December @ The Central Surrey Garden!

Hello Surrey Gardeners,

We at Vancouver Community Garden Builders wanted to take this opportunity - to thank you all for being a part of the garden during 2024.

With your devotion and enthusiasm, we have been able to keep an otherwise vacant lot as a beautiful urban food forest​ to be!

​We also want to welcome our new collaborators, Solid State + BeeKind!

Here are a few updates:

NEXT YEAR - 2025

As everyone knows, this community garden is a temporary one. We hope to continue the garden into 2025 and are well positioned to do so. As always, we will let you know with as much notice as possible, if the property is ready to be developed.

Keep an eye on your email during February/March - as we will be reaching out regarding registration and payment for the new season.

GARDEN HOURS

Despite the days being short and the weather being cold and wet, the garden will remain open all through the winter. Feel free to frequent the space any time you like.

TIDY UP

Thank you to all who have made it to the garden to clear out and tidy your beds. If you haven’t yet, please set aside some time to get to the garden and remove any dead plants from your beds and place them in the green waste bin.

Happy Holidays!

November @ The Central Surrey Garden!

Hello Surrey Gardeners,

We are officially approaching colder weather, so please make sure to take the time to get your garden bed(s) ready for winter.

Here are two very quick updates:

WATER OFF
The water will be shut off and the hoses pulled up for winter, within the next couple of weeks. We will get everything set up again in early Spring - once we’re passed the final frost date.

BEDS TO REST
November 15 is the deadline that we would ideally have you put your beds to rest for the winter by. This involves visiting the garden to pull up any dead plant matter and in general tidying up your bed(s) for the dormant months ahead.

If you have not been to the garden for some time, please make it a priority to come out for one last visit before winter arrives, to clean out your beds. Beyond general aesthetics, tidying your beds helps reduce the amount of rotting biomass in the garden, which helps mitigate rodent issues.

Thanks for your help with this as we know it can feel like a chore!

Note: You are welcome to plant winter crops and continue visiting the garden, but remember the water will be shut off soon.

That’s all for now. Stay warm and stay dry out there!

October @ The Central Surrey Garden!

Hello Central Surrey Gardeners, 

A rainy Fall has officially arrived in our city and in the garden!

Harvest is waning and we’re just about ready to put the garden to rest for the winter season.

Here are your garden updates:

WATER SHUT OFF 

We will be shutting off the water in the garden sometime in late October just before the frosts begin.
We do this so the water lines won’t freeze.

CLEANING UP YOUR BEDS

Cleaning up your beds cuts down on rotting vegetation and gives the garden a tidy look through the winter months.

"Can we still garden during the Winter?"
'Yes, feel free to garden during the winter months, but remember, the water will be turned off.'

PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOUR BEDS ARE CLEANED UP BY NOVEMBER 1ST! 

Greens waste goes in the greens waste bins  - make sure to shake off soil first!

Feel free to add fallen leaves to your beds as cover.

NEXT YEAR - 2025 SEASON

As we all know, our garden is a temporary one.

We hope to keep the garden going into the 2025 season and beyond!

Keep an eye on your emails in Feb/March, as we will be reaching out regarding registration.

Happy Harvest Season,

September @ The Central Surrey Garden!

Hello Surrey Gardeners,

Although some heat is sticking around, it has started to wane - sweater season is approaching. 

Here are some updates for the garden transition to autumn:

HARVEST

Planting and growing your own food is satisfying, however, harvesting your vegetables is one of the greatest pleasures. It may seem obvious and silly to remind gardeners to pick and eat their food, but here it is: get picking! There's nothing worse than watching vegetables and greens over ripen, wilt or rot because they've gone unpicked for weeks. 

Along with this, picking your veg when it’s ready and ripe for the eating will reduce the amount of theft and opportunity for it, as well as unwanted attention from pests and rodents.  

PLANNING FOR FALL & WINTER

There’s still time to start planting your fall and winter crops. West Coast seeds have a great resource which explains and provides helpful tips for what to plant for the fall and winter season. You can find the document HERE.

