This is borage (borago officinalis) which has just made its usual attention-seeking entrance to our garden. The brilliant blue flowers are edible and make a striking addition when sprinkled onto a salad just before serving. My photo doesn’t do justice to the brightness of this plant.
The leaves can also be added to salads, imparting a cucumber-like taste. They are bit rough and hairy, so be prudent. If you are from Frankfurt, you might have come across borage being used in the local Green Sauce delicacy.
Borage springs up every year and there will be plenty more appearances of this cheerful herb.
Krysta kindly organized a potluck party for Wednesday 26 July and we had a good time. Beautiful surroundings (cultivated by us), lovely food and warm weather made it an evening of pleasant companionship. This is our garden to use so please don’t hesitate to organize more or events have your own party. That is what Ted`s table is for! Thanks to Kirsten for the photo.
Several of us are growing zucchini this year. And why not? They are easy to grow and rather more productive than other vegetables. My (Stephen’s) exuberant zucchini have developed some leaf blotches of late, as shown on the photo.
This is apparently nothing to worry about and just a normal part of the ageing process. The ageing of the zucchini plant, not the gardener!
The photo show Clematis Armandii, or ‘Apple Blossom’. Our fellow garden member, Ted, bought and planted Apple Blossom earlier this week. He enriched the soil with lime, bone meal, mushroom manure, and sea soil; also sifted the soil, and removed a lot of rocks, which he suspects were preventing the accumulation of moisture and nutrients. He also dug in a pot weighted with rocks and gravel that will help concentrate watering and prevent the newcomer’s roots from drying out.
It was Ted who made the trellises above our gates and of course the rustic table. We are looking forward to the clematis growing quickly and adorning those trellises. Thanks Ted!
Thanks to 23 April Work party…huge accomplishment.
The work party on 23 April got a lot done, so thanks to all those who helped. The central part of the North Garden has been seeded with turnips, beets and Swiss Chard for helping the less fortunate. Some of weaker fruit bushes have been firmly staked out, and Kirsten has eradicated any hint of blackberry bushes.
Jamie and Marcel ruthlessly purged the shed of unwanted bits and pieces, and Brenda planned and sowed our herb garden. Clea has kept the weeds at bay for another week or so! I know that I haven’t mentioned everybody who helped, please forgive me for that.
The photo shows a harvest of our rhubarb which is going today to the kitchen at the Seniors Centre.
Who’s to know what weather to expect? It makes the instructions on seed packets almost useless: ‘plant indoors three weeks before last frost’ etc. A much better method is to measure the soil temperature. I came across this technique here.
The garden possesses a soil thermometer, which was unearthed during the last shed clear out. It is designed for composting measurements but no reason why regular soil cannot be measured. It looks like one of those tools for checking whether the meat is done, but with a very long spike (is your dinosaur haunch ready?)
The photograph shows Christine M measuring the temperature at her plot, which was 58 F for the record.
The thermometer is currently in a bucket at the back of the shed, behind the left-hand door.
You might remember the somewhat patchy and scrawny rhubarb we had in the old plot near the shed (where the strawberries were once). In the fall of 2016, Christine M and I split many of them at the crown (aka dividing) and replanted them in the North Garden. We did this in preparation for the construction work.
At the 2 April 2017 work party, Brenda enthusiastically dug in some composted manure. The results are remarkable and it looks as though we will have a good crop very soon. Thanks to Christine M and Brenda for this.
Is the liking for rhubarb a generational thing? Or do you only appreciate rhubarb when you mature? I enjoy that tantalizing combination of sweetness and the hint of tartness in a well-cooked pie. The younger members of my household not so much. One group that certainly enjoys the rhubarb we give them is the Seniors’ Centre at Kerrisdale Community Centre.
Spring mode in and around the garden! All Vancouverites seemed to be buzzing along the new Greenway either by foot or bike, enjoying the beautiful sunshine. How alive the city feels after that long and cold winter. From what we have seen on Sunday, the Greenway will likely bring many more visitors to our garden this year so be prepared to answer all sorts of gardening questions.
Sunday was the perfect day for gardening and the day of our second work party this year. We got a good amount of work done and everything looks great. Thanks for all of your efforts in maintaining this garden. To a wonderful 2017 growing season.
In 2015 the City of Vancouver inspected the garden for license renewal purposes. Many improvements were required, including the fencing and making 10 percent of our plots accessible. The cost of these required improvements was well beyond our capacity as a small non-profit. Last year we successfully applied for funding and received a grant after submitting a number of proposals. The work was completed in October 2016 and includes
new perimeter fencing, to be painted in spring 2017
conversion of existing raised beds to accessibility code height
extra wide entrance gate for wheelchair access
new standpipe in the North Garden
laying of cedar chips
We already have a plot holder for one of the accessibility plots, which have been advertised in Kerrisdale. All members are very grateful to the city for the furnishing of these funds.
The outcome of the tremendous amount of work that was put into our garden overhaul is incredible. With some plants around the new fence and the return of the colors in spring we are going to have a beautiful looking garden. A huge THANK YOU goes out to Stephen who made this all happen!!
This year the newly paved walk way along the former railway will bring more visitors from the public than before – a great opportunity to get more connected to the community and to talk about the beauty of gardening and the benefits of growing your own food. Get ready for an exceptional season.
Ted’s table is a robust structure which will probably last well beyond the lifetimes of those who made it. These notes outline its interesting history.
In 2014, Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) announced that it would exercise its property rights to land adjacent to the railway line. The Kerrisdale Community Garden had approximately ten raised beds on this land. The beds were deconstructed and a new boundary fence was constructed. The wood from the beds was left piled up.
In the fall of 2015, Joy, the then president, asked Stephen to move the wood into the confines of the garden, which he did. In March 2016, Stephen had the idea of making a rustic table out of the wood, and invited suggestions in the Update of 29 April 2016. Ted has previously volunteered to help with construction projects and so Ted and Stephen teamed up. Nothing happened until August 2016—jobs, family commitments, the apiary project took precedence.
Ted made an intelligent and thoughtful design, using as much of the recycled wood as possible. Some of the work, especially cutting and sawing, took place in Stephen’s garage, with assembly on site. Throughout, Ted was in charge, making changes and adjustments as the work continued.
Re-purposing old wood from raised garden beds – Ted is building a table for the garden
The table stands as a testimony to Ted’s craftsmanship, perseverance and high standards. It is also an example of the construction of something worthwhile out of recycled materials.
Comment: A few days after the table was finished a matching bench has magically appeared right next to it. What a wonderful seating arrangement our garden now has. This definitely calls for a garden potluck party. Thanks again, Ted and Stephen, for all the work you have put in this.
This is apparently nothing to worry about and just a normal part of the ageing process. The ageing of the zucchini plant, not the gardener!
Kerrisdale Community Garden 