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What Is A COVICTORY Garden?

COVICTORY is all about neighbours coming together to create abundance in a time of scarcity.
It is about resilience and regeneration; growing stronger through hardship.
It is about taking food security into your own hands, for your family and neighbourhood.

Victory gardens during WWI and WWII engaged everyday citizens to grow the necessary food for nations at war. During WWII these gardens produced 1/3 of the food in the US. Today we face a similar challenge, not only with COVID-19 but also with the unfolding Climate Crisis. This challenge requires us to mobilize the full resources of our society to do nothing less than save life on earth!
 
And believe it or not, it starts in the garden.
 
By growing our own food in harmony with nature and sharing it with our neighbours, we can reduce our carbon footprint and create the connections that will see us through these crises. 

Let's take this opportunity to learn new skills, make new connections, and come out of this with a new vision of what we can do to live in good relations with each other and with the earth. 
 
Communities Gardening for Victory over COVID = COVICTORY Gardens!

Have You Started Your Seeds?

Starting seeds for a productive vegetable garden is all about timing. You want to make sure you are getting them into pots early enough that they have a head-start in our short and intense growing season; but not so early that they get leggy and weak before going into the garden. Edmonton is located in USDA Zone 4 with one of the earliest last-frost dates around May 1-10, which marks the earliest many tender plants can be put in the garden.
  • Now is a great time to be starting zucchini, squash, cucumbers and broccoli in pots indoors.
  • By the first week of May you should be able to start beans, peas and corn straight in the garden. Corn doesn't like to be transplanted, so it is best to put it directly in the ground and let it weather a bit of frost.
  • Leaf crops like spinach, lettuce, arugula and chard like cooler, shadier spots in the garden and should be started directly outdoors in early May.
  • Root crops like carrots, beets and potatoes are best started straight in the garden in late May so their roots are not disturbed. If you start them early you may be able to harvest in late July and start a second crop to harvest in October!
Not sure what to plant in your garden this year, or where to plant it? 
 
Set up a consultation with the team at Spruce Permaculture and we can provide guidance and advice personalized to your space to set you up for success. We can even provide a professional garden plan, raised beds, soil, seeds and plant starts to get you going!

 

SET UP A CONSULTATION

Site Spotlight: Raised Beds

We are really proud of the results of this installation in West-Central Edmonton. Our client wanted to increase growing space in the front yard while maintaining an elegant aesthetic. These 4'x4' raised beds sit 2' tall with a top ledge to sit or rest tools on. They are built of garden-safe and weather-proof MicroPro treated wood and strike an elegant picture for neighbours strolling the active community. By the end of the season they were overflowing with produce, from strawberries and herbs to lettuce and tomatoes! 

Now Available: Mushroom Logs

Have you ever wanted to grow your own unique and rare mushrooms in your garden? Now you can! Last fall we selectively harvested local aspen poplars and hand-innoculated them with maitake mushroom (hen-of-the-woods) plugs. You're not likely to find these at your local grocery store!

Just place the log in a moist and shady spot in your garden, water occasionally and wait for them to fruit. The logs may fruit for several years, depending on environmental conditions, providing interesting and nutritious food for your family. The logs are 3-4' long and 5-8" in diameter.

Now that spring is here we are selling these logs for $75/each plus $15 delivery ($25 out-of-city).
 
Send us a message if you'd like to start growing mushrooms this year!
Send a message

Events & Workshops

FREE Community Video Workshops


Would you be interested in bringing permacultre knowledge to your neighbourhood? We are hosting free Introduction to Permaculture workshops over Zoom for communities who want to come together to create local food security and abundance!
Send us a message and let's set up a date!
Send a message

Self-care and Community-care during the COVID-19 Pandemic


As we continue to stay home and contain the spread of COVID-19, let's reach out to community and practice the ethic of People-Care. Connect with friends and family by phone, message or (if safe to do so) in person in small groups at a distance; especially those who are more isolated.

There are so many images of people stocking up on supplies and food, and it is worth pausing to reflect on our abundance before we act from a place of fear and scarcity. What do you have to share (space, time, food, resources) and how can we share this as a community to build stronger bonds and come out of this more resilient than ever?"

Read about how Spruce Permaculture is continuing to deliver community food security through the pandemic here. 

Copyright © 2020 Spruce Permaculture Landscaping, All rights reserved.


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