The days are getting longer, buds are forming, snow-drops are up and some trees will be leafing out soon. Can gardening season be far behind?
The Ladysmith Community Gardens Society and Ladysmith Parks Recreation and Culture encourage you to start thinking about gardening this year by coming to a series of three free workshops on vegetable and fruit gardening.
All workshops will be held at the Frank Jameson Community Centre program room.
“These workshops are a great opportunity to help increase citizen involvement in urban agriculture and help us achieve all the health and community benefits of locally produced food,” said Anita McLeod, community services co-ordinator, who helped the start up of the community gardens.
The first session, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. will feature Town of Ladysmith parks supervisor, Glen Britton who will talk about sustainable gardens and landscapes for beginners. Britton has done a wonderful job the last several years producing a wide variety of vegetables from town gardens, a welcome addition to our local food banks.
On Feb. 22, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., another knowledgeable member of our community, soil scientist Michael Rowell, will lead a workshop about soil and productive gardening.
To round out the series, a speaker from the Vancouver Island Master Gardener Association share their expertise on edible gardening for small spaces, Tuesday, March 1, 7 to 8:30 pm.
The Ladysmith community gardens have been located and designed to provide an urban space for growing fruit and vegetables, but more than that, they provide a focus for the community where people can share and learn skills for successful food production in small areas. These workshops are a start to broadening community involvement, so we hope you will take advantage of the experience of these knowledgeable people.
Greg Roberts, president of the Ladysmith Community Gardens Society emphasized that the community gardens are your gardens.
“In a few months seeds will be in the ground. Come out and find out how to become an effective urban gardener. Or if you are already a successful gardener, we would love to have you contribute your knowledge and experience. We look forward to seeing you there.”
There is no charge for the workshop series, but please call Ladysmith Parks, Recreation & Culture to register in advance at 250-245-6424.