Take the Community Garden Survey!

Have your say on the idea of community gardens in Tofino! Do our super-quick online survey and you could win one of three $50 gift certificates for groceries in Tofino!

Community Garden Survey

The Tofino Community Food Initiative is working hard to facilitate access to local, high quality, fairly-priced, organic, sustainable and healthy food for our community. Planned projects include the Edible Garden Tour, workshops in gardening, composting and cooking, special movie nights, and the creation of community gardens. In order to plan for a garden this summer, we must apply for funding and start preparing now. Please take a moment to help guide us by filling in our survey!

Thank you for your help,
The Tofino Community Food Initiative

TCFI Facebook Group

Jackie is Growing Rice in Tofino!

Photo by JWindh

I spoke to Jackie Windh the other day and she told me she is successfully growing rice in Tofino. This is crazy! And this is without any land of her own! She posts progress reports of the rice and other things she grows on her blog so if you would like to learn how she has successfully grown rice in Canada (nevermind Tofino!) you can read more here!

Edible Gardens in Schools, etc

Here is an interesting post on a blog about edible gardens in schools, eating and democracy, good organic foods, etc!

http://kalman.blogs.nytimes.com/

Home is Where the Food is!

Home is Where the Food is from The Juki Museum on Vimeo.

This is a short film I made for the 100 Mile Diet Society in Vancouver, BC. The film follows every ingredient of a delicious and simple meal to its source. In the making of this film, I visited a dairy farm, a mill/bakery, and a busy marina, all on Vancouver Island, and all within my 100-mile radius. I also spent time in the kitchen with Tina Biello, a busy working gal who makes time for her food, from growing her own veggies to learning about the production of local food for her favourite family recipes.

Why Eat Local?

The Canadian food system is in trouble. This short film explains what's happening to Canada's local food system and why we should all care. Watch to find out more, and join The Real Food Movement. http://www.eatrealeatlocal.ca

This is an excellent 3 min video with great graphics and simple explanations:

Tofino Edible Garden Tour 2009

Interested in growing your own food?

Here’s an opportunity to visit an assortment of gardens, meet some of our community’s gardeners, and see how to successfully grow your own food.

Already growing your own food?

Take part in the tour to network with other gardeners, share tips and stories, and help build our local food system.

How do you participate?

Get a Tour Map with garden highlights here or pick one up at Green Soul Organics, Storm Surf Shop, Tofino Botanical Gardens, or Chocolate Tofino, and tour the gardens at your leisure!

Cost?

In lieu of admission fees, please bring along either a food bank donation or cash donation to the Tofino Community Food Initiative.

When?

Wednesday, August 19th, 4-8pm

Carpooling and biking are encouraged!

Tofino Food Gardens Tour

Greetings Everyone!!

The Tofino Community Food Initiative (TCFI) is organizing its first annual "Tofino Food Gardens Tour" for Wednesday August 19th. The purpose of the tour is to inspire locals with the abundance and variety of foods that people grow in Tofino plus highlight some of the special ways to grow it successfully out here on the west coast. This will be a great opportunity to meet fellow gardeners in our community!

We are looking for folks who would be interested in showcasing their food gardens and greenhouses in this tour. The hosts would be asked to be available to speak with people at their gardens from 4-8pm and if possible, to provide guests with a garden tea, treat, or recipe. We encourage everyone to participate, however large or small your garden may be. We want to dispel the myth that it's too difficult to grow veggies in Tofino!

If you or anyone you know would be interested in showcasing your garden, please email tofinolocalfood@yahoo.ca or call Leah (725-2594) or Jen(726-7872) by July 27th to ensure we get your garden on the map.

Thank you in advance and we look forward to hearing from you!

Tofino Community Food Initiative
Leah Austin, Jeff Chilton, Suzanne Mikus, Naomi Carson, Jen Heckert,HanneBruhwiler, Jonathon Brooks, Josie Osborne or Tanya Dowdall

tofinolocalfood@yahoo.ca
http://www.tofinofood.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=113935945907

Good Morning All,

Here is a list of vegetable seeds available for anyone who may be interested in doing some winter vegetable gardening, they do need to be sown very quickly so they may sprout and put on some growth before the days grow shorter and cooler, most of these will grow here just fine over the winter, especially in a cold frame or greenhouse, if you need more information about the growing, habit, variety specs etc please stop by the garden center where we have a full description catalogue. Many of these can be sown now for fall and winter harvest, and some are sown now for spring harvest.  If you know which ones you want, just email me back the list with your choices, please include the quantity of seed packets required, and your phone number so I can call you when they arrive, I am going to order these seeds on Monday 27^th July, and although I will do one main order to come in just shortly after the August long weekend, we will also have open stock available off our rack. But the sooner you order the better for availability.

