Digging in on the Urban Farm

learn

HERE digging in 1. Wr i t e t h e n u m b e r i n t h e b ox n ex t t o t h e m a t c h i n g wo rd that describes these c o m m o n g a rd e n i n g tools.

hedge shears a pitchfork a shovel an edger a pail a wheelbarrow a rake a trowel a sprinkler 2. Which items a re u s e f u l w h e n c o m p o s t i n g a n d h ow a re t h ey u s e d ?

3 . Tr a c ey C o o k s a ys t h a t o n e t h i n g (n o t p i c t u r e d h e r e) h a s helped her become a m o re p r o d u c t i ve g r owe r. W h a t d o yo u t h i n k i t i s?

Wasabi?!

G row i n g i s g o o d — f o r p l a n t s a n d f o r p e o p l e ! I n E n g l i s h , we u s e t h e wo rd “ g row ” i n m a ny ex p re s s i o n s n ot c o n n ect e d t o g a rd e n i n g o r f a r m i n g . I n t h e g re e n l e a ve s b e l ow, wr i t e n o u n s we u s e w i t h t h e ve r b “ g row ”. D e s c r i b e a s i t u a t i o n w h e n yo u g rew s o m et h i n g besides plants!

gr w

KNOWLEDGE

Far mers on Vancouver Island g row ever ything f rom car rots and potatoes to ber r ies and g rapes. A nd we're the 3rd largest producer of cranber r ies in the world!

In recent years, some more exot ic crops have made an appearance: lemons, olives, and yes, WA S A BI! heremagazine.ca

TRACEY'S READING LIST: West Coast Seeds Newsletter; Growing Vegetables

West of t

on the urban farm COMPOST TIPS 1 PA RT B ROW N TO 1 -2 PA RTS G R E E N WI L L C R E AT E T H E I D E A L 3 0 CA R B O N TO 1 N IT RO G E N (3 0:1) B L E N D I N YO U R CO M P OST

B ROW N COV E R

G R EE N

—Tracey Cook

( N IT RO G E N)

it s crap s • fru ve g le s crap s • ri n setab • g rasesdceligpgpisnhgeslls • manure from • vegetarian animals

B ROW N

B ROW N

Small spaces are of ten perceived as a bar r ier to g row ing food. I ’ve spent 18 years g row ing on my little patch of land. I star ted w ith ma ybe t wo heads of lett uce but now I have become a producer instead of a consumer just by blunder ing through and persever ing.

T here is a simple beaut y in vegetables: the elegance of a bed of leeks; a smiling pumpkin to cheer you each morning; the steady generosit y of a zucchini. To me, a vegetable garden beats a manicured rose garden hands down, so make way for food!

K EEP M OIST A ER ATE O F TEN K EEP COV ER ED

G R EEN

“

(a.k.a. “Farmer T ”)

U R B A N FA R M E R

(CA R B O N)

IN ’ TRACEY S GARDEN

aves • dwerieeddslewit • co rn sta lksh o u t s e e d s • stray, h ay • stick or sawdust • cardboard •

G R EE N 2 "- 4 "

ESSENTIAL TOOLS? Compost. Feed your garden as much as it feeds you; add compost, manure, leaf mulch, and seaweed! A gardening journal. Record what you planted and where, what worked and what didn't.

B ROW N

STICKS ON BOTTOM 4 "- 6"

growin g you r soil, growin g your food BBQ ASHES/COALS, COOKED FOOD, INVASIVE WEEDS (MORNING GLORY, BUTTERCU P), DAIRY, DOG OR CAT FECES, FATS, GREASE, OILS, FISH, MEAT, BONES, CAT LITTER WHAT IF MY COMPOST ISN’T LAYERED LIKE THIS? I J UST “ADD-AS-I-GO”.WILL IT STILL WORK? Yes, if you maintain the 30:1 ratio as much as possible and turn it frequently. It will just take longer to compost, around 3-8 months.

the Cascades by Steve Solomon; The Zero Mile Diet by Carolyn Herriot; Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter

WEIG HT OF YOU R 2013 FOOD HARVEST IN POU NDS? 1200

FALL PLANTING? Garlic and spinach

WORDS TO LIVE BY? There’s always next season! heremagazine.ca

SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO GARDENING LES SON 1. Write t he num ber in t he box next to t he ma tching word t ha t descri bes t hese common g ardening tools.

hedge shears

1

a pitchfork

8

a shovel

9

an edger

6

a pail

5

a wheelbarrow

3

a rake

7

a trowel

4

a sprinkler

2

2 . W h ich i tem s a re u s ef u l when co m p os t i ng a nd h ow a re t hey u s ed?

• a p a i l: to s to re k i tc h e n s c ra p s b efo re p u t t i n g t h e m i n t h e co m p o s t • a s h ove l o r p i tc hfo r k: to t u r n a n d a e ra te t h e co m p o s t • a h o s e: to ke e p t h e co m p o s t moist

3. Tra cey C ook s ays t h a t o ne t h i ng (n ot p ict ured here) h a s he l ped her beco m e a m ore prod uct ive g rower. W h a t d o yo u t h i nk i t i s?

Tra cey s a y s a d d i n g a g re e n h o u s e to h e r g a rd e n a l l owe d h e r to n ot o n l y g row t h i n g s t h a t we re c h a l l e n g i n g ( l i ke to m a to e s i n Fa i r f i e l d!) b u t to g row ot h e r c ro p s ye a r ro u n d.

G ROW+N O U N g row g row g row g row g row g row

yo u r yo u r yo u r yo u r yo u r yo u r

p o r t fo l i o n et wo r k hair a s s et s nails business