November 17, 2024

​This week was a bit of a weird one, because the first half of the week was reading break for UVic. Here at the garden we were off on Monday and then back to it for the rest of the week, but it always throws off my internal calendar when I don’t have classes!

On Tuesday and Friday we were in the garden continuing work on the new accessible bed, which is coming along slowly but surely! We’ve been learning a lot, and making adjustments as we go to improve the structure and solve problems as we run into them. We’re just about done with the actual building, and are starting to focus on the ground (holding the structure in place, and making sure the ground is level and compacted/covered so that a wheelchair user will actually be able to access the bed!). We’ll be back in the garden this week to continue working, and hopefully will be able to finish with the big things so that we can move on to testing and making smaller adjustments!

​Classes returned after the break on Thursday, and we kicked off the 2-day week with another on-campus giveaway! This time, we set up a table outside of the McPherson Library, near the Petch Fountain, to give away veggies, berries, and edible flowers from the garden, as well as seeds! We did a harvest in the morning, and were set up at the table from 10am-noon. The giveaways have been going super well and it’s been so nice to connect more with the UVic community - we’ve been able to meet folks who’d never heard of the garden before, and remind others that we’re here and they have access to a garden space (even though we’re kind of hidden off Mackenzie Ave!). Keep an eye on our Instagram stories to find out about the next giveaway! 

On Friday, as well as working on the accessible bed, we introduced some new plot renters to their plots and held a volunteer work party in the afternoon! This week’s work party continued to focus on winterizing garden beds, as it really is that time of year - we had our first frost on Thursday night, and are expecting a couple more this week! 

Looking forward, we’ve got a busy week coming up. On Monday, our highly anticipated Quick Pickling workshop will be taking place from 11am-1pm in SUB B028! Don’t forget to bring a jar (clean it thoroughly first!!), and maybe some veggies and spices like garlic, dill, or pepper flakes, if you have some you prefer!

On Tuesday afternoon at 3pm in SUB B025 we’re also holding our Semi-Annual General Meeting (SAGM)!! This will take the shape of a community potluck and meeting, where we recap our year and discuss plans for the next year! This meeting is open to everyone in our community, to come and join garden staff and board members in sharing food, celebrating what we’ve accomplished over the past year, and planning for the next. We’re asking folks to please bring something to share for the potluck, as well as your own dishes/utensils for eating :)

We’ll also have our usual Friday volunteer work party from 2-4pm on Friday, November 22nd! Come by to help out with some garden tasks (probably more winterizing!), meet some awesome folks, and spend some time outdoors. We’ve been super lucky with the weather for the past few weeks, and hopefully this continues - but we’re out rain or shine, so dress for the weather and come hang out!!

I hope everyone has had a great weekend, and I wish you all the best for the coming week!

Happy gardening,
Jessi