MORE GARDENERS WANTED!

It has been so lovely seeing some plants growing on our maintenance visits but it would be amazing to see even more. Please spread the word to your community that garden beds are available!

We’ll have an update on putting beds to rest and closing down the watering system come October!

Enjoy your hand-grown harvest,

August @ the Central Surrey Garden!

Hello Gardeners,

FInally we got some proper summer weather this last month, and it is looking like it will continue with August :)

Here are a few updates:

WATERING WHILE AWAY

If you're going to be out of town for more than a couple days, here are the three best ways to keep your plants happy and well-watered:

1. Ask a friend or family member to help water for you while you are away

2. Post a request along with your bed numbers on the notice board

3. Make a sign out of a piece of cardboard that says ‘Please Water Me’ and leave it on your bed     for other gardeners to see

PLANNING FOR FALL & WINTER

It might seem strange, but now is the right time to start planning and planting your fall and winter crops so you can make the most of the growing season.

West Coast seeds have a great resource which explains and provides helpful tips for what to plant for the fall and winter season. You can find the document HERE.

Stay cool out there!

July at The Central Surrey Garden!

Hello Gardeners,

Summer is starting off slow this year, and we have been blessed with some ongoing rain for our city gardens. This doesn’t mean that some higher temperatures won’t come along with the month of July! When this happens, our crops will be under stress, but with adequate watering, we should also see great growth.

Here are a few updates for July:

WATERING

When the days become consistently hotter, it is 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 garden neighbor so that other gardeners can help you 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 continue to keep an eye out for leaky hoses and broken nozzles, and let us know if something has come up.

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

Enjoy your summer - so far,

June at Central Surrey Garden

Hello Surrey gardeners,

We have finally reached some longer days and hopefully with this new month, we will be getting some more sunshine for our plants.

It has been so wonderful to start to see some of your garden plots with plants growing in them :)

Here are a few important updates for June:

UNUSED BEDS

If you have any friends or family who are interested in some garden beds at the Surrey garden, please let them know that many are available. If you want more -  do not hesitate to reach out.

GET WATERING

Temperatures will slowly be climbing, and as we get deeper into summer, watering becomes a bigger priority. Regular, thorough watering is your best defense against upcoming heat. 

If you can’t make it to the garden every 2-3 days, consider asking a neighbour to help out!

VEGGIE THEFT

Plant theft is something that happens every season and throughout all community gardens across the city. This is an unfortunate thing about community gardens and it tends to happen more so at the 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 a 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 neighbors. 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.

Enjoy your harvests,

May at Central Surrey Garden

Hello fellow gardeners,

May is a great month to get most seeds and starts in the ground, so it can be a busy time! We’ll keep it short!

Here are a few updates:

WATERING SYSTEM

The watering system will get increasing use as things heat up. Please help us keep the system intact by handling the on/off with care and turning the water OFF before you leave the garden.

GREEN WASTE

Lots of folks are pulling up last year’s growth, which is awesome. Please help us out by doing a thorough job shaking dirt off the roots before transferring to the Green Waste Bins. Soil in the green waste bins = a huge headache for us! Thanks for your help with this.

NEWCOMERS TO THE GARDEN

We’d like to take this opportunity to welcome this year’s new gardeners. Please make an effort to welcome new folks if you see them in the garden, and be sure to extend a helping hand with growing advice or garden know-how.

Our little garden can be quite an oasis. Let’s keep the good vibes going.

Happy sunshine,

March at Central Surrey Garden

Hello fellow gardeners,

We seem to be stuck in that indecisive early spring weather, where bluebird days tango with flurries, and daffodils fend off the frost. In general, it’s still a bit early to start gardening, but we’re certainly getting close.

Here are some important updates for March:

REGISTRATION IS OPEN

If you haven’t already done so, please take a moment to register and pay for your garden beds for the upcoming growing season.

The deadline for registration is March 15th.

LEAVING THE GARDEN?

If you are no longer interested in being part of the garden, please send us an email ASAP so that we can allocate your bed(s) to someone on our very long waitlist. Please include the Garden Name and your Bed Number(s) in the email. We’re sorry to see you go!

