Kamloops Public Produce Project

Kamloops Food Policy Council's AGM: March 1st

2012-01-30T14:04:00.001-08:00

KFPC AGM 2012

Putting the Garden to Bed for the Winter

2011-11-19T10:10:00.000-08:00

Although almost a month has already passed since the last work day in the garden,

here are a few photos worth sharing.

Thanks to everyone who came out that day to say goodnight to the garden.

Thank you to everyone who dedicated so much time and love to the

garden over the course of the season.

What an incredible group of people

(photo credit: James, with 35mm film)

Volunteers Needed: this Friday

2011-09-21T19:38:00.000-07:00

Help is needed in the garden on Friday September 23.

:a bit of maintenance, getting rid of dead plants.

The garden has at least a month of growing left, we just want to keep it looking great.

Please bring gloves, shovels, clippers (if you have them).

everyone is welcome!

come out and learn something from the Master Gardeners.

email: publicproduceproject@gmail.com for more information

Through another lens...

2011-09-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

The photos below were submitted by Jennifer Taylor Paravantes.
They capture the slow fade of summer into harvest season perfectly.
Enjoy.

View from the garden

2011-09-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

These photos were submitted

ever-so-generously by Alexis.

(taken with 35mm film...)

Thank You.

If you have photos or stories about the garden that you'd like to submit - please email publicproduceproject@gmail.com

We'd love to hear/see your story.

If You're In The Toronto Area...

2011-09-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

Be sure to check out this ingenious food endeavor...

http://yumtum.ca/

Gala in the Garden - Our Celebration of Shared Harvest

2011-09-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

We hosted our Official Grand Opening on Tuesday August 16th.

A Great Turnout - with many new faces!

Lots of Media Folks joined the party

The best homemade lunch in town

Jen: Master of Mini Apricot Pies

Laura & Peter, of Fratellis share their excitement about the project

An Attentive Crowd

Robin - One of Our Lovely Guest Speakers

It was a grand success to say the least. An incredible turnout of volunteers and newcomers, guest speakers and garden frequenters. Huge thanks to everyone who helped to make this day (and the entire season) great fun and a better success than any of us could have imagined. Keep visiting the garden - there is so much more food to be eaten!!

'Absolutely amazing': Urban garden a welcome downtown oasis

2011-08-17T06:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Daily News for

this positive coverage of the event:

“So, people that are of higher income or can support themselves seem to shy away from taking food from the garden because they feel it’s just for poor people. And yet, when you look at the diets of people, a lot of people with higher incomes could use some nutrition and public produce.”
AUGUST 16, 2011

BY CATHERINE LITT

DAILY NEWS STAFF REPORTER

The vegetable garden is bordered on one side by a wall of chipped stucco and on the other by an empty lot filled with dirt, rocks and the powdery remnants of three demolished buildings.

Only 15 feet wide but stretching the length of the property, this collection of raised beds is home to sunflowers, tomatoes, beans, basil, chard and plentiful squash whose leafy vines spill over the edges of the boxes.

“The before-and-after pictures are absolutely amazing,” said Laura Kalina, a community nutritionist with Interior Health.

“We’re just so pleased with how it turned out.”

What started as a pilot project earlier this year was officially declared a success on Tuesday as organizers, volunteers and City officials gathered to celebrate the Kamloops Public Produce Project at 121 Victoria St. — the first of its kind in the city.

Part harvest celebration, part ribbon-cutting ceremony, the event was chance to highlight a truly communal project that could be replicated anywhere in Kamloops.

“It’s really the result of the community coming together,” said Kalina, who is also a member of the Kamloops Food Policy Council, the group that came up with the garden idea.

With funding from Interior Health, horticultural expertise from the Thompson Shuswap Master Gardeners and help from more than 50 volunteers who nurtured and watered the plants daily, Kalina’s crew transformed a vacant lot into a free food source.

“It certainly seems like a success,” said property owner Casey VanDongen, as he watched people mingling in the garden.

