Wild & Edible Plant Walk

Date: Sunday July 29th, 9am
Location: Departure from the Garden
Cost: $79/$89 Members/Non-Members
To Register: canmorecommunitygardening@gmail.com

Join Blaine 'The Herb Man' Andrusek, Master Herbologist, for a day-long  guided excursion to identify edible and medicinal plants in the forests, marshes and meadows around Canmore! 


Learn about the wild plants in our backyards, their uses and the indigenous stories behind them. His personal and colorful lecturing style keeps education fun, and extends his passion and reverence for the plant kingdom.


Blaine began working with plants in the mid 70’s. He studied extensively with Wild Rose College in Calgary, where he now teaches Herbology and other programs. Blaine’s affiliations include faculty membership with several colleges, institutions, and advisory boards throughout Western Canada, the U.S. and abroad. Also a widely published photographer and writer, Blaine has illustrated numerous field guides and appeared in magazines as prestigious as Canadian Geographic. 


In season, Blaine conducts Herb Walks throughout Western Canada, introducing his students to hundreds of wild plants and their limitless uses. His version of ‘walking the talk’ has included wilderness treks of over 3 months living entirely off the land.

Backyard Buzz: Urban Beekeeping Workshop

Date: Saturday July 14th - 10am-4pm
Location: TBA
Cost: $89/$99 Member/Non-Member
To Register: canmorecommunitygardening@gmail.com

So you want to be a beekeeper, where do you start?  

Join Eliese Watson, founder of A.B.C - Apiaries & Bees in Communities for a day-long introduction to Backyard Beekeeping!

You Will Learn:
* The basics of honeybee and urban beekeeping

* How to build the Hive Mentality in Urban Spaces, and in particular in Canmore's unique mountain environment 

* An action plan for putting your beekeeping inspiration into practice!

For more info on what Eliese has to offer, check out her website: www.backyardbees.ca

A.B.C offers to guide you through the steps of finding and building a beekeeping community around you! They offer free tools and resources, opportunities to find mentors; guide you through purchasing equipment and honeybees, as well as offering the best educational programming around. A.B.C has excellent relationships with beekeeping leaders from coast to coast, offering a robust knowlegde of various strategies in bee-care. 

"Energetic - enthusiastic - knowledgeable - Eliese Watson is inspiring.  Her work around "Creating the Community Hive" takes beekeeping to a whole new level.  I never would have thought of bees as tools for building community, but Eliese has proved that they are."
Paul Bush
Associate Professor, Mass Communications
Franklin Pierce University, Rindge, NH

Earth & Worm Soil Building Workshop

Date: Sunday June 3rd 10am-5pm
Location: Civic Center Atrium
Cost: $99/$109 Member/Non-Member
To Register: email canmorecommunitygardening@gmail.com

Join the 'Soil Doctor' Doug Weatherbee for a hands-on day of exploring the Soil Food Web and learning how to create the Perfect Vermicompost System for Canmore!

You will learn:

* The fundamentals of soil biology and why this is so important to your health and garden!

* How to solve pest and disease problems in your garden without chemicals by knowing your soil!

* Worm Power: Small and Large-scale Vermicomposting, & Doug's Continuous Flow Reactor System

Doug is an certified Soil Foodweb Advisor and internationally recognized for his extensive knowledge of soil microbiology and skill at repairing damaged ecosystems from the ground up.  Soil is the basis of any healthy garden, and understanding the soil foodweb is the key to successful organic gardening!

Check out Doug's website to learn more: soildoctor.org

"Doug Weatherbee is the top Soil Doctor in Mexico and one of the best in the world. His inspiring talk at the 2010 Quivira Carbon Ranch conference was one of the best I’ve ever seen.”

Ronnie Cummins, International Director
Organic Consumers Association

Introduction to Gardening

Are you an Aspiring Green Thumb?

Keen to grow food and get your hands dirty, but not sure where to start?

CCG is offering a Season-Long Introduction to Gardening!

Chrystel Vultier will walk you through a season in the garden from seed to harvest!

Learn about seed selection for mountain gardens, companion planting, strategies for easy maintenance and season-extension,  the key factors of healthy soil and gardens, when to harvest, how to compost, and save seed for next year!

Take your taste buds on tour!  Discover edible flowers,  tasty exotic greens,  unusual culinary herbs, and heirloom vegetables!

