Grow Regina Community Garden

The garden may be sleeping under the snow but Grow Regina is already planning for the new gardening season. Returning gardeners will be invited by email to apply in January for their plots.

Applications will be open for new gardeners  March 1 – 31, 2020. Plot assignments will be on a first come first serve basis, you may be put on a waiting list depending on availability.  An application form will be posted on the website March 1. For information about our garden plots go to The Garden

We have a new accessible garden for people who can not garden at the ground level. These will be available this spring. Accessible Gardens

The gardens are now closed.

Applications for 2020 garden plots will be posted March 1, 2020. Returning gardeners in good standing will be contacted January 2020. Applications for new gardeners are processed on a first come first served basis until the cut off date March 30 2020. New gardeners may be placed on a wait list.

MACKENZIE ART GALLERY  –  IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GROW REGINA

Invite the public to

An Evening in the Garden

Join the MacKenzie Art Gallery and Grow Regina for Garden Sketching and performances, in conjunction with our current exhibition,

Victor Cicansky: The Gardener’s Universe!

THURSDAY, 22 AUGUST | 7 PM
Join us for a storytelling session with artist Victor
Cicansky and author Trevor Herriot.

THURSDAY, 29 AUGUST | 7 PM
Join us for a storytelling performance by Vincent
Murphy and garden sketching with artist Madeleine
Greenway.

Meet the artists at the entry sculptures (Victor Cicansky’s “Planters”) on 3500 Queen St by 7 PM.
Events will take place rain or shine! In the event of inclement weather, join us in the church next door to the gardens, (St Mark’s, 3510 Queen Street).
Enter by the most North-West doors off the North parking lot.
Please bring a lawn chair if you feel you will need one (programs are 30 – 45
minutes in length. There is limited bench seating available in the garden).

Photos courtesy Maxine Earl.

Join us for dinner prior to the event at the MacKenzie café, Craft Services! Dinner specials every Thursday evening.

Beautiful clouds full of moisture hung over the garden this morning just before a very welcome rain.

A good rain will get the weeds growing.  It is very important to get a good start on weed control in June. If the weeds are not managed now they will take over the garden.

The clay in our Regina soil forms a crust on the surface when you weed and dig around the plants the crust is broken up allowing water to seep into the soil.

One of the toughest weeds in the garden is quack grass, it takes patience and persistence to control this grass eliminating it can be a yearly struggle.

Quack grass rhizomes are very hardy and often grow further than you expect. Lift the exposed roots out of the soil and check to see that you got the whole plant. Any broken roots likely will sprout a new patch of quack grass.

Found these two foes in the garden today. The first photo is of potato beetles and the second is of a cut worm, both of these insects are very destructive and they must be removed. I put them in a small plastic container and threw them away.

Grow Regina is a pesticide free garden no herbicides or insecticides permitted. Our community garden values chemical free food and nurturing the natural environment.

What a lovely rain this afternoon! The hail was dramatic but did not cause any damage. The last few days have been very busy at the Grow Regina Gardens as many of you are already finished planting. If you are not finished yet no worries there are still 2 more weeks of planting time left this spring.

I would like to remind all of the gardeners to respect your neighbor’s garden do not walk on it or take anything from any plot that is not yours. There are tools and wheelbarrows for all to use at both sheds just put them back after use.

May is finally here! There is lots of activity in the garden already. The soil is still too cold to plant but the dandelions and the chives do not mind. Best to plant later in the month because the soil is not warm enough yet, but clean up and roto-tilling can be started anytime.

In spite of the cold and snow spring is just around the corner.

John Fagan Award nominations are open for a gardener who like John contributes over and above to the garden and who promotes the social, economic and cultural well-being of others through community gardening. How to apply for the John Fagan Award                                       Deadline for nominations is March 15^th

The Mackenzie Art Gallery will be offering programming in our garden 2 evenings in August. This programming is associated with the gallery’s summer long retrospective of Victor Cicansky’s works titled,  The Gardener’s Universe. To learn more about the artist and how he has contributed to our garden go to  Victor Cicansky Sculptures

Remember the deadline for garden applications in March 25th. We are receiving many applications from new gardeners which will be accepted on a first come basis. 

Winter is half way over and with spring on it’s way so now is the time to start planning for the 2019 growing season. Applications are now being accepted.  The cut off date to apply is March 25 2019. Application forms can be found HERE.

The 2018 Grow Regina season is finished. Thank you to all the gardeners for a fantastic year and for finishing the fall clean up. See you next spring!