Garden is Blitzed!

Posted on October 3, 2011 by CCGS

A successful day of earthworks in the rain has expanded our garden and prepared it for spring planting! Over 30 people turned out last saturday, shovels in hand, ready to dig and haul, build and mulch , sample tea and put some permaculture skills into action.

We planted shrubby cinque foil, lilac, hops vines and delphinium along the northern fence, to begin to establish a living fence that will eventually help to block north winds and create a visual barrier between the garden and the highway. More to come along this fenceline, perhaps some willow varieties, and monkshood in the spring.

We also sculpted what was the potato mound into a garden bed intended to be planted with herbs for the hospital kitchen. We are excited to have hospital staff directly involved in the garden next year, and for some of the garden bounty to make it’s way onto the plates of recovering patients!

RJoy Rentals donated an excavator for the day to help us dig the reservoirs of future wicking beds and to help move sod and topsoil into what will become more communal garden space next spring as well. Lots of shovel action on this end as well as the reservoirs and pathways were cut out and shaped, and muscles put to good use moving the rest of our log pile into final position! Thanks also to Alpine Precision for the awesome wood mulch that fills our swales and pathways!

And finally our potato spokes were converted into mounded garden beds, as the Katimavik crew meticulously dug and levelled swales, and started some soil building action by laying out a sheet mulch over the beds. A first layer of cardboard smothers out the grass, and then layers of nitrogen and carbon rich materials are added, including all of the plant material removed from the garden, topped with the rest of our pile of horse manure as we prepare soil for spring planting.