Homage to Growers

FarmFolk/CityFolk Heroes

A 6 minute homage to 27 farm
& city sustainable growers

photography: Brian Harris, music: Liona Boyd

Urban Gardening Event

Spotted in an Oak Bay window

Seems there are a few more opportunities to learn about urban gardening in Victoria in January. This conference will be presented on Sat. Jan 29, 2011 up at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney. Speakers include Marilyn Soames (chickens!), Brenda Jager (bees!), Carol Miles (veggies!), Don Genova (food!), and Tom Baumann (berries & fruits!). Lunch, workshops, silent auction, and more.

For more information, contact mixingitup2011@gmail.com.

Waterview Community Garden

Photo from City Farmer (www.cityfarmer.info).

Gardening is good for everybody. Here's an article from last summer's Times Colonist about just that subject. Why link to this now? Because there's an update on one of the gardening projects mentioned in the article—the Waterview Garden.

The City of Victoria recently gave Pacifica a $9,500 special-project grant to create a demonstration and training garden at the Waterview Housing Complex in Victoria, where they have just finished construction of a raised-bed veggie garden.

A report has just been released on the first phase of the garden. You can find the full report at the City Farmer website. But here's a sample of what it has to say.

However, some of its most important accomplishments occurred in the areas of local food production together with limiting our collective and individual environmental footprint..Each participant had their own 4' x 8' raised bed garden when they learned to grow their own food using organic methods. Not only were the participants able to learn how to garden and eat the fruits of their labours, but other tenants were able to watch and learn as well. And with the addition of a 8' x 30' mural—depicting a countryside scene—on the wall overlooking the garden, the garden has become a beautiful demonstration garden. Ten of the twelve original gardeners plan on returning to garden in 2011, together with 7 more Waterview residents. With the publicity it received, the garden also challenged members of the public to ask themselves, “If they can build this and do these things, why can‟t I?”

Winter Gardening

A little seaweed on the compost pile...

How many people in Canada are lucky enough to garden—really garden—in winter? Not too many. While gardeners on the eastern seaboard are idly flicking through nursery catalogs, those of us on southern Vancouver Island really have no excuse. We should be out there tidying, mulching, digging, and plotting. So, what can you do in January in the edible garden? Here are a couple of ideas.

Keep the compost cooking. Compost can slow down in colder weather, but wormeries and larger compost piles will still be steamy. If you want to learn how to be an expert composter, the Victoria Compost Education Centre is looking for 'Brilliant Environmental Educator Superstars'. On January 22nd, 2011 from 1-4 PM the Centre will be hosting a training session for our volunteer educators. Check their website for more info.

Tidy up. Although there's a lot to be said for letting the fall leaves decompose after they drop into the shade garden, veggies gardens need to be tidy. Garden litter can harbour fungal diseases, slug eggs, and weed seeds. So clean up the vegetable and raised beds—and especially pick up fallen fruit and leaves under fruit trees.

Want to learn how to grow from seed? Glendale Gardens is offering a program on 'Year Round Harvest for the Urban Garden' taught by Linda Gilkeson. The first session is on
Garden Plans & Seed Starting Saturday January 22nd 9:00am - 1:00pm. Ten sessions do cost $400, but it's a great program. (Of course, you could always stop by your local neighbourhood community garden and see what they are up to in January!)

Winter Solstice Potluck

Thursday, Dec. 16th @ 5:45
246 Fairfield Rd., The Common Room

Feel free to bring something to re-gift as part of Linda's 'Freeboxed in Fairfield' gift exchange.

Musical instruments welcome and encouraged.

Hosted by the Fairfield Streetlife Committee

Questions, Questions

Thanks to everyone who filled out a survey at the Community Consultation meeting. The Committee (that's us) has looked through the responses and we are building a picture of the kind of garden that residents of Fairfield want.

But we need to hear from more people, so we've put the survey online. You can find it at Survey Monkey. Please fill it out and encourage all your neighbours to fill it out, too. It takes only two minutes at most. We want to get the opinions of as many residents as possible so that we can create a garden that truly serves the community.

If you would like to be on our mailing list or sign up for an allotment, the survey is also a good place to do that.

How Well Do You Know Fairfield?

painting by Robert Amos

At our recent Community Consultation meeting we were surprised to realize that most of us don't know that much about our own neighbourhood. So we gathered a few facts & figures about Fairfield. What else can you tell us about the hood?