            Also for those still interested, I have received confirmation that yes, the Masters  in organic gardening will be held in Tofino at the end of January beginning of February, exact dates and cost is coming soon. So tell your friends to call and I will get them the details, this is a fabulous opportunity to have a popular course offered here, rather than having to travel out of town. SOOOO EXCITING!!!!!!!

Trina

 

 

BR193A Broccoli Raab Sorrento Raab (OP)

BR205A Broccoli Sprouting Purple Sprouting (OP)

BT162A Beets Winterkeeper Lutz (OP)

BT161A Beets Detroit Supreme (OP)

BT166A Beets Red Ace (F1)

BT173A Beets Red Ace (F1) Organic Certified

BT171A Beets Blend Beet Blend

BS212A Brussels Sprouts Oliver (F1)

BS215A Brussels Sprouts United

CR302A Carrots Ya Ya Organic

CR282A Carrots Amstrong (OP)

CR296A Carrots Scarlet Nantes (OP)

CO350A Collards Champion (OP)

CF339A Cauliflower Purple Cape (OP)

CF316A Cauliflower Winter Galleon (OP)

CF340A Cauliflower Rosalind (OP)

MS509A Endive Rouge De Verone

MS491A Endive & Radicchio Palla Rossa Special

MS492A Endive & Radicchio Sugar Loaf (OP)

MS481A Endive & Radicchio Broadleaf Batavian

MS498A Endive & Radicchio Italian Dandelion (OP)

KL424A Kale Redbor (F1)

KL425A Kale Lacinato (OP)

KL426A Kale Red Russian (OP)

KL428A Kale Rainbow Tuscan (OP) Organic

KL421A Kale Improved Siberian (OP)

KL422A Kale Winterbor (F1)

KL423A Kale Westlandse Winter (OP) Organic

LT478A Lettuce Leaf Rouge d'Hiver (OP)

LT477A Lettuce Cos/Romaine Cimmaron (OP)

LT446A Lettuce Butterhead Continuity (Merveille)

LT487A Lettuce Leaf Red Deer Tongue (OP)

LT461A Lettuce Cos/Romaine Winter Density (OP)

MS500A Mescluns Wild Arugula (OP)

MS503A Mescluns Arugula, Adagio

MS484A Mescluns Mild Mesclun

MS497A Mescluns Provencal Mesclun

MS482A Mescluns Large Leaf Sorrel (OP)

MS478A Mescluns Vit / Corn Salad (OP)

LK444A Leeks Mammoth Pot Leek (OP)

MU540A Asian Veg Komatsuna (OP)

MU547A Asian Veg Komatsuna Red (F1)

MU531A Asian Veg Giant Red (OP)

MU544A Asian Veg Giant Red Organic Certified (OP)

MU549A Asian Veg Southern Giant Curled (OP)

MU524A Asian Veg Southern Giant Curled Organic

MU529A Asian Veg Mizuna (OP)

MU541A Asian Veg Mibuna Green Spray (OP)

MU548A Asian Veg Mibuna Organic Certified (OP)

MS479A Mescluns Saladini Blend

ON555A Onions Pacific 22 (OP)

ON569A Onions Kincho (OP)

ON564A Onions Overwinter Riverside Sweet Spanish

ON571A Onions Salad Onion Ramrod

ON552A Onions Purplette (OP) Organic Certified

PN581A Parsnips Gladiator

PN580A Parsnips Javelin (F1)

PL570A Parsley Forest Green

RD678A Radishes China Rose Winter (OP) Organic

RD680A Radishes French Breakfast

RD683A Radishes Black Spanish Round

RD672A Radishes Altaglobe

RU691A Rutabegas Laurentian

RU690A Rutabegas Marian (OP) Organic Certified

SP707A Spinach Bloomsdale Savoy Organic

SP705A Spinach C2 606 (Skookum) (F1)

SP702A Spinach Tyee (F1)

SP703A Spinach Olympia (F1)

SP704A Spinach Space (F1)

SP706A Spinach Samish (F1) Organic Certified

SP708A Spinach Bordeaux Red Vein (F1)

SP710A Spinach New Zealand Spinach (OP)

SW754A Swiss Chard Perpetual Spinach (Chard)

SW750A Swiss Chard Fordhook Giant (OP)

SW751A Swiss Chard Silverado (F1) Organic

SW752A Swiss Chard Rhubarb Chard

SW753A Swiss Chard Bright Lights (OP)

