THANK YOU CDC Construction!

We would like to thank CDC Construction for turning the abandoned lot into a promising blank canvas for our community garden to begin. Having the garden site cleared was essential to allowing the garden project to happen and we wouldn’t have been able to do it without the very generous support of CDC.

The site clearing began with the removal of the old concrete house pad.

The concrete, fill and unwanted plant debris was removed and trucked away to the appropriate places.

A blank slate, ready for the instalation of the garden to begin. It looks great!

Lets Build the Garden!

Our first build and planting day will be taking place at the end of the month. We have lots of work to do and would love to see you there to help out and enjoy the day!

Date: Tuesday March 30, 2010

Time: 9am - 5pm

*We will be working in the garden all day so please feel free to come by at whatever time suits your schedule*

Location: 420 Hawks Ave (right behind The Rice Block at Hastings and Hawks)

Our plan for the day is to shape and amend the garden beds, install a drip irrigation system, put up a new fence, build garden structures and plant up part of the garden.

This event will go on rain or shine so please be prepared for Vancouver weather.

If you are interested in begin part of this very exciting day please email the garden coordinator, Carissa.

Wish List

To ensure the garden can grow and thrive, we will need the right tools to work with both physically and mentally. We are currently looking for the following items and knowledge to be donated to our community garden project:

Tools

• Hard rakes
• Hoes
• Forks
• Shovels
• Trowels
• Hand pruners
• Watering cans
• Gardening gloves
• Hoses
• Scissors for harvesting herbs and greens

Materials

• Compost and/or Composted Manure
• Mulch (leaves, hay, etc.) for pathways and garden bed mulching
• Landscape cloth

Other

• Mason bee “houses” and mason bee cocoons

We also need as much expertise from the community as possible and would be interested in hearing from anyone who could lead workshops or consult with us on gardening topics such as composting, bees and beneficial insects, growing techniques, making products from plants grown in the garden such as jams and teas, winter gardening, etc.

Items will be added and removed to the list as needed so please check back often or email me with anything you think will be useful to the garden but is not on the list.

Our New Garden

A new community garden is coming to Strathcona at the Rice Block! The Rice Block is a housing program of Atira Women's Resource Society, a not-for-profit organization that supports women and children impacted by violence. The Rice Block is a women-only supported living environment that provides programs such as a Community Kitchen, 16-Step Group and a Stopping the Violence counselor.

The vision for the Community Garden is to create a place where women can come together to share, learn and connect with each other and the community.
It will provide Rice Block residents, as well as the local community, with the opportunity to grow food for themselves and for the on-site community meal program. It is also planned to include herbs, flowers, medicinal plants and native plant species in the garden.

The garden is located to the south of the Rice Block building on Hawks Ave in Strathcona. We are currently looking for members of the local community that are interested volunteering their time or expertise for the 2010 growing season and beyond.

Interested in being involved in this exciting project or learning more?
Please contact carissa_murphy@atira.bc.ca