Tuesday, Sept  29th

Concepts in Year Round Gardening 9:45-11:45 am
Grandview Woodland (near Nanaimo and 1st)
The Whys and Wherefores of food cycles - why we want them, how to get them. We will plan round the calendar food supplies, both in the larder and stored in the garden.

Introduction to Medicine Making 1:30-4:30 pm
Main St./Little Mountain (near Cambie and King Ed)
There are so many plants that are safe, easy to recognize and locate, and effective. We will learn some recognition techniques, and then how to make teas, poultices, tinctures and infused oils. We’ll learn about solvents, supplies and storage.

Apartment and Container Gardening 6:30-8 pm
Potluck @ 5:30 for folks who would like to share a meal together
Downtown (near Davie and Seymour)
How to get more food from your balcony or patio. Space and weight are big problems for apartment dwellers. We will decide how to choose plants, discuss containers, soils, feeding and watering, succession planting and more in this workshop for small spaces.

Wednesday, Sept 30

Seed Saving Primer 9-10:30 am
Kits Point Village (near Cornwall and Arbutus) co-sponsored by Kits Point neighbourhood Village
Seed saving is the missing link in food security. In our current political climate of seed patenting and ownership, it is increasingly important that a critical mass of a population have a good understanding of seed saving techniques. This will make it possible to create networks for seed abundance and resilience in many communities. This workshop will provide a deeper understanding of seed saving basics as well as provide time to discuss the implications of forming our relationships soon and well.
Your donation includes a copy of The Five Levels of Seed Saving by Terry Klokeid.

Shapes in Sharing 10:45-11:45 am
Kits Point Village  (near Cornwall and Arbutus) co-sponsored by Kits Point neighbourhood Village
Ideas for sharing land, food, space and time with a workshop component. We’ll do a study of our own assets and shortfalls and figure out how to equalize these on both a large and small scale.

Intensive Urban Microfarming 1:30-4:30 pm
Potluck @12:30 for folks who would like to share a meal together
Cedar Cottage (near Victoria Dr., south of Trout Lake/John Hendry Park)  For folks who are ready to refine and to deepen their knowledge of urban microfarming, Robin invites you to participate in a 3 hour gathering that will examine as many of the following topics as time allows:
· Increasing backyard food production
· Succession planting
· Shade growing
· Extending the growing season through your choice of plants, Water Wisdom, Plant Calendar Mapping and Microclimating.

Apartment and Container Gardening 7-8:30 pm
Potluck @ 6 for folks who would like to share a meal together
Lower Lonsdale, North Vancouver (near Lonsdale & 1st & Lonsdale Quay)
How to get more food from your balcony or patio. Space and weight are big problems for  apartment dwellers. We will decide how to choose plants, discuss containers soils, feeding and watering, succession planting and more, in this workshop for small spaces.

All workshops are offered on a pay what you can basis. A one hour workshop usually costs around $10 to $15; a 1 1/2 hour workshop around $15 to $20; a two hour workshop around $25 to $30, a 2 1/2 hour workshop around $30 to $35. and a three hour workshop around $40. Our contributions to these workshops make it possible for teachers like Robin to expand and to deepen the scope of the important educational and social change work that they are involved in, particularly in these uncertain times. Enrolment is limited to 20 people for each workshop. (15 for Apartment workshops.)

To register:
(or to find out more about hosting a future workshop), please contact Ross at rmoster@flash.net.

Robin Wheeler is back in town later in the week, and Village Vancouver, Fork in the Road, and Kits Point Village are very pleased to be offering two more neighbourhood workshops with her. (And three in Coquitlam a couple days later.)

Robin is the founder of The Sustainable Living Arts School (http://www.ediblelandscapes.ca/), and the author of Gardening for the Faint of Heart and Food Security for the Faint of Heart. She lives on the Sunshine Coast, and brings a vast wealth of knowledge and experience to her teaching.  You can expect your knowledge to expand and your soul to be delighted…and sometimes for your hands to get dirty.

Food Preservation Basics

Friday, Sept 18th  2-4 pm in Mt. Pleasant (on 7th, near Broadway and Fraser)

We will go over the top 10 food saving techniques and what pros and cons are connected with them. We’ll talk about seasonal availability and how to be ready for the bounty, plus what supplies we should have on hand at all times to be ready for any disaster.

Concepts in Year Round Gardening

Friday, Sept 18th  7-9 pm in Kits Point Village (near Cornwall and Arbutus)

The Whys and Wherefores of food cycles - why we want them, how to get them. We  will plan round the calendar food supplies, both in the larder and stored in the  garden.

Register: Contact Ross at rmoster@flash.net.

