CKDU's Operation Wake Up host Felix Kanneman speaks with Garity Chapman from the Ecology Action Centre about Urban Gardening in Halifax.
We talk about Halifax' community and collective gardens, guerrilla gardening hotspots, school gardening, urban farming, Community Supported Agriculture and the local food revival in Nova Scotia. Garity shares her knowledge about useful gardening resources, local workshops and events, gives advice on planting & growing, urban soil quality & soil health, and how to maintain a sustainable, organic garden in an urban environment.
interview by Felix Kanneman
Also featured: practical tips about the upcoming growing season, various plant species, and how to protect delicate plants from the Atlantic Canadian weather. Options for people on a limited time budget include participation in a collective garden and small-scale gardening using potted plants.
And if you want to get involved in urban farming and support the local food economy without getting your hands dirty, Garity recommends Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Local CSAs include Lake City Farm in Dartmouth which uses a technique known as Small Plot Intensive (SPIN) farming to grow crops with minimal land use, and an upcoming urban farm project, "The Diggers". To participate in Community Supported Agriculture, purchase locally grown food or get in touch with the farming community, check out the Grainery Food Co-Op (2385 Agricola St, Halifax) and the Halifax Farmers Market (every Saturday 7am to 1pm, 1496 Lower Water St, Halifax).