News for November and December - 2010 -

Well, this has been a great growing season, we have had a lot of variety in the things that people have been growing and some new faces. As well, the Teamwork assignments has really worked out well, and there has been good participation.

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November is the time to reflect on how the growing season went, think about our plans - already - for next year. Our garlic has been planted and and this year in the newly formed "volunteers garden" we have planted nine different varieties of garlic that grow well in our climate....

• Persian, Tibetan, Russian, Salt Spring Island, Korean, Ukrainian, Italian, Former Yugoslavia, and Sicilian

And December is the time to start planning what we are going to do in the spring!

To get the garden beds ready for winter, there were a few more things that needed to be done:

• 1) I would have liked to meet with the Team leaders and get a report on how their actual organizing went, and if they wanted the same post again or if they would like to change, or have a break.... we didn't get a chance to meet in person, but the Team Leaders did e-mail me their report.

• it was very encouraging to hear how they enjoyed working with their groups, most of the leaders will resume their posts again in the spring; and that most of the gardeners were able to keep up their duties. There was a request from most of the leaders, to have a few more people... so I will see how we can work things out.

• 2) We have gotten the drawings for the building project, and even though I would have like to get it started,and at least get the foundation in - but - winter came, and the weather just was not agreeable.

• 3) Orange spray paint - some of you may have noticed orange spray paint near your garden plot - VERY IMPORTANT - your garden MUST be at least 12"-18" away from it - the orange spray paint indicates electrical wires under the soil. There are two maps, if you look closely to the first one, you will see the orange lines that go through the park and our garden.

4) planting trees and bulbs. As you know we have had permission to plant the five fruit trees and 1025 bulbs, ...with the park marking, we have finally gotten the go-ahead!

• The fruit trees are: Norther Spy & a yellow Delicious Apple trees; a Stanly Plum (planted by Miss Dueck class), and an Italian Plum; and a Bosc Pear.

We started - Monday Morning November 8th at 10 am - the Perth School joined us, but they could only stay until 11:15 am, so hopefully I think that each kid could plant at least one or two bulbs....

Our friends from Green Here came and helped the children to plant the bulbs, and then later, they helped with planting the trees.

List of the bulbs that we planted:

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