SW755A Swiss Chard Canary Yellow

SW757A Swiss Chard Flamingo Pink (OP) Organic

SW758A Swiss Chard Magenta Sunrise

SW759A Swiss Chard Calico Mix

SW760A Swiss Chard Eldorado

SW761A Swiss Chard Discovery

CB242A Cabbage Winter Danish Ballhead (OP)

CB248A Cabbage Winter Harvest Embassy (F1)

CB258A Cabbage Fall Harvest Ermosa (F1)

CB252A Cabbage Winter Harvest January King (OP)

TR810A Turnips Purple Top White Globe

TR815A Turnips Turnip Hakurei

TR817A Turnips Tokyo Cross

BN150A Beans Broad Windsor (OP)

BN151A Beans Broad Sweet Lorane (OP) Organic

PE591A Peas Shelling Alderman (Tall Telephone)

PE592A Peas Snow Dwarf Grey Sugar (OP)

PE596A Peas Shelling *Paladio (OP)

PE616A Peas Snap Super Sugar Snap (OP)

PE617A Peas Snap Peas Sugar Ann (OP)

PE618A Peas Snap Peas Sugar Daddy

PE619A Peas Snap Cascadia (OP)

PE620A Peas Shelling Peas Green Arrow (OP)

PE621A Peas Snap Sugar Lace II (OP)

PE622A Peas Snow Snow Green (OP)

PE623A Peas snow peas (Ho Lan Dow) Mammoth

PE605A Peas Shelling Peas Little Marvel (OP)

HR1073A Cilantro Santo Long Standing

FL2696A Hollyhocks Summer Carnival Mix

FL2703A Hollyhocks Indian Spring

FL2704A Hollyhocks Watchman

FL2349A Columbine Columbine McKana's Giant Mix

FL2604A Foxglove Foxgloves Purple

FL3116A Poppies Giganthemum

FL3108A Poppies Flanders Poppy

FL3139A Poppies Gartford Giant Mix

FL3141A Poppies Iceland

FL3026A Pansies and Violas Swiss Giants Mix

FL3812A Pansies/violas Fizzy Lemonberry

FL3411A Pansies/violas Violas Johnny Jump Up

FL3278A Sweet Peas Dainty Ripples Mix

FL3279A Sweet Peas Unwins Striped Butterfly Blend

FL3280A Sweet Peas Old Spice Blend

FL3281A Sweet Peas Royal Family Blend

FL3283A Sweet Peas Supersnoop

FL3284A Sweet Peas Mammoth Blend

FL3285A Sweet Peas Late Spencer Blend

FL3287A Sweet Peas Scentsation Mix

FL3298A Sweet Peas Snoopea

FL3289A Sweet Peas ANGELS BLUSH

FL3304A Sweet Peas Matucana

FL3314A Sweet Peas Old Times

XM101 INOC Garden CombInation Peas & Beans

MS483A Mescluns Arugula Roquette (OP)

Food Garden Watering OK during Stage 2

Hi all,

I just want to let you know that it IS still OK to keep watering your food gardens during stage 2 water restrictions in Tofino:

"...water vegetable gardens at odd-numbered civic addresses Monday and Thursday 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., and at even-numbered addresses Tuesdays and Fridays 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. during Stage 2 of water restrictions..." (excerpt from Westcoaster article).

I know this is not enough for most food gardens but at least you know when you are technically allowed to do it! We'll have to work on improving that bylaw.

Enjoy the sun! :)

Tofino's Water Conservation Bylaw Amended for Food Gardens

Well, thanks to Josie for the letter she wrote on our behalf to the District re: amending the water conservation bylaw to distinguish food gardens from flower and ornamental gardens during water restrictions. Not totally sure from this Westcoaster article how the gardens are treated differently but at least food gardens are now on the District's radar and so is this group! Thanks Josie!!

Bylaw Amended, Vegetable Gardening OK (Westcoaster.ca)

Nanaimo Community Gardens Society

2 weekends ago I went to Nanaimo and within 5 minutes of leaving the house, I came across a school garden, a massive community garden and signs for an organic vegetable plant sale! I was amazed at how visible the local food movement has become this year, for obvious reason. I spoke with a very friendly member of the group who was very happy to share some great info as they have been established for over 9 years.

Here are some drive-by pics (sorry-not the best!):

Above is the Fairview Community School garden.

A small part of the Nanaimo Community Gardens Society. They rent 3 large back yards each year for people to grow food on.



The Nanaimo Community Gardens Society organizes several local projects, and contribute to the Foodshare Centre, along with Nanaimo Foodshare Society, Nanaimo Community Kitchens Society, and Supportive Apartment Living.