Spring into Winter? Give us back our Spring!!

THIS IS NOT A JOKE!

Good Day Community Gardeners:

Well, if you are like me, you're ready to check into a secure room at a hospital for the chronically sick of cold and winter. I've had enough. I'd probably sell my soul to the devil right now just to get rid of the snow, wind, and ice.

A few updates...
www.wegarden.ca is our WEBSITE. It is updated daily with our news, calendar events, helpful documents. Big thanks to our IT extra-ordinary, Rob Ross. Please send info to him and he will collect it and put it in the appropriate locations.

I was fortunate to attend a SNOWY conference in Niagara Falls this February. As a conference attendee, they granted me access to ALL the presentations at the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Association conference. I've picked out some very good presentations on Pest Control, Disease Identification, Nematodes, and a few other things. Rob has put them in the Big Ol' Document Garden. Also, I received a free ebook on Cooperative Farming that I have made available. 

Importance of Pollinators: Ecological Keystone
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9hzDZ9eI76FcDFrcnBHZ3VpZUE

Plant Disease Diagnosis
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9hzDZ9eI76FTVlWMzI4TzR0TWc

Vegetable Disease Diagnostic Workshop
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9hzDZ9eI76FTGszSmJFMXBzaE0

Cooperative Farming Handbook
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9hzDZ9eI76FQmpQNWJsdTVsLVE


I had some questions about CONTAINER GARDENING. 
Here's a great video that sums up a number of points I was sharing. CONTAINER GARDENING VIDEO

Keep in mind some KEY DATES:

April 7th/2014 - Change The World - Youth Challenge 2014 kicks off our 20 Garden Visits by Windsor Essex High School kids! What a time that will be! Our press release and first day is at Ford City Community Garden.

April 27th/2014 - Earth Day - Malden Park
We'll have a WEC Community Garden Table there. Bring money for yummy food and other goodies. We'll be doing a seed exchange as well.

May 31st/2013 the Downtown Windsor Farmers Market opens and we have vendors that sell potted plants, flowers, herbs and seeds. Come down to Charles Clark Square from 8 am to 1 pm, Saturdays, till Thanksgiving. Ford City Farmers Market opens later in June.

Our Windsor Essex County Community Garden Trolley Tour will be on Sunday, July 13th/2014. Schedule TBA later. Tickets will be limited.

Also, we have a number of new gardens looking for members. Please contact us on the website if you want to join a new or existing community garden in Windsor Essex.

If you hear of any good gardening news, let us know!

Steve Green

Pallet Gardens and Pallet Collection

How to turn a Pallet into a GARDEN!

GUIDE FOR PALLET COLLECTORS

What Every Pallet Buyer Needs
to Know About Heat Treating

 If you intend to put edibles in your pallet, be sure to find one that was heat treated as opposed to fumigated with pesticides.

If you're shipping goods out of the United States, heat treating (HT) of your pallets for fumigation purposes needs to be part of your shipping procedures.

Since March of 2002, the IPPC (International Plant Protection Committee) has set guidelines for regulating wood packaging material in international trade. The ISPM-15 Standard applies to both softwood (coniferous) and hardwood (non-coniferous) packaging. Both types of wood must be either heat treated to 56 degrees Celsius for thirty minutes or fumigated (MB) with methyl bromide.

Because the ISPM-15 Standard is ever changing and can often be confusing, select a pallet provider with experience in International Shipping. This not only applies to ISPM-15 regulations, but also to acceptable size requirements. While the U.S. operates in inches, other countries around the globe use metric measurements. Not being in compliance with these measurements can result in your entire shipment being rejected and returned. A knowledgeable and reliable pallet provider can guide you through these requirements.

According to the WTO (World Trade Organization), the following countries have begun to enforce the ISPM-15 Standard:

Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Columbia, Costa Rica, European Union, Guatemala, India, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Panama, Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, and Turkey. Shipments from United States to Canada are exempt.

When your shipments are treated properly and are in compliance, they will be allowed to display the IPPC certification symbol.

