Category Archives: 16 Oaks Community Garden

Soil for Garden Box

Soil PileWhen the soil/compost arrived to fill the new boxes at my community garden, there was much rejoicing, and not just by me (okay, I might have been the loudest).

Ever the enthusiast and keener, I cut out of work early “for a meeting” and was out there in the early afternoon heat lugging wheelbarrows of the dark stuff to my plot. A few people beat me to the punch, but not many…

<b>Before Soil</b>

Before Soil

<b>After Soil</b>

After Soil

It was hot, sweaty hard work, but very exciting to finally be so close to putting plants and seeds in the soil. A huge thank you to the folks who organized and made it happen!

Peat Moss Alternative

The second step in my community garden site preparation was to figure out a way to increase water retention — this may be the ONLY place you ever see water retention listed as a positive. Garden boxes apparently have a tendency to dry out more quickly than fully in-ground gardens. Blend that with the fact that we have to lug our water to the garden in buckets from a hose across the street, and you have significant incentive to find ways to limit water loss.

Soaking Beats PeatOne of the fellows in the 16 Oaks Community Garden showed me what he’d done, mixing in a bunch of peat moss with the soil. His test showed that it did help keep the area damp and the area below the peat mixture was totally dry. On my next trip out to the nursery I was checking out the peat moss options when I noticed a peat alternative, made of coconut husks (coir). Cool! I’d read that peat moss is a diminishing resource so finding an alternative was a pleasant surprise. I mean, coconuts just keep growing, right? (Though there are no perfect answers, as you’ll recognize if you think about the carbon miles required to bring coconut coir to your local gardening shop.)

BeatsPeatI picked up a couple of packages of Beats Peat, which are highly compressed bricks of the stuff which have to be soaked before being blended in with your soil. My first attempt consisted of dropping the bricks into my still-void-of-compost box and pouring copious amounts of water over them in order to soak them. It took a lot of lugging of water (see water source note, above) and, after a couple of hours, not much result.

I poked and prodded them with a rake in order to break them up as they became saturated, but it was slow going and I didn’t get far before I decided to soak them in a large plastic bucket overnight. Next day I took each brick out, and raked it apart. It was yet another prison-labour-camp exercise in back breaking work.

Breaking up Beats PeatRight about the time I was finishing up the last of the 8 total bricks, a fellow garden I’ve seen around stopped by.

“Hey, I used that stuff too, it’s great. Yup, just soaked it in a barrel until it was soup, then poured it over the soil.” What?! I’d soaked and raked and soaked and raked. Dang! If I’d just done some research I’d have doubtless come across the watching-paint-dry-video that showed the quick(er) way to do it.

There’s lots more info on coconut coir and how it use it in the garden, with a quick Internet search.

Garden Plot Preparation

I feel I’ve been given a second chance, another kick at the can, with my new local community plot at 16 Oaks Garden.

With my first try at a garden, we turned some manure into the soil that has lain dormant for many years aside from it’s lush carpet of moss and buttercups (I used think those little yellow flowers were kind of pretty!), but other than that didn’t do much but remove blatantly large rocks. Oh, and test the pH to confirm it was within the proper range, which it was/is.

The trouble is, some of the things I planted seem to be growing really well, but not budding with intended fruit.

I did plant some stuff way too early, when it was far too cold. But when the sun and heat finally arrived, the radishes took off like a shot, only to bolt and leave no fruit behind. (Hmmm, maybe that’s where the term “bolt” comes from.) The broccoli and cauliflower grew great huge leaves and only when I cut those back savagely did any fruit begin to appear. A second run at the radishes had the exact same result, they bolted very rapidly not even pretending they’d be hanging around to get fattened up and eaten. And the beets, carrots, spinach, lettuce and even the green onions are nowhere to be found.

<b>Garden Box Before</b>

Garden Box Before

I must confess, I’ve been second guessing myself. Kind of like a bad break up, I’ve been asking the agonizing question: “Was it something I did? Or maybe something I didn’t do?” Did I leave in too many stones. We didn’t add a layer of topsoil. Do I have the “right” kind of soil or does it contain too much clay? Did we chose the right spot for the garden, is it getting enough sun?

Well, this time I’m starting the relationship off right.

<b>Sifting Soil</b>

Sifting Soil

First on the agenda was leveling my planting box. The spot I selected for my box is at a steep slop in one corner, which could lead to erosion and/or water pooling issues. So, I spent 3.5 hours one day this weekend digging in one side, raising the other, and shoring up the raised, downhill side to ensure my soil, when it arrives, will not wash away.

<b>Garden Box After</b>

Garden Box After

Second, and included in the 3.5 hours of backbreaking, prison-camp-style hard labour, was a complete sift of the soil base to remove any rocks/debris. That meant digging up the top 6″ of soil within the box — deeper in some really rocky spots– and raking it over the “sieve” to remove any pieces bigger than about 1 cm.

One fine film of dust over me and all I own and 3 wheelbarrows of rocks later, my base soil is completely sifted and ready for a little peat moss alternative. After that’s done, I’ll just be awaiting the delivery of donated compost and then I can start planting. Boy, I hope that compost arrives soon!

Seedlings for Community Garden

Beans SproutingDespite the fact that I had very poor results with seedlings the first time I tried, I find it impossible to do nothing while I’m waiting for the soil to be delivered at my new community garden plot. So, despite my better judgment, I have seeded some peas and beans again. At least it’s warm enough that I can put them outside to get them acclimatized before I plant them in the ground.

The beans sprouted 6 inches in 1 day (you could almost see them growing!) once I transferred them from the damp paper towel where I sprouted them into some starter soil. They look pretty happy overall.

I hope that soil gets here soon!

16 Oaks Community Garden

I was down at the 16 Oaks Garden today, choosing my new community garden plot. I’ve been on the wait list pretty much since it opened (I was number 56 when I registered!), but wasn’t quick enough to get in from the ground up. Turns out, that wasn’t such a bad thing.

In the past couple of weeks, the garden coordinators have managed to get soil to fill in the crater that made much of the land area useless. Those of us coming in at this stage are getting great base soil, excellent drainage, brand new boxes, and a heap of luscious compost to get our gardens started. Granted, we’re starting late in the season and will be well behind many of the gardens that are already lush and green, but frankly, I’m just thrilled to have gotten a space. It’s not that easy to do in this city!

It’s awesome to have a garden within walking distance of my home. I’ll be sharing my plot with a friend who also lives in a condo in the area and doesn’t have a yard. We’re already talking about the herbs and veggies we’ll plant once the beds are built (scheduled for tomorrow) and the compost is delivered (hopefully mid-week next). Basil, dill, green onions, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes…the list is growing. I’m interested to see how it compares to the non-raised bed output.