Lupins!

The westernmost corner of garden is full of lupins right now! These beautiful wild flowers are a welcome addition to any marginal soil. Not only are they bright bursts of colour, but their roots have a unique ability to take nitrogen gas from the air, and convert it into a useable form for plant roots. Adding nitrogen to the soil is a great thing for neighbouring plants.

UBC Permaculture Design Certification Course

Permaculture Design Certification Course @ UBC Farm 2013
Design Solutions for Sustainable Food, Building and Community Systems
August 17th - Sept. 8th, $950 - $1250.

A traditional 15-day intensive Permaculture Design Certification course over three weeks with all the trimmings. Led by James Richardson, this urban PDC explores opportunities for change in places as small as a balcony, and as large as a 40 hectare farm. With UBC Farm, Vancouver City and the surrounding bio-region as our classroom, we'll explore the theory and practice of change with open heads, hearts and hands.

see:http://permacultureubcfarm2013.eventbrite.com/for details.

New to teaching? Gardening? No problem!

Check out one of our Orchard Garden workshop participants' blog postings on bringing gardens into the classroom during her teaching practicum.
http://sdalzell6.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/gardening/ 

Great to see this enthusiasm & fearlessness. Teaching on practicum can be overwhelming all on its own, so to bring garden-based education into the mix is really inspiring.

Congratulations, Sarah! Let us know how it all went.
Julia

An interesting design idea for the Orchard Hub building

Thinking about talking with the architects for the new Orchard Hub building (once the architects have been hired, that is!) I was looking for examples of green-roofed university buildings that would integrate well with the Orchard Garden. Here is the most interesting example I have found so far. What do you think?

"Green Grass, Glass & Class"

School of Art, Design and Media, Nanyang University, Singapore

Mid May Growing

With the 2 weeks of solid sunshine, and high temperatures, the garden is a happening place to be. Last year's kale plants are making seed with these brilliant yellow flowers. The fava beans are flowering. The apple trees are blossoming. And our resident gardeners, Panthea and Heather, are sporting 2013 Farm Fashion as they prepare and shape beds for planting.

Brilliant yellow kale flowers - 4 feet tall!

Fava bean flowers are my favourite because they smell like oily sun tan lotion. 

A plethora of apple blossoms.

Farm Fashion by Rosy, Panthea, Heather (left to right)

The Orchard Garden from the Perspective of two B.Ed students

Beauty. Peacefulness. Tranquility. Colour. Diversity. Abundance. All these words described our first impression of the Orchard Garden. What is this place in the middle of the hustle and bustle of campus life? A place of such freshness, where biodiversity can be seen, heard, felt, and smelled—all five minutes by foot from Scarfe!

Our time in the Orchard Garden has been filled with exploration and learning, in a sense a great mirror of the education process itself. We began our time by investigating the many facets of the garden, using the informative workshop series documents created by the Orchard Garden team. These followed the entire food cycle: from prepping the garden beds, to growth, to harvest, to preparing and eating a meal, and finally returning the end products to the compost bin—so they could become soil anew.

CSA's now available from the Orchard Garden!

If you love local food, and love the Orchard Garden, now's your chance to buy a CSA share. This share will provide a weekly box of fresh produce through the growing season. Click here to sign up.

Or for more information...

Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) is a model used frequently in urban agriculture where the customers and producers share both in the benefits and risks of farming. We ask for a lump sum payment upfront which will provide us with working capital for the season. In return you will get a weekly share of the most fresh, local, and seasonal vegetables possible. Because of the large number of variables that affect vegetable production, CSA members are asked to understand that the produce that you receive will not be entirely predictable. The weekly share will vary based on growing conditions.

Additionally, we are asking for a suggested donation of $100 for garden improvements. This money would go towards seeds, tools, soil amendments, etc.

 

The options we are offering are as follows:

Full Share

 

16 weeks - Early June to  Late September

$375 - ~$25 per week worth of vegetables

$100 suggested donation for garden improvements

Half Share

16 weeks - Early June to  Late September

$240 - ~$15 per week worth of vegetables

$100 suggested donation for garden improvements

Working Share

For this option we would require a 2 hour/week commitment to volunteering in the garden. In return you will receive a 50% discount on either a half share or a full share.  Please contact us at lfsgarden@gmail.com  to establish a work schedule.

Spots on the list will be awarded first come first serve, so please don't hesitate to voice your interest. We can arrange payment at your convenience. Weekly pick-up of your share will occur every Tuesday from the Orchard Garden office starting as soon as possible in June. The Orchard Garden office is located in McMillan room 66 (in Agora).

Any qusetions can be sent to lfsgarden@gmail.com

Thanks,

Heather, Panthea, and Emma