Colwood Garden Society

September 10 2022 9:30 at the garden

Attendance: Naomi, Susan, Gail, Sarah, Gretchen

School Beds –After discussion with Sarah, and the weeds and seeds in the  Dunsmuir beds, Gail sent a letter to principal Mark Kaercher outlining the problem of care of beds in summer and letting him know we will not provide a plot  for Dunsmuir in future.  We got a thoughtful letter from teacher Anastasia Wilson Burke and suggestions for how students use the garden for learning. Barb, is there any specific obligation to schools according to City Hall? No mention in by-laws.

Financial report – Magda – unavailable

By-laws update – Gretchen Tobin has agreed to undertake the task of revising the garden by-laws. We had a long discussion and made suggestions, and she will do a draft to distribute. Gretchen made many notes. She will research bylaws of other groups, and make a list of ‘invasive’ plants to avoid. We will meet October 1, 9:30 at the garden to discuss progress.

Slate of Officers for AGM – Susan  (Naomi?) will send e-mails to members with details of the AGM on October 15, and  ask for people to stand for election.

No Trespassing signs –Susan had some laminated and posted on each gate. Naomi had questions from Sandra Russell about the No Trespassing signs on the gates. She thought they could be reworded to be friendlier, or… Naomi outlined our reasons for putting them up – vandalism, people unsure who is allowed inside (insurance says only members), theft of veggies. No reply as yet from Sandra. Sarah suggested that Sandra be asked to provide new signs.

Bunnies – Bob S caught and relocated one, there is still one at large.

Garden videos – Val (bed 1) is offering to do videos for us. Sarah suggested something people could respond to rather than a post on the website. Naomi will suggest talking to Scott and Sarah.

January we will plan bed repair. We will think about a seed and equipment exchange – next March possibly.

Susan has photos and serial numbers of equipment we own. Gail took the folder to add to the record book.

Next meeting: AGM October 15. We will try for use of Barb’s church, serve cookies or timbits and coffee/tea.

Adjourned at 11:07

Attendance:  Jasper, Sarah, Susan, Barb, Gail.  Scott, Naomi and Magda did not attend.

Called to order at: 10:05 a.am

Minutes of the March meeting were sent out to Board Members to review. Gail corrected the name of Josh Driver’s company, Clear Sky, and the minutes were adopted.

Shed: Susan oversaw installation of our new shed on March 23. Gail mailed a gas card and thank you note to Josh Driver of Clear Sky on March 26. Susan is planning to set up a seed exchange in the shed for members. Sarah has donated a cork board and will look into hanging it up. She will check with schools to see the size plastic box they will use for tools and then we will decide on shelving for the shed. A rabbit has been seen under the shed. Colwood is asking for reports of any rabbits seen by residents, and they are asked to fill in a survey with details of rabbit sightings at: letstalkcolwood.ca/rabbits.  See the bulletin board for details.

VHS Grant: Barb provided a Pollinator and Indigenous Plant Garden Report: On March 25 at 1:30 p.m. CGS Board members met with Board members from the Victoria Horticultural Society at the garden to accept a grant award of $500.00. The award is meant to aid purchasing plants for the indigenous garden. Barb will send a report to VHS in October detailing how the money was spent, and including receipts. She will document progress with photos to send to VHS. Barb and Jasper will organize a small work party to finish the paths in the Indigenous Garden, and then purchase and plant new plants.

Healing Soils: Susan met at the garden with David, Laurie and Viv from the bachelor of environmental sciences program at Royal Roads University. They took samples from various plots and from the original soil, and will send a report in the fall.

Financial Report: Magda was working Saturday.  Bank balance as of April 9 was $7345.04. Expected dispositions are: Shed final bill $2100.00,  soil 769.02 , and water to City of Colwood, to be billed. $1000.00 of the money came from grants to the Indigenous Garden project and must be reserved for that, leaving available funds of $3,566.02. Naomi has purchased gas for the lawnmower, and will submit the receipts before the next meeting.

Web Security Concerns: were reported by Magda. Barb created a new website password. She should be informed if problems continue.

School Report : Sarah met with Anastasia from Dunsmuir and was assured student behaviour will improve, and classes will visit one at a time. Schools are actively planting. Sarah told them of Colwood’s plan to relocate the Community Garden in the fall. Sarah met with Stephen who gives tours to schools at Millstream community garden who will be a good resource. Stephen was very interested in the mason bees which just arrived for the season in our garden. Barb will send contact info so Sarah can Sarah check whether our provider might be interested. Sarah also plans to visit Sooke school gardens. She is keen to encourage school use for activities in addition to tending their plots. Gail suggested perhaps a scavenger hunt with students divided into small groups. Other ideas, please contact Sarah.

Compost Bins: DO NOT put plant material into these bins, which remain closed. Gardeners need to bag organic waste and take it home for disposal.  Please do not throw weeds from the gardens onto the ground, as that encourages weed growth, as well as making it difficult for our volunteer lawn mower, Robert, to cut the grass.

