Summertime in the Garden

July is the month to pick the tender, new veggies that are flourishing in your garden. Picking vegetables when they are young and small ensures that they will be flavourful and will keep them producing more throughout the summer. Now is the time to keep your plants watered, weeded and thinned! Check your tomato plants for sucker growths that can inhibit fruit production.

You can continue to plant veggies such as carrots, beets, radishes, and lettuce this month. Salad greens can be planted every ten days or so. You can still plant cucumbers and zucchinis. Plan for your fall garden, plant cool season veggies, such as broccoli, cabbage and collards in August.

Remember to keep an eye on your compost, don’t let it dry out and give it a turn every so often to speed up the decomposition process.

Here is a delicious recipe to try – especially if you have some young zucchini ready for harvesting!

ROASTED ZUCCHINI STICKS WITH PESTO

Ingredients

• 4 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut into fingers
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons prepared pesto
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation

Place a baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 500°F.

Toss zucchini with oil in a large bowl and spread on the preheated baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 7 minutes, until the sticks are starting to turn brown. Turn the zucchini and continue roasting 7 to 9 minutes more. Put the zucchini back in the bowl, add the pesto, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Serve immediately. Yum!

The Garden in June

June is the time to:

• weed vigilantly to give your plants room to flourish
• water regularly
• check containers and hanging baskets often – water daily in hot weather
• check tomato plants and other perennials, and stake if necessary
• keep sowing carrots, lettuce, spinach etc. every two weeks for tasty veggies all through the summer
• it’s not too late to sow plants such as corn, beans, potatoes, and cucumbers, especially if the weather is still cool.

Quote of the month:

“Gardening requires lots of water – most of it in the form of perspiration.”  ~Lou Erickson

Spring has Sprung…

April is the month to start getting busy in the garden. Longer days and warmer air means that it is time to dust off your garden shoes and head down to the shed to check out your gardening tools and begin to plan your garden plot.

Start by cleaning up leaves, weeds and any other debris that may have gathered over the winter months. Dig under any cover crops, and turn the soil to aerate it and add some compost.  Think about what you want to grow in your garden, changing your crops a little every year helps to maintain and nurture the soil. There are a lot of seeds that can be sown directly in the soil now. Try carrots, cabbage, parsnips, and spinach just to name a few.  Salad greens are great, too, try planting a little each month for staggered harvests. You can also start to put out your transplants, if the ground is not too wet!

Check out our event page for upcoming workshops, plant sales and other gardening events around the Lower Mainland. Got a question? Just ask, maybe we can help! Or if you have any comments or articles that you want to share, add a comment anywhere on this site.

Happy digging!

September is a good time to…

—Plant a Fall/Winter Garden
We are fortunate to live in a temperate climate that enables us to plant some food crops in the fall. Plant vegetables such as leaf lettuce, chard, radishes, turnips and rutabagas in early September. Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, spinach and cauliflower are other good choices. Garlic and shallots are also great to start in the fall – plant them from September to mid-October. Leave them to overwinter and you will have a harvest of huge bulbs around late May to early June.

—Plant a Cover Crop
If you don’t want to plant vegetables in the fall, you may want to consider planting a cover crop. Cover crops, or living mulches as they are also called, are planted to boost a garden’s nutrient content. These crops can also help your garden in other ways by attracting beneficial insects and providing a home for earthworms.  Cover crops are also effective for weed suppression and can also help stop the cycle of plant disease by keeping soil-borne diseases and insect infestations at bay. Cover crops also provide visual interest and colour to your garden in the winter and early spring months.
For more information on growing cover crops, click here. For information on different kinds of cover crops, click here.

—Clean up your Garden
Even if you don’t plant any fall vegetables, it is a good idea to clean up your garden. Start by removing all stakes and wire cages. Store them in a dry place. Pull up all remaining vegetable plants and vines. Dig out and remove all remaing roots. Clear out any weeds. Pick up all fallen vegatables and fruits. Remove all debris such as old boards and any gardening equipment that may be lying around.  Applying a winter mulch – compost, mushroom soil, or a blanket of leaves – will encourage earthworm activity and restrict weed growth. Now is the time to take the time to clean your gardening tools and store them safely until next spring.

Check out our Events page for upcoming Garden and community events. Also, the latest issue of “Common Greens” is now available on the “Newsletter” page. Enjoy!

Hot Days in the Community Garden!

July 2009 will long be remembered for the endless HOT weather with record breaking highs and bright sunny days! I’m sure that there is not one air conditioner left on store shelves – it’s been that hot. While this weather is great for beachlovers and sunworshippers,  our gardens have needed extra care and much watering this past month. In spite of the heat and blazing sun, the garden plots have not fared too badly. Take a look at the excellent photos in the slide show below. Photos provided by Nelson.

Now that August is here, we look forward to more lazy, summer days filled with the bounty of our plots. As a first time gardener, I was so excited to reap a few “rewards”  from my garden. To my delight, I found (and picked) some zucchini, lettuces and a cucumber. All were so delicious and there was enough zucchini to make muffins and pancakes for my entire family.

There are lots of fun activities planned at the Garden for the month of August, starting with the Surrey Organic Community Garden Scavenger Hunt on the 12th starting at 7pm. Bring your friends and family for this fun event – prizes will be given out at 8pm.

Check out the Surrey Urban Farmers’ Market every Wednesday at the North Surrey Rec Centre from 1 – 6pm until October.  For information about the Market, click here. Make sure you check out their market bags made out of Cultural Capital banners.

Click here for more Surrey Organic Garden and community events.

A Glance at The Garden

The Garden is finally taking shape. Summer has never failed to grace all living things with zest and beauty. The rose bushes are dazzling with a profusion of pink blossoms. The plants are somewhat smaller this year as extensive pruning was necessary due to severe frost damage. There are no rusty leaves, thanks to the volunteer members who are doing a great job to keep them up. The big round flower bed is also beaming with life and colours. The huge Gunnera (Rhubarb look-alike) may grow bigger yet. It will become an eye-catching landmark  for visitors. See more info about this plant.

We have abundance of strawberries, raspberries and red currants. They are fun to pick, and they provide treats for small children and the young at heart.

The comfrey and borages are bustling with bees. Butterflies and humming birds are sighted occasionally. We have only few butterflies this year. We shall look forward to growing more varieties of flowers in the newly assigned Nature Plot (#32 and 33) to attract more butterflies.

The heavy snow in the past winter somewhat reduced the slugs, insects and grubs. But it can change over if the weather turns into their favour on a short notice.

JULY EVENTS

July 18: Saturday – Picnic /Work Day with a BBQ flavour.  Hot dogs will be available for a dollar. Fresh herbs for tea, anyone? Honey suckle, lavender, or borage and mint…

July 12: Sunday – Strathcona Community Garden is having an Open House with a plant sale. This is a pioneering community garden with a charming rustic setting. It is a short walk from Chinatown in Vancouver to the garden site. For details, check out their site.

from the Urban Hermit – Surrey Organic Community Garden News Update

Welcome to the Garden!

Welcome to the Surrey Organic Community Garden.

Our mandate is to demonstrate, inform and share knowledge of organic practices to the residents of Surrey, BC and the general public.

Our goal is to enhance social and recreational growth of the local communities through the promotion of ecological awareness and environmentally friendly life styles.

Please visit often for tips, links, event notices, stories and information.  We hope that you will share your expertise with our community.

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Contact us here.