From WCG Readers

I'm on the road at the moment, but a few things have come into my IN basket from others that are worth sharing. TW sent over this article from the Guardian: Fowl Play: One Many's Year Keeping Chickens and Trina over at Ordinary Corner let us know (via her email list) that the following items are in stock:

"Earth bank fish compost. LLOOVVEEDDD IT!!! great as a mulch in the vege garden.

EM Mother culture in 1 L jugs in. and activated Em as well, for those that may not want to activate it, or don't need such a big jug of mother culture.

For those long awaiting the temperature and weather is great to order nematodes for the garden. get rid of those nasty larvae that eat holes in your rhodos, azaleas, camellias, and also ring your rhodos at the soil level causing to die. If you want any let me know and we will add to our order.

Also ladybugs for the greenhouse and garden are also starting to come in, so if you have aphids here's a friendly way to get rid of them. and as an added bonus, we also have ladybug lures and houses in stock. If you want ladybugs let me know as well.

And our eagerly awaited order of mason bee homes and blocks for those that may want to build their own home.

we have a great selection of mint in, apple, ginger, chocolate, spearmint, peppermint. lots of seed potatoes, speciality potatoes, garlic 3 types, onion 3 types, horseradish root, blueberry and raspberry plants.

hyacinths and tulips planted in pots are starting to come into bloom.

Air pumps for making aerobic compost tea have arrived."

And she ends her email with: "WOOHOO!!!! spring spring spring." Yes indeedy. Woo Hoo Spring! I'm wondering if my new raspberry bed will have magically appeared while I've been away?

West Coast Seeds also sent their April newsletter, which is full of great information. This month there are tips on growing lettuce and planting a bee garden and they say "April is the month to direct sow beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, collards, endive, fennel, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsnips, peas, radishes, scallions, spinach, Swiss chard and turnips. Indoors, you want to get your cauliflower, celery, and eggplants started, and there is still time to start peppers and tomatoes indoors, but sooner is better than later."

And finally, Leah let me know that the Growing for Market Workshop is coming to the west coast if there are enough people. See all of the details below and don't fall to Tofino time when it comes to signing up. Sign up asap, svp.

Growing for Market Workshop
with Ellen Rainwalker

Sunday June 6
10 am to 4 pm
Tofino Botanical Gardens
Cost: $50 per person, or $75/couple (cash or cheque only)
Pre-registration required - please contact Leah Austin at tofinolocalfood@yahoo.ca

Co-sponsored by the Tofino Community Food Initiative and the Tofino Botanical Gardens.
Coffee and tea provided. Please bring a bag lunch.
This workshop is about making an income from backyards and small acreages by selling produce and other farm products to people in your community. Ellen Rainwalker is a former market gardener who has been growing food organically for over 40 years. She has a certificate in Ecological Agriculture.

Some of the topics covered will be: identifying high-value crops, labour-saving tools and equipment, soil improvement, succession planting for year-round harvests, growing in hoophouses, adding value to your products, direct marketing for best prices, developing customer loyalty, and much much more.

Each person will receive a packet of Resource materials (couples get one packet to share). There will be books on market gardening for sale at the workshop. If you have questions or want more information, email rainwalker@telus.net.

Part 1 - Small-Scale Organic Market Gardening from the Ground Up

- Characteristics of small-scale organic market gardening - what does this kind of farming look like?
- What do you need to get started in this kind of farming?
- Choosing high-value crops
- Market garden planning
- Seeds for market gardeners
- Soil & soil testing
- Maintaining soil fertility
- Season extenders - hoophouses, cloches, etc.
- Tools & techniques for transplanting & direct seeding
- Dealing with pests & diseases naturally
- Irrigation
- Harvesting techniques
- Post-harvest handling
- Where to get help

Part 2 - Marketing Your Farm Products

- Direct marketing - creating customer loyalty
- Organic certification and alternatives
- Obtaining BC Farm Status
- Low-profile and high-profile marketing styles
- Creating a farm identity
- Marketing techniques for profits - adding value, pricing, displaying products
effectively, etc.
- 10 different ways to sell your products locally
- How to network with like-minded growers over the Internet