Population of Fairfield/Gonzales: 14,895
Percentage of total Victoria City population: 11%
Number of single-family residences: 1,915
Number of townhouses & duplexes: 1,155
Number of apartment units: 5,245
Boundaries of Fairfield/Gonzales*:
• West: Blanchard down to Beacon Hill Park, then halfway through the park.
• North: Fort to Linden, then down to Richardson to Richmond, then back up to Fort
• East: Foul Bay
• South: The Ocean
Number of baseball diamonds: 8
Number of soccer pitches: 5
Number of parks: 10+
Number of Community Gardens: Zero


* Or, as the FCA Constitution puts it:
The boundaries of the Fairfield Gonzales Community Area are: starting where Foul Bay Road touches Gonzales Bay then following along the border between the City of Victoria and the Municipality of Oak Bay to Oak Bay Avenue; then westward along Oak Bay Avenue to Richmond Avenue; then southward along Richmond Avenue to Richardson Street; then westward on Richardson Street to Linden Avenue; then northward on Linden Avenue to Fort Street; then westward on Fort Street to Cook Street; then southward on Cook Street to Meares Street; then westward on Meares Street to Quadra Street; then northward on Quadra Street to Fort Street; then westward on Fort Street to the boundary between 819-823 and 817 Fort Street; then westward to the south end of that property; then westward to Blanshard Street; then southward on Blanshard Street to Southgate Street; then eastward on Southgate Street to Quadra Street; then southward on Quadra Street to Arbutus Way; then to Bridge Way; then eastward on Bridge Way to Chestnut Row; then southward on Chestnut Row to Circle Drive; then eastward around Circle Drive to Camos Circle; then southward to the water of Juan de Fuca Strait.

Meeting Next Thursday, Nov. 25th

Next Meeting October 21st

Next meeting to be held on October 21st at 1246 Fairfield Rd (Fairfield and Harbinger) in the common room (to the left of the entrance).

Potluck at 6PM; meeting at 7:30PM. Come to eat, come to meet, come for both, as you wish!

Potluck is a soup theme.

Hope to see you there!

Design for Commons

Above is the design for the proposed Fairfield Community Garden Commons. It incorporates the principle of layering plants and trees to maximize use of space and encourage crop production. The proposed allotment portion would be adjacent to the south end of the Commons.

Open House Survey Results

Thanks to all those who showed up for the Open House and especially to those who filled out a survey. We have compiled the information below. If you haven't yet filled one out, look in the history of this blog and copy and paste the survey and email your questions to fairfieldcommunitygardens@gmail.com

Thanks for your participation!



Fairfield Community Garden Open House – August 10th 2010 – 7 to 9 pm

39 people signed in attendance

25 surveys were completed

Surveys
Approximately half the surveys were in favour of the garden.

THOSE IN FAVOUR OF THE GARDEN

What would like to see in the garden?
• programs involving children
• program for a community feast
• workshops
• education
• gogi trees
• cob workshops
• worm composting
• bees
• extra food given to those less fortunate
• community art projects
• perennials
• potlucks
• yoga
• tai chi
• permaculture design workshops

What are your concerns about the garden?
• deer and other animals
• fencing for this purpose
• resistant neighbours and nay-sayers
• not enough allotments

What are your suggestions for the garden?
• involve the following: neighborhood kids, seniors, adults, Sir James Douglas school, low income families, students with no lawns, babies, grandmas, the city

Half of the surveys were in opposition.

THOSE OPPOSED TO THE GARDEN

• 7 opposed the project in its entirety
• 2 surveys were incomplete
• 2 surveys did not state reasons to opposition

The main reason given for opposition was that the Community Garden would interfere with the current uses of the park.

"Most houses in Fairfield have yards, we don’t need another community garden."

"The green space will be changed in ways that conflict with its current use."

"Use of park space should not be allotted to garden ‘clubs'."

“Parks are for recreation and repose, not zucchini growing.”

"Current location is a 'savanna'; would like to see it kept that way."

"Presence of the gardens will lead to the destruction of a Garry Oak ecosystem."

"The garden would only serve 8-10 people, the park serves everyone."

"Most people enjoy it as is, it doesn’t need to change."

"Dog-walkers will be forced off flat area and on to Garry Oak trees."

"Robert Porter Park is one of the few remaining large undeveloped places for people to enjoy."

