It's a little unkind to talk about winter gardening in the midst of a heatwave. But still, it must be done. Just as you're wiggling your toes in the sand and floating around the lake on your air mattress, I'm going to say "Wake up! It's time to plant your beets, leeks and spinach!"

If you're anything like me, planting a winter garden will be on your to-do list for about a week before you get a single seed in the soil. I was lucky, because last week a friend and gardening mentor (Sharon Hanna of Hot Beds) invited me to a Winter Garden Party. She had a few seed packages, and some starter mix, and a few little pots, and a generous amount of expertise. About a dozen of us dug in and got our winter gardens underway.

Afterwards I realized that it's a brilliant way to get something done, and I think gardeners everywhere should get together for winter gardening parties. It can be potluck; someone brings a few types of seeds, someone else brings a bunch of wee plastic pots, a couple of people arrive with bags of starter mix, and a few people bring other types of seeds, bulbs, etc. I recommend passing around a bottle of wine and a few nibblies, of course. In my experience this is a good way to make sure people will show up.

Now, you'll want to get on this pronto, because in Vancouver it will soon be too late to plant some things. If you'd like some expert advice before you host your own winter garden party, attend a workshop. The Cedar Cottage Community Garden, a non-profit organization, is hosting one, and you're welcome to come along.
Date: Saturday August 8th
Time: 10:30am - end time TBA
Location: Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House
Address: 4065 Victoria Drive
Registration: Email Simon at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The workshop will start at the neighbourhood house and then move to the community garden site for hands-on learning. It's open to all and will be led by Sharon Hanna, a gardening teacher, consultant and regular contributor to GardenWise magazine (her blog is available at: gardenwiseonline.ca/shanna.)

Admission is by donation; it's a fundraiser for Cedar Cottage Community Garden.