Passive Solar Tomato House Wish List

For all you who work in construction related trades or who have access to scrap materials we are keen to salvage, recover and reuse as much material as possible in our building projects!

Do you have access to any of the materials on this list?  Let us know!
canmorecommunitygardening@gmail.com 

Passive Solar Tomato House:
Our project is a small 12' x 8' growing space along the north fence of the garden for tomatoes and other heat-loving plants that won't thrive outdoors in Canmore! 

* pressure treated lumber for framing:

14 x  4”x4” in 6’ lengths (for crossbeams)

4 x 6”x6” 12’ lengths (for posts)

off-cuts of 2”x4”/6”/8” longer than 4’ ...lots!

2m of cement

* roof material
    plywood - 8 standard 8’x4’ sheets
    plexiglass - 12’ x 8’ (pieces divisible by 4)
    steel roofing/shingles /aluminum - any light, sturdy roofing material...
* back wall
    8 x recovered wooden pallets - in best condition possible
    3 rolls thick landscape fabric
* side walls

2 x doors - standard size. any material really. 

* misc.
    5 x tubes of outdoor caulking
    6lbs 3 ½” screws
    1 roll vapor barrier
    stain and seal for plywood

What is a passive solar greenhouse?  

This is a non-traditional greenhouse designed specifically for northern climates characterized by extensive summer sunlight and cool nights. These greenhouses are not all glass or plastic, but instead have an opaque northern wall made out of a material that will collect and radiate solar heat into the greenhouse throughout the cool nights, and a roof that actually provides some shade from the intense mid-day sun!

Check out this blog post from Verge Permaculture describing the design and construction of their backyard greenhouse in Calgary.


The Invermere Community Greenhouse (photos to the right!) is a stellar example of passive solar greenhouse design!  Check out this You Tube video chronicle!

Helping Our Garden Grow

A garden always needs lovin' and there are many  ways that you can get involved this season! If you are ready to take on a more committed role in the garden, or feel inspired to take on a building project...we've got something for you!

Garden Volunteer Positions:

Irrigation Master:
Duties - Maintain hoses, nozzles, cisterns in good working condition.  Notify Garden Coordinator of any missing or broken pieces.  Keep hoses tidy, clean, rolled.  Help gardeners keep cisterns filled, and offer assistance/guidance to gardeners regarding proper use of hoses and cisterns.  Ensure everything is properly stored for winter.

Maintenance Specialist:
Duties -Maintain garden tools in good working condition.  Keep garden structures such as fence, gate, tool shed, tool box, cistern stands, etc. in safe, working condition.  When large-scale maintenance is required, work with Garden Coordinator to organize work party of gardeners.  Ensure proper steps are taken to store/shut down everything at season's end

Fence Garden Gurus (2-3):
Duties -  Plan, plant, irrigate, and otherwise maintain gardens along the exterior of the fence.  Keep an eye on perennials, tending to as needed, and plant appropriate annual flowers etc. around entrance, along front and east sides.

Garden Log Keeper:
Duties -  While all gardeners may make notes in the Garden Log, the 'Keeper' is responsible for making regular entries, including: map of communal garden, planting dates, weather observations, notes on which plants thrive/fail, notes about what work may need doing, what is ready to harvest etc.

Bloggers:
Duties - to add occasional or regular Blog and Facebook posts. 1) posting about what has been going on in the garden 2) posting relevant gardening resources 3) a personal log of a community gardener's experiences

Garden Projects:

Constructing a Tomato House:
Project Details: Using recovered windows, and as many recovered/recycled materials possible, design and construct passive solar-style hot house for tomatoes and other heat-loving crops on north side of garden.  Work with Garden Coordinator to compile materials list and budget, and to organize building party.

Garden Signage:
Project Details: Design and paint Welcome Sign for garden entrance, Notice Board for gardener use just inside gate, visitor signs including Water Works. Work with Garden Coordinator for budget/supplies

Constructing Cistern Stand:
Project Details: Construct cistern stand at north end of garden in the same fashion as the previous stands.  Work with Garden Coordinator to compile materials list, budget.

If you would like to volunteer please contact us at:
canmorecommunitygardening@gmail.com


 

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!

--

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!

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!

Fence is Up!

An amazing crew of people clocked over 200 volunteer hours last weekend to build our fence and lay out the garden!  We now have a beautiful, deer-proof, bunny-proof, indeed monster-proof fence in which to plant our veggies!  Come check it out! More to come in the next few weekends...join us on saturdays and sundays for more garden building projects!

