News & Events | Goldenrod Garden

Newsletter #7 - July 25

Jul 25, 2021

Greetings Fellow Gardeners!

Our amazing, stupendous, dynamic (and humble) Communications Committee is looking for a volunteer with a talent for graphic design, some website design and a soupçon of social media savvy.

Does that sound like you? Then please reach out to our fearless Comms leader, Sara C. by email at goldenrodgarden@gmail.com. Just put “Comms volunteer” in the subject line.

Did you know that you can read the Minutes of Goldenrod’s Board meetings on our website? Check them out here.

Official Opening of the Goldenrod Community Garden

The Official Opening of the Goldenrod Community Garden will take place on Monday July 26, 2021. The event has been captured both on video and in an article. These will be featured in various local media channels and on our website.

For the ceremony, Goldenrod’s (former) interim Board President Susan Harvey along with other interim Board members including Allegra Newman, Tanya Salewski, Carmel Boosamra and Al Webb, welcomed many local politicians and dignitaries: the Honourable Catherine McKenna, MP for Ottawa Centre and Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, Joel Harden, MPP for Ottawa Centre, Jeff Leiper, Councillor for Kitchissippi Ward, and Tobi Nussbaum, Chief Executive Officer for the National Capital Commission.

Also present, Randy Mayes, the Executive Director of the Odawa Native Friendship Centre. He presented a message of land acknowledgement and thanked the Goldenrod volunteers for their work in establishing this garden and its contribution to the residents of the neighbourhood.

Here’s a note we received from the office of Tobi Nussbaum:

Tobi had a great visit at the Goldenrod Garden last week to congratulate them on their first opening season! We must thank the volunteers who worked tirelessly to build these garden beds from scratch. What a great addition for the community in Kitchissippi!

photo credit/courtesy of National Capital Commission (NCC)

Getting to know you

On any sunny weekend morning you might happen to meet Emily and her son Calum watering tomato, basil and pepper plants in plot #23.

Emily is one of three original founding members of the team who worked for over 7 years to establish a community garden in Kitchissippi. She was instrumental in getting the NCC to approve this area of land for Goldenrod in 2019 and we are grateful for her dedication to this project.

Building community, bringing people together and creating a sense of belonging through shared interests - these are the things that drive her.

Along with establishing Goldenrod, Emily is Vice-President of the Board of Directors for the Hintonburg Community Association. Do you love the HCA newsletter? We have Emily to thank for that, too! Haven’t yet had the pleasure? You can check it out here.

The Donor Corner, Maker House/Gareth Davies

Gareth Davies is the founder and CEO of the finest collection of Canadian maker furniture, homewares, gifts and crafts in the city: Maker House Co., located on Wellington Street West in Hintonburg.

Gareth Davies and Maker House is committed to values of Community & Environment, Storytelling & Authenticity, Heritage & Diversity. And these principles guide Gareth’s passion for community building. Maker House Co. donates 2% of all sales to a community non-profit to encourage everyday activism. This is called their #CraftChange movement. You can read more about #CraftChange here.

Since 2015 Maker House has donated over $100,000 to many community organizations and initiatives including Goldenrod Community Garden. We are grateful for this support!

Gareth Davies is a proud recipient of the Ottawa Business Journal’s 2021 “40 Under Forty Award”. At the ceremony, Gareth talked about one of his biggest influences - his mom; “My mother, who was always passionate about shopping local and supporting artists before it was trendy.”

And the advice he’d give to his younger self? “Share your ideas, foster partnerships, keep dreaming and be patient.”

Please discover the Maker House website here.

Read about the 2021 40 Under Forty Award here.

Tunney’s Pasture redevelopment

What happens at Tunney's Pasture will have a significant impact on the residents of our neighbourhood; the housed and the homeless, the advantaged and the disadvantaged.

The community associations representing Wellington Village, Champlain Park, Hintonburg and Mechanicsville have formed Neighbours for Tunney’s to focus on these and other Tunney’s Pasture redevelopment-related issues. Click this link for more information.

