Hi everyone,

The Garden Patch has a great lineup of community workshops this year.  Check out the roster below!  PS – all of these are FREE, and hosted by various excellent gardening experts.  They also offer a 6$ transportation stipend in cash so that those travelling by bus will have their fare covered.

 

Saskatoon Food Bank Garden Patch Summer Workshop Series:

June 13^th – Composting 101 – 6:00 pm – with the Saskatoon Compost Coaches

Location: 900 Block of 3^rd Ave, between Duke St. & Duchess St. – Entrance on Duchess St.

• Interested in starting your own backyard compost but don’t know where to begin? This workshop will give you the information to start and maintain your own compost. We’ll show you different methods and give you all the knowledge you’ll need to have a successful year of composting.

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June 16^th – Natural Pest Control – 1:00 pm

Location: 900 Block of 3^rd Ave, between Duke St. & Duchess St. – Entrance on Duchess St.

• Pesticides are a tricky topic for many people. Are they harmful or helpful? In this workshop, we’ll give you tools to manage pest problems without having to rely on pesticides so you don’t have to worry! Bring any pest questions and we’ll do our best to answer them for you as well.

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June 20^th – Saving Rainwater – 6:00 pm

Location: 900 Block of 3^rd Ave, between Duke St. & Duchess St. – Entrance on Duchess St.

• Rainwater is a great water source for your garden. Maximize your rainwater to reduce your water bill & get a 20$ rebate when you buy a rain barrel in Saskatoon.

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June 23^rd – What’s that Critter – 1:00 pm

Location: 900 Block of 3^rd Ave, between Duke St. & Duchess St. – Entrance on Duchess St.

• Join us at the garden patch for some basic garden critter identification. We’ll show you the good bugs and the bad bugs, how to tell them apart and what to do when you find them.

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June 23^rd – Hot Composting – 2:30 pm

Location: 900 Block of 3^rd Ave, between Duke St. & Duchess St. – Entrance on Duchess St.

• Hot composting is a great way to sanitize your compost of weed and disease problems. Come learn how to heat up your compost to get the most out of it.

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June 27^th – Edible and Medicinal Plants in your Garden – 6:00 pm – with Lichen Nature

Location: 900 Block of 3^rd Ave, between Duke St. & Duchess St. – Entrance on Duchess St.

• Come join us at the garden patch with Lichen Nature to learn about the incredible plants that we find all around us here in Saskatchewan. Whether you’re interested in weeds you can eat, utilizing the medicinal benefits of your own garden, this workshop will give you the information you’ve always been curious about.

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July 4^th – Composting Indoors with Worms – 6:00 pm – with the Saskatoon Compost Coaches

Location: 900 Block of 3^rd Ave, between Duke St. & Duchess St. – Entrance on Duchess St.

• Join us for a crash course in vermicomposting. Whether you live in an apartment with no balcony or on an acreage with plenty of space, composting your kitchen scraps with worms is possible for everyone. Come learn how to set up and care for your own vermicompost.

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July 7^th – Traditional Plant Uses in Saskatchewan – 1:00 pm – with Sandra Walker

Location: 900 Block of 3^rd Ave, between Duke St. & Duchess St. – Entrance on Duchess St.

• In an celebration of Canada Day and the wonders of our Canadian landscapes, come join us at the garden patch with Sandra Walker to learn about the incredible Canadian/Saskatchewanian plants all around us! Learn how these plants have been used by First Nations throughout history and how we use these same plants today.

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July 11^th – Bioblitz! – 6:00 pm – with the Saskatoon Nature Society

Location: 900 Block of 3^rd Ave, between Duke St. & Duchess St. – Entrance on Duchess St.

• Let’s see who inhabits the Garden Patch! Come investigate the diverse scene of insects and plants that live within our blue fenced garden. We will show you how to find these critters and how you can both ID these creatures and log this information for many to see.

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August 8^th – Saving Tomato Seeds – 6:00 pm – with the Saskatoon Seed Library

Location: 900 Block of 3^rd Ave, between Duke St. & Duchess St. – Entrance on Duchess St.

• Join the Saskatoon Seed Library for an evening of harvesting tomato seeds. You’ll walk away knowing how to maintain an infinite supply of tomato seeds for yourself.

