Hello Acadia! – October 2021

As summer turns to fall, we have the opportunity to reflect on the growing season. 

What went well. 

What didn’t.

It’s the time of year when I say, why on earth do I keep trying to grow cauliflower? I’m terrible at growing cauliflower! And because I’m not much of a journaler, by next year I’ll have forgotten that cauliflower doesn’t respect me and I’ll try it again, because gardening is ultimately about optimism.

You start out with a teeny, tiny, little seed, and with luck, you get a whole plant in return.

Take carrots for example. Carrots have some of the ittyist bittyist seeds. There are about ten million of them in the package and if you have the patience of a sloth or a saint or whatever, you can get ten million carrots for your trouble. Or six. I say six because you were probably tempted to just pour your seeds in a row like a stream of sand through an hourglass thinking, oh, I’ll just thin those later. But of course you didn’t. And now you’ve got six carrots with about a hundred legs each, all clumped up like an orange knot with a green hat on top. What’s the upside? You can Instagram the carrots, then eat them anyway. You can even eat the greens! Amazing!

Ah yes, there’s plenty to be positive about. How about the heat? We certainly had some heat this year. And before you tell me that climate change is nothing to be excited about, I’ve got four words for you: ripe tomatoes in July. That’s right. Nevermind that the spinach bolted in days, the peas were sad & shrunken, and the wild strawberries cooked on the vine. I had ripe tomatoes in July! Without a greenhouse! In Calgary! Amazing! 

The critter population looked a little different this year too, wouldn’t you agree? I think I saw about five ladybugs, a few dozen aphids, a hundred slugs and about 800 million wasps. Now normally I’m battling slugs and aphids with all the tools of the trade. I wield a garden hose and a scraping trowel with the best of them. But this year I really didn’t need to. I think the wasps ate everything that moved in that garden. Me included, on occasion. They flew sorties through the plants like bats through a mosquito-laden swamp (another species I rarely encountered).  They were incredible! If I’d dared to grow cabbage this year, it would have been picked clean. Too bad I didn’t. Still, an impressive year for the wasps.

Of course, even the most interesting of summers come to a close. It’s hard to say what’s in store for us. Though it’s early September as I’m writing this, my upbeat inner-gardener thinks we could still be growing in October. Maybe that lone pumpkin near the compost bin will turn orange one day! I may even get my potatoes out without digging through fifteen centimeters of snow! There’s still so much to look forward to when you garden in Calgary. It’s easy to lose track of all the blessings.

Joanne Klein
President
Acadia Community Garden and Art Society, Calgary

Acadia Community Garden & Art Society is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination and harassment, where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, can contribute fully and have equal opportunities.  If you experience any discrimination or harassment, please contact us on our phone or media sites.

Hello Acadia! – June 2021

BASICS OF COMPOSTING


Compost, Garbage, Biological, Waste, Fruit, Vegetables

Hello Acadia Neighborhood!

As we become more environmentally minded, perhaps composting comes to the minds of many.  Last year Acadia Community Art and Garden Society started composting in our rotating compost tumblers which were generously donated to our garden.  (A huge thankyou goes out to our valuable donators!) 

It was the year of the learning curve – wrong things and some things right.  We have since visited other community gardens who have been composting, watching composting webinars and YouTube videos and are learning lots! We hope to have a lovely pile of finished compost by the Fall for use in our garden!

Here are a few of the basics we have gleaned.  

