Thursday 31 July 2014

Results of the Nepean Creek Survey (2012)


Immediately south of the NAGA Garden is the Nepean Creek. You can see part of the creek from the fence that runs along the south boundary of the garden.  In 2012 the Nepean Creek was extensively surveyed by staff and volunteers of with the City Stream Watch Program.  The report can be found at this link:
http://204.101.207.53/IM/Documents/Aquatics/City_Stream_Watch/Final_CSW2012_NepeanCreek.pdf

From the report Introduction:
Nepean Creek is approximately two kilometers long (excluding the stormwater ponds) and flows from Colonnade Business Park just east of Merivale Road to the Rideau River just south of the intersection of Prince of Wales Drive and Fisher Avenue. The headwater reaches of the creek are entombed, out letting just east of Howard Darwin Centennial Arena (formally Merivale). From that point, the creek flows along the southern edge of a highly developed residential area. A naturalized buffer has been maintained between the development and the stream, and well used recreational pathways wind their way through the area crossing the creek multiple times and connecting to residential streets. Nepean Creek has an one online stormwater pond and one offline stormwater settling pond located close to the Rideau River. The stormwater ponds were not included as part of the stream survey as they fall outside the guidelines of the stream assessment protocol.

Here are some interesting facts from the report:

Watershed surficial geology
42% clay
26% diamicton
8% organic deposits
1% bedrock
23% sand

Invasive species
Observed in Nepean Creek include purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus), zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha), Manitoba maple (Acer negundo), and buckthorn spp (Rhamnus cathartica).

 

Wednesday 23 July 2014

Seed Saving Workshop – 20 August 2014


Seed Saving is a means of ensuring that our food supply is not reliant on a small selection of varieties that can lead to vulnerability to disease, pests, and changes in climate. The practice of seed saving and sharing, seen as a hobby to some, promotes genetic diversity of crops and overall food security. Join Just Food’s Community Gardening Network and participate in a seed saving instructional workshop to learn more about this traditional practice.

This workshop, facilitated by Greta Kryger of Greta’s Organic Gardens, explains and demonstrates how to save seeds from your favourite vegetable varieties from year-to-year. Registrations is required and two dates are available.

When: August 20 at 6-8pm
Where: Dempsey Community Centre
When: August 27 at 6-8pm
Where: Bayshore Park Fieldhouse
Cost: $5 or pay-what-you-can
For more information or to register: email CGNintern@justfood.ca or call 699-6850 ext. 12

Thursday 17 July 2014

Food Bank donations - Pickup on Tuesday Mornings


Hello Gardeners,

I am hoping your gardens are growing well this year.

NAGA will once again be collecting produce for the food bank. Please put your produce in the blue bin in the tool shed by 10:30am on Tuesdays. We will start taking donations this coming Tuesday July 22.

A big thanks to Lee Coates who is taking the food to the food bank each week!

NAGA
http://nepeanallotmentgarden.yolasite.com

Thursday 3 July 2014

Garden inspections for remainder of 2014


Dear NAGA gardeners,

So far this year we have seen great improvements in the condition of the garden over the last few years. Thank you for all your efforts to keep your plots tidy and productive.


Below are the dates for remaining NAGA garden inspections:

7 July – weeds, headlands, abandonment/neglect

28 July – weeds, headlands, abandonment/neglect

18 August – weeds, headlands, abandonment/neglect

8 September – weeds, headlands, abandonment/neglect

Even though most of your gardens will have been harvested there are still two more inspections in the autumn (the lease ends 31 October):

29 September – weeds, headlands, abandonment/neglect (basically, try to keep it neat until the end of the year)

26 October – checking for removal of non-organic material for season cleanup (members must remove all poles, stakes, fences, planks, hoses etc. from their plots)

If there is a problem with maintaining your plot that you think we should know about, please inform us by emailing at nagagardens@gmail.com . (Please read this blog posting:http://nagaottawa.blogspot.ca/2013/06/are-you-taking-vacation-this-summer.html).

Thank your for your cooperation.

Craig and Ron

(on behalf of the Board of Directors)