Galiano Club Blog

RESCHEDULED to MARCH 25 9:00am-3:00pm

This workshop looks at different techniques to help you grow the plants you always wanted without having to buy them! We will learn about hardwood and softwood cuttings, layering, air layering, division, grafting, as well as looking at different seeding techniques to ensure germination. Morning at South Hall, afternoon at Community Greenhouse. Car-pooling will be organized. Please bring a bagged lunch. Sliding scale $25-$35. Registration is required – just email galianofoodprograms@gmail.com

More details below:

Perhaps you have seen the videos on Facebook teaching you how to “magically regrow” vegetables from your table scraps, such as celery or onions from discarded ends. While that is definitely one use for propagation techniques, there are other benefits too, such as growing plants that are hard to find in a nursery (but spotted in your neighbour’s plot), growing cuttings to give away as gifts, or saving the cost of buying seeds or nursery starts when you’re expanding your garden.

Plant propagation is “the process of creating new plants from a variety of sources: seeds, cuttings, bulbs and other plant parts.” (Thanks Wikipedia.) It’s surprisingly simple, as well as sustainable and cheap. And it reduces your dependence on multinational seed producers, while building community too.

We are very happy to host Manon Tremblay for a Propagation workshop in March. This workshop looks at different techniques to help you grow the plants you always wanted without having to buy them! We will learn about hardwood and softwood cuttings, layering, air layering, division, grafting, as well as looking at different seeding techniques to ensure germination.

Last year we were hosted Manon for a pruning workshop that was very well-received. Here’s just some of the enthusiastic feedback we got: “One of the best workshops I have attended” … “Manon was full of information, I would sign up for any workshop that she was leading. She was fantastic with questions, explained things really well, was completely approachable” … “Yes, I had attended other pruning workshops in the past, but Manon was so knowledgeable and presented her material so clearly, that I walked out feeling much more confident, and really understanding the rationale behind the pruning. I am grateful that you brought in such an outstanding teacher.”

Manon is a Horticulturist and Environmental Educator passionate about edible plants and organic gardening. She has been working as a Landscaper and Landscape Designer for the past 15 years and loves to share her experience and interests with enthusiastic gardeners.

Beginning at 10am at the South Hall, the Seed Library of Galiano will have its inventory on hand for those interested in browsing and borrowing seeds for the upcoming growing season. Yes, the time for spring starts is just around the corner! There will also be some seeds available for free, and those who wish to swap seeds with others are welcome to bring them along for a mini Seedy Day. Please contact Colleen with any questions.

Beekeeping Workshops: January 28th – 1pm

Mark your calendars for Saturday, January 28th, as popular and inspiring Vancouver Island Apiary inspector David MacDonald returns to Galiano to share his knowledge. A Beginner’s Tutorial will be from 1-3pm, followed by a more Advanced Class from 3:30-5:30pm at the South Hall, but all levels of knowledge/experience are welcome. If you are interested in participating please RSVP Colleen at galianofoodprograms@gmail.com or 250-539-2737. All are welcome. $10-15 per workshop, sliding scale, or, $20 for two classes.

Saturday, January 21 1:00-3:00 at the South Hall. Please RSVP to register. $15-$25 sliding scale.

Did you know that you can grow citrus on Galiano, without a greenhouse or any special equipment? Our increasingly mild winters mean that the list of Mediterranean plants that can survive our winters is growing.

Bob and Verna Duncan have dedicated the last twenty years to pushing the envelope on what we can grow in our region. They own a nursery and demonstration orchard in North Saanich, where they grow over 400 varieties of fruit trees, including citrus, olives, avocadoes, figs, olives, and pomegranates. They’re experimenting with exactly which conditions these plants need to thrive, and they travel to the colder regions of Israel, Turkey and Greece to learn what local farmers there are doing. They have brought back hardy varieties and cultivated them here, so they have plant varietals that are most likely to succeed in our conditions. Bob trained as a botanist and entomologist and worked with the Canadian Forest Service.

But it’s the citrus that gets me really excited. Available from their nursery are Meyer lemons, oranges, limes, grapefruit, variegated Pink Lemons, yuzu, kumquats, and sudachi. While some of these do need a greenhouse, the lemons, limes and sour oranges are hardy enough to survive our winters along the south wall of a building with a bit of floating row cover to trap the heat and a string of Christmas lights on the coldest days. The yuzu, a fragrant Japanese lemon, is especially cold-hardy. And citrus ripens through the winter, when fresh, ultra-local, pesticide-free fruit at the peak of ripeness is a real treat.

The Food Program is hosting Bob and Verna for a presentation in January – join us to learn all about cultural requirements and variety selection for success in growing citrus & sub-tropical fruit trees (such as avocado, pineapple guava/feijoa, pomegranates, and loquats) in South Coastal BC.

And next time you are in Victoria visit, visit Fruit Trees and More, just a 5-minute drive from Swartz Bay, and see what Bob and Verna have done on a third-acre suburban lot. It really has to be seen to be believed. See http://www.fruittreesandmore.com for more info.