  • The perfect compost ingredients are 1) greens, 2) browns, 3) air and 4) moisture.
  • Ratio of 2 browns to 1 green seem to work well.
  • Greens are the nitrogen part which help heat up the pile as they aid the microorganisms in the pile to grow and multiply quickly.  
  • Greens include grass clippings, fruit and vegetables peels and scraps, weeds (without the seeds), plants, tea leaves and tea bags, coffee grounds, and chicken manure (excellent compost ‘activator’).  Do NOT use diseased plants.
  • Browns are the carbon part whose main job is to be a food source for all the soil-dwelling organisms that work with the microbes. They also add bulk and allow air to filter through the pile.  
  • Browns include woods materials (wood chips, etc.), straw, sawdust, corn cobs, cardboard, and shredded paper.  This is the biggest challenge – finding enough browns.
  • All ingredients added need to be broken or cut into small pieces so there is more surface area subjected to air and moisture.
  • Do NOT add meat, dairy, cooked items, fats and oils (which would cause the compost to smell) or evergreen tree parts. Also, avoid twigs and pieces of bigger wood as they take too long to break down.
  • If your mixture smells sour or rotten, you have added too many greens or it is too wet.  The compost should not be “stinky” smelly but should have a slightly sweet smell! (Who would have thought that!)
  • Turning your ingredients often introduces more air and speeds up the decomposition.
  • Add some water every few layers.  You want moist – NOT soggy.
  • As the microbes break the matter down, they give off heat. Temperatures can reach up to 65 degrees C.  After the mixture cools, worms will move in to finish the process.
  • Any large bits when composting is near finished can be sifted out and put in your next compost mixture.
  • Composting can be done on the ground in a 3’ x 3’ space or using the rotating compost tumblers.

Composting is fun and the satisfaction of turning table scraps, grass clippings, and fall leaves into something which looks like amazing nutritious soil is well worth the effort.   If anyone would like to join our composting committee, please contact one of the following emails:  secretary@growingacadia.ca  OR treasurer@growingacadia.ca.  We would love to have you on our team!

Melody Plummer
Secretary of ACGAS


Acadia Community Garden & Art Society is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination and harassment, where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, can contribute fully and have equal opportunities.  If you experience any discrimination or harassment, please contact us on our phone or media sites.

Hello Acadia! – May 2021

Hello neighbours

Joanne Klein is President of the Acadia Community Garden & Art Society and a 9-year resident of Acadia. Following is story about what attracted her to our Garden:

“The funny thing is, I thought I didn’t like politics.

That’s what I always said, anyway. 

I didn’t want to get into the mix.

I didn’t want to do the homework.

I didn’t want to have another debate, argument, or fight.

From the sideline, those negatives outshone any positives.

So, I didn’t get involved. In anything. And it stayed that way until I moved to Acadia.

When I arrived in 2012, I had a three-week-old baby that required all my energy. My milk had come in sparingly and I struggled to get him fed adequately. He didn’t want the bottle, I couldn’t pump, and as a result, I spent the better part of the year rocking in my chair with a dozy baby who needed to feed for hours at a time. For someone who liked to be busy, I finally learned how to relax.

I noticed the movement of light through the days and nights. 

The wind rocked the spruces across the street and the flickers found the ants in the yard.

Neighbours walked their dogs, rode their bikes, and took up jogging.

Still I rocked. And I rocked. And I rocked.

Maybe I was lonely, though I don’t remember feeling that way. What I do remember was the feeling of connection that was created that year. Connection to my child; connection to the neighbourhood I was becoming a part of. The baby, the neighbourhood, and I all changed and grew together.

When I finally left my rocking chair, we strolled through the streets we’d communed with all those days and nights. My molecules mixed with my neighbours. We shared a pulse. We’d become intertwined. There’s an alchemy that takes place in meditation and without anticipating it, my new neighbourhood and I were one.

I joined the Acadia Community Garden & Art Society because I’m a gardener and an artist. It’s a vibrant organization full of passionate people with whom I share interests. They’ve become my friends and together, we move mountains. 

All community organizations have the power to move mountains. It’s their superpower. When you gather a group of committed and spirited people who share goals and are willing to organise, their power transforms. Alchemy! 

And suddenly that word, the one people say with a sour face, the one I disdained…politics…resolved itself into the ‘relationship between people’ and I fell in love.

Building community is an act of love.

Participating in the community is an act of love.

I love my community.

And I love my role within it.”

