Seed Saving Workshop – 20 August 2014

Seed Saving is a means of ensuring that our food supply is not reliant on a small selection of varieties that can lead to vulnerability to disease, pests, and changes in climate. The practice of seed saving and sharing, seen as a hobby to some, promotes genetic diversity of crops and overall food security. Join Just Food’s Community Gardening Network and participate in a seed saving instructional workshop to learn more about this traditional practice.

This workshop, facilitated by Greta Kryger of Greta’s Organic Gardens, explains and demonstrates how to save seeds from your favourite vegetable varieties from year-to-year. Registrations is required and two dates are available.

When: August 20 at 6-8pm
Where: Dempsey Community Centre
When: August 27 at 6-8pm
Where: Bayshore Park Fieldhouse
Cost: $5 or pay-what-you-can

For more information or to register: email CGNintern@justfood.ca or call 699-6850 ext. 12

Food Bank donations - Pickup on Tuesday Mornings

Hello Gardeners,

I am hoping your gardens are growing well this year.

NAGA will once again be collecting produce for the food bank. Please put your produce in the blue bin in the tool shed by 10:30am on Tuesdays. We will start taking donations this coming Tuesday July 22.

A big thanks to Lee Coates who is taking the food to the food bank each week!

NAGA
http://nepeanallotmentgarden.yolasite.com

Garden inspections for remainder of 2014

Dear NAGA gardeners,

So far this year we have seen great improvements in the condition of the garden over the last few years. Thank you for all your efforts to keep your plots tidy and productive.


Below are the dates for remaining NAGA garden inspections:

7 July – weeds, headlands, abandonment/neglect

28 July – weeds, headlands, abandonment/neglect

18 August – weeds, headlands, abandonment/neglect

8 September – weeds, headlands, abandonment/neglect

Even though most of your gardens will have been harvested there are still two more inspections in the autumn (the lease ends 31 October):

29 September – weeds, headlands, abandonment/neglect (basically, try to keep it neat until the end of the year)

26 October – checking for removal of non-organic material for season cleanup (members must remove all poles, stakes, fences, planks, hoses etc. from their plots)

If there is a problem with maintaining your plot that you think we should know about, please inform us by emailing at nagagardens@gmail.com . (Please read this blog posting:http://nagaottawa.blogspot.ca/2013/06/are-you-taking-vacation-this-summer.html).

Thank your for your cooperation.

Craig and Ron

(on behalf of the Board of Directors)

Garden Volunteers Recognition Certificate

In celebration of Ottawa first official Garden Day, as part of the Canadian Garden Council’s Garden Days celebration, the Ottawa Chapter of Landscape Ontario and the Mayor’s office organized a Garden Volunteers Recognition Ceremony to recognize those that contribute to the development and maintenance of our public gardens for the benefits of the residents of Ottawa.

We wish to inform you that upon nomination by Councillor Keith Egli and in recognition of the many hours of volunteers provided by the members of the Nepean Allotment Gardens Association to foster development and maintain the Nepean Allotment Gardens, your organization has been selected to receive a Garden Day Certificate of Recognition to be given at a Ceremony on Friday June 13, at 11 am at City Hall, Marion Dewar Plaza Gardens. 

If you wish to see a larger version of the certificate, follow this link to our website:

http://nepeanallotmentgarden.yolasite.com/resources/NAGA%20Certificate.pdf

Pepper and Tomato plants

Greta Kryger, Owner/Operator of Greta's Organic Garden's is offering free pepper and tomato plants for Community Gardens.  The pick-up time for these plants is Thursday 19 June from 2:00PM to 7:00 PM.  Please bring your own trays and boxes to put the plants in.  

The pick-up Address is 399 River Road, Ottawa ON.  Click here to have it shown on a google map.  It is located near the Ottawa Airport.

Data Gathering Project (Update from May 2014)

This is an update to the Data Gathering Project, see the report here: http://nagaottawa.blogspot.ca/2014/05/the-201314-data-gathering-project.html


Here's the data I gathered May 13 2014 from the fall no-plowing/plowing and the spring roto-tilling experiment:

* Two of the annual plots (A90 and A83) were left un-plowed in the fall 2013 as part of the experiment.

* These two sample plots (A90, A83) were chosen specifically as they are low-lying plots, and were under 2 inches of water in late April 2014.

On 13 May 2014, all the annual plots were roto-tilled by the city. This year it was again a wet spring. But it hadn't rained in two days, so the city decided to rototill even though our clay soil was really still too wet to rototill (i.e. you could shape a scoop of the rototilled soil into ball), under normal conditions it should crumble and remain as small particles.

Randomly-taken samples were taken from 20 rototilled plot staken, also from randomly selected areas throughout the allotment gardens, but also including plots A90, and A83). The samples were observed for: "depth of rototill," and "rototilled soil looseness."