VanDongen said he volunteered the land because he liked the concept of a public garden.

“It seemed like a good idea to me,” he said.

VanDongen has agreed to let the garden stay indefinitely, though its future could be cut short if a neighbouring landowner decides to build on the adjacent lot.

“If he builds there won’t be enough sunlight,” said VanDongen.

Which is why much of the focus of Tuesday’s event was on the need for more landowners like VanDongen who are willing to donate space for public gardens.

“Right now this land is not permanent, so we’re looking for a more permanent spot,” said Kalina.

“Maybe a developer has a property that’s not being used? It could be City land, or a private person who has property. We’re looking.”

Among those who spoke publicly at the celebration was Robin Reid, an assistant professor in Thompson Rivers University’s tourism management program.

She’s been studying the public garden as part of a larger research project on community gardens and their role in food sustainability.

Next month, she’ll present some of her findings at a conference at the University of Cumbria in Portugal, Spain, and will talk about some of the research gathered at the downtown garden.

“I wanted to see how people were engaging with the garden and what they’re response was to it,” said Reid.

“It’s amazing how many people said they love coming down here and just having a green space to go in a cement city and be surrounded by food.”

Reid has also discovered a curious trend in perceptions about the garden. While everyone applauds the produce project, Reid says not everyone is using it.

“Not everybody thinks that they are eligible to take from the garden,” she said.

Reid said it would take a change of mindset for Kamloops residents to accept that the garden exists for everyone.

In the meantime, the garden continues to be nurtured daily by volunteers, its dozens of vegetables and herbs just waiting to be plucked free for the taking.

www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/20110816/KAMLOOPS0101/110819824/absolutely-amazing-urban-garden-a-welcome-downtown-oasis

Gala Tomorrow at 11 am.

2011-08-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

See you in the garden tomorrow at 11 am

for our

Grand Opening!!

Everyone is welcome to attend.

Cherry Tomatoes & Beans are Ready

2011-08-15T08:47:00.001-07:00

Elaine has announced that the cherry tomatoes and purple beans are ready for harvesting - dig in!!

Seed Saving Event - Don't Miss It

2011-08-11T18:06:00.001-07:00

seedsaving

Gala in the Garden - Our Grand Opening !

2011-08-11T09:31:00.000-07:00

Gala in the Garden

Harvest season has arrived and it is time to come together to celebrate the Public Produce Project’s garden, at 121 Victoria Street.

At 11 am, the gala will commence with a brief introduction to the project. Following this, our Master Gardeners will lead an informative garden tour. At 11:30, our Mayor and City Council have been invited to lead an official ribbon cutting. We will then serve homemade refreshments and invite our community to taste the bounty that our garden has produced. The gala will wrap up between 12 and 12:30 pm. No RSVP is necessary and everyone is welcome.
--
This public garden project was initially funded by a grant from Interior Health Authority and is a partnership between the Kamloops Food Policy Council and the Thompson-Shuswap Master Gardeners Association.
--
Come out and show your support for a great community-building initiative. See you in the garden!

Email us for more information or if you would like to help out!! publicproduceproject@gmail.com

Looking Great in the Garden

2011-08-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

A few recent additions to the garden have

transformed the lovely garden into a true masterpiece.

---

None of this could have happened without

the sustained effort of so many volunteers.

Thank You.

Signs ! And Shale!

Benches!

Self-Watering Containers!

A Second Trellis!

Mural!! (Biodegradable, to Boot!)

Squash Blossoms (galore) !

Royalty in the Garden

2011-08-08T06:52:00.000-07:00

The Miss Kamloops Ladies stopped by during Hot Night in the City to cool the plants down.

Dear Public Produce,

2011-08-04T06:44:00.000-07:00

This is a letter that we received from a community member who uses the garden on a regular basis:

Dear Sir/Madam

I would like to thank you very much for producing amazing green vegetables and allow the public for free picking. I think the people like me who don't have own land to grow green vegetable would be really getting benefited.

