Went to visit the beautiful Fraser Common Farm Co-Op in Langely with the youth. Had a wonderful farm tour with our host David Catzel where the youth learned about seed saving, the difference between true potato seeds and seed potatoes (potato clones), wasabi, flax, kale and brussel sprout hybrids, weeding, and harvested a row of beets.
Wild Minds Rewilding Project – Day 6. Tackled some pretty wild areas today in the youth garden, cleaning some weeds away from native salmonberry. Also staked the tomatillos and we all discovered that tomatillos along with mint in salads are amazing. Later spent some time in the compost area layering a new batch of compost. Was a wild day for sure.
Wild Minds Rewilding Project – Day 5. I have always loved visiting Strathcona and Cottonwood Gardens. They are a rare gem in Vancouver. But, I am seeing the garden from a new perspective, being able to work with youth in this magnificent place. The spaces to explore, the learning opportunities, and the simple beauty of these gardens and wild areas make these gardens a particularly unique experience for the youth and that have, I think, got them excited about gardening and ecology. They are really pumped up and having fun.
The Wild Minds Project – Day 4. The youth are blossoming in the Strathcona Community Gardens and Cottonwood Community Garden. There is so much to explore and learn, even play the piano. Our days are a mix of work in the youth garden and rewilding areas and learning. Today, the youth learned about bats and bat habitat and hopefully we will find a good spot to nail up a bat house.
The Britannia Wild Minds Project – Day 2. Located in the inner city of East Vancouver amongst warehouses is Vancouver’s Strathcona Community Gardens, a hidden oasis among amidst the urban concrete. A group of 10 Britannia Secondary Students are helping to rewild a section of the gardens by planting indigenous plants that will eventually grow into an urban forest that was previously overgrown with Himalayan Blackberry, providing new habitat for various animal species. The youth are loving the gardens with so much to expire including orchards, community gardens, pond areas, bee hives, and existing wild areas.
This project is a partnership between the Grandview Woodland Food Connection, Environmental Youth Alliance and the Evergreen Foundation, with funding generously provided by Evergreen Foundation and Seeds of Change.