Hello everyone and welcome to my garden. If you are new to my blog here is a short introduction. My name is Kristin and I have lived in Delta BC for forty-nine years. Wow! That's a long time but let me say, this is the best community anyone could live in, now isn't it?
I started gardening when I purchased my first home back in the late 1970's. I don't recall having a garden mentor as both my parents worked. They had little time for gardening with four children to take care of. Most of my first time gardening pursuits were done by trial and error and I think that is the best way to learn. All of our gardens are different and what works in one garden may not work in another. Once I started gardening, it became my passion. Even though I went on to have a family I still made time for the garden. You see, gardening is my slice of heaven where I can shake away all the stresses of life and just watch as the miracles in the garden unfold.
I will be blogging about my garden trials and tribulations throughout the year. For me, the garden is always changing. I find that over the last few years the edible garden scene has exploded leaving some of us flower gardeners behind. Why are so many people growing food in their gardens? Do they still grow and love flowers as much as we always did? For one thing, the whole way we garden has changed as our community densifies. Young families don't own large homes therefore lacking the space to garden they way we are all used to. The times are changing but the love of gardening has not. The youth of today want to garden. The only difference is they have priorities. The plants they use have to make a statement. With little space many are using containers and growing food as part of our 'eating healthy, know where your food comes from' regime. The standard Geraniums in a container are out and growing Kale is in.
You may have noticed the decline in garden clubs and the increase in community gardens. I saw that need back in 2010 and started the Ladner Community Garden. It's now grown to over seventy plots of which half of them are allotments. People often ask why someone would want to rent space to garden. The answer is usually because they either live in a condo or apartment and don't have the room to garden. For some people, their own yard is too shady to grow vegetables. In my opinion community gardens bring people together. It's a place to share ideas and learn from others. When it comes to gardening, some of those tried and true methods have stood the test of time. So you may read a lot about community gardening as I continue to blog here.
I am also very passionate about children learning how to grow food. When the Ladner Community Garden was built I designed a children's garden with ten raised garden beds. A grade three class has been attending the garden for three years and all the food that is grown is donated to the local food bank and other charities. I believe in giving back to our community and this is a good first step. For the children, it's a lesson in teamwork and cooperation as well as science, math, art and history when they come to the garden. I hope the lessons they learn in the garden will be ones they take with them on this journey called life. Remember, our youth are our future farmers.
