Gardening

Gardening initiatives in our neighbourhood

Campbell-Rankin Community Garden

Campbell-Rankin Community Garden

Photo by Vic Gedris, 2009-08-08.

Campbell-Rankin Community Garden

Campbell-Rankin Community Garden

Photo by Vic Gedris, 2009-08-08.

Campbell-Rankin Community Garden

Campbell-Rankin Community Garden

Photo by Vic Gedris, 2009-08-08.

Campbell-Rankin Community Garden: Call for Volunteers

Here's another post to get you past the late-winter blahs and all excited about spring. The Campbell-Rankin Community Garden has a brand new website, and they're starting to ramp up for the upcoming garden planting season.

This garden has continued to flourish over the past few years, as local volunteers donated time and materials to beautify this once-neglected patch of land along Rankin Cres. between Symington Ave. and Campbell Ave. Last year, the City provided a large amount of leaf compost as well as a water tap to help the growing efforts along even further. This year they plan to extend the garden to include the third and final section which is still overgrown with weeds.

If you're interested in getting involved with gardening at this site, you can contact the group through their website. They will be meeting every Sunday morning at 10:00am, starting in April or May.

Some background about the garden:

This community garden was started in 2006 on an abandoned City of Toronto Transportation land with a $1500 Beautiful Toronto grant. It is one large Communal Garden Plot. Initially started as a xeriscaping garden by about 8 volunteers.
Since then the city has installed a water source and our garden has flourished with plant donations from the volunteers who come out once a week, to help water and weed. Visitors can now enjoy the many perennial flowers our garden has to offer.

Photos by Vic Gedris, August 8 2009.

Erwin Krickhahn Park expansion

Today's Toronto Star has an article about controversial expansion of Erwin Krickhahn Park, at the corner of Rankin Cres. and Paton Rd.: Battle brewing: Garden or park space?

This issue has been posted and discussed several times before on this site, so please read those threads for background information before commenting here again.

A quick recap: In September 2009, City Council approved the expansion of Erwin Krickhahn Park into the dead and of Paton Rd. on the north side of the park. In the Fall, City work crews removed the asphalt and installed a new sidewalk adjacent to the new park land. Soil has been tested at the new park space and has been found to contain some "contaminants consistent with a roadway". Environmental remediation of these contaminants is expected to happen.

There are several options for using this new park space: It could be grassed over to expand the field area of the park, it could be planted with trees and other plants, a community garden can be installed there, or other options. The community garden proposal is the most controversial of these ideas. Councillor Adam Giambrone has promised to hold a community meeting this Spring so that residents and city staff can discuss these ideas and come up with the most suitable plan.

Erwin Krickhahn Park in the news again

Here is yet another post about the closing of the Paton Rd. stump and extension of Erwin Krickhahn Park. This time, just a couple of links to media reports from this week.

On November 16th, a reporter from the Toronto Sun interviewed several local residents at Erwin Krickhahn Park and posted a video that evening. On November 17th, they followed up with an article.

On November 19th, our local paper The Villager / Inside Toronto reported on the situation again, after interviewing several residents.

Erwin Krickhahn Park extension into Paton Rd.

 Click for a larger versionSketch from the City of Toronto: Click for a larger version

At the next Toronto and East York Community Council meeting, councillors will be voting on agenda item TE27.55: the permanent closure of the short section of Paton Rd. just north of Erwin Krickhahn Park, and transferring the land to Parks and Recreation for the purpose of extending the park north.

A PDF copy of the Staff Report can be found here, as well as a PDF version of the sketch here.

Garlic Party at Perth Dupont Community Garden

The following event information comes from the Perth-Dupont Community Garden website. They're having a series of workshops about harvesting garlic and seeds this month, followed by a "Garlic Party" potluck on Saturday August 29th. Details and RSVP info below, and on their website.

Garlic And Seed Saving for August

Harvesting Garlic and seeds Workshop

With a bit of a Garden tour too
This is a series of workshops harvesting different varieties of Garlic. Including Russian, Mountain Top, Sweet Haven, and Music.

Where: Perth Dupont Community Garden
When: Every Saturday starting Aug 1, 2009

  • Aug 1, 2009
  • Aug 8, 2009
  • Aug 15, 2009
  • Aug 22, 2009
  • Garlic Party on Aug 29, 2009 at 2:30PM

Time: All the workshops will start at 2:30PM

What: We will be harvesting some different varieties of Garlic. Including Russian, Mountain Top, Sweet Haven, and Music. We will also be talking about seed saving. And, we will show you how to bring home your harvest with out wilting, and other harvesting techniques to make the best of all your gardening work.
Workshops are free but participants should register.

For more information, and to register, please contact Susan at perth-dupontcg@frogstar.com
The Perth Dupont Community Garden is located in the Symington Avenue Playground (Map).
The entrance to the Park and the garden is from Perth Ave.
www.perth-dupont.parkcommons.ca

Syndicate content