Dear Greenhouse Community, 

The 2012 growing season has started! The Greenhouse Collective invites you to help us grow healthy, strong seedlings that are free from pests. Indeed, we need your help to usher in a horticulturally recommended cleanliness in the Greenhouse. We want to do this to protect our plants from harmful diseases and insects, so that we have higher yields this summer. 

The Atrium Tea Garden continues to be open to the public as a beautiful location for cultural & educational events. The rest of the greenhouse space is now concentrated on growing plants and new hygiene practices will be in place. The greenhouse remains accessible to the public — only now, we encourage participation to take the form of starting, assisting and maintaing healthy plant growth. 

As Silvia Federici noted at Study in Action this past weekend, urban gardens are indispensable if we are to regain control over our food production, regenerate our environment and provide for our subsistence. With this space entrusted to us, we as a community have such a great opportunity: let’s continue to genuinely address issues of food security and urban sustainability by growing food & sharing knowledge about growing food.

Alternatives and City Farm School are proud to offer a summer-long paid internship working with youth aged 12 -18.

This multidisciplinary internship offers a unique opportunity for interns to acquire the skills and experience necessary to develop and manage a community based urban agriculture initiative. This program aspires to bridge theory with practice by coupling skills training with hands-on work experience in the community.

Apply now! Deadline is March 2

Check out the full details here

Interested in urban farming? Want to learn how to actually make money at it? Or just have the ultimate backyard garden?

At this presentation, you’ll learn how the SPIN (Small Plot INtensive) farming system, which is now being practiced by a growing corps of farmers across Canada and the U.S., can be used to create a high-income producing farm or improve your current operation. SPIN is the first organic-based production system for land bases under an acre in size, and it can be implemented by aspiring and practicing backyard, front lawn and neighborhood lot farmers everywhere. All you need is to equip yourself with the right gear and a radically new understanding of what it means to be a farmer.

About the presenter, Curtis Stone
Curtis is the owner/operator of Green City Acres, a pedal powered urban SPIN farm based in Kelowna, BC. Farming under an acre on a collection of 8 different urban plots, he sells through the local farmers market, restaurants and a 30 member CSA veggie box program. All operations on his SPIN farm, including deliveries, moving compost, tools and a 400 lb. rear tine rototiller, are done with custom utility bicycles and custom built steel framed trailers.

http://www.greencityacres.com/

Take a break from Jack Frost and cozy up with us over a nice cup of tea at the Concordia Greenhouse this Thursday for a fine fundraising soirée.There will be live music featuring:

Bum Tickins’
http://www.myspace.com/bumtickins

Davita G.
www.myspace.com/davitag

Patrick Hutchinson of the Swift Years

http://www.myspace.com/httpwwwmyspacecomswiftyears

Don’t miss out on the crazy punch and baked goodies we prepared just for you. Help us keep the space running by gracing us with your presence and kindly donations.

Event is PWYC.

* Event follows a presentation by Curtis Stone on Small Plot INtensive (SPIN) farming