Just Growing Gardens

July 2023

If you’ve wandered down the alley behind the church recently, you’ve noticed that vegetables and herbs are growing abundantly.  But who’s doing that? you may wonder; Didn’t Nora retire from taking care of the gardens?

This year the gardens are being tended by me, Marnie Klassen. I work for A Rocha Manitoba, a Christian nature conservation organization. We’re partnering with Saint Margaret’s to do the gardens this year.

Here’s a brief timeline of what’s happened so far this growing season:

Early May

• cleaned up remains of last years crops

• prepped garden beds for planting

• planned the gardens 

• bought/gathered seed

Mid-Late May

• planted seeds

• bought and planted bedding plants and seed potatoes

• laid straw mulch around some plants to conserve heat and water

• started watering and weeding regularly

June

• began harvesting early crops (greens, herbs, radishes) to donate to The Madison (supportive housing for previously unhoused folks)

• thinned beets and carrots

• continued weekly weeding and watering

• pruned and strung tomatoes weekly

July

• pruned and strung hops

• had a volunteer weeding bee (THANK YOU!)

• continued weekly weeding and watering

• began harvesting some bigger crops (kale, peas, beans, zucchini)

I’m very excited that the tomatoes are setting fruit, and the squash are also starting to form! The cucumbers are behind, unfortunately, but will hopefully produce fruit with time. In the meantime, we continue to send greens, herbs, and whatever else is ready weekly to The Madison.

If you have any questions about the garden, about A Rocha, me, or how you can get involved, please feel free to contact me! You can email me at marnie.klassen@arocha.ca or text or call me at 778-347-5005. Volunteers are welcome! I’m usually around the gardens Tuesday mornings and all day Friday.

Looking forward to working with more of you over the coming weeks!

- Marnie Klassen, Urban Agriculture Coordinator, A Rocha Manitoba