Thank you so much again and I am enjoying picking the vegetables and making my meal green and healthy.

Thank You to Our Volunteers

2011-08-04T06:42:00.000-07:00

Many a thank you must go out to the incredible volunteers that have been watering and maintaining the garden throughout the summer months. Big thank yous to those who have created signs for the garden, brought suggestion boxes on site, built benches and trellises, posted information about the plants, arranged for shale to be brought in and raked. These touches have transformed the garden into an absolutely beautiful space - a welcoming space for the community and visitors alike.

Elaine & Pascal (Master Gardener in Training)

2011-08-04T06:32:00.000-07:00

Elaine and her Grandson Pascal planting lettuce.

Portland, Oregon - A Very Edible City

2011-07-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

Portland is a city to feast in and on.

And a city to look towards in terms of its sustainable practices,

food security, and local initiatives...

There are delectable food carts (organized into pods of carts!!) all over the city, that sell locally grown, weird, and delicious snacks.

There are raised beds (filled with edibles) decorating almost every residential meridian and sidewalk.

...Edible Landscaping Galore:

Mini produce markets can be found, housed with delicious goods and local specialty items...

There seems to be signs pointing towards farmers markets on every city block!

And to top it all off (at the end of the meal): they have CURBSIDE COMPOST.

Amazing.

Oh ya...The Local Micro Breweries: Also very good...

Food Art.

We should definitely look toward Portland for some

ingenious ideas and initiatives for our own community.

United Way - Downtown Carnival

2011-07-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

The United Way invited the Public Produce Project to set up shop at the downtown carnival on Friday July 15. It was a great opportunity to chat with the community about the project and decorate the sidewalk as colourfully as we could. We had a lot of great feedback and may have even recruited some newbies! Huge thanks to Bonnie, Kevin, Jen, Robin, and Carole who volunteered their time, spread the good word of edibles, and created some fantastic sidewalk veggies!!

Big thanks to the United Way and Jeff (organizer extraordinaire!) for inviting us to the carnival.

oh ya, there were bubbles too!!

Kamloops Daily News Goes Edible!!!

2011-07-05T22:51:00.000-07:00

Jen has been spreading the wonderful word of edibles by initiating an edible garden project at the Kamloops Daily News. Now the little courtyard outside the rather large, concrete building has some lovely & delicious plants.

And..

a little, lunch-time salad.

photo credit: Jennifer Poohachoff

Wildman Appearance in the Garden!!

2011-06-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

Our Mural Artists - Dani & Emily:

Lovely Ladies:

Dirty Hands:

And then, much later in the day,

Guess who showed up!!!???

A Wildman in Blue!

(and then, eventually, some wanna be wild men...)

Snacks!

2011-06-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

Big Thank You to Elaine for putting in these signs - now we know what to pick & how to pick it!!

Our first Lunch & Learn - Our first Harvest!!

2011-06-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday June 22nd (at 12:15), Dede Bone (Community Kitchens Coordinator) and Elaine Sedgman (Master Gardenere) lead our first-ever Lunch and Learn. Elaine lead us through a short workshop on how to properly harvest Mizuna, Pansies, Lettuce, and Nasturtium for a delicious salad. Dede than created a masterpiece salad for all of us to try. Fratellis donated chickpeas and black beans - which added protein and deliciousness to the salad.
Wednesday confirmed that our garden is growing beautiful AND delicious food. The vegetables listed above are ready for harvest, so come down to the garden and eat!!
We will be hosting more lunch and learns - bring your lunch down to the garden and join us...Keep posted for upcoming dates.

Dede - Our Oh So Lovely (and colour-coordinated)
Community Kitchens Coordinator

Composting Workshop

2011-06-24T07:52:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday June 21, Sally Andrysiak (Master Composter and Master Gardener in Training) lead a composting workshop on site. She reviewed the various methods of composting and revealed some really effective tricks. Thanks for doing this Sally!!

