Saskferco Community Gardens, Moose Jaw, SK

Entrance Sign

The sign regarding our Green Roof

With Green Roofed Pavilion in background....all tools, etc are stored in it and we also have our meetings there. I meant to take a picture of the Gazebo (the grade 12 students, at the High School my children went to, made and donated it) and a corner of it can be seen on the right hand side of the picture.


This message was edited Aug 8, 2007 9:47 PM

The fence keeps deer out and the neighborhood children who might have thoughts of raiding. ;) People in the neighborhood also keep an eye on it. There hasn't been much trouble (other than one ~ 12 year old boy who had scaled up one side of the fence.......and then met a neighbour of the patch, who walks his rather large noisy dog). Since that time last year it's been very quiet there. ;)

The birdhouse gourd finds the chain link fence to it's liking.........

the fruit are coming quickly now.....

This low zoner's pride and joy

Our about to take over the world Pumpkin patch (it is of equal size on both sides of the hose stand). There are 10 different varieties of pumpkins growing there (I really didn't think some of the rarer ones would germinate (or, if they did, would grow). These were planted from seed on June 21st!!!!

This message was edited Aug 8, 2007 6:14 PM

Here's a baby of one exotic pumpkin (for here) that would normally be happier in Georgia or Texas but we have had the right summer for it........a feather could have knocked me over when I saw this one is now covered with females forming.

echoes I'm positive this is the year we will taste our own homegrown watermelons ........ baring hail or mid August frost.

The first time I've grown purple peppers (or if I have before I've never seen them turn colour)

I didn't see the tags but I think either this one, or the one below, has the name "Salsa"

Whichever one it was had my DH running for whatever drink he could find to put that slightly warm sensation (hahaha ;) in his mouth out.

An OP named Aunt Ginny's Purple: http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/60414/ .......I'm eyeing this beauty daily

This message was edited Aug 8, 2007 9:46 PM

It's become a deep dark jungle in the tomato patch

Thankfully there are picnic benches there (as well as the gazebo) and a compostable.........









City still is thinking about the composting part (I personally will keep hauling cow manure).

Green roofs (rooves)? belong on strawbale huts. Otherwise very nice indeed. Do you garden in both places Pam?
inanda

All of the above pictures were taken at the community garden my veggie patch is at this year Ginny. Locals call it the "Connecting as Neighbours Garden" but it is also known as "Saskferco Community Garden" (main funder) but it is the Connecting as Neighbours that runs it.

re the Green Roof I think the point is it's growing plants, giving back what was taken away, and the rest is just semantics. http://www.hrt.msu.edu/greenroof/

This message was edited Aug 8, 2007 11:35 PM

I should also take a picture of the raised beds there as well as the ones that are raised high enough for people in wheelchairs to use (or for those that can't bend). Children also plant in the high ones.

I love the way you frame your pictures Pam, and the coins for size reference are perfect. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for your watermelons :-)

--Ginny

Wow,
Your garden is so impressive. Thanks for the information on your gardening. How many trials and errors did it take to figure out how to do this in your zone? Great job! DM

Do you remember the green roof we found in Victoria at the first RU? Mountain Co-op here in YWG has a green roof. That is the only one I've found here.

Is your community garden patch as large as your veggie garden last year? Or is it easier because it is nearer ? Also, guess you can keep your plot from year to year so it doesn't get ploughed every year like your garden plot last year??

inanda

Thanks Ginny DH and I took turns taking pictures out there. I really appreciate your wishes for good luck on the watermelons. When my father was a child his grandfather tried growing them, he had great luck with the muskmelons but never could get the watermelon to ripen (one year he had an enormous pile of almost ripened ones). Our season is often too short for them. Every couple of years I'll see a picture of one that ripened in the newspaper (the person that grew it laid down black plastic early in the spring and greenhouse tented it (and had the luck of a warm spring without hard frost). The one above was also planted out June 21st (the heat/humidity we had caused miraculous growth here).

Thank you DigMontana......after 15 years of veggie gardening (some at really small plots) this is the best veggie garden I've ever grown. The heat was a killer for the humans here but we have hand watered the above patches pretty well daily (~3 hours) since July 1st and it really responded extremely well. My parents/grandparents/great grandparents all gardened so have picked up a lot from them (Dave's members introduced me to many new varieties and I've scanned threads looking for additional tips for the plants I've never grown/or known to grow here). My father's belief always was take the time to prepare your soil well beforehand and the land will provide.

Inanda it isn't as large (even with the additinal two squash patches....the one growing the zuchetta isn't pictured) but with them it is closer to what I rented last year. Last year we also had corn growing and the tomatoes weren't as crowded as they are this year. It is easier to keep because it is about 15 blocks away (and on a bus route) from here vs. 10 miles.

Just remembered I didn't reply to Ginny's (Inanda's) ? re ploughing. No it won't be ploughed like the previous plot was by the owner. We will take our utility trailer there to haul away the tomato plants after frost (I'm not putting them in the compost......the one there isn't big enough for them and I don't like composting tomato plants). You are guaranteed the same plot year after year (we wouldn't have invested the $$ or sweat on hauling the manure in otherwise). Some people have planted rhubarb etc there but they won't allow raspberry bushes.

Wow Pam. You have a most interesting garden. Looks like this may be the year for watermelons. You really do have bragging rights. Love the gourds.

Brenda

Thanks Brenda :) After I don't know how many years it's nice to have everything that was planted grow well.

Here's the raised beds for those with physical limitations....

The gazebo that the students built (Dad enjoys sitting there and overseeing our labours ;)

One of the picnic tables.........we have a couple of potlucks there over the summer (a BBQ is also stored there)

A view of a number of other peeps plots........one is being used by a class of Sudanese who recently immigrated here. The teacher uses the time wisely to teach them the english names for all items grown/used at the plot as well as how to grow food stuffs in our climate.

This message was edited Aug 9, 2007 11:12 PM

An immature Galeux d' Eysenses (sp is prolly wrong but I'm tired ;).

The zuchette or zuchinno (as well as a couple more pumpkins, cukes, eggplants, onions, and peppers) Last minute plantings of a number of items after June 21st.

This message was edited Aug 9, 2007 11:16 PM

A pumpkin there (I didn't put name tags at all so am really excited to find out which one this will be)

My first ripe larger tomato "Purple Calabash"

And finally one finger eggplant. The larger Black Beauty has fruit formed but it will be a while yet before we can pick them.

We got our first watermelon to MATURITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dad was the proud picker. :D Ü :D

Ripe, sweet and DELISH (after 130 years of my family trying to grow them on the prairies) ONE MADE IT!!!

WITHOUT black plastic, tenting and it was planted June 18th!!! :

Unlike just about every other living thing here the watermelon loved the #%@@*&# heat we had in July.

***3*** more watermelons are also very close to being ripe. :D

This message was edited Aug 20, 2007 9:03 PM

Woo-hoo!!!! Congratulations Pam! Did you take a picture to show us?

Nope. :'( ......... Ginny we'd gone there to water/weed and my father and brother showed up while we were there so I didn't have the camera with us. I told them all I'd learned from FarmerDill re: how to tell when they are ripe and that watermelon had all the correct signs (who'd of thunk that I was actually starting to worry that it might be over ripe.....I missed when the tendril originally turned brown. :S)

I'll make sure I get a pic of the next one being carved though. ;)

'k :-) I'm looking forward to seeing it.