Other reasons:
• loss of nature
• students will be forced to play on rocks
• Garry Oaks are rare and endangered, vegetables can be grown anywhere
• allotments should not be allowed in parks
• already in constant use for non-gardening purposes
• loss of common green space used by school children, dog walkers, and neighbours.
• concerns over wildflower destruction
• poor choice of location
• taking well used public space away from the people
• park should be left as an open space
• concerns about noise, weeds, reduced open space, general inappropriate land use

What are your suggestions?

• find another location
• more dialogue with the neighbours, enhanced community consultation
• follow the “correct process”
• getting rid of allotment gardens
• use of Ebert park, or park on Linden and Chapmen

Open House Planning Meeting...with Fondue

Come by the Fairfield Community Place Wednesday August 4th for a planning session for the Open House at 7 pm. Ask at the front desk where the group is.

Alternatively, come by 1311 Point Street on Thursday August 5th, 6:30 p. We will be crafting and creating some of the materials for the open house that evening, as well as eating chocolate fondue. Bring fruit or sweet to dip; fondue will be provided!

Update on the Garden Design

Here is some more information and a plan for the garden design. The plan is a work in process; the commons area will include a more specific map of plants and their planned location.

The Design
The main design of the gardens will incorporate a food forest style commons adjacent to an allotment garden, a design that allows community members to access the public space in an active and engaging manner. The gardens will link the values of accessible garden space with those of educational opportunities and local food resilience. The allotment sites will border the commons and be clearly demarcated. The allotments will comprise eight 4-by

General
• The garden would be located in Robert Porter Park, in the area between the upper field leased by Sir James Douglas Elementary School and the playground area at the far end of the park. This area was originally used for the FGCA bonfire, and is otherwise mainly used by dog walkers and pedestrians.
• The commons would largely border Thurlow Rd. The allotments will be in the naturally enclosed area adjacent to the Garry Oak meadow.
• Wide and open paths will allow for the flow of pedestrians and dog walkers, as well as allowing for continued use of space by community members. Smaller paths will cut through the commons, allowing community members to access food-bearing plants from varying directions.

Park Entrance
The entrance to the commons would be an existing set of steps leading from Thurlow Rd. Pathways from all directions will provide access to the gardens from other parts of the park.

Seating
The gardens would include a seating area, including a cob bench crafted by community members and volunteers. The cob bench would be covered to provide shelter and ensure longevity of the structure. It would also include a map and community garden bulletin board.

Plants
Plants in the commons area are being selected with community consultation for their resiliency, diversity, and ability to produce high yields with minimal maintenance. The commons design would incorporate chestnut trees into the existing treeline along Thurlow St. as well as smaller fruit varieties such as 'Desert King' fig, Goumi and Gogi berry bushes, as well as native Saskatoon berries, and an undergrowth of herbaceous perennials such as artichoke and culinary and medicinal herbs.

Herbaceous Perennials
Globe Artichoke

Herbs
• Comfrey
• Calendula
• Lavender
• Mint
• Oregano
• Thyme

Shrubs
• Goumi berry
• Clove current
• Saskatoon berry
• Huckleberry
• Gogi berry

Trees
Chinese chestnut
'Desert King' Fig

Planting Strategy
The positioning and spacing of the plants is designed for the mature plants to yield to their full capacity. Smaller trees will be protected from deer and dogs until they are mature enough to withstand animals. The first task is to build the allotment beds and prepare the soil for spring planting. Some varieties may be planted in the fall while the spring of will see the full installation of the gardens. Any further planting will largely depend on success of the previous plantings as well as any ongoing food security needs.

Additional plantings will occur in the first few years to maximize food yield. This will include annual vegetables such as squash as well as smaller perennials that will yield more quickly then the chestnut trees and figs. After five years the fig trees are expected to begin their yield, while the chestnuts are designed to provide long term food security to the area.


Education & Outreach
The gardens will include educational signage for individuals to recognize the various plants and trees in the garden.

Open House August 10th, 7 pm

A Community Garden? In Fairfield…

Join us for an Open House regarding the proposed community garden in Robert Porter Park

August 10th, 7 pm at the Garry Oak Room 1335 Thurlow Rd

• Listen to a brief presentation on the gardens
• Voice your concerns and ideas
• Give your input into the design of the gardens
• Discuss the gardens and their place in the community

Please contact us with any comments at fairfieldcommunitygardens@gmail.com

design for cob bench:

Here are the designs for the cob bench structure that we're looking at for seating space in the gardens.