The TNRD donated a compost bin for the workshop and it is in the garden to stay. It you're strolling and snacking downtown, drop your apple cores and strawberry tops in the compost bin rather than the garbage!! Stay tuned for more workshops!!

2 Workshops Happening in the Garden this Week!

2011-06-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

Join us for 2 workshops this week!

Tuesday (tomorrow!!) June 21 - 4:30 pm : COMPOSTING WORKSHOP. Learn the basics of composting (so you can become a master) with Sally, a local Master Composter. This workshop will be held on site at 4:30 pm and is open to everyone. Bring your apple cores and banana peels!

Wednesday June 22 - 12:15 pm : HARVESTING SPRING GREENS (Our first everLUNCH & LEARN)! Join Elaine (Master Gardener) & Dede (Community Kitchens Coordinator) to learn how to harvest early spring greens! Dede will share a simple & delicious recipe with us too! There may even be a few samples... Bring your lunch over to the garden and leave with healthy, local recipe ideas.

If you have friends who work downtown, please tell them about these workshops. We'd love to have a great turn out for our first workshops ever !! See you in the garden!!

One additional note: We delivered edible containers to downtown businesses today - big thanks goes out to: Brownstone Restaurant, KPA Printers, Beauty Code, Fratellis, Cafe Motivo, The Art We Are, Fresh Cafe, Hello Toast, Hot House Bistro, and Pure Cuisine for partnering with us by adopting an edible.

We've adopted a few plants..

2011-06-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

The edible landscaping that was done at the library has been uprooted & relocated. We've adopted them ...

A Few of the Delectable Edibles at the Library - on the evening before the plants were uprooted.

The City Dropped the Plants off On-Site on Friday Morning.

Most of the plants will be donated to designate plots in one of the local community gardens (the harvest will then be donated to the foodbank!!), a few will go to the Kamloops Daily News for their first ever edible garden, and the rest we have planted on site.

What an interesting week it's been. We are curious to know what everyone is thinking about this controversial plant-in and equally controversial uproot. Please send us an email if you have an opinion (publicproduceproject@gmail.com). This is a great opportunity to gain public input and begin thinking about the future of edible landscaping: the pros, cons, questions, and ideas!!

P.S. A letter to the editor of the paper or to the TNRD isn't a bad idea either :)

We received a bit of media coverage this week too:
http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/20110617/KAMLOOPS0101/306179975/-1/kamloops01/guerilla-garden-transplanted-to-produce-project

Adopt-An-Edible

2011-06-12T16:48:00.000-07:00

We will be giving out planters full of EDIBLES to downtown businesses over the next week...

(they are ready to go!!)

Our participants so far include:

Fratelli Foods - 223 Victoria Street

Fresh Cafe -

Hello Toast - 428 Victoria Street

Hot House Bistro - 438 Victoria Street

Pure Cuisine - 442 Victoria Street

The Grind -

Total Ten - 230 Victoria Street

If you are a business (or know of a business) that may be interested in adopting an edible...

Send us an email publicproduceproject@gmail.com

A Few More Plants...

2011-06-12T16:17:00.000-07:00

Master Gardeners: Elaine and Guy were on site on Wednesday to plant the last few beds.

The garden bed devoted to Bees & Beneficial Insects was planted

(at the back of the site, to the right).

The remaining plants were put in the ground and we are getting closer and closer to completion..

Thanks for all of your help so far

Square Foot Gardening

2011-06-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

"Square-foot gardening is an easy way to harvest a succession of fresh produce from the smallest of yards and even those with poor soils. Developed by Mel Bartholomew in the early 1980s, the concept remains popular today because it offers a simple plan for growing vegetables in compact, raised beds that can be intensively planted with a variety of crops."

http://www.canadiangardening.com/gardens/small-gardens/build-a-square-foot-garden/a/19960

Annemeike planted two square foot gardens at the Public Produce site this week.

Thank you!

