious fall weather we are having. The leaves are beginning to change in the park as we move past the autumn equinox into fall proper.

We've been enjoying many tasty tomatoes that have escaped the blight that has befallen so many farmer's crops this year. Perfect with the last of the basil.Today is the last pizza day of the season in the park from 12 - 2 pm for those that would like to experience these tastes on a wood fired crust.

Gardening Drop In Times This Week: Sunday, September 21, 4 - 6 pm and Wednesday, September, 24, 4 - 6 pm.

Ever optimists despite the cold weather, we have been busy sowing salad greens and arugula in the bare spots in the vegetable beds to harvest later on this fall. The tomatillos are still coming on and the ground cherries are about ready to provide a bountiful crop to be turned into jam (or eaten raw) in another week or so. Some tomatoes have survived the blight and are giving us tasty snacks after our gardening sessions.

Please note that this Sunday's session will start an hour late in order to give everyone time to participate in the rally against climate change downtown. We will meet from 4 - 6 pm this Sunday, September 21 only.

Drop In Sessions this week: Sunday, September 7, 3 - 5 pm and Wednesday, September 10, 4 - 6 pm.

The corn growing in the garden has been a source of admiration and wonder all summer, standing so tall and proud with it's crown of tassels. Surprise, it turns out not to be corn at all. Collette from Urban Harvest identified it as ornamental sorghum, a grain grown mostly in the Southern United States. So, no edible corn cobs this year but we can continue to admire this rare sighting of red sorghum in our Northern garden.

The elderberries that we harvested a week or so ago were put to delicious use in a syrup drizzled on lemon bars for a dessert for the Friday Night Supper. FYI, the suppers continue through September.There is some leftover syrup that the gardeners may enjoy at a later date.....

Dufferin Garden Update August 31 & September 3, 2014

The mantra in the garden these days is weeding, watering and harvesting, chanted three times. That's what we'll be up to tomorrow and Wednesday, weeding the front garden beds, watering the veggie beds and harvesting the greens, beans and kale.

Sunday, Dufferin also hosts the yearly gathering of Morris dancers from many different groups, near and far, who come together to show each other their dances. The garden furnished herbs, nasturtium blossoms and leaves for a tasty herb butter for the dancers to sample on some park bread.

Please note that the forecast tomorrow is for rain showers. The gardening session will be cancelled if it is raining in the afternoon.

Garden Drop In Times: Sunday, August 24, 3 - 5 pm & Wednesday, August 27, 4 - 6 pm.

The gardens are in fine fettle here at the park but they do need maintenance as we know. So over the next few sessions we'll be putting the overgrown perennial beds to rights with some judicious pruning and weeding. We'll also continue harvesting the beans - which made an appearance in the Persian Stew for last Friday Night Supper - salad greens, kale, and small summer squashes. The corn in the three sister's garden is spectacularly high, maybe even as high as the proverbial "elephant's ear".

Drop In Times for Sunday, August 17, 3 - 5 pm and Wednesday, August 20,

4 -6 pm.

There is no denying it, we are past mid summer and almost into fall. The veggie beds are looking bountiful with newly planted greens and the sunflowers are in full bloom in the front of the rink house. This week we'll be doing more maintenance and perhaps making aluminum scarecrows to scare away the sparrows who seem intent on nibbling away at the foliage of the scarlet runner beans that are climbing on the trellis and looking magnificent with their bold flowers.

Garden sessions this week: Sunday August 10, 3-5pm and Wednesday August 13, 4-6pm.

Last week, while we were busy pulling weeds from the fountain garden and finding homes for flowers around the park, our newly planted seedlings came popping up cheerily out of the ground. So the vegetable gardens are now nicely full, with the corn and bean plants reaching sky-high. In fact, this is the first time I can remember that the sparrows have left our bean trellis alone, thank goodness for that! This week we'll continue suckering and tying the tomato plants, adding compost, weeding, and possibly planting some seeds. We'll also thin our kale patch and harvest whatever we can. As always we'll sit together for a snack after the session including a salad with freshly harvested greens and other park treats.

This week's sessions: Sunday Aug 3, 3-5pm; Wednesday August 6, 4-6pm.

We got a generous donation of plants this week, so the Sunday and Wednesday sessions will involve lots of flower planting in the decorative beds around the park. In the vegetable gardens, we'll plant a few more bean and green seeds for a good fall harvest. We'll also keep trellising and removing the suckers from the tomato plants. And if there's time, we've planted so many new seeds in the last couple of weeks that the vegetable gardens need a good dose of compost, so we'll screen some of our veggie compost and add it around plants that need a boost.