Community Resources

Street Outreach Team

The Well - extensive list of resources

The Parkdale Food Centre

The Coalition for the Homeless (USA)

Please Donate

Goldenrod Community Garden exists because of the generous support of people like you. Please consider donating funds to our Phase 2 Build and to our ongoing maintenance costs. (Water, water, water…)

Reminders

Remember to visit the Kitchissippi outdoor Community Fridge. The rules of community fridges are simple: take what you need, leave what you can. Please find more information here.

Add your name to the Plot Waitlist for 2022

Please find further details here

Become a Friend of the Goldenrod Community Garden

Anyone can become a Friend; you don’t have to have a plot or even live in Kitchissippi. Please find more information here.

Newsletter #5 - July 12

Jul 20, 2021

Indigenous Land Acknowledgement

Goldenrod Community Garden acknowledges that our location is on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial. We are grateful to have the opportunity to be present, garden and gather in this territory.

Greetings Fellow Gardeners!

We are all excited and delighted to see our new Goldenrod Community Garden sign! A photo of the sign acts as the banner at the top of this week’s newsletter (.pdf). This feels like a big moment and we applaud the Communications committee for the beautiful design!

And permanent plot number markers have been installed. Garden foliage is so large and lush that you may have to lift zucchini leaves or peek under tomato branches to find yours.

People are discovering Goldenrod. Early Saturday morning there was someone doing yoga on the cut-grass-empty-space. And a couple of local ladies have become regular visitors; they sit on chairs and chat in the shade near the edge of the garden. Cyclists wander through heading to-and-from the SJAM. Friends of members show up to water and weed. It’s a peaceful place to just be.

In other news, we ran out of water last Friday and tanks were refilled on Tuesday.

Last week’s update from the Build team is still valid: we have been busy building the shed and the screen fences that will be used to hide the water tanks. Three compost bins are nearing completion. Some build projects are still works in progress. Please take care around them. We'll be sending more information about the use of the shed and the compost area when each one is 'ready to roll’.

An Official Opening of the Goldenrod Community Garden is coming soon. Because of Covid restrictions, the format will be video. Stay tuned for more details and links.

Susan Harvey, the President of Goldenrod Community Garden’s interim Board, has resigned effective July 5. She will be missed.

Farewell Susan Harvey! A note from our Interim Board

Susan Harvey has served as President of the interim Board of Directors since May 2020 but has been involved with the Goldenrod Community Garden for much longer. Balancing work and family life while leading the building of a community garden under Covid restrictions would have been challenging for anyone. Despite this, she managed to keep the team focussed on the goal with great efficiency and professionalism. Under her leadership the garden was built and various committees were established to meet rising needs as the development of the garden progressed.

Goldenrod finally opened, to much acclaim, on June 5, 2021. While there is still a lot of work to be done, it is evident that the garden is being put to good use by members and feedback has been very positive.

Susan resigned from her position after Canada Day, to devote more time to her demanding profession and to her family. The Board members wish to express their heartfelt thanks for her leadership, her friendship and for all the work she has done to get the garden established.

We wish Susan well and look forward to seeing her wander through the garden to tend her plot without having to worry about the logistics.

Thank you Susan!

Getting to know you

Brigit planted a “mystery garden” in plot 21. She was gifted a number of unlabeled tomato seedlings so she has been watering and weeding, anxious to see what the harvest will be; Beefsteak? Roma? Heirloom? Who knows? Brigit is passionate about alternative food networks so she’s excited to be involved in a community food program that will (she hopes) keep striving to adhere to principles of sustainability. And she loves that Goldenrod is a healthy and fun place to meet neighbours!

The Donor Corner: ASL Contractors, Sandro Ricci

ASL Contractors (Ottawa) is regarded as the pre-eminent local earthworks expert and a leading landscape contractor. This combination of earthworks and landscaping capacities is unique in their market and, coupled with their innovative, service centric, employee focused culture, makes them an industry leader. Company President, Sandro Ricci, is passionate about supporting the building of community gardens across this city!

Goldenrod is grateful for Sandro’s generous donation to the Phase 1 Build Fund.

Sandro serves his community, whether that is supporting Goldenrod Community Garden or Nanny Goat Community Garden or acting as Director of the NCHCA. In 2018, a huge in-kind effort by ASL resulted in the restoration of the pond at the Baxter Conservation area. It is now know as the Baxter ASL Pond where over 4,000 fish, frogs, tadpoles and turtles thrive.