(Canadian Tire donated the plants for the two square foot gardens, thanks!!)

Garden Signs

2011-06-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

We were at the Farmers Market yesterday painting signs for the garden.

Anyone who happened to stroll by was invited to paint a sign - and many did!!

We have so many brightly coloured signs decorating the garden now.

Thanks to everyone who participated and thanks to the Farmers Market for letting us hang out there!

The two most common questions we were asked:

(1) How much does it cost to paint a sign?

(nothing at all, thanks to some generous donations)

(2) Will you be back next week?

(No, but we may come back again at some point this summer to paint

because it was a great time)

Thanks to Shelaigh for all of the supplies (wooden flowers, cedar planks, all of the paints!)

Thanks to Carole for bringing all of the paint to General Paint to have it shaken!!

(and big thanks to General Paint for refreshing all of our colours at no charge)

After the market, a few of us wandered over to the Grind and

outlined signs as we snacked on some much needed sustenance.

Lastly...to the garden!

There are more signs on their way...take a wander down..

Oh ya, and the Mizuna showed up this weekend!

2011-06-05T23:07:00.000-07:00

The Big, Public Plant-In (Sunday May 29th )

2011-06-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

Thank you to so many volunteers who came out last Sunday to put plants in the ground!

Starting Saturday afternoon, Elaine & Guy marked out all of the beds, hung the twine (for some vertical gardening experimentation), labelled all of the spots, and made sure we'd be ready to go!! (thank you!)

Starting on Sunday morning, at 8am, James and Dennis finished up two of the remaining four beds

(THANK YOU TO BOTH OF YOU - FOR ALL OF YOUR MANY, MANY HOURS OF CONSTRUCTION).

We then transported all of the plants from Elaine's house

(she started many of them from seed!!) down to the site.

Thank you to Angela and the Garden Gate crew as well as Paula Rubinson for starting seeds for us & donating many of our plants!! We really appreciate this!

Volunteers started arriving around 10 am and continued to join us throughout the day.

We planted, watered, shoveled and wheel-barrowed dirt, built rock walls, constructed more beds, got sunburned, constructed vertical garden twine apparatuses, drank water (thanks Shelaigh), and finally headed home at around 4p.m.

Thank you all for your energy & support.

Mt. Paul Community (Cooperative) Garden - Grand Opening!

2011-06-05T21:30:00.000-07:00

On May 28th, the Mt. Paul Community Garden invited the community out for its grand opening. Lunch was served, cut worms were found, and a lot of planting was done. Congratulations to these energetic folks who have decided to grow their food cooperatively and then work together when harvest season rolls around.

People in Motion: Planting Lettuce.

Barry & Mendel - finding CUTWORMS!

The Day of the Honeybee - May 28th

2011-06-05T20:57:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, May 28th the Kamloops & District Bee Keepers' Club set up shop at the Farmers Market to raise awareness about the importance of BEES - in our gardens, in our food system, and in our ecosystem.

With bee populations on a steep decline, these folks are doing their best to keep bee populations healthy in our region.

The Queen Bee was marked GREEN!

Robert holding fort at the Kamloops Food Policy Council's table

Next Meeting - Call for artists, sign makers, produce enthusiasts.

2011-06-01T09:53:00.001-07:00

Thursday June 2, at The Art We Are - 4:30 p.m.

Thank You::Thank You::Thank You

2011-05-23T23:58:00.000-07:00

A generous round of thank yous must be extended to all of the amazing volunteers who have put in so much time so far - none of this would be here without you..

Huge thanks also go out to Painless Underground Sprinklers who put in an entire irrigation system free of charge on Wednesday May 18th. Amazing work, what a relief for us!!

Also, thank you to the United Way and the Royal Bank who coordinated a Day of Caring on May 19th (all of the soil was wheelbarrowed into the raised beds and the raised beds were painted!!).

The crew from Garden Gate also came out to help us - together, we were an enormous crew of highly efficient dirt diggers and wheelbarrow pushers. So efficient, that we ran out of work!!