 – Joanne Klein
Vice President
Acadia Community Garden and Art Society, Calgary

………………………………………

Upcoming: 

Please note: Events are subject to change and will be held according to Covid safety guidelines and restrictions.

  • Garden & Art Tour – Saturday, August 14
    • Unfortunately, we had to cancel this event last year. We are hopeful that we will be able to go ahead this summer.  Everything will be outside, and all safety precautions will be implemented. If you’re interested in getting involved or being a host, please see below for our contact information.

Acadia Community Garden & Art Society is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination and harassment, where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, can contribute fully and have equal opportunities.  If you experience any discrimination or harassment, please contact us on our phone or media sites.

Hello Acadia! – April 2021

Hello neighbours,

As our AGM approaches, I am reflecting on why we volunteer at our Garden. For some it is to improve their resume, or they’re new to the community and want to get to know others, some wish to share their gifts of skill and knowledge, or maybe they just want to get out and do something interesting or fulfilling.  I think most volunteers will agree that whatever the reason, the rewards have been greater than the effort.

For myself, I grew up in a small town in the interior of BC called Nakusp.  As much as I love the vibrancy and choice that comes with living in Calgary, I miss that tight sense of community. So, when my wonderful friend, Corinne Sandhurst told me that she and small group of people wanted to start a Community Garden, I thought it sounded interesting.  It combined my love of gardening and my desire to be part of a small community.  In 2012, we started with seven beds and around 10 people (including some sympathetic friends and partners!) Corinne’s husband, Geoff is a talented artist and we observed that there weren’t a lot of connections for artists in our area. Why not combine them? Gardening is an artform – right? 

Even though we didn’t have a lot of people, we were definitely not short on ideas.  It seemed that when one idea popped up, it naturally led to the next. Let’s… paint the murals on the bench and the shed, have a community event to paint a street mural, lawn chair theatre, Free Little Library, start a fruit forest, plant pollinator attracting native flowers and mason bee homes, build a community bulletin board, get involved in supporting the needs of our community – oh and did I mention build more raised beds? We now have 42 raised beds, a strawberry planter, raspberry beds and the permaculture-based food forest in progress, not to mention all the artsy things on the go.

Now in 2021, I look back and am amazed how much has been accomplished at our little community garden. It has been so fulfilling and inspiring to see how other people have added new and exciting dimensions to what has already been done. There is a sense of family, friendship, joy, and FUN that has come our way. The vision has taken on a life of its own that has an energy that I have rarely found elsewhere. The depth of knowledge and skill within our organization is breathtaking. We now have 15 Board members, each of whom brings a different perspective or expertise. (Hint – you don’t have to rent a raised garden bed to get involved).

Perhaps you would like to join this synergetic community?  We love to welcome new people and one thing we really love is trying out new ideas and activities!

If this appeals to you, feel free to join us at our AGM or contact us. See details below: 

Upcoming: 

Please note: Events are subject to change and will be held according to Covid safety guidelines and restrictions.

  • AGM – Tuesday, April 20, 2021 at 6:30
    • This will be held via Zoom. You don’t need to be a gardener or member to attend. If you’re curious about what we do, you are most welcome to join us. Contact us at info@growingacadia.ca for the Zoom link. 
  • Garden & Art Tour – Saturday, August 14
    • Unfortunately, we had to cancel this event last year. We are hopeful that we will be able to go ahead this summer.  Everything will be outside, and all safety precautions will be implemented. If you’re interested in getting involved or being a host, please see below for our contact information.
  • May 11 – Growing Great Garden Soil at Acadia Community Garden – $25
  • What is soil?; physical, chemical, biological properties; soil food web- what it is and the critters that we need; our native soil; what annual vegetable gardens need for soil; what perennial gardens require in their soil; soil amendments and fertilizers; growing medium for containers; cultural methods to improve soil- no till, mulching, weeding, cover cropping, composting; when to do what to your soil.
    • Everyone is welcome – For more details and to register for a class either search for Garden On! at Eventbrite or use the following link:

https://www.eventbrite.com/o/garden-on-19273168358?fbclid=IwAR22HGJ7ooaof_PY-PSLh8PTswqAw_JcRnPxh4N2CRY_20bAXesC1rM45WA

Laurie Vanderwal
Vice President

Acadia Community Garden & Art Society is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination and harassment, where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, can contribute fully and have equal opportunities.  If you experience any discrimination or harassment, please contact us on our phone or media sites.

