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Gardeners' Corner at the

Calgary Horticultural Society
The Year of the Pumpkin
Starting with Seedy Saturday last March, the Society has been adding a pumpkin feature to many activities in honour of 2019 being declared as the "Year of the Pumpkin" by the National Garden Bureau. The Society offered a "Pumpkin in a Pot" talk and planted pumpkin in the demonstration garden, even training a plant to grow up a trellis to demonstrate an option for vertical gardening. The pumpkins were harvested just before the September 29 snowfall. The Society's pumpkins are fairly small, but did you know that giant pumpkins can be grown in Alberta? The Smoky Lake Pumpkin Fair hosted its thirty-first event on October 5 which included a Great White North Pumpkin Weigh-off. The winning pumpkin weighed 668.8 kg (1,474.5 lbs) and was grown in Lloydminster. The second prize went to a Calgary pumpkin weighing 553.2 kg (1,219.5 lbs). To learn more about the entries visit the Smoky Lake Pumpkin Fair event page and select the 2019 Weigh Off results link. 

Sidebar photos: Top—Society's pumpkin (Deborah Maier);  bottom—a giant pumpkin (Pixabay)
Water-Wise Gardening
Did you have a water-wise gardening season? Perhaps you installed a new rain barrel or created a rain garden that made use of the rainwater from your downspout. Maybe your garden plan included using drought-tolerant plants. If you tried these or other YardSmart and water-wise practices, use this link to tell us about it and you will be entered in our YardSmart contest. You may only enter once. The contest closes on November 7.
Tell us about your YardSmart gardening here.
Lawn Begone
Many gardeners have removed part of a lawn to expand a garden bed or put in a new one, but what should you do if you want to remove a huge, even yard-sized, section of lawn? Replacing large swaths of lawn can be a bit more challenging. Ann Van de Reep notes some of these challenges and proposes solutions in her article "Lawn Begone" in this issue of Calgary Gardening. Use the magazine link at the bottom of our website's home page or use the Calgary Gardening menu under the Members Only section to access the magazine.
Garlic Cashew Pesto
Looking for a cracker topper with a bit of spice? Try making the garlic cashew pesto served by the ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen at the Society's Garlic Fair and Growers' Exchange, courtesy of Grant Parry, ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen Chef Instructor.
Ingredients:

½ cup cashews, toasted 
1 lemon zested and juiced  
2 cloves of garlic 
½ cup olive oil
1 cup garlic chives, roughly chopped 
½ cup parsley leaves   
4 tbsp grated pecorino cheese  
Salt and pepper to taste  
 
Method:
  1. Place nuts on a baking tray in a 350° F oven. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until golden. Stir occasionally. 
  2. In a food processor, add lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and toasted cashews. Blend until smooth.
  3. Add garlic chives, parsley and grated pecorino to the mixture. Blend until smooth and season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until needed.  
Makes 1 cup of pesto  
Roasted Garlic & Dark Chocolate Truffles
Note: The recipe in last week's e-news should state that the amount of cocoa powder required is a half cup.
The Society's 2020 Calendar is Available
Our calendar is packed with features for Calgary gardeners, including Society events, indoor seed-starting charts, “To Do” checklists and thoughts about gardening from local gardeners. Purchase calendars for family and friends and support the Society!

Calendars are available at the Society office (208 50 Avenue SW) and at Member Talks. Watch for them at local garden centres soon.
New Community Outreach Program
The Society wants to build its community outreach with the help of three dedicated volunteer teams. Each year, the Society receives requests to attend events, provide gardening presentations and support new gardeners. We receive more requests than can be fulfilled. With the help of these teams, the Society expects to improve our presence in the community and be able to fill more of these requests. We anticipate that the volunteers will also benefit by:
  • being able to share their knowledge and love of gardening and become recognized for their knowledge and passion
  • increasing their horticultural knowledge through training, research and staff support
  • using their creativity
  • being part of a team of like-minded individuals
  • having opportunities to meet enthusiastic gardeners and industry professionals
  • helping gardeners-to-be successfully launch gardening journeys
  • being a force in making the city greener
  • attending fun and local events for free 
Please consider joining this program. It's a wonderful way to support the Society and the gardening community. See the volunteer section near the bottom of the e-news for more details regarding the volunteer team roles.
Classes
2019 Course Calendar—New workshops have been added to the fall schedule!
See calhort.org | What's Happening for program details.
Check back often for updates.
Our programs are selling out, so book early to avoid disappointment.
Design Your Yard
Note: This is the last session for 2019.
Back by popular demand—the Design Your Yard workshops! Not sure what to do with your new yard? Need to reimagine your mature yard? Learn how to create a well-thought-out, functional yard in this multi-day workshop.  Homeowners will work on scale layouts of their own properties and complete step-by-step tasks to create a design that meets their needs.