Ms. Morgan's grade 7 class from Stuart Wood Elementary also popped in to help for awhile. Thank you!! Artizan Horticulture kindly donated wheelbarrows and shovels on the Day of Caring - this was a huge help, thank you!

http://artizanhorticulture.blogspot.com/

Another thank you to Emily Hope for creating our beautiful poster

Keep an eye open for it around town!!

Lastly, two enormous thank yous must go out to Shelaigh Garson and James Boak. Their behind-the-scenes coordination of supplies, labour, soil, and lumber combined with their hands on labour, incredible knowledge, and skill sets have made this project possible.

There will be so many more thank yous to come, stay tuned.....

A Few Links to Recent Media Coverage

2011-05-23T23:23:00.001-07:00

Kamloops This Week Editorial:
http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_thompson_nicola/kamloopsthisweek/opinion/121592439.html

Kamloops Daily News Article:
http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/20110520/KAMLOOPS0101/110519730/come-and-get-it-but-not-quite-yet

photo credit: Murray Mitchell

Kamloops Daily News Coverage of Darrin Nordahl's visit: http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/20110505/KAMLOOPS0101/110509845/speaker-advocates-free-food-in-public-places

Kamloops This Week coverage of Nordahl's public talk:

http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_thompson_nicola/kamloopsthisweek/lifestyles/121594334.html

Kamloops Daily News Editorial on Buying/Eating local - we're on the right track!

http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/20110520/KAMLOOPS0302/110519722/eat-well-by-buying-local

Public Produce

2011-05-18T07:05:00.000-07:00

an enormous
thank you to
emily hope
for creating
this wonderful poster!!

Thursday May 19th - Work Day & Meeting!!

2011-05-16T23:48:00.000-07:00

The United Way has generously arranged a Day of Caring at the Public Produce site on Thursday May 19 from 9am-3pm.

There will be approximately 15 people there throughout the day but we definitely need more help!

Thanks to the hard work of a few amazing volunteers, the beds have been built and we are now ready to shovel the soil into the beds!

If you can come out at any point during the day, we would love to see you there! If you are able, please bring a shovel (and even a wheelbarrow if you have one!). Alternatively, if you have to work but have shovels or wheelbarrows that we could borrow for the day...please be in touch, we could use extra supplies!!

(these boxes need dirt inside of them!!)

After the work is done, there will be a meeting at 4pm for volunteers who would like to contribute to the direction of the project in the next few months. We want to gain some feedback and brainstorm ideas. This is a project for everyone to contribute to and all suggestions will be happily welcomed. We've had several artists approach us for unique mural, photography, and kids art project ideas...

This is a community space and communities need art, culture, and food!!

Food Democracy.

2011-05-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

On January 17, internationally recognized plant pathologist Dr. Don Huber, wrote a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack warning of the discovery of a new pathogen and a possible link between Roundup Ready® (GMO) corn and soybeans and severe reproductive problems in livestock as well as widespread crop failure.

Less than 3 weeks later, the Obama administration approved 2 new Roundup Ready® GMO crops, set to be planted this spring...

http://www.fooddemocracynow.org/

Gateless Gardens - Vancouver

2011-05-15T21:41:00.000-07:00

A community garden

in between Davie street and Burrard street

in the heart of downtown Vancouver

displays the beauty and contrast

of urban agriculture flourishing

in a downtown urban centre.

(note the absence of gates, locks, and fences)

take a look around.

2011-05-09T22:15:00.000-07:00

this is a beautiful corner of town...

even if abandoned.

even if a bit forgotten.

with a little bit of creativity,

a lot of love,

and a few tons of rich soil,

a forlorn city space will become a lovely little place -

to garden in, to come together, to get to work, to paint on, to learn from,

to water, to weed, to eat, to care for....

