SEEDS STARTED FOR MOM

My daughter made this cute little planter box for me at Brownies this spring. We planted some tomatos and peppers into the little pots a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday, they needed re-planting to bigger pots, so we seeded more new ones again. This time it was more tomatos, and some basil too. I hope this will be a fun project to do together this spring/summer. It's a small start, but in gardening, every little bit at the beginning can flourish in many meals full of vegetables later! I think it's a good lesson.

We are anxiously anticipating getting our garden planted soon. This spring weather has been so wonderful. I know that here in Manitoba you take your chances when planting outside too early, so it will be a challenge to figure out a good outdoor planting date. Our cold-weather seeds have gone outside already, particularly spinach, radishes and peas. Let's hope they survive.

We signed up as a "dig-deeper" family with http://diginmanitoba.com/, and are really looking forward to our first workshop, which focuses on starting seeds.

IN THE GARDEN

We worked in our raised bed gardens today. A bit of fixing was necessary for the first time in 6 years. The multiplier onions and garlic we left in last fall are up. We’ve eaten fresh green onion spouts and bulbs, along with lots of fresh chives already, and it’s still April! It looks like a patch of marjoram over-wintered too. Let’s hope the weather holds, and doesn’t get too cold a night.

Our garden is a total of 6 raised beds that surround our kid's play house. the 4 largest beds are 4x8 feet in size, and the two smallest beds are 2x8 feet in size.  More on our planting ideas in another post.

BEE HIVE UPDATE
On the warmer days, the bees have been out foraging for pollen. They have been coming back to the hives with a bright yellow pollen. All looks well with the hives too. The hives still have their winter wrap on. The photo above is the 4 hives we have in our yard. The rest of the hives are at my parent's farm

The Dig-In Challenge

We have just signed up with Dig-In Manitoba for a 5 month challenge. Check out the details on their website here http://diginmanitoba.com/ 

Wish you had the time for healthy, local, and fair food in your busy life?

• Do you have more than a sneaking suspicion that eating food grown close to home is better for your community and for your family?

• Are you pretty sure that how we get our food actually matters?

• Have you been meaning to make some changes for a while but don’t know where to start?

What if you had a guide?

What if you could learn, share, and grow with people who have stood where you’re standing and are doing the kind of things YOU WANT TO DO? Connecting with great farmers, cooking from scratch, getting things growing, enjoying family meals with meaning, storing the harvest, getting more out of life with less… in short, living vibrant and healthy lives.
Step-by-step. Week-by-week. We’ll help you sort through the fact and the fiction. You’ll get the tools and support you need to kickstart your journey. We’re calling it the Dig In Challenge…

Are you up for it?

I pledge to…

• Shift at least $10 of my grocery money each week towards local food,
• Try at least two new Dig In activities each month,
• Attend Dig In workshops and log my activities to be entered to win great prizes (optional).