Hello Acadia!- March 2021

Hello neighbours,

Spring is just around the corner, so we thought I’d share some of our up and coming events:

Please note: Events are subject to change and will be held according to Covid safety guidelines and restrictions.

  • AGM – Tuesday, April 20, 2021
    • This will be held via Zoom. You don’t need to be a gardener or member to attend. If you’re curious about what we do, you are most welcome to join us.
  • Garden & Art Tour – Saturday, August 14
    • Unfortunately, we had to cancel this event last year. We are hopeful that we will be able to go ahead this summer.  Everything will be outside, and all safety precautions will be implemented. If you’re interested in getting involved or being a host, please see below for our contact information.
  • Bird House Making – Date to be determined. 
    • We are still firming up details for this fun family activity.  There will be an online component along with the kit for those who wish to make their bird houses at home.
  • Garden On Events:
    • Feb 21 – ‘Let’s Get Gardening’ Part 1 Online – $15
      • Reflections/lessons from 2021; planning the garden before you sow-what to plant, where and how much; growing requirements for various crops; how to create a planting scheme that works for all that you want to grow; growing seedlings indoors; where to get seeds and seedlings in 2021 
    • Mar 21 – ‘Let’s Get Gardening’ Part 2Online – $15
      • Environmental/climate issues as they affect our gardens; how your soil affects when you can get sowing/planting; sowing/planting by soil temperature; succession planting; watering techniques; early protection from the weather and insects; potting on, hardening off and transplanting seedlings;
    • April 13 – ‘Re-Wilding the Urban Garden’ 
      • Southwood Community Garden – $20
      • What is re-wilding?-principles and objectives; designing your garden to be wild; plant species, combinations and schemes; cultural techniques- soil improvement, mulching, overseeding lawns; providing various types of habitats-shelter, food, water, breeding
    • May 11 – Growing Great Garden Soil –
      • Acadia Community Garden – $25
      • What is soil?; physical, chemical, biological properties; soil food web- what it is and the critters that we need; our native soil; what annual vegetable gardens need for soil; what perennial gardens require in their soil; soil amendments and fertilizers; growing medium for containers; cultural methods to improve soil- no till, mulching, weeding, cover cropping, composting; when to do what to your soil.

Everyone is welcome – For more details and to register for a class either search for Garden On! at Eventbrite or use the following link:

https://www.eventbrite.com/o/garden-on-19273168358?fbclid=IwAR22HGJ7ooaof_PY-PSLh8PTswqAw_JcRnPxh4N2CRY_20bAXesC1rM45WA

Laurie Vanderwal
Vice President

Acadia Community Garden & Art Society is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination and harassment, where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, can contribute fully and have equal opportunities.  If you experience any discrimination or harassment, please contact us on our phone or media sites.

Hello Acadia – February 2021

Aside from gardening, art, and community building, our Acadia Community Garden considers education a key aspect of our organization.  We have several like-minded community garden neighbours who agree with that view. 

Janet Melrose (Calgary’s Cottage Gardener – calgaryscottagegardener@shaw.ca) is a former member of the Horticulture Society’s Community Garden Program. She’s an author, freelancer in education, designer, and a horticultural therapist. Janet has been an instrumental friend, advisor, supporter, and cheerleader to both our Garden and many other community gardens.  She’s also the one that encouraged us to work together with other community gardens in our area which led us to form the South-Central Garden Coalition. Currently, Cedarbrae, CKE, Common Ground, Haysboro, Southwood, and Acadia are involved. We are looking forward to other local community gardens joining us. 