Cob building is a traditional European technique of building. It is being revived by cultures all over the world due to its universal availability, accessibility, modifiability, insulation value, structural strength, health benefits, and appealing aesthetic.

The materials that comprise cob are sand, clay, and fibre; in North America, the fibre is typically straw. Cob structures have endured for hundreds of years with minimal maintenance as long as they have a good foundation and appropriate roof overhang. Archeologists have discovered earthen buildings on every continent with the oldest dating to 10,000 years ago.

The cob bench design for the Fairfield Community Gardens incorporates wheelchair accessibility, pamphlet holders, a map board, community posting area, and seating for ten. The community can come together with their personal material offerings to take part in the artistic creation inciting a sense of collective belonging.

What is the Community Garden project?

The Food Security Branch of the Street Life Committee of the FGCA is currently working on creating a community garden in Robert Porter Park in the Fall of 2010. This project has been ongoing since the summer of 2009, and will include a commons garden for public use as well as a portion of the gardens devoted to allotments.

The commons will include various nut- and fruit-bearing trees and shrubs as well as native plants and herbaceous perennials, including an herb garden and medicinal plants. The commons is designed using permaculture principles that mimic the ecosystem creating a supportive natural environment for plants to grow and thrive.

The goal is to increase food yield over time while decreasing maintenance needs. The allotments will serve community members who wish to garden yet do not have access to garden space. The allotment holders will bring sustainability to the project as they will be required to work a few hours a month maintaining the commons area.

The project also includes a seating area that will be crafted in a traditional 'cob' style. The bench area will be made using natural materials of clay, mud, straw, and wood. This project has been successfully undertaken by various other communities in Victoria, such as the Banfield Commons in Vic West and the Michigan Street Allotment gardens in James Bay.

Currently the group is doing outreach with the community and in contact with Parks Victoria to establish a suitable agreement. The proposal will then go to the City of Victoria for final approval.

An Open House is scheduled for public input at the beginning of August; stay tuned for this date. Community members are also welcome to give input and state any concerns or ideas to fairfieldcommunitygardens@gmail.com.

The Community Gardens hope to enhance the current use of Robert Porter Park and offer a place for community members to gather, share, and learn skills. The group also wishes to increase Fairfield's food security for future generations.

Do contact us with any questions, concerns, or ideas, or if you're interested in participating in the project in any way.

Acceptance of Matching Grant!

A 2010 matching grant for the Fairfield Community Gardens project has been accepted by the City of Victoria. The group is now developing the design, proposal, and agreements with the Parks Department and the FGCA.

Thanks to everyone who has been doing amazing work on this!

Design-o-Rama!

Here is a picture done by Ayrie at our Design-o-Rama last month!

Check out the garden ideas!

Community Input

Here are the suggestions and concerns we have received from our Community Consultations to date.

Ideas and Visions:

• permaculture principles incorporated into the design of the gardens
• getting schools involved; having a children’s garden area; garden as an educational tool; involvement of local youth and children
• cob: shed (although storage facilities are available with the Community Centre, bench, combine art with garden needs
• creative fencing ideas; trellises as fences; artwork in gardens
• rain catchment barrels
• compost area, suitable for workshops
• vegetables; common veggies patch
• herb garden section (specific pants mentioned: nettles, hops, lavender…)
• native plants mixed with edibles
• miniature varieties
• Fruiting plants: kiwi, goji, korean pinenuts (2),cherries, apples, pear, blueberries, mulberries, black cap raspberries, trailing blackberries, salal, peach
• Nut trees: edible chestnuts, hazelnut, walnut

Concerns

• maintenance/upkeep
• who owns what? Who takes car of tools?
• is there enough space for allotments?
• protecting and promoting the native ecosystem
• Garry Oak restoration areas
• the park is a potential site for blue bird nesting, although none have done so yet
• the park is a dog walking/running park, neighbours expressed concerns regarding being able to continue running their dogs up and down the park.
• public park used for private means; allotments on park lands
• shallow soil in some areas of the park
• use of park by school children
• vandalism by youth in hang out in the area
• deer and dogs
• aesthetic of the gardens
• access to water

ANYTHING TO ADD? LET US KNOW!!

Letters of Support!

We are looking for people to write letters of support. If you support this project please send us a quick email or comment on the blog with your name and address and what you can do to support this initiative.

