Public Produce at Kamloops City Hall

City of Kamloops horticulture staff have created another lovely garden in front of city hall combining ornamentals with edibles.

Gazebo needs a coat of stain

What a lovely gazebo in McDonald Park Public Produce Garden! 

It will provide shelter from the hot sun for lots of children's programmes & adult learning.

But it needs a coat of stain.

Can you donate a few hours of your time on Thursday? between 8:00 am - 12:00 pm?  Possibly an evening session too. 

Shelaigh will provide goodies and refreshments.

Please contact Shelaigh if you help.

sgarson@interiorcommunityservices.bc.ca

Bagging Apples

Because codling moth is a problem in Kamloops, we're experimenting with various methods of bagging apples so that insects can't lay their eggs on the fruit. We're trying plastic ziplock bags, a homemade netting bag, and a 'footie/sockie'. We've also tried stapling on white paper pastry bags but these all blew off in a Kamloops windy storm. We've got a bit of an apple tree guild going on here, too, with beebalm and borage acting as a forage for pollinators and beneficial insects, green beans as nitrogen fixers and yarrow acting as a nutrient accumulator. It's a permaculture idea that a home gardener could certainly try. Come check it out.

Endangered Western Bumble Bee found in McDonald Park Garden!

The endangered Bombus occidentalis, the Western Bumblebee,  foraging on a rugosa rose on Friday.

New signs at the garden

Currants are ready to eat - try adding to a tomato & mint salad. 

Gooseberries are ready to eat when pink & soft to the touch. Watch those spines! 

Most herbs are essential food sources for pollinators.

White currants are delicious! 

As soon as this sign was put up a hummingbird appeared! 

Thank you to Farm2Chefs Collaborative for funding printing of Public Produce Start Up Guide

David Tombs of the Farm2Chefs Collaborative receiving the Public Produce Start Up Guide from author Elaine Sedgman
(all photos by Pat Davies)

Master Gardeners Phyllis Mader & Bill Davies inspecting the garden

Master Gardener Elaine Sedgman giving a tour of the beautiful Public Produce Garden at McDonald Park

Looking at the "Growing Vegetable Soup" children's community garden plot. 

Farm2Chefs Collaborative to be acknowledged Wednesday June 25th at 11:00 am

Meet Farm2Chefs Collaborative member and Terra Restaurant chef/owner David Tombs and Master Gardener Elaine Sedgman at MacDonald Park Public Produce Garden on Wednesday June 25^th at 11:00 am.  

Try some currant & bergamot tea prepared from the garden & nosh on some muffins & strawberries.

Elaine will present David with the newly printed Public Produce, Growing Food in Public Spaces: A Start Up Guide that the Collaborative funded.

David & Elaine will then take you for a tour around the garden to talk about the possibilities and potential of Public Produce within city landscapes.