5 Sunday afternoons in the Garden from June - October...
This course includes:
* 20 hours of instructional garden time
* membership in the communal garden (value $40)
* take-home hand-outs with useful tips
* orientation to online resources

* a garden bounty of delicious, nutritious, herbs & veggies

Investment: $250
Dates: Sundays 12-4pm
June 10th, July 8th, Aug. 5th, Sept. 9th, Oct. 14th

Max 15 gardeners.  Deadline May 25th!
To Register Contact: canmorecommunitygardening@gmail.com

Fundamentals of Permaculture Design

Canmore Community Gardening presents: 

Rob Avis of Verge Permaculture

Dates: April 10th & 11th 6pm-9pm
Location: Canmore Civic Center
Cost: $89/$99 Members/Non-Members
To Register: canmorecommunitygardening@gmail.com

There's no question that you will come out of this workshop full of inspiration and ideas for your garden, your home, and your life, just in time for spring!

“For anyone interested in the health of the planet and for their own family, this workshop is a must. It is a terrific first step to gaining an understanding of how they can have impact and benefit from smart design.” -Nolin Veillard CA, President, TRAK Performance Folding Kayaks

Permaculture is a completely solutions-oriented approach to addressing environmental, social and energy-supply problems. Discover your untapped potential for creating immense positive change starting at your back door.

Verge has designed this six hour intensive to provide you with the tools to turn your home into the greenest home on the block - all the while saving money and making a super healthy, beautiful and inspiring environment for family, friends and community.

 You will learn:

• a few core permaculture principles, strategies and practical design tools for energy-efficiency, reducing water use, cycling nutrients, and growing food.
• how to create super-productive gardens (to the envy of your neighbours) that don't require weeding or chemical fertilizing.
• how to create abundance and a thriving garden with rainwater, using neat techniques such as wicking beds and swales.
• a whole new practical philosophy of working with (rather than against) nature; a perspective that can save you thousands of dollars when it comes to designing and integrating the layout of your home & garden (in ways you never imagined)!
• additional design tools that you can use to increase the sustainbility of your home and community.
• and much much more!

Here's what others have said about this workshop:

“I loved the simplicity of the material even though it was packed full of info.  Rob was a great speaker with an authentic energy.” -Stephanie Brodsky

“I can't remember the last time I felt so inspired! So many things brought together that I knew but didn't.” -Evonne Smulders

“Thank you for the inspiring insight to starting something huge!” -Hannah Webb

2012 Garden Applications Available!

Let the Gardening Season Begin!

Applications can be submitted at the Annual General Meeting on March 7th, 7-8:30pm @ Civic Center Atrium.  Bring your seeds for the Seed Exchange!

If you have not received an application form, contact us! canmorecommunitygardening@gmail.com 

We are offering 2 types of community gardening again this season:

Allotment Garden Plot
    $40/season for a 8’ x 4’ raised ‘wicking bed’.  There are 25 total of these available for rent.  Plot Renters are able to renew their plots seasonally. There are 10 returning plot renters this year, so 15 beds are available. Gardeners maintain their beds autonomously within the organic community gardening guidelines. 

     
 New Allotment gardeners agree to participate in a Wicking Bed Installation and Orientation Workshop from 10am-4pm on Saturday June 2nd.
   

Communal Gardening
    $40/season for participation in the communal garden beds.  The communal gardens are intended to allow gardeners to share in both the responsibility and the bounty of the garden.  First-time gardeners have an opportunity to work alongside those with more experience, and this arrangement allows flexibility for those who vacation or have limited time in the summer.   Max 50 gardeners.
  
Communal gardeners agree to commit a minimum of 1-2 hrs/wk to the garden, to work cooperatively with other gardeners, and responsibly share the garden harvest.  They also agree to participate in the Garden Opening & Closing Work Parties.

You are Invited! CCG Strategic Planning Session

CCG Strategic Planning Session
 
Date: Sunday January 15, 2012

Time: 10:00AM to 4:00PM
Where: Alpine Club of Canada

RSVP: canmorecommunitygardening@gmail.com for agenda/location

We need your fresh ideas on how the Canmore Community Gardening Society should move forward. Because of your fantastic support and help, we achieved all our goals, and now we need new ones!

Please fill out this form before January 15 to share your thoughts with us!

For reference here is the Current Strategic Plan developed in January 2011:

Vision: growing food. building community. gardening together.