Gablecraft letter: Gail contacted  Madelynn Sherwood, Gablecrafthomes.ca/royalbay, who works with Ben Raycroft.

Madelynn was very interested in following up on their offers of help made at the March garden tour. She says she and Ben will help us develop a site plan for the new location. Gail will update them with details to date.
Ben has offered a new weedwhacker and Naomi has expressed a wish to be involved in its selection. It needs to be gas powered (Susan will purchase a gas can and the proper fuel for garden use) light enough for a woman to start and operate. John would like a double string, if possible.  We would like to go ahead with this. Naomi, we would like to know if you wish to sell the garden the weedwhacker you have generously loaned us. If so, please speak to Susan. In any case, we wish to accept Ben’s offer.

Jasper has provided a list of indigenous plants which might be suitable for naming sites at Royal Bay. Gail will send the list to Madelynn.  Jasper will not have e-mail over the summer, so please contact him through Barb.

Lawnmower: Robert finds the donated mower too heavy to handle, and still brings his own. Susan has put a can of gas in the shed for the mower. Members are asked not to throw weeds they have pulled up into the ‘aisles’ between the beds as this hampers grass cutting.

New Site: The site approval will need to be done in three readings by Colwood City Council. No date has been given for their decision. Susan reminded us that the Councillors take the summer off.

Adjourned:  11:05 a.m.

Next meeting May 13 at 10:00 a.m. on the lawn beside City Hall. Bring lawn chairs.

Attendance and Minutes: Called to order at 10:07 a.m.  Present were Gail, Barb S, Naomi, Jasper, Susan, Magda, Sarah, Rita and Anna Svreza.  Naomi proposed the minutes of the previous meeting be adopted as read. Seconded by Barb. Carried.

Finances – Magda: Bank balance as of March 11, 2022 was 9, 164.57.

Pending charges: $769.02 to Clear Sky for soil.

Gravel for Indigenous path: $70 to be paid from Community Spaces Grant

Shed: 4239.96 to be installed March 21. The door on the available shed is on the 8 foot side.  We voted to accept the change in order to get one at last. Magda provided a cheque for  $2200 as a deposit, and Susan will meet Josh of Clear Sky at the garden to hand that over.

Naomi proposed we make a gift to Josh Driver of Clear Sky for his help to us. Barb suggested a $50.00 gas card. Susan will purchase the card and Gail will write a thank you card.

 Barb will cancel our Zoom Membership (already done).  Sarah will set up a Zoom meeting if necessary.

Water bill is still pending. Barb will follow up with Rachel at Colwood City Hall.

Insurance has been paid and receipt of $ 212.00 has been received.

Membership Report: Naomi mentioned two potential problems, since resolved. 69 beds have been allotted and there are about 10 people still on the waiting list.

Pooni tour and Indigenous Garden: No discussion. Barbara S wrote a report about the tour.

Jasper will send name suggestions, both indigenous and English, to Katie Pystchula at Pooni Group (katie@poonigroup.com).

Jasper and Jody (Earth Gardening teacher at Camosun) will work on a design for a sign at the indigenous garden for approval by City Hall.

To date, Colwood is not planning to move the indigenous garden when they move the plots.

Schools:  Sarah noted that well-behaved Kindergartens students from Wishart have started coming to the garden. She was present one afternoon when Dunsmuir students were there and observed some unruly behaviour. Sarah will contact the teachers involved and emphasise the need for respectful behaviour.  She will provide a copy of the garden by-laws to emphasize her point.

Sarah has set up a Google Drive folder for people to add suggestions and access information.

Changes to Garden coming in the fall:  Susan wrote a report to members after the meeting:  Plans are underway for a major overhaul of the grounds around Colwood City Hall on Wishart Rd, and these plans will be directly affecting the Colwood Community Garden. The area that we now occupy will be re-developed into space for the Works Dept. so we will be relocating to a large space on the other side of City Hall.  These changes will be made in the Fall/Winter of 2022/23 and the best news is that all of the expenses and labour needed to relocate will be covered by the Colwood City Hall and Works Departments. What this means for us is a chance to design and build a new and improved community garden with, hopefully, more allotments available to people who want to garden. The Indigenous Garden will stay in place for the time being.

To that end, we will be sending out a survey in the coming weeks, asking for your ideas and suggestions on how the new garden will look and function. Please think about what you might like to see in our new space. In the meantime, enjoy the spring/summer garden season at the present location, and we will provide more information about the re-location as it becomes available to us.

Gail will write to Ben Mycroft of GableCraft Homes to see if his people can help us develop an efficient site plan.

VHS MicroGrant:  to be used for plants only. Barb S and Jasper will purchase plants for the Indigenous Garden.

Lizard Garden: People have removed rocks, so Jasper will provide information so they know its location and purpose.

Adjourned: 11:45. Next meeting at Barb’s place April 9 at 10:a.m.

Lunch: Naomi treated us to home made soup and sandwiches for lunch. Delicious. Thank you, Naomi.

2022 is The Year of the Garden. This website is worth a look:

Attendance and minutes of last meeting: Present via Zoom were Susan, Gail, Sarah, Magda, Naomi, Barbara.

