Seedy Sundays (and Saturdays) promote biodiversity and encourage the sharing of traditional knowledge about growing plants. At these events, Seed Exchange Tables are set up to help you exchange food and flower seeds with other gardeners, making it easy to grow organic, heirloom, and native varieties of plants. Once you've stocked up on seeds, stick around for workshops and presentations, then mingle with the other green thumbs in attendance!
The Toronto Community Garden Network is hosting three Seedy events this year: one in downtown Toronto (Hart House at U of T on Sunday, February 13th, 12:30 - 6:00 pm), one in Scarborough (Heron Park Recreation Centre on Saturday, March 12th, 12:00 - 4:00 pm), and one in North York (Lawrence Heights Community Centre on Sunday, March 27th, 1:00 - 5:00 pm). Entrance is by donation. Click here for more details.
This year's theme is access: access to seeds, to gardening, and to food. Gardening can be such an empowering activity because it allows you to provide food for yourself and your family, it gives you control over how your food is grown, it teaches children about where food comes from, it reduces your stress, it improves your health through physical activity, and it meets your social needs when you use space in a community garden. That's why it's important to increase everyone's access to gardening, especially those struggling to make ends meet and those with physical and mental disabilities.
Do you garden? In your backyard or at a community garden? How did you get into it? If you don't garden, what are some of the barriers preventing you from getting involved?
Photo credit.
I've always liked the concept of gardening, but to be honest, living in Toronto it's really tricky. First, the whole "backyard" thing... since I've been in apartment buildings, it just doesn't happen.
ReplyDeleteAnd while I've seen some interesting applications for window-gardens, I'll admit I'm leery about inviting insects (which are unquestionably necessary for good garden production) into my home.
Those are some tricky issues, I'll give you that. Luckily, community gardens can solve both problems simultaneously! Search TCGN for one near you: http://tcgn.ca/wiki/wiki.php?n=TorontoGardens.FrontPage
ReplyDeleteIf that's not your thing, The Stop Community Food Centre has a Yes In My Backyard (YIMBY) program that connects apartment-dwelling folks who would like to garden with homeowners who have space in their yards. There's an info session coming up on the 28th: http://www.thestop.org/event/28-feb-2011
I don't garden because I don't have a yard and don't like to talk to people. :-( Hence no community gardening. However, I'm starting to garden indoors and have high hopes for growing, if not strawberries, at least herbs on my windowsill! Sadly, I think it is more likely that I will move to a house with a yard than I will start or join a community garden. By that time, maybe my brown thumb will have gotten a little greener, too.
ReplyDeleteHerbs on your windowsill are a great way to start. Brie will love you if you grow catnip for her! I've also heard it makes great tea and has a calming and soothing effect on humans.
ReplyDeleteCatnip is actually one of the first things I planted! We'll see if it sprouts, and if it does, if Brie will let it live.
ReplyDeleteI had to place the catnip out of cat-reach because it would probably have died the same day it arrived in my home if I kept it accessible to the cats! They don't really consider the long-term sustainability of the plant when they chow down...
ReplyDeleteyes - every time I planted catnip, it never survived because it was eaten very quickly by the cats!
ReplyDeleteI keep hearing about seedy sundays but have never participated - such a great idea!
I just got back from Seedy Sunday at U of T - a little hoarse from talking to so many people but energized from being among a community of gardening enthusiasts. I highly recommend you check it out... but I'm sorry, Urban Girl, I can't remember where you live, so I can't tell you when any events are on near you!
ReplyDelete