Two people residing at the same address may attend this workshop at no additional charge, with the requirement that they work on ONE yard plan together. Names of both participants must be provided at the time of registration.

Participants will learn how to:
  • work through the process to develop a yard design
  • apply basic design principles and techniques for creating a beautiful, environmentally responsible, functional yard
  • calculate volumes of soil and mulch and access available resources in the community (such as free compost from the City)
  • irrigate their yard
  • select plants at a garden centre to fulfill their design's requirements 
 

Participants will need:
  • property dimensions - Real Property Report (RPR)
  • graph paper, ruler, pencil and eraser
  • wish list requirements
  • photos from your wish list
 

This workshop is sponsored by the
City of Calgary


Cost: $75 members, $100 non-members

Wednesdays, October 23 and 30 and November 6, from 6:30 to 9:00 pm
Sage Hill Retirement Residence
Multi-purpose Room
6 Sage Hill Gardens NW
Register Online
 

This is the last Design Your Yard workshop for 2019. Creating a design (and plan) during the fall and winter is a great indoor gardening activity. You'll be ready to implement your plan when spring arrives!
Tool Care
Saturday, October 26, 1:30 to 3:00 pm
Society Office, 208 50 Avenue SW
Cost: $35 for members, $45 for non-members
Register Online

Want to get the most out of your tools? Then make sure to clean and sharpen them before putting them away this winter. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn how to clean and sharpen common garden tools such as spades, trowels and secateurs. Participants should bring their own tools and a mill bastard file and/or small handheld sharpener (available at hardware stores, Lee Valley and garden centres). Some sharpening tools will be available to try at the class.

Instructor:  Rod Olson

Pre-registration is required.
Registration will close on Monday, October 21.
Home Styling with Houseplants
Member Talk
Thursday, November 7, 6:30 to 8:30 pm
Christ Church, 3602 8 Street SW
Cost: Free for members, $10 at the door for non-members (cash only, please)
Pre-registration is not required.
Visit calhort.org for more details.

Jo Young, owner of Greenery Office Interiors, will demonstrate the many ways to incorporate plants into your home.
See the best practices that Greenery uses to create beautiful visuals with attractive plants and planters. There may even be some cool door prizes!
Speaker: Jo Young

Speaker: Jo Young
Check out some of Greenery’s work at:
Instagram: GreeneryCalgary
Website: greenery.ca
Facebook: GreeneryCalgary
 
Tools Please! 
Do you have good quality gardening tools that you no longer need? Unfortunately, some community gardens have had their tool sheds robbed and are now in need of gardening implements. If you have tools that you can donate, please bring them to the Society office, Tuesday to Friday, between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. 

Thanks for your support!
Getting Started with Houseplants
Tuesday, October 29, 7:00 to 8:30 pm
Guiffre Family Library
3223 14 Street SW
Cost: Free
This is a drop-in program.
Pre-registration is not required.

Do you want to get some (new) houseplants? Got a houseplant as a gift and aren’t sure how to keep it alive? Then this talk is for you! Come learn about: 
  • choosing houseplants 
  • (re)potting houseplants 
  • water and nutrient requirements 
  • location requirements/considerations 
  • basic pest management 
Instructor: Laurra Olmsted
Botanical Gift-Making—
Soaps and Bath Bombs
Wednesday, November 13, 7:00 to 9:00 pm
Society Office, 208 50 Avenue SW
Cost: $40 for members, $50 for non-members
Register Online
Come and learn how to use your plant material to create great gifts. This workshop will include a presentation on how to make soap and bath bombs. Students will make bath bombs after the presentation. 
Each participant will go home with three bath bombs, a sample soap bar and an instruction sheet.  

