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[kegg-ca]

Since we seem to have almost reached the part of the season when I stop rotating the compost pile every week, I figured I would give a visual ‘State Of The Compost’ for anyone who plans on using the @kegg.ca community garden composting facilities over this Fall/Winter/Spring (which you can see in the first picture).

The bin on the farthest left, the one that should have a board that dimly says “Brown Material”, will be a place where anyone bringing loose leaves can place them (which I specifically mention because someone specifically asked me when I was last up there). If you are bringing bagged leaves for future brown material usage, please just place them somewhere neatly near the greenhouse and we will get them stored away properly (we also plan on bagging some nearby leaves, as we almost went the entire year using collected leaves from the previous year for all our composting needs, which meant I only had to take the wheelbarrow out into the woods to the ‘secret browns’ pile a couple of times this year, and that was 👍).

The next bin to the right is our active compost pile. It’s the one with the chicken wire to keep crows out and the board that says “Active Compost”. Add your compost here and try to add an equal area of browns (aka: leaves) on top, which you should be able to find in the bin to your left or right. There is a chance the active compost bin will rotate between bin 2 and 3 this month (if we end up fully turning it anymore), but it will always be the bin with the chicken wire on top. As always, kitchen scraps only and NO meat or dairy or plastic/stickers.

The fourth bin from the left is where we have our “curing” compost, which will stay covered until the spring, and will then hopefully be ready to screen and add to our finished compost bin on the furthest right… or it might just get put straight back out on the garden beds before planting again.

The other picture is a giant beet we picked earlier this year when the sun was shining brighter (although maybe that’s also a shoutout to the compost we’ve been cooking up at the KEGG.CA garden).

[kegg-ca]

Thinking of planting garlic this year? Well… we've got just what you need!

Our garlic is locally grown and has been thriving for three years, perfectly adapted to Kimberley's climate — AND — we're having a GARLIC SALE at KEGG Gardens this Saturday, October 5th at 10 AM!

If you've never been to the garden before, we're located up in Townsite at 500 Rossland Blvd (the old outdoor pool site).

Whether you want to use this garlic right away or plant it now for a harvest next August (or you have a vampire problem), we've got you covered and we hope to see some of you fellow local garlic lovers this Saturday 🌱

[kegg-ca]

Some photos by Nola from last Saturday's work bee (21/09/2024) 📸

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Not even a broken ankle (which happened away from the garden, fyi, doing non-gardening things) could keep Sue away from Saturday’s work bee (where she interviewed other gardeners about their KEGG experiences & ideas, thanks to wonderful chauffeur service from fellow gardener Elaine).

PS - if you’re a fellow KEGG gardener and you have not got your answers back to Sue yet, via email or in-person, I believe the plan is to maybe discuss the feedback on next Saturday's work bee (around 10am on September 28th, at the garden)

👨‍🌾🍻👩‍🌾

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Up at the @kegg.ca community garden, we make compost that can’t be… BEET!

[kegg-ca]

Some flowers at KEGG are edible (ie. pic1: the nasturtiums) and some flowers at KEGG are not edible (ie. pic2: the painted sunflowers behind the real tomato plants hoping for an extension on this year’s growing season).

Please ask your nearest gardener if you ever need help spotting the difference 🌺🌻

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Mondays Haul to Food Recovery. A basket full of herbs, Patty Pan Squash, Zucchini, Kale, Chard, Onions and Kohlrabi.

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Both are in KEGG's Garden. Which is real and which is on the KEGG Garden Wall? ❤

[kegg-ca]

Live For Local (a lovely part of the Kimberley Cranbrook Food Hub that KEGG.CA is proud to be a part of) is putting on another one of those lovely "Farm Feast Social & Ed Talks" over at the lovely Cranbrook History Centre on September 11th (5:30pm to 8:30pm)!

It is FREE to attend (in this economy?!), all you need to do is visit THIS LINK to register (or scan the QR code on the event poster)… and then just bring your local food hunger & curiosity to CBK this upcoming hump day (ie. Wednesday, September 11th, 2024).