Results:

There was NO MEASUREABLE DIFFERENCE between the plowed and unplowed plots in relation to the depth of rototill.

The plots were 5.5 to 7.0 inches depth on day of rototilling, which by two weeks later had packed down to 5.0 to 6.0 inches in depth.

There was NO MEASUREABLE DIFFERENCE between the plowed and unplowed plots in relation to the rototiled soil looseness.

Note: a few scattered plots that had a substantial amount of compost material added by the owners throughout the years, and had a better breakup of the clay (as this would be expected).

Conclusions:

This spring's data showed no discernible difference between "NO fall plow, or the usual fall plow" plots.

It was voted at the annual spring meeting, to continue to gather more data by proceeding with the second phase of the experiment, on which there will be no plowing in the autumn 2014 for the plots that are on the East side of the garden.

The additional set of results to be gathered (unplowed East side, compared to the plowed West garden), would give more data as to determine if it is necessary to plow the gardens in the fall, or just leave the gardens to rest until the Spring rototill.

Jim Koss

NAGA Gardener and Director At Large

We all have a garbage problem.

NAGA Members:

Please look at the photo, below. Every spring time we are hit by a tsunami of garbage. Much of it comes from the garden plots, some of it is dumped by the public who disrespect their community and feel they can dump garbage in a park or garden. When the garbage is not packaged properly the City may refuse to pick it up. Quickly, the situation gets worse and makes the garden look bad and may upset the local residents. If the City does not pick up the garbage, then responsible NAGA members must do the messy work and clean up the garbage. If the amount of garbage is too large, the NAGA administration must then take steps to correct the situation. This may include arranging for a special pickup, or rental of a large garbage container, and then to pay for its proper disposal. This will only add to the pressure to increase member fees. Therefore we must all do our part to improve this situation.

Here are some of the things we can all do to help:

1. If you brought items to the garden that you no longer need or want, TAKE IT HOME and dispose of it in your own garbage pick up. You were able to bring it to the garden, you must therefore be able to remove it.

2. If you can't take the garbage home, then at least have the decency to place it in TIED GARBAGE BAGS or place it in the trash bins, and not loose, all over the ground.

3. If you are getting rid of sticks and branches, they must be CUT TO A REASONABLE LENGTH, and TIED with STRING into BUNDLES. They can not be loosely placed in disorganised piles. The garbage men are not paid to pick up thousands of sticks. They need to pick up bundles of items.

4. Limit the amount of material you bring onto the plots that is plastic, and metal.  THIS IS A GARDEN, NOT A JUNKYARD.

5. If you see NAGA members improperly disposing of garden waste, please tell them to do it properly. If they refuse, feel free to inform the Chairperson or Maintenance Director of the problem with the details of their plot number.  If you see a non-member dumping garbage from their vehicle, copy the license plate and report this a member of the Board of Directors (email: nagagardens@gmail.com).

To Members of the Public who are not NAGA Members:

The NAGA Garden is for members. Members do the hard work of gardening, volunteering, and they pay NAGA to do all this. They are all citizens of the City of Ottawa, so like you, they also pay taxes. So, NAGA members pay City taxes, and they pay extra money to be members of the garden. The garden property is not for non-members to drive to and treat the property like a garbage dumping ground. You have your own local garbage pick up, and you can also take refuse to the Trail Road Facility. If caught dumping, you will be prosecuted. Your vehicle license will be noted, photos may be taken.

See the City of Ottawa By-Laws, items 70 and 76:
70. No person shall place waste on any property other than the property upon which it is generated.
76. Any person who contravenes any provision of this by-law is guilty of an offence and upon conviction thereof is liable to a fine of not more than $10,000.00 for a first offence and $25,000.00 for any subsequent offence.

Thank you all for your cooperation.

 

1st GARDEN INSPECTION - 15-16 JUNE

Dear NAGA gardener:

This message is to notify you that during

June 15-16 the NAGA Garden will be inspected

by two members of the NAGA Board to check that all gardeners are gardening within the Terms and Conditions of license which was signed by the plot lease holder at the beginning of the gardening season.

If any problems were observed on your plot(s) you will be notified. Gardeners with observed problems then need to fix these problems within 10 days. Gardeners who were informed in writing in March that they are on Final Notice will have their lease cancelled. This notice is being sent as an advance warning in order to avoid this situation. The future of your garden is in YOUR hands.

The three major items that will be specifically checked include:

1. It must be obvious that GARDENING is occurring (for example: soil is turned or tilled, vegetables, herbs, fruits, seeds, etc., are planted and being watered and weeded, staked and so forth). IMPORTANT: Gardens that appear abandoned or mostly neglected by June 15-16 will likely be returned to NAGA for reassignment to another gardener. NAGA has a long waiting list for gardens.