Mission: cultivating a network of community gardens and engaging people in local food culture

Short Term Goals

1) Design and build a permaculture allotment garden at the Hospital by 2011.

    Fundraising

    Hire Project Manager

2) Increase and engage our membership.

Design a membership framework including fee/benefit structure.

Develop and expand our visibility in the community

Design a strong website by the end of 2010,

Generate at least 10 articles in local publications in 2 years

Double our mailing list by the end of 2011.

3) Facilitate a backyard share network by spring 2011.  

Develop web infrastructure,

Design partnership guidelines,

Establish a pilot program.

4) Collaborate with existing community groups in Canmore to establish niche community gardens within the next 2 years.

    Schools

    Churches

5) Coordinate monthly events in partnership with other community organizations to engage membership on topics related to food culture.

Film screenings

Book Club

Potlucks

Seed Harvest, Garlic Planting & Garden Closing

Time to gather our seeds, plant our garlic and put our garden to rest for the season!

 

Sat. Oct .15th 12-3ish.

* We'll collect our seeds for drying
* Plant Russian Garlic for next year
* Harvest the rest of the herbs
* Clear and Mulch our beds



See you in the garden this weekend!

--

Celebrating Local Art, Food and Bikes

 Join artist Craig Richards, and hosts Thomas Grandi & Sara Renner for nibblies from the fall harvest and good cheer!

Sat. Oct. 15th 5-7pm @ Paintbox Lodge

All proceeds from the sale of Craig Richards' photographs will be donated to the Community Garden and Community Cruzers!

Families welcome!
We look forward to celebrating the end of our first garden season with you!

Billet a Katimavik Volunteer!

As you may know, our community garden has benefited from the enthusiastic support of several Katimavik volunteers this season. 

Katimavik is a nationally funded non-profit youth volunteer service that has been active in our community for the last year.  There are currently 10 volunteers working with various organizations in Canmore, and they are now, in turn, seeking support from our community as they look for billeting opportunities for their volunteers in an effort to further integrate into and experience life in our community.

The billeting period is from Oct. 21st to Nov. 4th. Families receive a stipend of ten dollars per day to helpoffset costs for billeting a volunteer.

The billeting period can be a very rewarding and enjoyable experience for both your family and the
volunteer. It is an opportunity to share your passions and enthusiasm about your hobbies and your
community with another person.

If you are interested in opening your home to a Katimavik volunteer, please contact Lauren at : canmore@katimavik.org

To learn more about this project, visit the Katimavik Website

Garden is Blitzed!

A successful day of earthworks in the rain has expanded our garden and prepared it for spring planting!  Over 30 people turned out last saturday, shovels in hand, ready to dig and haul, build and mulch , sample tea and put some permaculture skills into action. 

We planted shrubby cinque foil, lilac, hops vines and delphinium along the northern fence, to begin to establish a living fence that will eventually help to block north winds and create a visual barrier between the garden and the highway.  More to come along this fenceline,  perhaps some willow varieties, and monkshood in the spring.

We also sculpted what was the potato mound into a garden bed intended to be planted with herbs for the hospital kitchen.  We are excited to have hospital staff directly involved in the garden next year, and for some of the garden bounty to make it's way onto the plates of recovering patients! 

RJoy Rentals donated an excavator for the day to help us dig the reservoirs of future wicking beds and to help move sod and topsoil into what will become more communal garden space next spring as well.  Lots of shovel action on this end as well as the reservoirs and pathways were cut out and shaped, and muscles put to good use moving the rest of our log pile into final position!  Thanks also to Alpine Precision for the awesome wood mulch that fills our swales and pathways!

And finally our potato spokes were converted into mounded garden beds, as the Katimavik crew meticulously dug and levelled swales,  and started some soil building action by laying out a sheet mulch over the beds.  A first layer of cardboard smothers out the grass, and then layers of nitrogen and carbon rich materials are added, including all of the plant material removed from the garden, topped with the rest of our pile of horse manure as we prepare soil for spring planting.

Thanks to all who came out in the rain for a fun and totally successful day in the garden!

Garden Blitz & Free Tea Party! - Sat. Oct. 1st : 10am-4pm

 Let's Build a Garden!

Grab your shovels, wheel barrows and work gloves! 
Bring along your grass clippings and dried leaves!

* Tree Planting along the north fence
* Building a herb garden for the hospital
* Sheet-mulching the potato spokes
* Developing the rest of our garden
    
     ...learn permaculture techniques
        ...sample local teas
           ...get your hand's dirty
               ...help build a garden!