(the list will be continued)

Darrin Nordahl's Visit - May 4 and 5

2011-05-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

Darrin's visit to Kamloops was busy, to say the very least. A radio show, walking tours, community garden bonanzas, a media blitz, seminars, lunch dates, school district meetings, a public talk, a stakeholders' meeting, more media, dinners - all in two days, followed by a 6 a.m. flight on Friday morning.

We cannot thank Darrin enough for his abundance of energy and enthusiasm and his knowledge and passion for his cause. He got our community excited about growing food and making our city a more food secure place - maybe even the most food secure city in Canada (eventually)? Thanks for everything Darrin.

First Day On Site.

2011-05-09T00:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to everyone for a great first day. We built 10 beds and even managed to miss the mother's day rainstorm.

After only one day of work, the forlorn looking construction is beginning to look loved. Planting will commence in 2-3 weeks.

Between now and then: the construction of a few more raised beds, irrigation, soil delivery, and lots of digging....

Email publicproduceproject@gmail.com if you'd like to be involved.

Come out and raise some beds!!

2011-05-07T08:06:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow - Sunday May 8 - we will be constructing raised beds on site!! Please bring garden/work gloves, good shoes, and your mom (it is mother's day, after all)!! Really, she'll have a good time!

We will be there from 11am - 3pm, so come join us for an hour or two, or the entire time!!

You'll learn how to construct a basic raised bed - the first step in growing your own food in your own garden!!

See you there.

This is a Beautiful Community Project!

2011-05-03T22:47:00.000-07:00

http://vimeo.com/13745161?ab

::INSPIRATION::

Kamloops Daily News

2011-05-03T21:51:00.000-07:00

DARRIN NORDAHL: WEDNESDAY MAY 4th, 7pm.

Clocktower Theatre, Thompson Rivers University

http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/20110502/KAMLOOPS0101/110509969/author-aims-to-plant-idea-for-urban-garden-concept

Why Canada Needs a National Food Strategy

2011-04-30T19:53:00.000-07:00

Today's Globe and Mail:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/why-canada-needs-a-national-food-strategy/article2003989/

City Farmer

2011-04-25T20:51:00.000-07:00

here is a link to some great photos - also, a great overall web resource:

http://www.cityfarmer.info/category/photos/

Oh yeah, and Happy Earth Day!

2011-04-22T20:56:00.000-07:00

(logo from: http://sacramentoscoop.com/2011/04/21/its-time-to-celebrate-earth-day-2011-in-sacramento/)

Thanks to the Downtown Echo for this great Article Highlighting Darrin Nordahl!

2011-04-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

http://echonewspapers.ca/

Great Site from North Vancouver

2011-04-20T22:34:00.001-07:00

http://www.ediblegardenproject.com/

Urban farmers stake claim on parkade rooftop - Farm will produce fruit, vegetables.

2011-04-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

We need to start thinking creatively about the ways that we use large spaces...Citizens leading by example in Vancouver...

http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Urban+farmers+stake+claim+parkade+rooftop/2961251/story.html

Wall Art!!

2011-04-14T22:35:00.000-07:00

the first artistic addition

to this site.

(from a mystery artist)

hopefully that camera captures some nice images...

What happens when 3500 people talk about food?

2011-04-12T22:21:00.000-07:00

The People's Food Policy Project...
launching their policy April 18th 2011

http://peoplesfoodpolicy.ca/

And a couple of related articles... feel free to post more:

http://www.montrealmirror.com/wp/2010/10/21/how-to-eat/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/for-the-first-time-food-becomes-a-political-priority/article1979395/

The snow has finally melted ...

2011-04-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

and the leveling of

the site has begun...

Keep Posted For Our Work Dates...coming soon!

email:

publicproduceproject@gmail.com

if you'd like to be on our mailing list.

Urban Food Production in Miami

2011-04-04T14:57:00.000-07:00

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/30/2142281/overtown-farmers-market-is-being.html

An interesting article from the Miami Herald.

What's Growing Downtown?