Thanks!

Below is an example of a letter of support:

Date

To whom it may concern,

As a Fairfield resident I would like to express my support for the initiative led by the Street Life Committee of the Fairfield Gonzales Community Association to establish a community garden in Robert Porter Park.

I currently reside in the Fairfield Gonzales neighborhood and believe that the gardens will be a great asset to the community at large. I believe the gardens will not only offer the community a beautiful landscape and vibrant meeting place, but also an opportunity for education and learning for community members about gardening and food security. The plans for planting trees are especially exciting as this type of food source would offer more long-term food security for the neighborhood.

Additionally I would like to offer my support for the allotments in the gardens as I understand they will provide sustainability for the commons component of the gardens.

As a resident of Fairfield I encourage the City of Victoria to support this initiative to set up a community garden in Robert Porter Park.



Name


Address

Design for Community Gardens

Here are some of the ideas that were discussed at the design session for the community gardens. Above is a site plan for the area we're looking at in the park:


• permaculture planting along Thurlow St.: fill in the tree line with a row of nut trees, followed by a row of smaller fruit trees, followed by a layer of bushes and a ground layer.
• neighbour's sight lines can be respected by pruning the tree limbs high.
• commons would create a 'sun trap' for the allotments
• allotments would be placed in the centre of that portion of the park
• 6-10 allotments, with the possibility of expanding the number
• fencing is still under discussion; there is a possibility of some boundaries being established by food-bearing plants and some area that will be fenced
• seating and meeting area(s) will be incorporated in the design

Moss Street Market booth for June

Keep an eye out for the garden group at the Moss Street Market this Saturday between 10 and 2. The group will be giving out info and collecting letters of support for the garden project.

Come check us out!

Potential Ideas!

Community members and garden enthusiasts met last Wednesday to take a walk around the proposed site in Robert Porter Park and look at design ideas. The group discussed a commons area complete with nut trees, dwarf fruit trees, shrubs, and herbs, as well as an allotment area. We discussed creating meeting spaces with cob benches and tables, and well as native berries located on the edge of the garden transitioning from the gardens to the nearby Garry Oak ecosystem.

The site we looked at is where the Halloween Bonfire is current held. Putting in the gardens in this area would require re-locating the bonfire or looking at how the Place wants to run this event.

The design consultation process will be ongoing. Any ideas, interest or concerns can be directed to fairfieldcommunitygardens@gmail.com

Big thanks to Geoff Johnson for leading the group, and James Pratt for facilitating.
Thanks to all those who showed up!

Community Circle on Food Systems

The Food Security Committe held a small yet concise circle on food systems during today's Moss Street Market. Topics that were discussed included:

• food education
• food in parks
• food resiliency

Photos of Sunny Moss Street Market Booth!

Moss Street Market in May

Community gardens enthusiasts were out last Saturday the 22nd of May promoting the garden at the Moss Street Market.

For those interested in joining us, the next meeting is at the Fairfield Community Centre (1330 Fairfield Rd.), at 10 am. If it's sunny we'll be outside; otherwise we'll be in the meeting room.

We want to work on our proposal to the city, so we can submit it by the end of June.

Design sessions are underway, and we're looking to do more outreach in June at Moss Street Market.

Allotment Interest

Are you looking for a plot in Fairfield?

Let us know: fairfieldcommunitygardens@gmail.com

Looking for Allies!!!

Currently the Food Security Committee of the Fairfield-Gonzales Community Association is pursuing funds to establish a community garden in Robert Porter Park. The gardens will be established in phases and will include mixture of native plants, edible vegetables, a commons, allotment gardens, medicinal plants and small trees.


The project is intended to offer the Fairfield-Gonzales community the many benefits attributed to community gardens: offering a sustainable food source, gardening space, and mentoring & educational opportunities to prospective gardeners. Additionally the gardens are intended to be a place of joint stewardship of public spaces, while creating a meeting place, and contributing to active & healthy lifestyles. The project also intends on maintaining the integrity of the garden space by respecting the current layout of the land, and planting native plants in areas that may be more vulnerable. As well the project is designed to enhance the environment and align with the various restorations areas that are in the area. The gardens also intend on being a tool for community building and strengthening, as well as a place where people can gather and engage with the earth in a meaningful way.


At this point we are looking at establishing community partnerships with other organizations in and around Victoria. These partnerships can take in many different forms be it through joint planning of educational opportunities such as workshops etc, or helping with promotion of work parties, or recruiting volunteers. As well we are looking for donations in kind of supplies and time, as well as food security allies.