Our coalition decided it would be great to pool our resources and offer some educational sessions. We called the series ‘Garden On!’. Janet will be our teacher and facilitator. Previous year’s programs were very popular. Attendees spoke about how much they enjoyed the sessions and were excited to experiment with what they learned.

This year, due to Covid, we will be offering our sessions online or outside. If you would like to join us for some fun, mark your calendars with the following dates:

  • Feb 20 – ‘Let’s Get Gardening’ Part 1 
    • Reflections/lessons from 2020; planning the garden before you sow-what to plant, where and how much; growing requirements for various crops; how to create a planting scheme that works for all that you want to grow; growing seedlings indoors; where to get seeds and seedlings in 2021 .
    • – Online – $15
  • Mar 20 – ‘Let’s Get Gardening’ Part 2
    • Environmental/climate issues as they affect our gardens; how your soil affects when you can get sowing/planting; sowing/planting by soil temperature; succession planting; watering techniques; early protection from the weather and insects; potting on, hardening off and transplanting seedlings;
    •  – Online – $15
  • April 13 – ‘Re-Wilding the Urban Garden’
    • What is re-wilding?-principles and objectives; designing your garden to be wild; plant species, combinations and schemes; cultural techniques- soil improvement, mulching, overseeding lawns; providing various types of habitats-shelter, food, water, breeding
    •  – Southwood Community Garden – $20
  • May 11 – Growing Great Garden Soil
    • What is soil?; physical, chemical, biological properties; soil food web- what it is and the critters that we need; our native soil; what annual vegetable gardens need for soil; what perennial gardens require in their soil; soil amendments and fertilizers; growing medium for containers; cultural methods to improve soil- no till, mulching, weeding, cover cropping, composting; when to do what to your soil.
    •  – Acadia Community Garden – $25
  • July 20 – Garden Q & A
    •  – Online – $15

Everyone is welcome – For more details and to register for a class either search for Garden On! at Eventbrite or use the following link:

https://www.eventbrite.com/o/garden-on-19273168358?fbclid=IwAR22HGJ7ooaof_PY-PSLh8PTswqAw_JcRnPxh4N2CRY_20bAXesC1rM45WA

Laurie Vanderwal
Vice President

Acadia Community Garden & Art Society is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination and harassment, where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, can contribute fully and have equal opportunities.  If you experience any discrimination or harassment, please contact us on our phone or media sites.

Hello Acadia! – January 2021

Whew! 2020 is finally in hindsight!  I know, I know – I can hear the groaning. I just couldn’t resist saying that. 

This past year has definitely been a time of growth. And I’m not just talking about our plants and kids. At the Garden, as in our daily life, we needed to acquire new ways of operating. We learned about sanitizing, social distancing, face masking, and man, we got good at video conferencing! A year ago, most of these terms were not even in our vocabulary. 

One of the ways many of us are coping with being cooped up at home is going back to some simple pleasures. As much as going to the theatre, shopping, hanging out with friends, etc. is missed, there is joy to be found in a lot of low or no cost homebound activities. Still, even these can offer some level of frustration and leave one looking for more satisfaction. Many years ago, I read a great book, that I believe is still relevant today. “Who Moved My Cheese” by Spencer Johnson is a parable about some mice and little people who live in a maze and are searching for the cheese. It’s living in a life of change.

As many gardeners and artists have experienced, often our greatest creativity emerges out of challenges, changes, and obstacles. When I plant something new, I research what amount of light, water, soil type, and space is required. I consider the existing colours and shapes nearby and how it will look all together. Other times, someone may have gifted me a plant or maybe I got an amazing deal but don’t have extra time in my schedule, so I just toss it in the ground and see how it goes. The funny thing is even when I’ve done all the right things, my well thought out plant may still wither from winter kill and amazingly, the tossed in surprise plant flourishes. Who knew? These varying results sharpen our interest and keeps us gardeners planting and experimenting.

