Spring is in the air, which means it’s time to start thinking about putting seeds in the ground.
Home gardeners in the area are already prepping their soil in anticipation of the start of the growing season.
Cochrane resident Tom Pateman has more than 57 years of experience with home gardening and he says the benefits are clear.
“It’s yours, and the cost is about 30 per cent of what you’d pay in a store,” said Pateman.
“It’s grown better and it’s picked fresh.”
Those looking to get a garden started don’t have to worry about exorbitant start-up costs.
Pateman estimates building a backyard garden to cost around $200.
“They can do most of the work themselves,” said Pateman.
“The biggest cost is the sheep manure [or] calf manure and getting fertilizer plowed in.”
Gardening season in Cochrane runs from May to August or mid-September depending on the weather.
however, even when the season is right, Cochrane is uniquely difficult for growing in.
“We have more wind, colder nights, more frost nights, and dryer and hotter conditions than Calgary. The short, hot day/cold night and desiccation combo makes it hard for many people in Cochrane to grow food,” said Darwin Wiggett, treasurer for Cultivate Cochrane, an organization dedicated to establishing a communal greenhouse hub in Cochrane.
Cochrane’s harsh climate limits the variety of vegetables that can be grown but there is still a wide variety that will thrive.
Beginner gardeners can ease into the experience with potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and beans, which are the easiest to grow.
Local wildlife can be another problem for gardeners as animals are attracted to the food and love to eat plants or otherwise damage them, but keeping them out is fairly simple.
Pateman’s garden features a high fence (just over six feet) covered in hops-vines to keep animals from trying to jump in.
More open spaces may require a little more ingenuity to keep animals at bay.
Pateman once hung tin pie plates and bags of human hair (ethically sourced from his wife’s work as a stylist), and the combination of noise and human scents warded off hungry deer in the area.
People looking to invest in home gardening and other outdoor projects are in luck, as OnGrowing Works has begun their annual spring workshops once again.
The workshops cover a variety of topics from landscaping to composting to building a stone pizza oven and more.
“It’s really important to us, as part of our general community involvement, that we let folks know what is current news or current trends,” said Bruce Kay, owner of OnGrowing Works.
“So, a connection to thoughtful design, thoughtful construction, food production and social awareness are the real drivers for why we engage in these workshops.”
Funds raised from the workshops will be donated to Cultivate Cochrane to help with their greenhouse project.
Those interested can register for the workshops online, by phone, or by visiting the OnGrowing Works office in-person.
Members of Cultivate Cochrane will also be present at each workshop to talk about their project and document the workshops.
The cost of a community greenhouse has been estimated at being anywhere from $200,000 to $900,000 depending primarily on where the greenhouse is built.
Those curious about Cultivate Cochrane can visit its website at cultivatecochrane.com or attend one of its informational coffee chats that will be going on until mid-May.
