Soil Mates Companion Planting Garden Workshop

Soil Mates Companion Planting Garden Workshop – Kitchen and Garden Workshop Series #3

Wildsight Kimberley/Cranbrook and Cranbrook Food Action Committee will be hosting a “Soil Mates Companion Planting Garden Workshop." The first workshop kicks off on Tuesday July 7^th in Kimberley at The Open Gate Garden on Rotary Drive and the second workshop on Wednesday July 8^th in Cranbrook at The Public Produce Garden, beside MacKinnon Park. Each workshop will run between 6:30pm - 8:30pm and cost $15 per person or $10 per Wildsight member, with volunteer bursaries available.

Companion planting, otherwise known as partner planting, follows the age old observation that some plants grow better when in the company of others.

"We can see this when we look at the Three Sisters,' says Dirk de Geus, Wildsight Kimberley/Cranbrook Food Sustainability Coordinator. "The Three Sisters are corn, beans and squash. The corn grows nice and tall and provides a structure for beans to climb onto. The beans provide nitrogen to the soil for the other plants to use, and the squash spreads along the ground benefiting the garden in numerous ways. These ways include blocking sunlight to help prevent the establishment of weeds, creating a natural mulch, and deterring pests with its prickly leaves.”

The topics covered in the workshop include how plants in your garden benefit from being planted together to enhance growth and taste, how they can naturally deter pests, and which plants do not make good partners. Dirk is a passionate gardener and says, “Nature does not grow in rows, nor will it grow one species of plant in one area; everything interacts. If you would like to grow bigger, tastier and healthier plants in a natural way, this is worth checking out.”

To register or find out more about the workshops visit www.wildsight.ca/kimcran or call 250-427-9325 x 221

Unique gardening workshops are held on a regular basis at The Open Gate Garden in Kimberley and The Public Produce Garden in Cranbrook. The gardens are open to anyone and there are no fees. Everyone and anyone can plant, water, weed and harvest freely. It is a great opportunity for those who do not have a personal garden or do not have the time to fully commit to gardening. These spaces are based on principles of sharing and learning.