QUESNEL COMMUNITY GARDEN
MARCH 2 – 1:00
Funding Update:
ñ Quesnel Community Foundation – applied for $3000 for the fence. It has gone to the second stage. We will hear by mid-end March.
ñ Integris Credit Union – gave us $1000. They want to get a picture of the garden, maybe at the composting workshop
ñ Individual donation - $100 for seeds
ñ City's Environmental Advisory committee - $200 for composting workshops
ñ CRD – Just over $1000 left to contribute to the fence.
ñ Demo beds – there are 8 along the edges including the herb bed. They would like to have drip irrigration. Angela has some letters to businesses asking them to sponsor a bed. If the Integris money doesn't need to go to the fence, they could sponsor the first bed.
ñ Fund raising – WRC has submitted a Service Canada grant proposal to extend this project for another year.
ñ Evergreen.ca – school based grants. Angela will look into this.
ñ Aprons, bags and hats – Colleen has been getting fabric from the thrift shop and making these objects for us to sell at the Farmer's Markets. We could sell raffle tickets – if we have staff.
ñ Recipe books – The recipe book could be a compilation of recipes throughout the year and include info on composting, etc.
SEEDS & PLANTS FOR 2011:
Good to start early as we had a hard time finding corn and shorter season stuff. There are some good organic seed companies we could order. Ellen and Yvonne and Angela will get together and order some on-line.
Earl from the Ag department would likely grow what seedlings we want to plant.
Next Wednesday: 10:00 is the composting workshop so after that, there will be time to figure out what to order, what to seedlings to start, etc.
PLANT DAY:
We should still have a plant day in mid-May. We should have BBQ to keep the people there for a meeting about weed days.
FARMED:
Have asked us to join. $25 gets you associate membership but $50 in needed for full memberhsip, to vote.
Motion: We will become a full member for this year and see how it goes.
Junior Farmer program – They want us to commit to having a space at the Fall Fair. We should table this to see whether the Service Canada funding comes through – it will include a Saturday schedule so the person could go to the Farmer's Market and the Fall Fair.
RECRUITMENT FOR 2011:
ñ We need to take flyers around the neighbourhood the week of Earth Day to invite them to plant day. If you called the manager he would let you in. We need to leave flyers in doctors, dentists, hairdressers offices.
ñ An article in the paper before planting day would be good.
ñ We need better signage – with weed nights, etc. and a phone #.
ñ Sandra Erickson from the West Quesnel Business Assoc wants to start a community garden in West Quesnel. We couldn't run all of them but we could form an association of community gardens in the future.
COMPOSTING WORKSHOPS:
March 9th: Ron Penner – 10:00
April 16th – 10 – 11:30 and 11:30 – 12:30 (building composters) The date can be changed if it is still winter then. Ellen will plant comfrey and bring some to the composting workshop. You can make fertilizer tea with it.
SAND BOX & PICNIC TABLES:
Angela will write a letter to ask Quesnel Pre-cast for a donation of cement tables. The greenest kind is to excavate a square of land and fill it with sand – no slivers. Put a bit of drainage rock at a low end.
SPACE AT COMMUNITY EVENTS:
Move For Health Day in May:
Communities in Bloom are thinking that they could create containers for kids to plant. If Ellen does this she will take our info.
Arts and Culture Day on April 16th at the Rec centre, 11 – 4. Bernice suggested egg cartons and get kids to plant seeds. Everyone collect egg cartons and Maureen will bring seedling containers.
NEXT MEETING: April 5th, 1:00
