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.

Inside the outdoor classroom installation

Flax window at installation, November 2012

On November 20, 2012, a cohort of the teacher education program joined me for a collaborative learning workshop and research day. Since the class has been exploring themes of indigenous education and the relationship between land and education, it was exciting to share my research journey with the students and create a generative space to explore our overlapping questions, concerns, and hopes.

SFU SEEDS PDP Module visit to Musqueam and the UBC Orchard Garden

Last week, I took up a wonderful offer to accompany faculty member Mark Fettes and faculty associate Bill Hood and their SFU SEEDS teacher education group on a visit to Musqueam, and to bring the group on a visit to the UBC Orchard Garden. They later visited the Camosun Bog near Imperial Drive on the edge of campus.

 At Musqueam, Elder Larry Grant took time to tell us about the history of Musqueam and about his own experiences, with his typical generosity, kindness, candour and humour. Everyone in the group was at times both shocked and moved by these stories, and learned a great deal -- there were lots of questions. Elder Grant took us on a tour of the beautiful new Musqueam Cultural and Community Centre buildings, and at my request, we also saw the site of one of the Chinese market gardens at Musqueam, Hong Kong Farms, where Burnaby MLA Richard T. Lee's family farmed for many years.

Elder Grant commented that, although UBC is very closely affiliated with Musqueam, the SFU group was the first group of teacher candidates to request a visit and talk at Musqueam! I was astounded to hear this, and assured him that we would make that situation right as soon as possible. I had not known how to approach the Musqueam First Nation to organize such a visit (through correct protocols, etc.), but a simple phone call to the Band Office is enough to get things started.

The SFU group loved the Orchard Garden and were keen to get involved, especially since the Garden is now under imminent threat of being bulldozed as soon as a year from now if Campus and Community Planning goes ahead with building a 12-storey tower on the site without design consultation. There may be plans in the works for this PDP Module group to come back to the Orchard Garden to perform a drama piece about community gardens on our Arts in the Garden day April 6, 2013 -- watch this space for more details!

Developing the Chinese Market Garden/Native Plant Garden

The first bok choi at the Chinese Market Garden.  

 About 2 years ago, the Chinese Market Garden and Native Plant Garden was developed. It is a living experiment in teaching and learning about the largely untold shared history of Chinese migrant communities and Musqueam First Nations people here on the banks of the Fraser River, on unceded traditional Musqueam territory.

Student teachers in the fall garden - 2 recent classes

Friday: First fall rains
"Taking classes outside, even in the rain, teaches differently than if we're just 'fair weather' teachers," Cynthia Nicol encouraged her Problem-Based Learning cohort of student teachers.

And maybe some of us needed encouragement. After months of sunshine, Friday's class in the garden was our first truly fall day of soaking rains.

Beginning with an indoor exploration of mathematics in traditional weaving techniques and a brief trip to the blue whale at the Beaty Biodiversity museum, these elementary math education students were exploring mathematics in the garden - with their boots & umbrellas.

Groups of students spread throughout the garden, searching for 10 plant parts that could reveal mathematical concepts such as geometry, pattern, symmetry, relationship, line, etc. "At first, I couldn't see anything in the garden. It was like I was blind. But now I see these shapes everywhere!"

Monday: Crisp kohlrabi, corn & rain coming
"I had never thought about how many different ways there are to have a garden," one student said as we stood at native plant garden area of The Orchard Garden, talking about the relationship between First Nations people, Chinese Market Gardens, and the myriad ways to experience relationships with the land (including fear & hard work, a couple people reminded us: fear of worms, spiders, and memories of hard, hard work...).

Marny Point's student teachers from the NITEP program came to the garden to learn how to connect gardens to their teaching. Everywhere we moved in the garden, the stories were deeply layered. How are the stories of corn, the three sisters, cover crops, and compost, connected to our classrooms? What can Indigenous languages teach us about our relationships with plants?

"I remember my gran coming to my Grade 5 class. We went out to harvest fiddle heads and then we cooked them. I didn't eat them, though."

"You need to remember that teaching," Marny responded.

Ideas for developing and critiquing and growing both our Native plant garden & Chinese market garden are always very welcome. For more inspiration, watch Cedar & Bamboo.

Thank you, PBL and NITEP program students and instructors. Your sparkling, fresh faces, curiosity, and contagious sense of wonder reminded me - once again - about why I love The Orchard Garden and the work we do. We hope you come again and again. Please contact theorchardgarden.educ@gmail.com to arrange a class visit or find out more about our workshop series starting Oct 27, 2012.

CEDAR Summer Camp

Today we had a wonderful group of students participating in the CEDAR Summer Camp program visit The Orchard Garden and participate in a number of garden-based activities. Luckily the rain stopped just in time for their visit!

The snacks the campers made!

During their visit the campers added more plants to our native plant garden (which they helped start last year), helped paint a wooden raven scarecrow, painted signs for the garden, and whipped up a tasty snack of veggies and yogurt herb dip.

Chopping carrots.

The garden in full production!

We had a wonderful time and are looking forward to having the CEDAR Summer Camp next year!

CEDAR Aboriginal Youth Camp

Our largest group by far- nearly 70 people (kids and adults) joined us in the garden today for an afternoon of work, play, and eating.  Children planted native plants (including Labrador tea, huckleberries, and nodding onion), began construction on a raven scarecrow, harvested produce and made herb dip & lemon/cucumber/mint water to share, and painted signs for the garden.

I handed over my camera to the kids with the instructions "take pictures of your work".  The following photos and quotes are all from the kids.

"Can we grow pineapples in this garden?"

"My grandma cans peaches and apricots."

"Last year we made huckleberry jam."

"It's that pizza smell!" (oregano)

"My wish is that the garden had a huge strawberry as huge as our circle."

"I picked four peas."  

"I learned that you can eat lavender."

"My wish is that the garden could have a huge cedar tree in the middle."

"How do you spell rosemary?"

"Here, you can have a turn."

"Can I take some home for my mom?"

"I learned that when you're planting something you have to water it first."

"I learned that plants have to be planted first and then they can grow."

"My wish is that more kids could come back to the garden and do what we did."

Yes, I have a good camera- but these photos are amazing, aren't they?  I smiled to myself watching them carefully put the strap over their head, thoughtfully composing their shots ("get your hands in there so it looks like we're working...").  One child wrote out our entire herb dip recipe in careful script.  Of course there was also tree climbing and chasing and lots of "listen up!"- a learning experience for all involved, and looking forward to future partnerships of this kind.