Victoria Hills Multicultural Community Garden

Garden rules and articles

Forgot what your duty is, see the Garden Duty Schedule: Garden Duty Schedule

Garden Tips

• The soil is a heavy clay soil. Early in the spring it is easy to work but in the summer it turns very hard and water can easily run off of it. The soil willl also crack when dry.  
• Compost, peat moss and coconut coir call all be used to improve the soil, although large quantities may be required to make a significant difference.  We have had a lot of success improving the soil by digging leaves into the ground at the end of the season.  This also helps to encourage earthworms.
• Do NOT add sand to clay soil as this can make cement.
• Pre-sprouting large seads, such as beans and peas or germinating smaller seeds in a small amount of potting soil can also help the plants to break through the tough soil and give them a head start.


• Beans grow well. Bush beans are prefered over pole beans since the pole beans require an extensive support system which must be removed at the end of the season. However, pole beans will produce beans for a longer period of time.  Beans should be planted in late May or early June as they like warm soil.  Beans are also good for the soil as they associate with bacteria that can convert nigrogen from the air into a form that plants can use.  Beans should be picked when  young  (~15 cm long) to stimulate further flower production.
• Beets are often easy to grow.  They can be planted early in the spring and again in late July.  Both the green tops and the root can be eaten.  Be sure to keep the plants  well watered to achieve tender.  Mulching can also help beets retain moisture and suppress weeds.
• Carrots prefer loose soil but we have successfully grown carrots in our community garden.  Shorter varieties do better and they need to be kept well watered to prevent forking and cracking.  Carrots can be planted at any time but prefer to grow in cooler soils.  If you plant in early spring together with radishes, the radishes will help to loosen the soil for the carrots and they will be picked before the carrots need the space.  
• Corn is not an ideal choice for our garden.  If planting, ensure that a block of AT LEAST 1/5 of the plot is planted in corn to ensure full pollination.  Corn is also a heavy feeder and may require addition of fertilizer and lots of water.  Birds and mice may also be attracted to your corn crop.  
• Kale grows very well in our garden.  This is a green leafy vegetable that belongs to the cabbage family and is full of vitamins and flavour.  Kale can be planted in early to mid spring and the bottom leaves or thinnings can be harvested throughout the summer, although the leaves taste best after the first frost.  Kale also keeps well in the freezer.
• Lettuce is a cool weather crop.  It should be planted in the ground as early as possible.  Once the weather turns warm, the lettuce will become bitter and will focus its energies on producing seeds.
• Onions.  Seeds should be started indoors in February.  Onion sets (look like small onions) can be planted in early spring.  Do not try growing your cooking onions that have sprouted as these will put their efforts into leaves and seeds not into the root.  Onions should be mulched.
• Garlic should be planted in the fall for the following year's crop.  They can also be planted in very early spring.  Garlic will produce flower heads in June.  These should be cut off to promote bulb growth.  The flower heads can be eaten raw or lightly cooked and are quite tasty.
• Peas grow well in our garden if you keep the rabbits away (fence or sprinkle the area with cayenne pepper after every rain/watering).  Peas will only grow in cool soil so plant in early spring.  Peas will need a short trellis to grow on.  Once the peas are finished, cut the top part off for composting and leave the roots in the soil.  A second crop can be planted in the same place.  Peas also associate with bacteria that can convert nitrogen to the air into a form that plants can use and the roots will leach this natural fertilizer out as it decomposes.
• Peppers are warm weather plants.   Seedlings are available at the market and in stores at the end of May.  Peppers must be well-watered once the first flowers open.
• Potatoes should be planted in early spring.  Use seed potatoes (available at seed stores) since supermarket potatoes are treated to hinder growth and may be disease prone.  Cut seed potatoes into chunks with 1-2 eyes/potato and let dry out a couple of days before planting.  As the plant grows, mound the soil around the plant to ensure that the potatoes do not get exposed to the sun.  Green potatoes contain a chemical that is toxic.
• Radishes are a cool weather crop that grow very quickly.  Seeds planted in April will produce radishes ready to eat in May.  The space can then be used for another crop.
• Spinach will only grow in cool weather and prefers sandy soil.  My experience with spinach is that the heat will cause it to go to seed before it has grown big enough to harvest many leaves.   Swiss chard makes an excellent alternative that grows very well in our garden.
•  Summer squashes include zucchini and cucumbers.  These plants like warm soil and should be planted in early June.  They can be started a few weeks ahead indoors to give them a head start.  Choose zucchini varieties that do not vine to minimize space requirements and don't plant too many - in peak season, one plant can produce 3-5 zucchini a week!  Also be sure to pick zucchini when young and tender to best flavour.  Cucumbers take a lot of space in a garden and will require a lot of watering to ensure that they do not get bitter.  
• Winter squashes including Pumpkin can be difficult to grow in our garden.  These require a lot of space and in the last few years our entire crop has been decimated by a nasty creature called the squash vine borer.  This bug will tunnel into the plant or the fruit and suck the juices killing the plant in peak growing season.  The recommended organic control method for small gardens is to search the vines daily for entry holes and dig out the borer with a pen knife.  Butternut squash is apparently not a favourite of this bug but I don't really believe that.
• Swiss Chard is an excellent alternative to spinach that grows very well in our garden.  It  can be planted in early or late spring and will produce a continuous crop throughout the summer - just keep picking the outer leaves and more will continue to form from the centre.  Swiss chard also freezes very well.
• Tomato plants grow well in our garden.  They are a warm weather plant so plant seedlings outside at the end of May, beginning of June.  When planting, put all of the plant except for the top 2 sets of leaves into the soil and cover.  The stem and leaf nodes below the soil will form roots making the plant stronger and better able to absorb water.  Some types need to be staked or caged, others do not - check your variety.  Tomatoes do best when watered regularly.  enough.  Grows well alongside basil.

Weblinks:

Rototilling

• We recommend that you turn your soil with a shovel to maintain the micro-structure of your soil and to save the earthworms.  However, if you wish to have your plot rotoilled, please contact Heather at 519-745-7242  Rototilling occurs during the spring clean up event in early May.