It’s that time of year again! Following our recent AGM, it’s time to complete your membership contract and send in your dues by etransfer to treasurer(at)maplecommunitygarden(dot)ca OR bring cash/cheque at 9:30am on Sunday March 10.
Located on West 6th Avenue in Kitsilano between Maple Street and Cypress Street.
Contact: info@maplecommunitygarden.ca
See below a map of the sections of the garden; All sizes and placements are approximate and are provided as indications only:
Photo: Bruce Marlin http://www.cirrusimage.com/
Here is a link to an excellent article about the invasive Japanese Beetle, provided by metrovanccouver in collaboration with the UBC Botanical Gardens.
Here is a link to a Vancouver Sun article about the Japanese beetle: 5 Thing to know about the Japanese beetle.
Here is a second link about the beetle from the BC Landscape & Nursery Association: Urgent Notice
Mason Bee Hotel to be installed in the Children’s Garden
The hotels were made by the Grade 8 design students of St. John’s School.
Come out and ask the students any questions you might have and join in the celebration. A big thank you goes to Krista for setting this up for the garden.
1) This is the time of year to start thinking about bulbs for spring if you wish. Choose healthy, firm bulbs and store in a cool, dry place [then plant according to the directions for each type of bulb] over the next couple months. Adding a small amount of bone meal in each hole when planting will help establish the root system and promote flowering. Here are planting levels, heights and bloom times for common bulbs:
longfield-gardens.com
2) Keep weeding and deadheading, and keep grass trimmed in and around your plot as usual.
3) Keep picking produce regularly, and also herbs for drying so you can have a little taste of summer later in the year!
4) When summer veggies and flowers are finished, remove the spent plants and compost healthy parts of the plants.
5) Please do not compost diseased leaves, shoots and plants. If disease-causing spores, fungus or viruses are present, they will survive in compost. Information on Club Root, recently discovered in Section 3, will be posted soon. The principles to avoid the spread of Club Root disease are the same as Rust and Blight. Please take a moment to review the information and photos about disease management to help keep all Maple Community Garden plots healthy http://maplecommunitygarden.ca/gardening-resources/disease-management/
6) It’s also a good time to harvest seeds from flowers in your gardens to save for next year. If you’re inspired, throw some over the North fence so we can create a bit of a wildflower garden out there and provide more food for the bees too J
7) Begin fall garden cleanup of your plot. All plots must be cleared of summer/fall weed growth and all finished plants by November 1 [as per Annual Contract].
8) You can amend your soil with Dolomite lime (1 cup for each of our small beds should do) and then one week later add mushroom manure or compost. Dig in some organic fertilizer as well (see recipe below) and you are ready to plant fall veggies.
9) Maple Community Garden is an organic gardening area, and organic fertilizer contains many micronutrients of value for plants which release slowly without washing away as fast as chemical fertilizers.
Recipe for Homemade Organic Fertilizer
2 parts Blood meal Nitrogen (N)
3 parts Bone meal Phosphorus (P)
1 part Kelp meal Potassium (K)
The above ingredients are found at most garden centres and feed stores, and this recipe provides an N-P-K ratio of approximately 4-5-4 to 5-8-5. Nitrogen promotes vigorous growth, phosphorus improves flowering and root system growth, and potassium assists with fruit quality, root growth and reduction of disease.
10) Set out transplants and seedlings of fall/winter vegetables like Spinach, Lettuce, Purple flowering Broccoli, Chard and Kale in September and then plant Garlic later in October – have fun!
What a summer we have had – after such a looong and cool spring the summer arrived with a bang with incredible lushness not to mention the heat! We are very fortunate in urban Vancouver that we haven’t had to deal with the chaos being experienced in BC Interior communities – but did get a taste of the challenges that some communities face with a compromised air quality – a true dystopian feel and look in our fair City. The recent rain was welcome that cleared things up! A few images from our garden.
Early morning in the garden – a red sunrise
Beauty sweet peas
Busy bee, pink yarrow, yellow tansy and gorgeous volunteer globe thistle
This wee bee was found sleeping in Section A japanese anemone – I think I disturbed getting a little close!
It’s always amazing the variety one finds in everyone’s gardens – a few spring images from section 1 – please sun come back in full force! We miss you
Edible pea blossom
Biscuit loves maple community gardeners!
Poppy lifecycle – from blossom to seed pod
Johnny Jump up and traditional tobacco seedling
One of our fellow gardeners was injured last year when sap got in his eye while pruning a Euphorbia during a work party, so some background information is being provided here to help people take proper precautions when handling plants from this family.
There are over 2000 species of Euphorbia including very common houseplants like crown of thorns and poinsettia. Their beauty, hardiness and ease of growing are making a lot of the varieties popular. However, with increased use of these plants, there are more people being exposed to the potential of an allergic reaction.
Euphorbia plants bleed a milky sap or latex which is highly toxic. This sap is an irritant to the skin, nose, mouth and eyes, and can also cause severe discomfort if eaten. If you have children of ages where all the world is a “tasting” opportunity, it may be safer not to grow euphorbia.
Many common plants like wisteria, hydrangeas, mums, English ivy, oleander and azaleas are toxic as well, but only if they are eaten. Since it the sap of the euphorbia which is toxic, people are much more likely to come in contact with it. If you have ever had a poinsettia, you know that even breaking a single leaf off results in the milky sap gushing out from the stem.
Here are a few of the most common euphorbias:
Euphorbia Epithymoides [Wikipedia]
Euphorbia Serrata [Wikipedia]
Euphorbia Characias [Salt Spring Gardens]
Please treat Euphorbia plants with a healthy respect, and keep the sap away from your skin, eyes, nose and mouth.
A quick but urgent reminder that one of the world’s 100 worst invasive species – European Fire Ants [Myrmica rubra] were discovered at VanDusen Garden a few years ago. Some areas along the Arbutus corridor are already infested. These ants are aggressive and can deliver a painful sting when disturbed, though this rarely leads to allergic reaction needing medical treatment. They establish and spread colonies rapidly, and do not have obvious mounded nests, which makes them difficult to control.
European Fire Ants can be easily transferred through the movement of infested garden material. To help prevent the spread of these ants, avoid sharing soil, mulch or plants with others. Thoroughly check newly purchased plants and soil before introducing them to your garden and if there is any ant activity in it at all, do not put it in your garden.
If you are stung or uncover what may be a European Fire Ant colony in your plot:
– notify the MCG Executive immediately by emailing info@maplecommunitygarden.ca
– collect some ants in a sealed container, if possible, so the City of Vancouver IPM Coordinator can verify whether they are European Fire Ants and discuss the appropriate next steps with the Executive.
Please take a moment to read this fact sheet produced by VanDusen Botanical Garden, Bloedel Conservatory and Vancouver Parks and Recreation which gives detailed information on how to identify and prevent further spread of European Fire Ants.
