Guided Work Party - Aug 7 2022

Angela and Alex talked about the profusion of weeds and other plants springing up in the veggie beds and also some seed boxes, and deduced that it was our compost that was to blame, which does not get hot enough to destroy weed seeds. We discussed ways to avoid so many weeds, from putting weeds into the weeds bin as opposed to general compost; firming the soil after removing weeds to prevent new weed seeds germinating; leaving compost materials to dry for longer in the Collection Bay and shaking seed heads to remove seeds before adding to compost bin.

It was agreed that purslane (Portulaca oleracea) could be left as it would act as ground cover and also provide a harvest for those who like to eat it, and it is easy to remove when necessary.

Angela

Good harvest today.

Picking blueberries

Weeding the red Orache bed

Weeding the seedling boxes

Digging the Potatoes

Little Explorers in the Garden - July

Our budding naturalists had an amazing day at the UBC Botanical Garden! We had two wonderful volunteers from UBC help guide us through the garden. In awe, the children were quiet and serene, awashed in green. We were impressed by all the leaf litter on the ground and leaf skeletons! The ground was also incredibly soft from all the soil and organic materials, something we don’t normally feel in the city.

Our volunteer guides then spotted an owl! This was a first for many of us as we looked above at the owl, and the owl looked below at us. As we made our way through the garden, we also spotted a yellow swallowtail butterfly dancing around.

A real highlight was the canopy walk, suspended in the trees, the kids were able to imagine themselves as the owl seen earlier, all of us now perched high in the garden. As we went through, we got up close and personal with some Western Red Cedars and Douglas Firs! Excited and with a bit of an adrenaline rush, we made it from beginning to end safe and together.

We then went through the Moon Gate and Tunnel. Because the inside of the tunnel was lined with corrugated metal, we pretended we were beans in a can! On the other side of the tunnel we made our way to the vegetable garden. There we saw lots of different veg including beans, peas, tomatoes, and more. Each of us got to try a pea, yum! 

Such an amazing day we won’t soon forget! This event was sponsored by the UBC Botanical Gardens and their generous contributors. Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to learn!