Seedy Saturday is happening!! By Danni Crenna
This will be another year of a virtual event rather than an in-person one but our website will have numerous local seed sellers and other garden supports as well as links to weekly zoom talks. In March (tentatively the 12th but possibly a week later if the weather is unfriendly) we will have a local seed exchange table at the Old School Field in with the hardy souls who do Saturday markets all year long. The Denman Island Seed Library, which is housed at the Portable at the school (aka. The Food Bank), will be present at the seed exchange and will happily accept any seeds that are left over after the seed exchange. The Seed Library offers free seeds year round in the CAP Site next to the pre-school. It is open 4-7 pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The following are scheduled zoom talks which can be accessed free on the Growers &
Producers Website: https://www.denmangpa.ca/seedy-saturday
Zoom links are available on the website or you can sign-up for the GPA email list to stay up to date and be reminded about each event. All talks are scheduled for 10 am on the designated Saturday unless otherwise announced.
Making the Case for Nuts in an Age of Climate Catastrophe – January 29
Dylan Gale and Nick Montgomery of Nutcase Nursery are on a mission to get people to plant more nut trees. Join them to learn about how nut trees can be an empowering response to climate catastrophe, helping make our gardens, farms, and food systems more resilient. They will be sharing their nutty ideas about why we should grow more nuts, what nuts to grow and how to maximize yield with minimal effort. (www.nutcasenursery.com)
Interactive Fruit Tree Pruning Webinar with Kate Janeway – February 5
Kate Janeway of Denman Island Heritage Apples will discuss fruit tree pruning techniques. This interactive presentation will cover some of the classic pruning guidelines for fruit trees such as apples, pears, and plums. The session will focus on practical application of pruning knowledge and webinar participants are encouraged to submit a photo during the session of one of their own trees. The group will discuss where to make specific pruning cuts and the rationale for those decisions, providing a template for you to confidently prune on your own! Denman Island Heritage Apples is a small-scale fruit tree nursery that specializes in saving and propagating traditional varieties of apple and pear trees. Kate’s knowledge base and services include orchard design and maintenance, nursery trees, and juice pressing. (www.denmanapple.ca)
Plan B(ean) – February 12
Plan B(ean) was born in 2019 with a conversation about how to respond collectively and joyfully to the challenging times ahead, as Plan “A” (business as usual) is clearly not working. Inspired by Dan Jason’s book* and talk on “The Power of Pulses,” five (so far) experienced gardeners formed and launched an island-based collective with the goal of growing trials of various pulses under local conditions. Can we grow enough to supply our families and (hopefully) even more? We will discuss our project including selecting best-suited varieties, irrigation, enhancing soil quality, planting with an inoculant, mulching and experimenting with trellising. (www.denmanislandclimateaction.ca/action-areas/plan-bean)
Increasing Resilience in Food Production – February 19
Peter Janes of TreeEater Nursery will explore some ideas around increasing the resilience of our local food production systems to stressors like drought, extreme heat and market instability. Peter Janes is the owner/operator of TreeEater Nursery. He spends most of his time and energy working with perennial plants that make food: Both in the nursery and on the homestead where he lives and works with his family. (www.treeeaternursery.com)