Do let us know if your organization would be interested in partnering with us to support this initiative,

Thank you for your time,


Fairfield Community Gardens

Fairfield Gonzales Food Security Committee - Street Life Committee - Fairfield-Gonzales Community Association

Design Session

Come on down to the Fairfield Community Center to help design the propsed gardens on Thursday April 22nd at 6 PM, in the meeting room.

All are welcome, experience an asset but not necessary, bring your inspiration and enthusiasm!

Need Compost?

Free compost, Beacon Hill Park maintenance yard, April 22nd,
10-3, bring your own containers.....

Meeting every 2 weeks!! Come one come all from every second Saturday from10-11.30 at the Fairfield Community Place 1330 Fairfield Road in the meeting room, (ask at reception). Join us in planning and designing gardens in Fairfield-Gonzales Community.

-Currently we are working on mixed gardens in Robert Porter Park

Next meeting March 27th

Next meeting Saturday March 27th, from 10-11.30 at the FGCA place: 1330 fairfield. We're in the meeting room behind the reception desk.
Hope to see you there!

Meeting: March 12th 2010

present: Anne Kyle- Bartlett, Kimberly Snider, James Pratt, Scott Cosper, Anna Norris, and Chloe Markgraf.
regrets: Erika Verlinden

Many ideas were shared, the meeting included a brief walk about on-site, as well as big picture ideas, and smaller more focused brainstorms.

-We discussed creating an umbrella for the community Gardens, calling it the Food socurity collective or something of the like. This idea was well received though most of the group wanted to focus on the garden and then move onto to re-identifying the group. Nonetheless this discussion gave us the opportunity to look at the big picture, the future and what we saw this group evolving into.
- We talked about doing outreach mostly on the grounds of canvassing, and talking to senior's centre and Sir James Douglas and Margaret Jenkins school to see if they want to be involved in the project. Chloe and Kimberly agreed to do some canvassing within the next 2 weeks.
- A presence at Moss Street Market was discussed, it was thought that it would be great to have a monthly spot at the market for outreach and information purposes.
-We talked about the proposal that would need to be submitted to parks/the city of victoria. The group agreed that we would like to apply fr a matching grant from the city.
- As for the plan of the garden, some members of the group have been in contact with a permaculture design course that's happening here in Victoria. The organizers of the course are interested in having a design project with us, and creating a design for the park. We discussed that we would need to have a meeting with some of them, to talk about what our needs were, and ideas and the feedback we've already gotten from the community, but that would otherwise be a great opportunity.
-We talked about plot allotments, and the desire to have some allotments was voiced by most of the group. It was brought up that we need about 10 more interested candidates to bring that forth in the proposal, to state the interest and need for allotments in Fairfield. The list is currently at 11 people.
Finally, as mentioned earlier, we agreed on a regular meeting time, every two weeks, as the Fairifeld Community Centre, from 10-11.30, the next meeting will be on March 27th, the room will be announced shortly.
- We also did a walk around of the site to close the meeting and were looking at other possible areas, especially if we wanted to integrate allotments. The area where the bonfire is located looked promising, this would not necessarily even mean moving the fire, although that may be best, as we integrate it into the design of the commons. We will soon be following up with parks on this idea to look at this new slightly different location.
-as a final note, memberships to the group was discussed, as a way to get some start up capital. Perhaps people join for 10$ and that gives us a bit of cash flow. This idea as well will be followed up with the FGCA to see how we can do this.
That's all for now.
enjoy the fresh moist spring soil!

Spring Start up: March 13th 11am

Here we go again, after a winter of rest and rejuvenation (i hope), we're back in the swing of things with garden preparations and plans.

With images of bountiful fruits & vegetables in mind, I would like to invite you to a gathering at the Garry Oak Room (corner Thurlow and Moss), on Saturday March 13th from 11-12.30 for tea and conversation about community gardening in Fairfield. We will discuss the Robert Porter Park Plans and any other ideas.

Please invite anyone else you know who is interested in community gardening.

Hope to see you there.

Moss Street Market December 12th and 13th

Moss Street Holiday fair was a beautiful market as usual, and the FGCA Community garden Initiative was present and handing out fliers and promoting the gardening ideas. Here are some photos of the wonderful volunteers and materials we were handing out.