This symbol will include:

• A two letter ISO country code. For instance, AU for Australia or US for the United States.
• The 000 portion of the symbol represents the unique certification number issued for AQIS (Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service) to the treatment provider or wood packaging manufacturer. Inclusion of this certification number ensures that the wood packaging material can be traced back to the treatment provider or manufacturer.
• YY is the treatment abbreviation.
• HT is the code for heat treatment to a minimum of 56 degrees Celsius for a minimum of 30 minutes.
• MB is the code for methyl bromide fumigation.

Article by Pat Wales

Article by Patricia Wales

Social Concerns Convener
Windsor-Essex Branch
Retired Women Teachers of Ontario

            As a dreadful winter recedes, nurseries and garden centers herald the coming of Spring.  I love to wander the aisles checking out the flowers, herbs, and vegetable plants.  Retirement has awakened my love of gardening; I realize that putting on garden shoes to dig and plant and water yields renewed energy and creativity.   As a child I spent many weekends on my grandparents’ small farm in Puce running the fields trying to avoid having to weed.  Later as an adult, when I was showing our first home to my grandmother she suggested that the yard beside the driveway would be a fine place to grow onions.  I didn’t take her advice at the time but now I revel in planting and find it enhances the joy that Spring brings.

       Members lacking a suitable space for gardening may find community gardens an intriguing option.  There are several Community Supported Agriculture projects locally, which provide a variety of gardening opportunities.  For example, there are seventeen community gardens located across Windsor and Essex County with hopes of adding more.  Becoming involved in such a project is a great way to be outside, meet new people and engage in a healthy group activity. If you want to garden, the coordinator is willing to assist our R.W.T.O. members to locate a community of gardeners.  Perhaps R.W.T.O. members would like to establish our own community garden?  The Windsor Essex County Community Garden Collective website contains plenty of information for gardeners interested in growing local produce.

Information about community gardens and other interesting projects can be found at:

            www.wegarden.ca

            www.weccommunitygardens.blogspot.ca

Or you may contact: Steve Green, Windsor Essex County Community Garden Network Coordinator at (519) 258-3033 Ext.1148

If you wish to be connected to the earth by planting, weeding or reaping the benefits of the harvest, many local opportunities abound.  These include:

·         Purchasing a farm share to obtain locally grown produce throughout the summer season.

·         The Downtown Windsor Farmers Market will operate again this year on Saturdays from May 31^st to October 11^th at Charles Clark Square.

·         The Southwestern Ontario Gleaners dehydrate unmarketable garden produce into soup mix for distribution to feed the hungry locally or overseas after the produce has first been offered to nearby residents or the food bank association.

·         The School Garden Project fostering the connection of earth and gardeners by supporting the planting of school gardens has begun across our province with some suggestion for local participation.

Consider, it was Katrina Mayer who said: “Spending time in nature has a way of nurturing the soul.”

                                                           

                                                                                                                                     ~ Patricia Wales

Collective Meeting

Collective Meeting

Our next WEC Community Garden Collective Meeting is scheduled for 
March 26th, 2014 at 530 PM.

It will be held at:

Community University Partnership for Community Development, Research & Training
5465-#2 Reginald Ave.
Windsor, ON N8T 1A4

New members welcome. Agenda to come out next week.

SteveG

Our Website is LIVE!

Our Website is LIVE!

Proud to present our Windsor Essex County Community Garden Collective website. Thank you Robert Ross for your hours of dedicated service! You shall duly be rewarded with produce and honey.

 http://www.wegarden.ca/

Amherstburg Gardeners Wanted

WANTED

Amherstburg 

Community Gardeners

Please contact the Windsor Essex County Community Garden Collective

Network Coordinator

Steve Green

519-258-3033 ext. 1148

For More Information!

Sunday Harrison - School Garden Prezi Presentation

Sunday Harrison

A Garden In Every School

Growing School Gardens Prezi Presentation

Future Commons 2014

PRESENTATION LINK

Dan Pitera PREZI Presentation - Future Commons

Dan Pitera Presentation 

Future Commons 2014

PREZI PRESENTATION

Community Gardens in Windsor Essex

Feel free to share this contact form if you are wanting to connect friends to Community Gardening in Windsor Essex!