Tell a friend! Spread the word! See you there!

Wild & Edible Plant Walk

A day-long excursion through Larch Islands and Carrot Creek with Blaine Andrusek, Master Herbologist from Wild Rose College gave members of Canmore Community Gardening a little bit of insight into the local bounty of edible and medicinal plants.

Blaine's colourful stories, wild tales and hilarious anecdotes guided a captivated audience through nearby forests, riverbeds, meadows and groves, revealing the abundance of edible wild plants in our own backyards! Under blue skies eyes were turned groundward as pieces of nature's mysterious medicine were revealed.

The lesson is: Nature always provides what is needed, we just have to remember to ask her and learn how to listen for the answer.

Pallet Gardening

Getting Creative with Recycled Materials!

Community Gardeners experimented with some vertical growing space in the garden during our recent Pallet Garden Building Workshop!

Using strategies inspired by Life on the Balcony,  we have planted the walls of our wood pallet tool shed with all kinds of edibles...rosemary, radicchio, cucumbers, cabbage, brussel sprouts and even corn! 

We incorporated a variety of recycled and donated materials in this project - starting with the wood pallets that we collected for free, and including all the plants donated by Wendy from the garden center at Sobey's!

These pallet gardens are a great way to maximize growing area when your space is limited...the perfect herb garden for your balcony!  And cheap to boot! - pallets are easily collected for free, you'll need a couple of bags of potting soil, landscape fabric, staples and seedlings!

At this workshop, we also planted 4 extra pallets that we intend to use as walls for our  temporary greenhouse.  These living walls will also create an abundance of thermal mass to maintain temperatures in our greenhouse during our cold mountain nights.    We will be working with a combination of pallets and hoops in a creative passive solar design that is most appropriate for our northern climate, and uses as much recovered material as possible!

Summer Workshop Schedule

Looking to get involved!?

Pallet Garden Building: Monday July 18 6-8pm @ the garden 
(free for members - otherwise $20)
Learn to build a beautiful garden out of recycled materials... a perfect herb garden for your balcony! Hands-on learning, and find out where to get free material for your own!

Wild & Edible Herb Walk - With Blaine Andrusek : Sunday July 24, 9am-5pm 
($70 members/$80 non-members)
A day-long excursion with master herbologist Blaine Andrusek whose colourful stories will guide us through traditional and medicinal uses of the many edible plants in our valley lending indigenous insight and cultural flavour to our understanding of the wilderness around us.

Soil Building Session: Tuesday August 2, 6-8pm @ the garden 
(free for members - otherwise $20)
What makes good garden soil? Learn about the basic components of healthy soil and how we can build it!  We'll explore various methods of composting - with worms and otherwise, mulching, cover-cropping, green manuring, and compost tea!

Garden Party - Potluck-style: Saturday August 13 @ the garden 5pm - 9pm
Full Moon Celebration and Open Garden! Come celebrate and experience the garden in it's abundance, and to dance and have fun! Bring a dish to share with a list of ingredients, your drums, your hoops, and your smiles!

Canning & Preserving with Jenn Chic : Saturday September 10 - 10am-4pm 
( $100 members, $120 non-members including supplies)
 Learn the simple art of preserving summer bounty!  Whether making jam or pickles, drying herbs or freezing pesto, making your own tea blends or dehydrating food for the backcountry, Jenn will demonstrate simple and practical methods for your own kitchen, and then students will roll up their sleeves to make batches of jam and hot pack pickles to take home!

Contact canmorecommunitygardening@gmail.com 
to register for our summer programming!

Wild & Edible Plant Walk with Blaine Andrusek

Sunday, July 24th 9am-5pm
Cost: $70 / $80 CCG Members/Non-Members
Spaces available: 18

Canmore Community Gardening Presents:
Blaine Andrusek, Master Herbologist, who will guide us on a day-long excursion to identify edible and medicinal plants in the forests, marshes and meadows around Canmore! 

He will teach us about the wild plants in our backyards, their uses and the indigenous stories behind them. His personal and colourful lecturing style keeps education fun, yet extends his passion and reverence for the plant kingdom. Also a widely published photographer and writer, Blaine has illustrated numerous field guides and appeared in magazines as prestigious as Canadian Geographic. 