I also enjoy card making. This usually involves long hours surfing Pinterest for ideas, looking at all my paper, stamps, embellishments, and thinking about the person who will receive this card. (Speedy card making is not my forte.) Rarely do my cards turn out the same as the example I’ve followed or how I envisioned them. Plus, I quite regularly make boo boos.  The cool thing is that, lots of times, my fixes end up really improving the results.

Then, there’s reading a good book. I will look through the library (currently, that would be the website) reading the summaries to find just what interests me. Recently, I joined a book club. Some of the monthly book choices are ones I would never have chosen on my own. Yet, there has always been something to enjoy in each book I read.

My point in these examples is that my expectations and reality seldom match up. However, through each experience, I have learned or observed something new. I’m using that growth mindset to see the positives in this upside-down time. We are going to grow stronger, brighter, and even more creative.  Look out 2021.

Wishing everyone wonderful wings to carry you through the year! 

Laurie Vanderwal
Vice President

Acadia Community Garden & Art Society is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination and harassment, where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, can contribute fully and have equal opportunities.  If you experience any discrimination or harassment, please contact us on our phone or media sites.

Hello Acadia! – December 2020

I would like to thank Lindsay Struthers for the following article. Lindsay is our Registrar, an ardent gardener, and an amazing volunteer. She and her family have done so much for our little community!

Why does everyone’s Christmas cactus flower but mine?

The Christmas cactus has a reputation of being challenging to get to re-bloom than an orchid, so how come everyone else has buds on their cactus but me?

Schlumbergera bridgesii blooming in November. Photo taken by Lindsay Struthers

The Schlumbergera bridgesii is commonly referred to as the Christmas cactus or holiday cactus because it blooms around American Thanksgiving through to Christmas.  Calling this plant, a cactus is misleading because even though it is called a cactus it doesn’t like the growing conditions of an average cactus.  It prefers humid conditions and does not like direct sunlight when grown outside, it also prefers more watering than most cacti.   So, if I give my cactus all those things it most desires, why the heck don’t I get beautiful blooms at Christmas? 

Well you, like me, might need to check how many hours of daylight your Christmas cactus is getting.  While it is tempting to put these plants under a plant light with the rest of your high maintenance plants this might be the worst thing you can do for it.  For a Christmas cactus to produce and set its blooms it needs 14 hours of undisturbed dark.  A plant measures the amount of time spent in darkness with a chemical reaction that happens under the “skin”. Phytochrome is a plant pigment that takes red wavelengths produced by daylight and does a rapid conversion from its dark form to its light form.  At night that process is reversed but the conversion from light form to dark form is done at a much slower rate.  Your plant knows what time it is by comparing the amounts of light and dark form phytochrome.  Because the conversion from light form to dark form occurs so quickly your 5-minute loo trip might be enough to convert more dark form phytochrome to light form phytochrome than your plant will be able to convert back before daylight comes in the morning.  Now here is the interesting part, that internal watch your plant wears not only does the time, but it tells your plant the date as well… at least what month it is.  As our seasons change from summer to winter the number of daylight hours decreases and those nighttime hours increase.  Your plant knows that because as it has more dark form phytochrome available on a regular basis it must be closer to winter and therefore Christmas and that means time to get blooming.  So, when summer is over, do yourself a favor and move that cactus to a less glamourous spot where it can have a good night’s sleep and you too will be rewarded with flowers at Christmas.

Laurie Vanderwal
Vice President

Acadia Community Garden & Art Society is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination and harassment, where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, can contribute fully and have equal opportunities.  If you experience any discrimination or harassment, please contact us on our phone or media sites.

Hello Acadia! – November 2020

The Acadia Community Garden & Art Society was created to provide neighbours with a place to practice their gardening, to find & celebrate art within the community, and to enjoy the beauty the Garden offers.

We provide affordable raised bed rentals as well as a wide variety of free u-pick options in our Community Food Forest as well as in our Community Vegetable Beds.

The Society regularly holds community events including festivals and picnics, while offering a connection to like-minded individuals in the greater area.

