1. Introducing the Community Gardening Network Newsletter
Introducing a way to share news, events, and information across the Network to coordinators and gardeners. We ask that a minimum of three people per garden are signed up for this newsletter to share information with everyone else. If you have received this email, you are on our mailing list already. Please give the opportunity for other gardeners to sign-up – click here to go to our newsletter sign-up page. This page includes a sign-up option for the broader Just Food Newsletter as well.
- If there’s anything in this email that you’d like to follow up on please email Christine at communitygardening@justfood.ca!
This is a place to share any lessons learned, events, and resources. In the future, we will include questions that ourselves or gardeners have and we hope to get feedback from the Network. We will then summarize and share responses in a subsequent newsletter.
- Garden Coordinators at recent meetings have asked what are the costs and size of plots across the Network. If you’d like to assist all gardens set sustainable prices, please feel free to reply with what your garden has established for this year.
2. JustFood.ca/CGNResources
For a new way to share resources, go to justfood.ca/cgnresources, an easily accessible link for coordinators and gardeners to use as a reference tool. You can find the CGN Garden Guide, CFIA permitted substance lists to verify organic gardening inputs, City of Ottawa Community Garden action plans and more.
As an example, we know folks are planning their spring meetings and looking for free spaces to rent.
- We have uploaded a guide on how to access space in schools to our resources page. As an example, the Ottawa Catholic School Board provides no-cost use of schools provided a caretaker is already on duty (i.e. weekend evenings).
- We’d also suggest contacting your local community health and resource centre who may be able to help out with access to free space or suggestions on where else to look in your neighbourhood.
- If you still have not been successful in finding a space that fits your needs, please email communitygardening@justfood.ca for assistance.
Please let me know if there’s something else you’d like to see on this page.
3. Join us for the last spring Coordinator Meeting | March 14
We know some of you couldn’t make it to one of our first three meetings, so we’ve scheduled a last meeting opportunity for folks. Even if you’re not an official coordinator, we need a minimum of least one person per garden to come who can then share information with the rest of the garden. We will be reviewing some documents (bring your reading glasses!) and having a discussion around how we can all work together to support successful community gardening in the city.
Tuesday, March 19 at Hintonburg Community Centre (1064 Wellington Street West) | 7:00 – 9:00
*Room confirmed with your RSVP to communitygardening@justfood.ca.
4. Workshop Opportunities
We have a roster of workshop facilitators and a goal to have as many workshops on gardening and good food as we can in Ottawa. There are two ways gardens can get involved:
- We’re looking for people who want to organize workshops for your garden and/or broader community – find a location (can be at your garden!), set-up advertisements, and we will connect you with a trainer.
- We’re looking for people could be the trainer in any of these topics or others, let me know and we can connect you with our workshop planners.
Workshop Topics
Seed Saving
Pollinator Gardening
Beginner Organic Veg Gardening
Natural Pest Control
Food Preservation
Container gardening
Compost and Building Soil
Permaculture
Herbalism
Edible Perennials
5. Volunteer Opportunity for Translators
Are you fluent in other languages – French, Arabic, Somali, Spanish, or another? Know someone who is? Passionate about gardening and the food system? We’re looking for volunteers to help translate items such as our garden guide or garden user agreements to help a broader range of our community have access.
6. Spring Symposium – A City of Gardens | March 16, 2019 – Sold Out!
Gardens Ottawa is holding a Spring Symposium on March 16th, 2019. The theme this year is “Ottawa – A City of Gardens“. The event is sold out but if you want to join the conversation envisioning how to make Ottawa bloom, fill in this survey.
7. June 15–23 | Garden Party – Celebrate Canada’s Garden Days
All across Canada folks are planning Garden Parties to celebrate Canada’s Garden Days. If you’re looking to host an event at your garden, consider planning it for sometime June 15-23 and register it on gardendays.ca to join the celebration!
Looking forward to hearing from folks if anything in this newsletter interests you. If you prefer to chat, please email me to set-up a phone appointment to do so.
Cheers for now,
Christine Burton
Community Gardening Network Coordinator
communitygardening@justfood.ca
613-824-7771
Community Gardening
http://justfood.nationbuilder.com/