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August 11^th – Composting Meat and Bones with Bokashi – 1:00 pm – With the Saskatoon Compost Coaches

Location: 900 Block of 3^rd Ave, between Duke St. & Duchess St. – Entrance on Duchess St.

• Composting comes in many forms, including bokashi (fermentation) composting. With bokashi you can compost your grass clippings, leaves, garden greens, kitchen scraps as well as meat & bone. . Come learn all about bokashi composting with the Saskatoon Compost Coaches.

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August 15^th – Storing Veggies – 6:00 pm

Location: 900 Block of 3^rd Ave, between Duke St. & Duchess St. – Entrance on Duchess St.

• Growing your own food is a great way to lower your grocery bill and eat healthy but what do you do with all the excess? In this workshop we will give you all the information you need to make your garden goods last longer and feed you and your family further into the winter season. Whether you live in an apartment or on an acreage, anyone can make produce last longer.

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August 18^th – Plants for Pollinators – 1:00 pm

Location: 900 Block of 3^rd Ave, between Duke St. & Duchess St. – Entrance on Duchess St.

• Want to attract more butterflies, bees, bird and other pollinators to your garden and green spaces? Come to our Plants for Pollinators workshop to learn which plants attract certain pollinators, how to maintain your pollinator garden, and have all of your pollination/pollinator questions answered!

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August 22^nd – Tour the Garden Patch – 6:00 pm

Location: 900 Block of 3^rd Ave, between Duke St. & Duchess St. – Entrance on Duchess St.

• New and returning visitors to the Food Bank Garden Patch are welcome to come by the patch for a guided tour with educational tid-bits thrown in. Ask your gardening questions as you go through the demonstration gardens, gather ideas for your own green spaces and enjoy the diversity of practices within our urban horticultural project.

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August 25^th – Harvest Wildflower Seeds – 1:00 pm – with Blazing Star Seeds

Location: 900 Block of 3^rd Ave, between Duke St. & Duchess St. – Entrance on Duchess St.

• Before there were seed companies and seed packets sold in every grocery store, people relied on collecting seeds to keep their gardens going. Come learn the techniques and special tricks to wildflower seed collection with a pro! Join Blazing Star Seeds as they lead this intriguing workshop.

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August 25^th – How to Build an Insect hotel – 3:00 pm

Location: 900 Block of 3^rd Ave, between Duke St. & Duchess St. – Entrance on Duchess St.

• This workshop focuses on child education, but anyone is welcome. Join Amber Burton as she builds an insect hotel while sharing her knowledge on insects.

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August 29^th – Canning Pickles – 5:00 pm – Saskatoon Food Bank & Learning Centre Community Kitchen

• Let’s cook! Learn how to make your own pickles with homegrown cucumbers. Join us at the Food Bank’s main office for a pickling workshop!

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September 1^st – Canning Salsa – 1:00 pm – Saskatoon Food Bank & Learning Centre Community Kitchen

• Let’s cook! Learn how to make your own salsa with homegrown tomatoes and other produce. Join us at the Food Bank’s main office for a salsa-tastic workshop!

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September 5^th – Winterizing Your Garden – 5:00 pm

Location: 202 Ave C South (Saskatoon Food Bank)

• Saskatchewan winters are tough on gardens, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be prepared and protect our green spaces. Join us for an evening as we show you how to wrap your trees/shrubs, insulate your perennials and get your garden ready for the long months ahead.

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September 8^th – Indoor Gardening – 1:00 pm

Location: 202 Ave C South (Saskatoon Food Bank)

• With the weather quickly changing there’s no reason to quit gardening, let’s just move the party indoors! Join us as we cover the basics of houseplant care and growing your own indoor produce! We’ll even send you home with some low-cost grow chamber designs. We may even have one pre-made and up for grabs!

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September 8^th – Regrow from Scraps – 3:00 pm

Location: 202 Ave C South (Saskatoon Food Bank)

• Did you know that you can regrow some of your store bought vegetables? It’s simple and easy, come by and learn the tricks of kitchen propagation that’ll save you on your grocery bill.

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September 15^th – Saskatoon Seed Library Harvest Party & Potluck – 5:00 pm – with the Saskatoon Seed Library

• After another successful seed bearing year, join the Saskatoon Seed Library in the Garden Patch for an evening of food, fun, and some seed production education.

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