The Man With The Plan!

1000 square meters, 30 fence posts, 

131 meters of wire fencing, a bunny-proof trench,  a gate, a bobcat, a backhoe and 40 pairs of enthusiastic hands!

Finessing the posts! Tamped into position with love!

12 foot wooden posts, buried 3 feet deep...

 We're talking major bunny prevention!



Excavated....

then hand dug.....

wire laid...

and fastened...

  trench back-filled and carefully tidied!

... all for the bunnies!

An enormous THANK-YOU to all the enthusiastic people who dug, hauled, lifted, tamped, raked, and laughed this fence into place!

More to come next weekend....!

For more pics check out the album on the facebook page

Time to Build our Garden!

Work Party Schedule for first 3 Weekends in June:
 
Please consider how you are able to be involved and RSVP to canmorecommunitygardening@gmail.com so we know how many hands will be on deck for each session!
 
Come ready to work! bring sturdy shoes, gloves, water, weather appropriate clothing.
Lunch will be provided!

Saturday June 4th 9am - 5pm : Fence Installation
Needed: 20 volunteers familiar working around machinery (bobcats) and with heavy lifting - fence posts/rolls of wire fencing.
Tasks:
     * Operating/guiding bobcats to dig fence post holes, dig wildlife trench, swale pathways and wicking bed bases.
     * pounding and tamping posts
     * trenching & burying wildlife apron
     * unrolling and fastening wire fencing
     * fixing braces
   

Sunday June 5th 10am - 4pm : Wood Treatment and Building Projects
Needed: 10 Volunteers to apply wood treatment to raised bed lumber
               6 Volunteers to build water cistern stand, construct pedestrian gateTasks:
     * setting up tarps and work space
     * applying wood treatment to lumber with brushes
     * constructing water cistern stand
     * constructing and mounting pedestrian gate
   

Saturday June 11th  9am - 5pm : Communal Garden Permablitz!
Needed: up to 30 Volunteers for lots of lifting, hauling, shoveling, mounding, filling
Tasks:
     * fill swale pathways with weeping tile and wood mulch
     * form communal beds with logs
     * mound communal beds with displaced turf, mulch, compost, soil
     * erect greenhouse

Sunday June 12th 10am-4pm : Wicking Bed & Tool Shed Construction
Needed: 10 volunteers with construction skills to build wicking beds
               4-6 creative volunteers interested in building a toolshed out of up-cycled wood pallets!
Tasks:
     * constructing 15  8'x4' wooden boxes for wicking beds
     * constructing tool shed 8'x8' tool shed our of wood paletts...let's get creative!
 
Saturday June 18th 10am -2pm - Wicking Bed Installation and Orientation
Needed:  15 Plot renters and any Volunteers keen to learn how a wicking bed is installed
Tasks:
     * level and install wicking bed reservoir
     * dig spillway
     * add raised bed wood box and fill with soil
 
Sunday June 19th 10am -2pm - Wicking Bed Installation and Orientation
Needed:  15 Plot renters and any Volunteers keen to learn how a wicking bed is installed
Tasks:
     * level and install wicking bed reservoir
     * dig spillway
     * add raised bed wood box and fill with soil    

Time to Build!

1) We need a truck(s) to transport the wire fencing from Calgary before June 3rd.  If you have a truck and will be in Calgary or are willing to make a trip, there are 2 rolls of 8' x 3' diameter.  One (and possibly both) should apparently fit in the back of a pickup.

2) We need scrap 2"x4"s in one foot lengths for the bracing in our wicking beds. if you have scrap lumber in your yard, or are connected to a construction site where some can be salvaged, please help us collect it.  we need approximately 60 x 1' lengths.  let us know how much you've got so we make sure we collect enough before June 10th. let's recycle!

3) Any aspiring filmmakers interested in documenting the building process?  Local filmmaker Julia Szucs has begun gathering footage of the evolution of the community garden, but she is away during the month of June.  We are hoping to gather more footage during the building and installation phase, and then there is the potential for whomever does the filming to collaborate with her on the documentary process.

4) and of course we need volunteers! builders, haulers, diggers, movers, shakers....We will be building the garden during a series of work parties on the first 3 weekends in June.  The work party and volunteer schedule, will follow shortly.

If you can help with any of the first 3 items above, please email us!  If you're ready to volunteer to build the garden, our volunteer sign up schedule will be sent out right away!

Happy Spring Showers!