2011-03-26T12:25:00.000-07:00

A recent article in Kamloops This Week, written by Jeremy Deutsch:

http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_thompson_nicola/kamloopsthisweek/news/118597629.html

Seed Starting Tips

2011-03-20T23:17:00.000-07:00

http://kitchengardeners.org/blogs/billbrikiatis/five-tips-starting-vegetable-seedlings-indoors-more-cheaply

Concept Plan: The Entire Garden

2011-03-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

the entire garden - thanks elaine

Concept Plan: South End

2011-03-20T14:07:00.000-07:00

details of the south end...thanks elaine.

Concept Plan : North End

2011-03-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

details of the north end - thanks Elaine

Urban Gardener Inspiration

2011-03-16T21:33:00.000-07:00

http://urbangardencasual.com/

Fallen Fruit ♥♥

2011-03-14T22:38:00.000-07:00

♥♥ take only what you need//say 'hi' to strangers//share your food//take a friend//go by foot ♥♥

http://www.fallenfruit.org/

(inspiration)

A Litany of Interesting Links (to be continued...)

2011-03-14T21:27:00.000-07:00

How to build a raised bed:
http://kitchengardeners.org/questions/how-do-i-build-raised-bed-garden

How to create a school garden: a checklist.
http://kitchengardeners.org/school-garden-checklist

Fruit bearings trees - bearers of food security?
http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=1&t=1&id=16359

Fallen Fruit - Public Fruit Maps
http://www.fallenfruit.org/index.php/archives/public-fruit-maps/

Cucumbers on the roof!
http://kitchengardeners.org/blogs/sarah-zoubek/mini-cucumbers-where-they-have-no-business-be

Some history of Sweden's Community Gardens

2011-03-11T18:20:00.000-08:00

http://kitchengardeners.org/blogs/yarden/digging-swedens-kolonilotter-gardens

Oil Prices Soar, Transport Costs Soar, Food Prices Soar...

2011-03-03T09:03:00.001-08:00

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/03/03/un-food.html

San Francisco !

2011-03-02T11:27:00.000-08:00

To read the rest of the article, click on the link below:

http://www.urbanfoodpolicy.com/2011/02/urban-ag-and-general-plan-san-francisco.html

Call for Volunteers - NEXT MEETING!!

2011-03-01T17:50:00.000-08:00

In the next few weeks, the ground work for a very exciting public produce project will be launched and we are recruiting volunteers. The Kamloops Public Produce Project is a partnership between the Thompson Shuswap Master Gardeners, Kamloops Food Policy Council, Interior Health, the City of Kamloops and other interested community and business leaders.

We are extending this invitation to other community members interested in embarking on a unique garden project - one that will work towards putting an edible garden in the downtown core of Kamloops!

This project intends to:

- Reach out to members of community who may be interested in volunteering

- To create partnerships between the garden communities in Kamloops and the businesses throughout Kamloops

- To create awareness about gardening, food security, and community projects.

Most of all, we want to dig in the dirt, plant delicious things, and enjoy one another's company. It is going to be a great season of planting, digging, building, and watching the garden grow so please be in touch with us if you are at all interested in joining our project.

Our next planning meeting is on Monday March 7th (4:30 pm) at the Art We Are on 246 Victoria Street.

We would love to hear from you if you are interested in volunteering, if you have any questions, or if you have some ideas and inspirations.

Please email us at publicproduceproject@gmail.com if you have any questions.

The Literature

2011-02-11T12:45:00.000-08:00

http://www.darrinnordahl.com/

Dreaming of Green Things.

2011-02-11T10:55:00.000-08:00

We'll be doing this, come March:

We'll look like this, come August!

a resource: http://doorgarden.com/

(inspiration)

2011-02-08T00:17:00.000-08:00

san francisco : edible landscape

http://sflandscapes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=149&Itemid=125

So Much Potential

2011-01-26T15:39:00.000-08:00

Here is the lot that we have scoped out! It definitely needs some colour and some love.