Harvest day is coming soon!

Glenmore Potato Patch
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This year we decided to plant one type of potato (to the three last year).  These white table potatoes have a thin skin and will be ideal for roasting.  Last year, they came out of the ground clean and without any scabs/marks, which makes them easy to prepare for meals.  This photo was taken Monday and shows the first potato blossoms.

Seed potatoes were again provided by Sunnycrest of Lacombe and transported by volunteers for us.  The germination rate was just about 60%, which at first seemed disappointing except that the plants are thriving.  As we make successive trips to weed and hill the field, it is very encouraging to see the progress!  It is too early for me to estimate our final potatoes, but I am optimistic that it will be good. 

I am often asked why we hill potatoes.  Potatoes, as you may know, will green up when exposed to light.  This is undesirable not unto itself since the green is chlorophyll, but because a mild toxin called solanine is also produced.  It may cause nausea, which even if served with butter won’t be much fun.  So, it is definitely worth the effort to hill them!  I am grateful to the volunteers who come and patiently progress across the field in this effort.

Harvest Day is scheduled for Saturday September 22.  The Food Bank will be on hand along with a veritable beehive of helpers.  I hope you might consider being among the crew that will include St James Okotoks youth and dedicated workers from a number of parishes and community members at large.  Over the season I have welcomed several new people to the field due in part to our staying power I suppose, but also to the efforts of social media group.  Thank you for your support!

We are blessed to have two dedicated volunteers helping to maintain the beds at FCJ this year.  We were able to expand to three beds and have planted in a deliberate way to allow community involvement (should the opportunity arise).  A full bed of onions and another of garlic are almost ready to harvest.  In addition, children of the Sunday dinner planted seeds indoors which the volunteers and I subsequently planted in a third bed.  These are doing great (I had my fingers crossed) and will allow us to show the children the fruits of their efforts in the near future.
 
Exciting for me are three events, either in planning stages or already booked, that involve people from the community at large who experience marginalization to come and experience the garden.  This venue seems to have everything to offer in terms of a “garden retreat” experience.  As this unfolds I hope to be able to share more with you.
 

Vertical Divider

Cliff Bungalow Mission Community Garden

The community garden members along with a couple of Feed the Hungry volunteers planted a variety of greens in May.  The first of these have been harvested and distributed.  A second crop of greens has now been seeded and should bear in about a month.  The community garden has also been provided with signage which instructs our fellow gardeners on how to share any surplus produce.

Words of Garden Wisdom from Norline Johnson

Plant Three rows of peas:
1. Peas of mind
2. Peas of heart
3. Peas of soul

For more information about volunteering at the garden, contact Linnea at 403-218-5542 or e-mail fthgarden@calgarydiocese.ca

Reported by: Linnea Ferguson