Gardens with an 'S'

It's official! DMSMCA Gardens is plural.

The new Lipton Community Garden, located in the Tot Lot on Lipton near Yarwood, is seeking gardeners. If you live in Daniel McIntyre-St. Matthews, then please contact Robyn at greening@dmsmca.ca for more information.

free worms to a good home!

Are you looking for some red wrigglers so you can start your own vermicomposter?

Catherine from the Orioles Community Garden has too many worms in her composter. She will deliver worms within the West End, Wolseley and West Broadway areas, or arrange for pick-up if you live further away. She can tell you how to get started, what your worms need, and how to avoid all those pesky problems like fruit flies and swampy compost.

Email her at bluegreenie (at) gmail.com for more info. Or leave a comment on this post.

Seedy Saturday

WHAT: Winnipeg's 10^th annual mid-winter gathering of gardeners

WHEN: February 13, 2010, 10 am to 4pm

WHERE: Fort Whyte Alive on McCreary Road

Celebrate prairie biodiversity with a full day of workshops, displays, vendors and visiting. Bring your seeds and join the fun of the seed swap. This grassroots garden show offers inspiration and information on heritage seeds, organic gardening, native plants, and urban agriculture. Admission to Fort Whyte is free for this special event.

Enjoy a tour of Fort Whyte Farms winter greenhouse project, crafts for kids, and outdoor activities for the whole family. Meet some heritage poultry breeds, live and in full feather, thanks to the Anola Cluck and Quack Poultry Club and Rare Breeds Canada.

10:00 am Seed Swap Begins

11:00 am Pollinator Friendly Gardens - Susan Leblanc

12:00 pm Growing Heirloom Vegetables - Mandy Botincan

1:00 pm Community Compost Projects - Compost Action Project

2:00 pm Poultry Raising for Beginners - Wian Prinsloo

Participants include: Devil’s Creek Herb and Berry Farm, Herb Society of Manitoba, Heritage Harvest Seeds, Living Prairie Museum, Mandy’s Greenhouse, Prairie Flora, Sage Garden Herbs and more.

Fort Whyte Alive is beyond the city bus routes – if you have a vehicle please offer a ride to your friends and fellow gardeners. Limited shuttle service will be available between the Assiniboine Park Conservatory and Fort Whyte.

Orioles Community Garden Evaluation

Now that the season has officially come to a close it is to time to evaluate what worked well, what needs to be improved and to determine what needs to be changed in the garden for next year. This discussion will help to inform how other community gardens in the area are run in the future.

Please join us Monday November 2^nd from 5:30-7pm. If you can't make it, leave a comment here or email greening@dmsmca.ca

Perennial Plant and Bulb Sharing

Our annual Perennial Plant and Bulb Sharing Event is taking place Wednesday, October 7th from 5-8pm. Feel free to attend even if you don't have any perennials or bulbs to bring. Last year there were plenty of extras.

Tim Jeffrey, a permaculturalist, will be on hand to answer any questions that you may have about appropriate light conditions, soil types, etc. for your new plants.

borscht garden

From this...

To this...

To this (yum!)...

Michelle and Catherine shared garden #15, and after Michelle came up with the brilliant idea of planting a borscht garden, they put in potato, cabbage, dill, onion and beets. The end result? Delicious!

Catherine's favorite recipe, from the Moosewood Cookbook:

Russian Cabbage Borsch

1 1/2 cups of thinly sliced potato

1 cup thinly sliced beets

4 cups of water

1 to 2 Tbs butter

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 1/2 tsp salt (more or less, to taste)

1 stalk celery

1 medium carrot, sliced

3 to 4 cups shredded cabbage

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp dill (more if using fresh)

1 to 2 Tbs cider vinegar

1 to 2 Tbs brown sugar

1 cup tomato paste

Toppings: sour cream or yogurt, extra dill

1) Place potatoes, beets and water in a medium-sized saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat until tender (20 to 30 minutes).

2) Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pot. Add onion and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent (8 to 10 minutes).

3) Add celery, carrots, and cabbage, plus 2 cups of the cooking water from the potatoes and beets. Cover and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender (another 8 to 10 minutes).

4) Add the remaining ingredients (including all the potato and beet water), cover and simmer for at least 15 more minutes. Taste to correct seasoning, and serve hot, topped with sour cream or yogurt and a sprig of dill.

Produce watch!

Summer is well under way and Orioles Community Garden is doing great! The plants are getting huge and starting to produce; many of the leafy greens have been ready for harvesting for a couple of weeks now. We'd like to share a few photographs with you to celebrate these accomplishments.