COMPOST DELIVERY

We will be delivering a load of fresh, organic compost toward the end of the month. Plan on adding a bucket or two to your garden bed to boost productivity and bulk up your soil levels.

WATER

We will be hooking up hoses and activating the watering system once we’re past the last frost date, which is typically in late March or early April. Meantime, the rain will do the trick.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to register.

Here’s to sunny days in March.

NEW GARDENER FAQ!

Hello and welcome to our community garden!

We invite you to make the most of this unique space by treating it like your own backyard and filling your plots with delicious food and beautiful flowers. We hope you discover that rare magic of living in a big city and growing your own vegetables, but most of all, we want this project to be a source of relaxation and fun!

Here is a brief FAQ to read through before getting started:

1) How do I participate? Just follow this link and signup online!

2) Who can participate the garden? Anyone! We aim to create an accessible, welcoming space for all community members to participate.

3) What does it mean to 'join' the Central Surrey Community Garden? Each new gardener can sign up to use 1-3 garden bed(s) to grow food and flowers. Each bed is 4' x 3.3', offering 13 sq. ft. of growing space/bed. The cost of using each garden bed is $15/year/bed. This includes: access to great soil in a raised bed, water access (garden hoses) and monthly emails and updates. Please let us know if the annual Garden Fees are restrictive; we aim to create an accessible growing space for all community members.

4) How long will the garden last? In short: one growing season at a time. We take each year growing season by growing season, and we'll be sure to let any gardeners know about future plans for the property.

Any more questions, please contact: garden@communitygardenbuilders.com

MORE NEW GARDENER FAQ

What does ‘temporary’ mean?

We have a land-use agreement with the landowner to make use of the site on an interim, temporary timeline. We can’t guarantee the future of the garden beyond this date, but we can guarantee that we’ll do everything possible to keep the garden in place for years to come. We take things growing season-by growing season. The projects are temporary and the gardens will be removed/relocated.

Where can I read the Garden Rules & Gardener Agreement?

Both the Garden Rules and Gardener Agreement can be read and downloaded here.

When is the deadline for paying my garden fees?

We ask for $15/bed for the growing season. Your garden fee is due ASAP. Technically, the annual garden fees cover Jan 1 to Dec 31.

How does it work with water?

You will find a simple On/Off switch on the cedar garden shed in the middle of the site. Simply turn the switch to ‘On’ and the hose will pressurize with water. When you’re finished watering, make sure to turn the switch to ‘Off.’ Note that we turn the water off for the winter months.

Are there tools in the garden shed?

Yes. We have some basic tools for public use in the cedar garden shed. The shed combo is: 000.

What about green waste?

Any plant waste you generate (like clippings, roots, or weeds) can be placed in the Green Waste box. Please keep household compost and/or garbage out of the box, as well as big, heavy clumps of soil. We will remove the green waste every few weeks.

What are these plants doing in my beds?

There are likely to be leftover plants in your bed from the previous gardener. You can either keep the plants that are in your beds or dig them out and place them in the Green Waste box.

Am I required to volunteer my time to the garden?

Not at all. Unlike many community gardens, there are no requirements for volunteering. Our biggest ask is that you tend to your garden beds regularly; too often we see beds go untended and without watering, especially during the summer months. Growing space in and around Vancouver is a rare gift, and we hope you value it just as much as we do. (And if you discover gardening isn’t for you, no worries! Just let us know so that we can allocate your beds to a gardener on our wait list.)

Can I drive right into the garden?

No. If you’re required to drive to the garden, we ask that you park on a nearby street. Thanks for your understanding!

Who do I get in touch with if I see something out of place at the garden?

Any and all concerns about the site or your experience on the site should be sent our way: garden@communitygardenbuilders.com. For garden emergencies, please make use of our phone number: 778-381-8337. And be sure to look out for our monthly Garden Newsletter in your inbox. These little ditties are our way of communicating important garden information and updates, as well as growing advice and seasonal recipes. Let me know if you’re not receiving them!