This summer, thanks to funding through the BC Tourism Climate Resiliency Initiative, we’ve been able to do some much needed work to our gardens. Among other things, we’ve built and rebuilt demonstration garden: our heirloom vegetable garden, where we’ve been partnering with the Creston Valley Seed Bank for a number of years to show off some of the many varieties of heirloom vegetables the Seed Bank helps preserve; and our brand-new Victory Garden. During the Second World War, these backyard vegetable gardens were promoted as an important part of the war effort. Today, the same idea is making a return as a way of addressing food security and affordability issues. Admittedly, ours is a scaled-down version (because we don’t have much space), but it’s still very exciting to see what can be produced in small spaces!
The carrots are short and a little wonky, because the soil wasn’t deep enough to let them grow – but the tomatoes are running amok!
Cabbage, anyone? This is the biggest one so far, but there are a few others catching up! There’s also kale and chard.
We only had room for a few stalks of corn – but those ears are a good size and nearly ready!
Tomatoes from the Heirloom Garden are ripening quickly! Peppers are coming along – it’s almost time to make some salsa!
Ann collected a meal’s worth of green beans today. Terje picked the one lonely cucumber that has appeared so far, and we all got a laugh out of the scrunched up carrots (note for next year: dig out the rock-hard clay a little deeper). They and Mike are in today adding some black currants, to supplement the Saskatoons, elderberries, and crabapples that grow semi-wild on and around the property. And the grapes – a legacy of Rudolph Schultz, who built the Museum building sixty years ago – are promising a bumper crop!
What do we do with the produce when it’s ready? Well, volunteers get first dibs, visitors have been known to sample a bit (especially the grapes by the entry), and the rest is available by donation. Quantities are very limited, though! Stop in at the gift shop to see what’s available today!
