“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt” ~M Atwood

The Waterford Community Garden will be open for registration (and planting if you are ready) on May 21, 2011 at 9am. Garden plots are 10’x15’ and there is a fee of $10/per plot to cover garden expenses. If you are very enthusiastic, you can take 2 plots for the season and grow them together!

We are conveniently located next to the Rural Roots Café (delicious coffee and donuts and fantastic new eat-in café) on Old Hwy 24 at the south end of Waterford.

We are looking forward to seeing old and new faces this year as we continue to spread the word about how fun and healthy it is to grow a garden!!

If you cannot make it to registration, just call Jenny at 443-0758 and we will make sure you have space for this season.

And of course we cannot begin saying “Thanks” early enough – Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to Tony Yin, our very generous landlord, Kalis Greenhouses (visit them at 279 Old Hwy 24, north of Waterford for inspiring garden ideas)for lending us water tanks again, Gray Stewardson and all of his farm implements and Tri County Insurance for keeping us covered again. “Thank You, Thank You Very Much…..”

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden. ~R. Stout

The WCG is in the works again, and yet again we are L-A-T-E so I hope you werent planting early peas!

Our location will be firm by the end of this week and we plan on being ready to plant by May 21.

If you are interested in a plot or have questions, please email me (Jenny) at garden@waterforduc.org or call 519-443-0758.

Watch for signs around town and the big sign at the Waterford United Church for regitration day coming soon.

....Now if we could only get the weather to co-operate.......

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow. ~Proverb

As I type this morning there is a mix of rain and snow falling, again. It is April, I checked.....

To update all the wanna-be gardeners, I have spoken to Tony Yin, our faithful landlord and he will have a spot for us picked out by the end of April. Once I have that information, we will be able to plan out plots and schedule a registration day -keep your eyes and ears open - here or on the big sign at the United Church for details.

To keep my mind on spring until the sun shows its face, I have set up a greenhouse of sorts in the basement (or more accuratly, Tim has) and I have peppers and artichokes and lots of flowers sprouting. I just put down a tray of tomatoes - 72 cells mixed with heirloom romas and brandywines, some orange cherry and beefsteak, hmmmmm, I love the smell of tomatoe plants.

Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius. ~P. Aretino

Further to my seed catalouge post, Dave Zeldon, (Waterford's answer to Ed Lawrence) reminded me about Linda Crago and Tree and Twig Heirloom Vegetable Farm in Wellandport.

Linda runs a mail order business for plants and seedlings each spring and volunteers with heirloom seed exchanges (along with her greenhouse, a CSA, participates in an organic market, producer and supplier for winery restauratns in the Niagara Peninsula and her roadsifde stand and heads up the local chapter of Canadian Organic Growers).

Please visit Linda's website at http://www.treeandtwig.ca/ for more information and if you keep old Harrowsmith's (not weird) check out pages 75 and 76 of the August 2007 issue.

Winter is the time of promise because there is so little to do - or because you can now and then permit yourself the luxury of thinking so. ~SCrawford

Another fantastic use of time on these cold grey days is to curls up with your computer and a warm mug of tea and discover the world of blogging. I must say I am prejudice to blogging, it is a great creative outlet, a sharing tool for the masses and sometimes you learn a little something along the way.

Here are a few read-worthy Ontario blogs that I follow that come from places of food and garden:

Crackers (http://homemadecrackers.blogspot.com/) is my personal favorite, written by Norfolk County natives Jesse and Melanie Senko (now in Ancaster) about their quest to make more at home, use local ingredients and decrease their dependence on the supermarket. The entries are full of info and really fab photos.

Here are 3 more I discovered on http://www.beerandbuttertarts.com/:

http://seasonalontariofood.blogspot.com/
http://wellpreserved.ca/
http://www.familybites.ca/

Please share your favorite blogs with us!