Currently in our 7th year of operation, the Acadia Community Garden & Art Society is dedicated to contributing to increasing the standard of living for the people in our neighbourhood.

Our mission is to create & nurture community within Acadia through gardening and the arts. Our vision is to create a welcoming space that fosters an appreciation of nature, art, and the interconnection of our community.

2020 PROJECTS

Despite recruiting the largest Board of Directors we’d ever enjoyed, the onset of COVID-19 meant we had to throw out our plans and draw new ones up on the fly.

We knocked it out of the park. ????

Here are a few things we accomplished this season:

  • We developed a COVID safety & awareness campaign including digital messaging, signage, a professionally produced video, and a sanitizing routine that allowed us to open as an Essential Service to our community.
  • Thanks to an SNI Grant, we installed multilingual signage throughout the Food Forest to better engage our diverse community.
  • We planted new trees and shrubs into our Food Forest, including a 3-variety grafted pear, goji berries, and 2 types of saskatoon bushes.
  • We installed a decorative shrub bed in the SW corner of our lot made from entirely donated materials.
  • We painted the long bench with phrases about our community and little houses with messages of hope.
  • We grew & donated 175 pounds of food to the Calgary Food Bank.

2021 PROJECTS

Over the next 3 months, our Board of Directors will get together to identify our 2021 project objectives. 

Here are a few ideas we’re considering for next season:

  • building and installing wheelchair accessible raised beds
  • building and installing a wheelchair accessible shed
  • building and installing wheelchair accessible pathways
  • building and installing no-kneel raised beds
  • starting Phase 2 of our Food Forest which could include removing turf, digging swales, and installing base layer plants
  • building and installing a more user-friendly compost system
  • sprucing up the existing artwork & adding clear coat to protect it from the elements
  • adding new art pieces, including a central sculpture
  • revamping our website
  • revitalizing the soil in all the garden beds
  • increasing the size of the pollinator garden
  • increasing the number of mason bees
  • working with community stakeholders on the creation and installation of a sensory pathway
  • working with schools to create a ‘Learn to Garden’ course

But of course, we’re open to suggestions. If you have questions or concerns about any of our upcoming ideas, we look forward to hearing from you.  

Should you wish to participate, why not volunteer?

Reach out to Volunteer@GrowingAcadia.ca and join a team of passionate, community-building people.

Laurie Vanderwal
Vice President

Acadia Community Garden & Art Society is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination and harassment, where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, can contribute fully and have equal opportunities.  If you experience any discrimination or harassment, please contact us on our phone or media sites.

Hello Acadia! – October 2020

At our Community Garden, we have three types of raised garden beds. First, we have raised beds that people can rent for the season. (Just a heads up – We were sold out by February this year, with quite a waitlist. If you’re interested in a bed for next season, look for our contact info at the end of this article.) We also have beds that we have planted for anyone to pick. We talked about those in last month’s issue. They are labeled “Community Bed – Yes!”.

Our third type of beds are dedicated for donations to the Food Bank. These were harvested by our many volunteers at the beginning of September. Psst – We love to welcome new volunteers, regardless of your interests, we will find something fun for you to do. You don’t need to rent a raised bed to get involved!

We were excited to share 175 pounds of produce to the Calgary Food Bank! Thank you to all you hard-working volunteers and board members! In case you’re wondering, we gave carrots, parsnips, beets, beet greens, zucchini, squash and swiss chard. And…157 pounds of potatoes!!!


Signed, sealed and delivered

We experimented with some different growing methods for growing our potatoes. Pictured is a straw tower. In addition to the raised beds, we also planted potatoes in some of our home gardens. The raised beds produced the biggest and largest quantity.

Thank you all our wonderful volunteers. These are just some of them!

Laurie Vanderwal
Vice President

Acadia Community Garden & Art Society is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination and harassment, where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, can contribute fully and have equal opportunities.  If you experience any discrimination or harassment, please contact us on our phone or media sites.