 
Garden sessions this week: Sunday July 27, 3-5pm; Wednesday July 30, 4-6pm.

With the garlic now bundled and drying in the rinkhouse, we've got space in the garden to plant more seeds for fall crops. We'll be starting to plant peas as well as more radishes, beets, and greens.

We'll also start tying our tomato plants to their trellises and, now that all the plants are getting so big, we'll make sure to leave some time for harvesting kale, swiss chard, and possibly zucchini.

On Sunday, we'll start our session in the south-east part of the park as we did last week, in the children's pollinator garden.

 
Garden sessions: Sunday July 20, 3-5pm and Wednesday July 23, 4-6pm

We're excited to announce that it's time to harvest the garlic! A truly satisfying activity, and a chance to get at the last corners of the garden with some seeds for fall crops. We'll also tackle the children's pollinator garden down by the cob cafe.

Garden Drop In Times: Sunday, July 13, 3 - 5 pm and Wednesday, July 16, 4 - 6 pm

Our perennial beds are looking lovely and cared for because we've been working our way through the park giving them a wash and a brush up. On the agenda for this Sunday will be tidying the cob garden - weeding, remaking the paths and identifying which perennials survived the arctic vortex of 2013. We'll also find time to plant a few more greens in the veggie gardens because there are a few stray spots to tuck salad greens into.

Sunday, July 6, 3 - 5 pm and Wednesday, July 9, 4 - 6 pm

Here we are at the start of July ( summer at last!) and our vegetable beds are planted and bountiful. Our dauntless volunteers in the Wednesday gardening session harvested serviceberries (also known as Saskatoon berries) that found their way into the Strawberry Shortcake for the Friday Night Supper this week. On Sunday we'll harvest the rest of the sour cherries for next week's dessert.

We really need to tackle the perennial beds so we'll move our way around the park over the next few sessions in addition to regular upkeep in the vegetable gardens.

Garden Drop In Times are Sunday, June 29, 3 - 5 pm and Wednesday, July 2, 4 - 6 pm.

Fruit is coming into season at the park. The cherries are ripe and attracting lots of foraging children these days. The serviceberries must be ready now too so we'll spend a little time harvesting any fruit that may be left over from marauding birds. Let's remember to check the red currants in the rose garden for harvesting.

We have been beavering away in the garden finding homes for stray and lonesome tomato plants. The vegetable beds are looking filled and ready for the rest of the summer. The perennial beds in contrast are looking shaggy and overgrown so we'll be turning our attention to them in the next few sessions.

Garden Drop In Times: Sunday, June 8, 2:00 - 4:00 pm and Wednesday, June 11, 4:00 - 6:00 pm

This weekend will be a planting bonanza. Our tomato seedlings are doing very well and it is time to get them out of their starter pots and into the ground. This Sunday we'll set up the tomato trellises and get those tomatoes settled. We'll also plant bean seeds and flower seeds and find homes for some annuals that have been dropped off by the Parks department. If time permits we'll harvest more nettles to turn into tasty nettle pesto for the pizzas for the farmer's market. As a reward for all this hard work, some rhubarb from the teeming rhubarb patch will become a tasty snack for hungry volunteers.

See you in the garden,

Garden Drop In Times: Sunday, June 1, 2:00 - 4:00 pm and Wednesday, June 4, 4:00 - 6:00 pm.

Working in the garden lately has meant inhaling the aromas of freshly turned earth and garlic chives. The garlic chives are one of the the first edibles to appear and they have been finding their way into a pesto (made with pumpkin seeds and olive oil) as a topping for the market pizzas for the Thursday Farmer's market here at the park. The rhubarb is flourishing too and will make an appearance in a rhubarb lime cordial at this Sunday's drop in session. I've found a recipe that I'm keen to try.

We've got lots planted in the garden - the beets, chard and peas are sprouting and this week we'll tackle the construction of the bean trellis and get it planted up.

Garden Drop In Times: Sunday, May 25, 2 - 4 pm & Wednesday, May 28, 4 - 6 pm

Whilst having our post gardening snack outside on Wednesday, as if on cue, a male Rose - breasted Grosbeak with his scarlet chest perched in the flowering cherry tree for a moment so that we could admire his colouring. The garden certainly attracts all kinds of visitors! This week we'll continue our revamping of the veggie gardens by turning them over, weeding out the crabgrass and maple seedlings and adding compost. We'll also seed some salad greens and begin to harden off the tomato seedlings.