2. WEEDS may exist but must be UNDER CONTROL. It must be easy to distinguish between produce/food/flowers and any present weeds. Too many weeds that have gone to seed are a sign that weeds are not under control. There should be no grass growing in a plot unless they form an obvious/well-defined path (perennials only).

3. HEADLANDS are trimmed (the area extending two feet beyond your plot boundary, http://nagaottawa.blogspot.ca/2013/07/headlands-what-are-they-and-what-are.html). The grass on the outer perimeter of your plot should be trimmed every week or two. It does not need to be manicured to perfection, but it needs to be trimmed. There can be no debris on the headlands. This includes: soil, compost, mulch, large rocks (greater than about 3 cm), garbage, tools, etc.

Please ensure your garden complies with the above three major points. This will make the garden attractive to the community and to other gardeners, and it will result in fewer warnings and cancellations of gardening privileges.

Thank you.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,
C. Hamm (Director at Large) and R. Rogers (Vice Chair)

Remaining compost, and Straw delivery - 7 June between 10:00 - 11:00

Straw:

It was just confirmed with our supplier that he can deliver straw to our gardens for sale at $6 each bale on Saturday 7 June 2014, between 10 and 11 AM at our parking lot.

Please bring exact change cash only (no exceptions)!

Remaining compost:

You can help yourselves with the compost amount that we still have left, especially at both East and West ends of the gardens. COMPOST IS ONLY FOR USE ON THE NAGA PROPERTY. You cannot take it home etc.

 

We need to use the compost before it gets confused with the new sand and soil that are coming in this Saturday (31 May) at the wooden planter boxes area. The new soil and sand are for filling the boxes that we will be working on Saturday at 10:00.  Come and volunteer with the boxes!

Mike
NAGA Chair

Planting Guide for the Ottawa Area (5a)

If you have space in your house you could start some seeds to transplant later to your garden.

February:

• Start indoors plants that require 10-12 weeks before last frost (eg. Tomatoes, onion and leeks, etc.).
• Start indoors plant that needs to be two-year old before producing, such as Globe artichokes.

March (1st week)

• Start inside seeds that should be started about 6-8 weeks before last frost (e.g. peppers, eggplants, etc.).
• Veggies that should be started 6 weeks before last frost but that you are planning on putting on a cold frame, a row-cover, or growing in pots and hardening them for a couple of hours outside, but taking them indoors at night.
• Place sweet potatoes in water to sprout indoors 

March (middle of month):

• Start seeds of Tomatoes and Peppers (for staggered production), Berries
• Brassicas (e.g. Chinese cabbage, broccoli, and common cabbage)
• Start romaine lettuce indoors if you have a cold frame for transplant

April (as soon as the ground can be worked):

• Seed outdoors: Peas, Spinach, cold hardy greens, Parsnips, Radish. Harden-off leeks and Brassica transplants by placing outdoors for a couple of hours, but taking them indoors at night.

April (middle of month, warmer days start but ground is moist)

• Seed Carrots, Beets, Lettuce
• Transplant leeks, and brassicas but keep them on a cold frame, a row-cove, or cloche.
• Harden off tender plants like tomatoes, eggplants, etc. 

May (1st week)

• Plant early potatoes
• Start indoors corn and melon seeds
• Seed greens directly on ground
• Start cucumbers indoors 

     After annual gardens have been plowed and staked:

• Plant beets and carrots for early harvest (stagger your seed planting), Swiss chard and storage onions outdoors 
• Start early corn outdoors (ONLY if soil reasonably warm) 

May (after last frost date, usually 24 May)

• Place seeds directly on ground crops like: pumpkins, cucumbers, green beans, squash, etc. 
• Cut sweet potato vines into a few inches pieces, place in 2-3” of water to root 
• Transplant tomatoes and peppers outdoors, cover if necessary on cold nights 

June (1st week)

• All Solanums  such as tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants should be in the ground. The same for peppers, and okra.
• Seed peas for a late crop
• Seed Brussels sprouts, and lima beans, kale 
• Transplant sweet potatoes, cucumbers, melons (watermelons and cantaloupes) 

June (middle of month)

• Plant late corn 
• Plant fall crops: carrots, beets, rutabagas, potatoes, and late season brassicas (cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli) 

July (1st week)

• Start fall crops such as Fennel, Lettuce, carrots, beets and turnips
• Plant Chinese eggplants/cabbage outdoors 

August (1st week)

• Start fall crops: radish, lettuce, and onion

September (1st week)

• (ONLY applies for Perennial gardens and Raised boxes) Seed spinach and onion for spring harvest. 

September (2nd week)

• Make cuttings of sweet potato for overwintering indoors

October

• Dig up all root crops for storage
• (ONLY applies for Perennial gardens and Raised boxes) Plant garlic bulbs for spring harvest

Happy Gardening!