Getting Seedy

We managed to get to the Seedy Saturday event at the Ron Kolbus centre (at Britannia Park), and were blown away by how great it was. Of course there were seeds to trade (we forgot to bring ours, but we probably need them for the new garden anyway), but also 8 or so small seed vendors specializing in organic and heirloom varieties. I spoke to one of the owners of The Cottage Gardner, and she said it's the busiest she's ever seen it. Of course, since we showed up at 2 pm, a lot of varieties were sold out. We'll have to rely on mail order. Along with the seed vendors, there were displays from a lot of local food-oriented organizations, including Just Food, who produce the excellent BuyLocal food guide. They also sponsor the Community Gardening Network of Ottawa, which includes fourteen local community gardens. The closest to Bells Corners looked like it was in the Carlington neighbourhood. I wonder if there would be any appetite for a community garden here? Most people have lots which are big enough for a small garden, but that doesn't have the same social aspect of getting together with a bunch of like-minded gardeners to dig some dirt. So what do you think? Where would be a good location for a community garden in Bells Corners?

Bells Corners Photovoice

My daughter and I have been participating in a program called "Photovoice" over the past couple of weeks, where residents are given cameras and asked to take pictures of things in their communities. The subjects fall into two categories: things you value, and things you would like to change. We're not sure where the results will end up, but it sounds like there may be a display at the Centennial Library in the new year, as well as a large showing of photos from many communities around Ottawa at City Hall in June.

We had to select just one from each category to submit. So here are a couple of the "rejects". Which category do you think they fall in to?

The Cleanup

We only made it out to the last hour of the Bells Corners cleanup on Sunday, but it was great to meet some other cleaners, including the Green and NDP candidates for Nepean Carleton, and their entourages. There wasn't much litter to pick up around the community centre, since the city had been there the week before, but we managed to get half a garbage bag full of stuff. The folks who had made the trek through Bells Corners had very full bags. Thanks to Hibou for organizing this!