Sandro Ricci is a proud recipient of the Ottawa Business Journal’s 2021 Forty Under 40 Award, which recognizes professional achievement, expertise and community service. Congratulation, Sandro!

Read more about Sandro Ricci and ASL here and here. More about the Baxter ASL Pond restoration here.

Please Donate

Reminders

Remember to visit the Kitchissippi outdoor Community Fridge. The rules of community fridges are simple: take what you need, leave what you can. Please find more information here.

Add your name to the Plot Waitlist for 2022

Please find further details here

Become a Friend of the Goldenrod Community Garden

Anyone can become a Friend; you don’t have to have a plot or even live in Kitchissippi. Please find more information here.

Member Engagement Committee

Interested in helping to plan and execute events and activities at Goldenrod? There’s still time to join! We ask you to please complete this form

Newsletter #6 - July 19

Jul 20, 2021

Indigenous Land Acknowledgement

Greetings Fellow Gardeners!

One morning last week, some members encountered a young man with a bicycle resting and reading in Goldenrod. No one knows if he stayed there overnight. Everyone was concerned for his welfare and, luckily, one of our interim Board members, Dietrich Sider, decided to try and engage with him. Here is Dietrich’s summary of that encounter:

“I spoke with him a couple of times that evening as we were working on site. He said he was waiting for his friend to get home and thought he would be able to get a meal and stay with him, and after a bit he packed up and rode off. He was quiet and private and I didn't probe further than making sure he was ok and that he knew where he could go for help if his plan didn't work out.

Without making any assumptions about this particular person's circumstances, I think the best thing we can do is to educate ourselves about how to respond compassionately in situations that may make us uncomfortable.”

Here are some resources:

Street Outreach Team http://www.ottawaboothcentre.org/?ID=56

The Well - extensive list of resources https://the-well.ca/resource-list

The Parkdale Food Centre https://parkdalefoodcentre.ca/

The Coalition for the Homeless (USA)

Is it carrot or is it ragweed??

We all aware of ragweed and the allergic reaction it can cause. It is self-seeding and invasive. Unfortunately ragweed is currently growing in many Goldenrod plots.

Ragweed has the appearance of a solid, bushy fern while carrot seedlings are much more delicate and have a feathery look – see pictures provided below. The shade of green of the leaves is also different.

Ragweed starts blooming in mid-July. If allowed to release its pollen, all plots will be infected as well as the NCC land where it currently appears to be non-existent. We ask for your cooperation in removing ragweed from your plots.

Make sure you pull out the entire root and please do not put it in the compost bins as its seeds might be spread on the plots next spring. Instead throw it in the white garbage bag left near the water tanks behind the shed.

Carrot seedling Common ragweed

Official Opening of the Goldenrod Community Garden

An Official Opening of the Goldenrod Community Garden really is coming soon! Because of Covid restrictions, the format will be video. It is a great video! Stay tuned for more details and links.

Getting to know you, Goldenrod

A shantytown nicknamed Le Port once stood on the location we now call Goldenrod Community Garden. In the 1930’s the Great Depression pushed many residents of Mechanicsville and Hintonburg into homelessness. They

gathered on the land south of the Ottawa River.

Source: City of Ottawa Archives, CA-18439

Please read this fascinating article by Dave Alston in the Kitchissippi Times. Dave Allston is a local historian and the author of the Kitchissippi Museum.

Tunney’s Pasture redevelopment

What happens at Tunney's Pasture will have a significant impact on the residents of our neighbourhood; the housed and the homeless, the advantaged and the disadvantaged.

Please Donate

Reminders

Remember to visit the Kitchissippi outdoor Community Fridge. The rules of community fridges are simple: take what you need, leave what you can. Please find more information here.

Add your name to the Plot Waitlist for 2022

Please find further details here

Become a Friend of the Goldenrod Community Garden

Anyone can become a Friend; you don’t have to have a plot or even live in Kitchissippi. Please find more information here.

Member Engagement Committee

Interested in helping to plan and execute events and activities at Goldenrod? There’s still time to join! We ask you to please complete this form