Everett Street Garden

Four friends from high school asked me to build them a garden in their backyard.  Adjacent to a large cemetery, I quickly found that the condition of the soil was going to be very easy to work with. Additionally, the spot we chose for the garden get's a serious 9-10 hours of sunlight daily (which can be too much for some plants) but is certainly a good amount of sun for a new vegetable garden.

Here's what the area looked like as I started to get the ground prepared.

After taking off the layer of grass and moving that aside to continue growing on the lawn, I forked the entire area to get some air and light into the ground.  Although I planned to build a no dig garden, I did want the bottom of the garden to be as arid as possible.

Next, it was time to start building up.  First, a few layers of leaves and newspaper.

Here's what the area looked like after a few layers of all that organic matter.  The inks from the paper might not be the best for the garden, but the paper will break down naturally over time and help condition the soil by keeping in additional moisture.

Finally, I built up small areas of soil where I planted the initial bunch of veggies; I filled in the other areas with leaves, knowing that I would be adding more soil, compost, manure, etc. to the garden in due time.

This is still a work in progress, but here's what the garden looks like most recently; currently growing in the garden: tomatoes (three varieties), capsicums (three varieties), green beans, snap peas, eggplant, parsley, cucumber, zucchini, watermelon, radishes, lettuce, arugula...

Mullumbimby Community Garden Needs Your Help!

Mullumbimby Community Garden now has a crowdfunding campaign on Chuffed...Find out more HERE

DONATE HERE

Do you know what it feels like to lose an unsaved document on your computer?  Everything you've worked hard to complete; lost, in the blink of an eye.



Recently, some very dear friends of mine had those feelings amplified during the course of one night. The Mullumbimby Community Gardens, where I spent three months volunteering (February through May) lost all of their administrative belongings when fire wreaked havoc on their office.  Fire damage also affected other areas of the gardens including the Nursery, the Rotunda, and the Seed Savers Shed; all vital parts of this thriving organisation.  Eight years worth of records, files, photocopiers, and other electronic devices were destroyed.

Photo courtesy of Mullumbimby Community Gardens

All of this happened at a time when the team is preparing and ramping up for this year's Living Earth Festival.

Photo courtesy of Echo NETDAILY

Below are some images of the joy and wonder that the Mullumbimby Community Gardens offer; first, some images from the Living Earth Festival in 2013.

Photo courtesy of Mullumbimby Community Gardens

The nursery is a vital part of the MCG; seedlings are sprouted for use within the gardens and are also grown as a way to provide a small revenue stream for the gardens

The Food For All section is the most community oriented part of the gardens, where anyone from the community can come to harvest fruits and vegetables and make a donation according to what they feel the food is worth and what they can afford.

The Bunya Sustainability Fund has been an effective method of raising money for help around the gardens. Now, more than ever, the MCG needs your help.  Please make a tax deductible donation today and help the Mullumbimby Community Gardens pick up the pieces and continue preparing for this year's upcoming events.

A Cool Small Town

Collinsville (Connecticut) is full of all sorts of gems.  Growing up in the neighbouring town, I was always familiar with the expansive antiques shops, LaSalle Market, and the picturesque views of the Farmington River.  Another great attraction in this historic village is a seasonal farmers' market that takes place during summer and early autumn months.

When: The market operates from June 8th until October 19th (tentative).  Every Sunday, rain or shine, you can enjoy the market from 10am to 1pm.

What: You can enjoy shopping for produce (fruits and veggies) from over a dozen local farms.  Also on offer, unique products all made from CT grown produce and dairy, from which the farmers make cheeses, spice mixes, flowers, herbs, and much more.

Where: The Collinsville Farmers' Market takes place at the corner of Rt 179 and Main Street (in the Town Hall parking lot). It's located just across the street from the Canton Historical Society (lots to discover there).

All information courtesy of the Collinsville Farmer's Market

All photos courtesy of photographer Paul Kovaleski