Blaine began working with plants in the mid 70’s. He studied extensively with Wild Rose College in Calgary, where he now teaches Herbology and other programs. Blaine’s affiliations include faculty membership with several colleges, institutions, and advisory boards throughout Western Canada, the U.S. and abroad.

In season, Blaine conducts Herb Walks throughout Western Canada, introducing his students to hundreds of wild plants and their limitless uses. His version of ‘walking the talk’ has included wilderness treks of over 3 months living entirely off the land. It’s comforting to know his many stories are backed by firsthand experience!

To Register, email: canmorecommunitygardening@gmail.com
Spaces are limited and will fill fast, so register early!

Invitation from HighLine Magazine! Join us on June 9!

Hello! You are invited to the following event: "Know Your Neighbour" Night Event to be held at the following time, date, and location:
	Jun 09, 2011 at 7:00 PM to Jun 10, 2011 at 12:00 AM (MT) Canmore Miner's Union Hall 738 7 Street Canmore, Alberta T1W 2C7 Canada View Map

It's a beautiful day in neighbourhood. A beautiful day for a neighbour... Bow Valley dwellers, old and new: Come together in harmony at the Canmore Miner's Union Hall for the first ever Know Your Neighbour Night!   Join us for a celebration of the...
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Share this event on Facebook and Twitter

We hope you can make it!

Cheers,
Highline Magazine 

growing food...Building Community!

The community has really started to shine it's light on this garden in the last few weeks as we have received an awesome show of support from local businesses and community members willing to pitch in what they can to make this garden grow!

About 100 people turned out last night for Food Inc. The Movie & Silent Auction!
Great crowd. Great food. Great auction stuff. Great film. Great Vibe!
More than $2,500 was raised for the community garden!
Thank-you to all who bid in the auction and filled our donation jars!


Thank-you to all in the community who have showed support!  About 20 local businesses, artists, practitioners, teachers and individuals contributed items for the silent auction.

Immense Gratitude to:
The Bicycle Cafe                 New World Samurai - Corson and Don
Valhalla Pure                       Geoffry Hirose, Sunrise Qigong
Tracy Laval Massage          Vastu Chai
Raynemaker Pottery           Nicole Tremblay, Blown Glass
Patagonia                             Laurisa Ledger, Yoga Teacher
Lulu Lemon                        The Yoga Lounge
Best Western                       Banff Park Lodge
MEC                                   Wild Canada Photography
Dan Sparks                          The Bagel Co.

And for the food that filled our bellies!
 

Rocky Mountain Bagel Co.
Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co.
Tasty Life
Vastu Chai
Summit Cafe
Irongoat

Community Garden Fundraiser!

Food Inc. The Movie & Silent Auction

Thurs. May 5th, 6pm 

@ Canmore High School Theatre

Free Movie n' Munchies
Tons of great stuff up for grabs in the SILENT AUCTION!
Red Cruiser Bike, Bicycle Cafe - $750
Tattoo sessions with artists from New World Samurai - $220 each
Organic Fruit for a season, Farm Box - $420
Yoga Package: incl. props from Lulu Lemon/pass from The Yoga Lounge/1 private lesson - $160
Vastu Chai & Raynmaker Pottery Gift Basket - $150
Valhalla Pure gift certificate - $100
Brunch for 4 @ Banff Park Lodge - $100
gear from Patagonia - $TBA
gear from MEC - $TBA
Wildlife photography
Massage sessions  Calgary hotel stay

Let's Make This Garden Grow!
Spread the word via Facebook

Permaculture Workshop and Backyard Blitz

Permaculture Workshop and Backyard Blitz

Join the CCGS for a 

two-day Permaculture Design Workshop and Backyard Blitz 

with Adrian Buckley of Big Sky Permaculture

  

DAY 1: September 25, 2010

9:00AM - 6:00PM

Introduction to permaculture design principles and engage with hands-on design processes.Participants will be a part of a design team that will help turn a Canmore backyard into a food forest.

DAY 2: Saturday October 2, 2010

9:00AM - 6:00PM

Take what you have learned from Day 1 and do a Backyard Blitz, transforming a backyard into a food forest.

Workshop fee: $30
Space is limited so register soon!
Register by emailing canmorecommunitygardening@gmail.com. 
You will need a cheque of $30 dollars to secure your spot by September 20, 2010 (this fee is refundable if the event is canceled, however, the fee is non-refundable for no-shows).