Both workshops are offered on a pay what you can basis. A two hour workshop usually costs around $25 to $30. Our contributions to these workshops make it possible for teachers like Robin to expand and to deepen the scope of the important educational and social change work that they are involved in, particularly in these uncertain times.

Enrollment is limited to 20 people for each workshop.

You are warmly invited to another hands-on Sustainable Living Arts School Learning Party….

Bee Appreciation

….with master beekeeper Brian Campbell

Saturday, June 27 at 10am-noon.

Join us afterwards for a picnic in Clinton Park if you like.  Bring the kids!

This learning party will happen in the Hastings-Sunrise Neighbourhood.  Address will be emailed to the folks who register 3 days before the learning party.

Bee’s are the life’s blood of the environment. They connect plant life to animal life making abundance and creating a healthy ecology. For bees the city is the place to be. We provide a wonderful habitat of flowering plants and soil profiles that supports Canada’s greatest diversity of pollinators.

But all is not well. Bees and other pollinators are in decline around the world  so our privilege of bee diversity is also our responsibility to protect and conserve. Because of development our bee populations are divided up and separated from each other. By connecting these population pockets we help to make bees more resilient and better able to help the stresses we throw at them.

In this learning party we’ll explore a backyard habitat and then make a bee’s journey through the neighbourhood helping to make bee corridors. Come learn about how to plant for bees, make bee condos and help make one neighbourhood more bee-friendly.

Our guide for the day: Brian Campbell
Brian Campbell is a certified beemaster and beekeeper, heavily involved in food security issues in Richmond and beyond. A member of the BC Association of Master Gardeners, Brian spent three years as seed manager for West Coast Seeds. Brian guest lectures for Gaia College’s Growing Food in the City certificate program, operates pocket markets in Richmond and teaches young people about honey bees as well as native types. He offers classes in grafting fruit trees, food preserving and other farm skills.

Register: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/369963571

Location: Hastings-Sunrise- details will be emailed to registered participants 2 days before the learning party.

By Donation: Suggested donation is $25. Pay what you feel.  Sustainable Living Arts School learning parties are 100% participant supported. Thank-you for your generous donations.

Children are very welcome with their grown-ups.

The elders in our community have abundant knowledge of gardening practices. My grandparents grew up on farms on the Prairies during the Depression. Growing food and composting were facts of life. But as this generation of gardeners retires to smaller homes, their knowledge is leaving us.

At the same time, so many people are getting excited about growing their own food. Maybe it’s the recession, or maybe it’s just time: new parents want to teach their children how to garden, and flower gardeners are starting to cultivate food as well.

This year, the Sustainable Living Arts School, in consultation with the Edible Garden Project, is  working on a small garden mentorship program funded by North Shore Health. The Growing Traditions project is a small pilot program designed to help us learn how elders and new food gardeners can share their knowledge. We would like to learn how garden mentorships work, experiment with how learning parties can support these relationships…and get families growing food!

A big thanks to Stacey Friedman and all the participants of Intergenerational Landed Learning at UBC Farm who welcomed us to join them for a day of Landed Learning fun at the farm. We also took the opportunity to crash in on  Diane Johnson, who managed UBC’s Trimentoring Program through its start-up years.  They both asked great questions, created a context where we could ask what we needed and well, mentored us for a day.

The project is looking for experienced gardeners on the North Shore who would like to mentor newer gardeners. We’re also looking for families to participate - newer gardeners who would both contribute to and benefit from a community connection with an elder gardener. The mentorship would occur from June until the end of September.  At the end  families and elders will share their knowledge with their neighbors and friends by hosting a learning party.

Do you know anyone who would like to do something like this? Interested participants or those with any questions are welcome to contact Tricia at 604-842-3251 (please leave a message) or email growingtraditions(at)slas.ca.

Whew! The wind is high, clouds are shifting back in. I am looking at my trays of “starts” that I picked up at the local nursery, and figuring the time is right to stick them in.

I bought them a few days ago and observed the warning on the wall above them - Hard Frosts! Do not Plant Immediately! So I brought them home and planted them into big, round pots, just in the solid, rectangular cube that they came out of their little trays in, and behold - they had already taken advantage of the extra space and nutrient rich medium and had put fresh roots right down to the bottom of the new pot! It is definitely worth “potting up” those starts once you get them home.

I prepped some areas by raking back the mulch and loosening the soil. I quickly raked in some alfalfa pellets and rabbit poop I just conveniently had. Then I listened to the forecast. Change in the weather after a clear spell is a good thing. The cloudy days mean warmer nights, and the plants like a few days of overcast to adjust to their new lot in life. The chance of rain means no blasting sun to pull the moisture out of their leaves before the roots have set into the soil to take over the job. And if these plants have never been in direct sunlight before, then a few days of overcast will protect them from getting sunburn.