Gail sent a copy of the minutes to board members prior to the meeting. No changes requested, so minutes adopted as read.

Treasurer’s Report: Bank balance is 7,979.37, with some bottle money outstanding. Much of this money is set aside for special projects, ie. the shed and the Indigenous Garden, as it came from grants that were given for those purposes.

On-line banking is in place and members can pay via Interac transfer to Colwoodgardensociety@gmail.com. No password required, but please put your name and box number in the space for comments.

Magda has downloaded past bank statements to October 2021 on Excel. She will send a statement to board members on the first business day of each month. She will do a draft budget to include provision for lumber soil and the shed. We plan to start fundraising for a lawn mower. There will be a Zoom budget meeting for board members on February 12 at 10:00 a.m.

Membership Report:

Naomi will send a notice that renewals must be done by February 28. This is a two week extension due to Covid. There are 36 people on the waiting list. Magda has received 7 membership fees. If anyone does not have access to Interac, they can arrange with Naomi to pay by cash or cheque. We have about 60 active gardeners.

New business:

Grant received from Gary Pooni – $1,000 to be used for garden society needs. Gail will send a thank you note.

Victoria Horticultural Society micro-grant (applications by Feb 11) Barbara Sibbald will send in application for the Indegenous Garden project.

Signs for indigenous garden – Still in the planning stages

Ramp for disabled access. Barb will contact City Hall  about the ramp.

Healing City Soils – Barb was contacted by a teacher in the environmental studies program at Royal Roads. They will test the soil in 10 plots in March and send an analysis in November.

Old business:

Shed progress – Susan will order it from Blue Skies, and tentative date for deliver is March 1.

School beds – There are 4 beds for school use. Naomi will meet with teachers from Dunsmuir in Thursday January 27 to discuss plans, including use and care of the beds over the summer, which has been a problem. Gail will contact Wishart to see if there is interest for this year.

Compost: Once the boxes that are full now are ready to add to gardens, we will dismantle the boxes. Members must take garden waste away with them for disposal.

Locks: There have been numerous problems, and expense. Naomi will remove them and collect the locks and keys to store.

Members need to contribute their time and expertise to make the community garden a success. Kudos to John and Bob who keep the lawn mowed and Sophie who collects bottles for deposit returns. We need someone to trim the trees, as well as more help for the food bank gardens and the indigenous plants garden

Future Meetings: via Zoom at present, in garden asap, Covid permitting.

Second Saturday of each month now through October at 10:00 a.m. All welcome. See you on March 13. Watch for details of Zoom access.

Meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

Conducted by Zoom October 16 2021 at 6:00 p.m.

Attendance: Gail Hook, Naomi Ellis, Susan Howard, Barb Sibbald, Kayla Smart,
Janette Partaik, Patrick Levis, Tracy Jacznik, Gretchen Tobin, Miho
Lindley, Winnie Quan, Marga Konig, Deborah Gordon, Catherine Nickel,
Robert Fraser, Magda Kernel,  Myrna Adams, Bruce Sellinger representing
Dunsmuir teachers, Jay Ruryk

Compost: Naomi reiterated that the compost bins have been closed – people were not using them properly. Gardeners are expected to dispose of garden waster at home or at twice monthly City of Colwood Yard Waste depots.

Robert showed interest in educating gardeners and continuing the program. Gail moved (seconded by Gretchen) that, once work parties are safe again, we form a committee to lead and organize information sessions. Approved.

 Barb Sibbald will take on the issue of volunteering and pulling one’s weight safely, and will explore the need for a volunteer co-ordinator.

Naomi introduced Bruce Sellinger from Dunsmuir, one of the teachers who will be using the Dunsmuir beds. Students will be from 2 grade 6 and one grade 8 classes. She answered his questions, and with him will arrange a meeting with school liaison Sarah Stolz and the teachers at the garden for an orientation.

Gretchen suggested people need a ‘to-do’ list so they can help out effectively if they come to the garden and have some time. We will arrange a white board or blackboard when the new shed is built.

November 20 Jay has arranged a work party led by Saanich Native Plants group at the garden at 2:00 p.m.

Bob will cut the lawn once more this fall.

The following Board Members have resigned: Janette Partaik (president), Bev McKinnon (secretary), Marga Konig (treasurer).

New Board Members were duly nominated and seconded and acclaimed:

President: Susan Howard

Vice President: Barb Sibbald

Treasurer: Magda Kernel

Membership: Naomi Ellis

Recording Secretary: Gail Hook

IT and Communications : Scot McDonald

Volunteer Co-ordinator:  needed

Members at Large needed to advise the board and attend meetings as a voting member.

Member at Large: Sarah Stolz, School liason

Member at Large: Jay Ruryk – Indigenous garden

 Barbara Sibbald will put together a slate of Members at Large to support the board. Interested people should contact her at Barbara Sibbald <brsibbald@shaw.ca.

Gretchen thanked Janette for her hard work on behalf of the Garden. Janette thanked the board members who are stepping down for their efforts.

Meeting adjourned at 7:10.