Dufferin Gardening Drop In Times: Sunday, May 18, 2 - 4 pm and Wednesday, May 21, 4 - 6 pm

The park is springing to life with daffodils and tulips blooming, shrubs budding and leaves unfurling on the trees. I noticed the rhubarb coming back to life this week with big crinkly leaves. Our sessions in the veggie gardens have been particularly lovely with all three cherry trees coming into bloom. We've planted beets, kale and spinach outside and started tomatilloes and summer squashes inside. This week we'll focus on preparing more garden beds for planting peas and carrots and we'll get to some lingering rose bushes that need pruning.

This week is Rachel's last as we bid farewell to her for the summer. Come on out and say goodbye before she leaves to do her internship in sunny Madrid!

Garden Volunteer Drop In Times: Sunday, May 11, 2 - 4 pm and Wednesday, May 14, 4 - 6 pm.

This week we are moving outside to plant cold tolerant veggies such as spinach, peas and beets, for reals, this time! I sourced lots of seeds from Urban Harvest at the Dufferin farmer's market, so we have some interesting heirloom varieties to plant. Our seedlings in the rink house are coming along nicely and if time permits we might start some tomatilloes and summer squash inside to give them a head start for the warmer weather.

Please note that we have a new time to volunteer in the garden on Wednesdays in addition to Sundays.

NEW! Dufferin Gardening Drop In Time, Wednesday, May 7, 4 - 6 pm

We have a new drop in time beginning this Wednesday, May 7, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. Come on out to help us complete the clean up of the perennial beds around the park this week.

Garden Drop In Time: Sunday, May 4, 2:00 to 4:00 pm

This week's session focuses on veggies!

Our tomato seedlings are doing very nicely in the rinkhouse and have grown their first set of true leaves. It is time to repot them to give them room to grow, so we'll be spending time indoors this Sunday to do this. Next, we'll be moving outside to plant in the veggie gardens. It's time to plant cold weather tolerant crops such as spinach, beets and peas so we'll be prepping garden beds with compost and sowing seeds.

We may begin our Wednesday volunteer sessions next week so stay tuned for further details.

Garden Drop In Time: Sunday, April 27, 2:00 to 4:00 pm

Yesterday I saw the splendid sight of the tips of green garlic shoots poking their tips out of the soil in the vegetable gardens. We'll have garlic to harvest in June! The kale has overwintered well in the cold frame too. On the other hand, as I was turning the compost in the bins, I found a layer of frozen sludge in our resting bin. Winter finds it hard to give up but I thinks we can safely say that warmer weather is here to stay. In the next few weeks we'll be able to plant cold tolerant veggies such as spinach and peas. This week however, we'll continue our clean up of the perennial beds around the park.

Garden Drop In Time: Sunday, April 20, 2 - 4 pm. Snacks Provided.

We'll be moving outside to clean up the garden beds this Easter Sunday. Our perennial beds are in need of tidying to allow the new shoots to push through after our very long and cold winter. Rachel Weston will be joining us and she'll be able to help identify the native plants and perennials in the beds around the park. The indoor seeding is mostly done and the tomatoes and herbs are sprouting nicely on the window sills of the rink house. Looking ahead, we might give some native flowers a head start if time permits and the compost bins are in dire need of revamping too.

Garden Drop In Time: Sunday, April 13, 2 - 4 pm

We've planted tomatoes, basil and parsley in the seeding trays and this Sunday we'll seed eggplant, peppers and onions. All these plants need a head start indoors before being planted out in the garden so that they'll reach maturity in our very short summers. We'll also head outside and start cleaning up the perennial beds, weather permitting, to help along the spring bulbs.

First Dufferin Gardening Session, April 6, 2-4 pm

I heard from a seed vendor at Seedy Saturday that the red wing blackbirds have returned to the city, a sign that spring has truly arrived! It is also a sign to begin seeding indoors.

Spring has finally come to Toronto and we are going to celebrate by having our first gardening session on Sunday, April 6, 2014 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm inside the rinkhouse in the northwest corner of the park. Please come join us as we prepare to seed the tomatoes and other plants ( basil, parsley, peppers and eggplants) that need a head start on the growing season due to Toronto's short, short summer.

If you can't join us on Sunday, not to worry, our regular garden sessions have started for the season. We will meet every Sunday in the rinkhouse during the spring. Look for the weekly garden news update in your email box.


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