I placed the little plants in with their roots well loosened and heading straight down, firmed them in, smoothed the soil and applied a loose mulch. The loose mulch all around them will also protect from a bit of frost.
Then I set out some beer in little cat food tins for the slugs, to distract them from this new finding. As the plants take, I will deepen the mulch. And drink the rest of the beer.

If I had lots of time, I would put pegs around the garden bed and stretch clear plastic around it, to keep the wind away. This would give an extra boost in our cool springs.

I only planted out things I knew could tolerate some cold - walla walla onions, bok choy and chard. I will likely put out the cabbage and lettuce in a few days.

A good test for “end of frost” is to check on a very clear night, such as the full moon we just had, and see if there is frost following that. Since there was little if any frost up here at 800 feet above sea level, I took this as a sign. This doesn’t mean we won’t get a cruel surprise, but with properly hardened off and protected plants, a cold night will not be a great danger.

Meanwhile, the precious muskmelons and tomatoes are only an inch high, under good light in a heated room - it is WAY early to even think of kicking those little fellows out!

Happy Gardening,
Robin

The Sustainable Living Arts School is gladly hosting another hands-on learning party…

Upcoming:

• Robin Wheeler will be giving a free talk on food security this Saturday, March 14th in Vancouver.
  
• Alastair Heseltine is teaching a Willow beginner weaver’s weekend intensive on Bowen Island March 21/21.
  
• Have you wondered about buying land either to homestead or run a small farm (or just curious for the stories)? Practical lessons from those who have done it will be shared at the Bush Weekend April 25/26 on the Sunshine Coast.

Weaving with Living Willow

on

Monday, March 23

near Clark and Broadway

1:00pm to 2:30pm

Join us for this hands-on learning party where we will be introduced to the art of weaving live willow. Living willow can be woven for furniture, fences, garden panels and more.

Parents, you are welcome to bring children along. The learning party will be outside so there is room to run and opportunities to participate with grown-up help.

About our teacher: Alastair Heseltine is a sculptor who works with mixed media relating to the environment. “Imagery is guided by the inherent nature of material and by construction systems evolved through mindful observation and play. I also draw from the full spectrum of routines and activities that support my practice:  Design, craft production, farming and rural life.” For more on Alastair and to see some extraordinary images of his work visit  http://www.alastairheseltine.com/

Registration: There are limited spaces to allow for hands-on practice and conversation. Learning parties fill up quickly!  Please register with Keira keiraATslas.ca

By Donation: You can’t put a price on a learning party.  That said, we want to honour the time and experience that goes into learning valuable skills and sharing them with others. The suggested donation is $25. Donate what gives you joy! If you can afford more, we’ll put it towards making more learning parties happen. If you can afford less, come on down and share your learning with us anyway. All are welcome!

We will send out an email with final details (address etc.) to registered people by Thursday, March 19th.

Saturday, November 15, 2008 10am to 4pm

Location: Langara College, room to be announced. 100 West 49th Avenue, Vancouver, BC. Directions

Cost: $85 includes a delicious lunch with local and seasonal goodies

Register: In person or by phone 604-323-5322 with Langara College Continuing Studies. Course code: 70709

Please bring a simple map of the space you’re working with: your home garden or community garden.

Learn more about the practical applications of Permaculture – a design system based on mimicking natural ecosystems. Permaculture offers much for the busy urban gardener who wants to sustainably grow more food in a small space with minimal maintenance time. Students will design their own perennial food systems based on a simple site plan they bring to class.

Schedule for the day:

10-11:30: Introduction to Permaculture – Exploring the (hard to define) concept, its history and ethics.
11:30-12:30 Lunch provided- local, seasonal and delicious!
12:30-2:00 Defining permaculture design principles and discussing examples of their application in day-to-day life.
2-2:15 Break
2:15-3:45: Learn the basics of site assessment and apply them to your own space. Bring a basic site plan of the space you are working that includes a rough sketch of your space, including any permanent structures, cardinal directons and rough dimensions or we can provide one for you.
3:45: Wrap-up including final questions.

Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to:
* define permaculture and briefly discuss its history and ethics
* articulate permaculture design principles and the basics of site design
* design a low maintenance perennial food system for their own space

Teachers:
Heather Johnstone is the coordinator of the Edible Garden Project on Vancouver’s North Shore (www.ediblegardenproject.com). She has spent years learning with organic farmers on the west coast, and now teaches urban home gardeners to help them grow food. She teaches workshops ranging from Permaculture to cooking to seed saving.

Sheryl Webster is a landscape designer and permaculture teacher who has worked and studied in both Vancouver and San Francisco. She has worked in both the public and private sector as a project manager for various sustainability initiatives focusing on native and edible plants. Her design experience ranges in scale from garden beds to habitat corridors.