"Let’s celebrate and support local agriculture with live music (by Heather Gemmell from 5:30-6pm), beer samples (provided by Encore), local bites made from local ingredients, in addition to presentations and a mini-documentary. Let’s learn and grow together!"

Word on the street is that it will be "lovely" 👩‍🌾🍻👨‍🌾

[kegg-ca]

[kegg-ca]

Chill day for a healthy harvest 👍

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This year’s garlic has been harvested, cleaned, and hung… with a healthy helping of compost spread in its place to get things ready for planting next year's crop later this fall 👍

[kegg-ca]

Live For Local is putting on another HELP-A-FARMER event, and this time it's an 'Epic Garlic Harvest and Potluck' happening this Saturday (August 3rd, 5pm-7pm) at We Be Farmin' (4020 Standard Hill Road, Cranbrook) — and best of all — YOU are invited to come take part (yes, YOU!)… just check out the registration link below to sign up and see all the details:

👉 https://forms.gle/gAsbaUkHCgTqxTwe9

And as the event poster implies, this is not the only HELP-A-FARMER event happening this year, nor is it the only event that Live For Local puts on in our shared local communities, so make sure to check out their website for even more details and future events (and track them down on the Facebook and Instagram for social updates)!

👉 https://www.kimcranfoodhub.ca/live-for-local

Because what better way to help strengthen local ties between local people, communities, local farmers, and local food than by getting local people together to help local farmers in their community harvest locally grown food, eh?

👨‍🌾 🤝 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

[kegg-ca]

Life imitates art 🌻

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New compost security guard 🦉

[kegg-ca]

We’ve reached that lovely time of the year when it’s starting to look more & more like a garden again 🌱

[kegg-ca]

The 'Plant A Row, Share A Row' initiative is back for another year of locals growing food locally and then sharing some of that locally grown food with other locals — with the main goal being to increase the quantity (and quality) of food that our local food recovery depots and food banks are able to offer members of our shared communities… and here's how you can get involved:

🌱 - Plant your seeds and nurture your garden (for example, you can plant a row specifically for donating, or you can see how your overall harvest does and donate a bit of your bounty).

🥕- At harvest time, remove as much dirt as you are able.

👩‍🌾 👨🏻‍🌾 - Take your produce to your local food bank or food recovery.

🗣️ - Be sure to let them know that your donation is designated for the 'Plant A Row, Share A Row' program so it can be weighed accordingly.

🙌 - Pat yourself on the back for making a wonderful contribution to your community and for taking an active role in the fight against local food insecurity!

And here are the Kimberley/Cranbrook donation locations:

Cranbrook Food Bank: 1624 Industrial Rd. 2; contact for hours

Cranbrook Food Recovery: 209A 16th Ave N, Mon-Thurs 9am-4pm, Fri 9am-12pm

Kimberley Food Bank; 255 Knighton Rd.: contact for hours

Kimberley Food Recovery: 260 4 Ave.; 10 am - 12 pm

And here is some extra information via Qs and As:

Q: What crops are best for donation?

A: Root vegetables or produce that can easily be stored is best, but all produce is happily received!

Q: Do you accept crab apples?

A: Unfortunately, we don’t accept crab apples. Contact Wildsight’s Apple Capture Program or share them with your neighbors.

Q: I’ve made jam out of my berries, can I donate that?

A: Due to Food Safety regulations, unfortunately, homemade preserves (jam, chutney, sauce, etc.) cannot be accepted.

Q: Do I need to clean or prepare my garden vegetables before donating?

A: We ask that you remove most of the dirt from your crops, but you don't need to wash them. In fact, if you wash them, they won't last as long. In the case of vegetables with tops (like carrots), you can also remove the tops, which helps the vegetables last longer.

For participants looking for hands-on gardening experience, come connect at one of our lovely local community gardens!

Cranbrook - Public Produce Garden - cranbrookfood@gmail.com (Marley)

Kimberley - Kimberley Community Garden - chad@wildsight.ca (Chad)

Kimberley - Kimberley Edible Gardens and Greenhouse - 1248granola@gmail.com

Finally, here is a link to visit a Google Doc with even more information (or you can scan the QR code on the image to visit) — and happy planting/growing/sharing!