Food growing 101

Credit: Krista Eide

Krista Eide

It’s mid-February: do you know what your food garden will look like?

The sun’s out today, the paperwhites and crocuses I planted in late October (seemingly yesterday) are fully sprouted and forming buds. Since spring seems to be coming, ready or not, I decided it’s time to start planning my veggie garden.

Last year was my first attempt at growing food (pictured above). It was relatively successful, although I think I could have yielded more harvest. I didn’t put much thought into the planning and design: I just fit each crop in somewhere.

This year I’ve decided to educate myself before I sow the seeds, and part of that includes taking a three-hour gardening workshop with sustainable gardener Grant Watson of edible landscaping company Gourmet Gardens.

Sponsored by Village Vancouver, Watson’s courses are held on Saturdays through June (the next one, on gardening planning and preparation, is February 28). Payment is by donation, and $35 is the suggested amount. Other topics covered include selecting food crops, and soil care. To register contact Ross: rmoster@flash.net.

I’ll keep you posted on my experience.

Can you recommend any other local gardening workshops?