Water Me Please

Hello fellow gardeners.

Can you say HEAT WAVE? With these historical temperatures, our crops are under a lot of stress, but with adequate watering, we should also be seeing great growth through these hot summer days. 

Here are a few updates for July:

WATERING

Now that the days are consistently getting hotter, it's a good idea to plan on visiting the garden every day or two to soak your soil. This is crucial for your plants to continue to thrive. Early morning watering is the best time and the second best option is during the cooler evening hours. Watering during the hottest midday hours can scald your leaves and fail to penetrate those deeper layers in the soil where you want your roots to dig.

Not able to visit the garden to water?

Consider asking a friend or neighbour, or place a ‘Water Me’ sign on your bed so that other gardeners know to help out. 

HOSES & NOZZLES

Our watering system tends to get a lot more use this time of year, which can often lead to wear and tear. 

Please keep an eye out for leaky hoses and broken nozzles, and let us know ASAP if something has come up.

If one of the nozzles is acting up, there’s a spare in the garden shed!

VEGETABLE AND PLANT THEFT

Plant theft is something that happens every season and throughout all community gardens across the city. We’ve received a number of emails regarding veggie and plant theft and some minor acts of vandalism. This is an unfortunate thing about community gardens and it tends to happen more so at this time of year when plants are beginning to mature and become ready for harvest.  

A few tips and advice for reducing theft:

  1. Plant less desirable "shiny" crops:  e.g. Leafy greens and root vegetables are the most recommended for strong harvest. Things like strawberries, tomatoes, peppers or fruiting veggies tend to be first targets.

  2. Harvest Fast: Once your veggies are ready to be eaten, pick them!! The longer you wait the more likely someone will nab your yield

  3. Grow more than you need: Consider growing more than you'll expect to eat, so if/when a thief swoops in you will still have a yield to harvest

  4. Talk with other gardeners: Get to know your neighbours. If we all keep an eye on each other's beds and know who's meant to be gardening where, the more likely we'll be able to call out a thief in the act or at least give them the eyes of disapproval.