Instructor: Leanne Cripps

Pre-registration is required.
Registration will close on Tuesday, November 5
Growing Under Lights
Thursday, November 14, 6:30 to 8:00 pm
Garden Retreat, 6510 1a Street SW
Cost: $25 members, $35 non-members
Register Online

Interested in indoor growing? This talk will get you started or advance your knowledge in the following topics: 
  • Lights and accessories  
  • Selecting indoor plants
  • Starting from seed 
  • Tips on watering and feeding your 
indoor plants 
  • Preventing and controlling indoor pests
Instructor: Stacey Laursen
 
Spread the word! 
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Thanks—come grow with us!

We have a new program for volunteers! See the details below.

 
There are plenty of opportunities to get involved with the Society and help grow our gardening community. Contact the Society's Volunteer Coordinator, Norm Cook, at 403.287.3469 ext. 1 or email volunteer@calhort.org if you would like to volunteer for a Society event, talk, class or course. All Society classes have volunteer monitors who help set up, introduce the instructor and assist class participants.

The Society is seeking volunteer assistance for the new community outreach program.
These teams should be in place to start meeting in November. There will be training for all roles on Saturday, November 16 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. Visit our website calhort.org/Get Involved/Volunteer to learn more about each role.
Garden Mentor Team (six positions)
We are seeking a team of volunteers who are willing to help new gardeners experience success in their initial growing seasons and/or help people acquiring new gardens to evaluate their "next steps." The mentors will receive training to learn more about the Society, horticulture, water-wise gardening and the volunteer role. The garden mentors must be willing to go out to community gardens and/or homes in pairs to meet individuals and discuss their garden needs. This is a year-long commitment (4-6 hours training, minimum of 2 hours per month April to September).
Speaker Team (ten positions)
We are seeking a team of volunteers to deliver outreach talks/presentations to schools, clubs or community gardens on behalf of the Society. The volunteers will receive training to learn about the Society, water-wise gardening and presenting to groups. This is a year-long commitment and includes refreshing our existing presentations (6-8 hours training, 5–10 hours editing presentations, 3–10 hours practicing presentations, minimum of three 45 to 90-minute presentations).
Brand Ambassador Team (six positions)
We are seeking a team of volunteers who have an artistic flair to create and provide leadership for the setup and staffing of Calgary Horticultural Society displays. The Society participates in a variety of community events, such as our Garden Show, Seedy Saturday, Aggie Days, Calgary Home + Garden Show, Mayor's Expo, Calgary Stampede and Library events. Our displays should be attractive and include activities suitable for each event. Volunteers must be comfortable engaging visitors at these events, promoting the Society and selling memberships. Training will be provided. This is a year-long commitment (4– 6 hours training, 8–10 hours display creation, minimum 3 display shifts of 3–4 hours each).
Contact Norm Cook at 403.287.3469 ext. 1 or email volunteer@calhort.org if you would like to lend a helping hand in any of these positions. THANK YOU!
Support the Society

Garden Journals

Stop by the Society office to purchase your copy ($20) of The Growing Journal. The Society's journal is a terrific tool to help keep track of your planning and the activity in the garden. The pages are undated, so you can journal at your own pace, without the stress of finishing an annual diary. It's a great gift for a gardener on any occasion. Purchase this gardening resource and support the Society.
Make a Donation
The Calgary Horticultural Society is a registered charity dedicated to cultivating Calgary’s gardening community. Donations enable the Society to engage Calgarians in its vision: Gardening for Life. Every donation is appreciated. Call the office at 403.287.3469 and we will be pleased to assist you.
Do you have a gardening question?  Do you need a new home for the collection of flower pots growing in your garden shed? Log in to the Members' Forum, choose a topic and let other members know. We look forward to hearing from you!
Copyright Calgary Horticultural Society |2019| All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
208 50 Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta T2S 2S1
Phone: 403.287.3469

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