The sunshine is here to stay, and our Grounds team is getting busy in the College’s 30 x 60 ft garden to participate in Winnipeg Harvest’s Grow- A-Row for the 7th year. While last harvest we broke our RRC donation record with 4,270 lbs of carrots, beets, onions, pumpkins and potatoes to support Winnipeggers in need, this year we invite YOU to join us from home to beat our record.

The benefits of growing your own food goes far beyond “I grew that!” pride. Growing, cultivating, and preserving your own food is a healthy hobby with many advantages for you, your family and the community. You can introduce little ones to a garden classroom, your grocery list decreases, and you have access to food right in your own backyard. This is what the Grow-A-Row initiative is all about. Dating back to 1986, when Ron and Eunice O’Donovan produced more potatoes in their backyard garden than they could consume, they donated to Winnipeg Harvest and encouraged friends and neighbours to do the same. Since then, Grow-A-Row has yielded millions of pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables supporting the food security initiatives within our greater community.

Our Zero Waste Coordinator, Amanda, ready to begin her planting.

This year our Grounds team will be planting beets, onions, potatoes, pumpkins, and various herbs and we invite all of you to grow- a-row and add your bounty to the College’s donation. Sign-up to tell us what you’re planting and we’ll connect at harvest time!

To make the most out of this planting season Groundskeeper, Brady Barron has some quick tips to make your home garden a success!

When Planting in Apartments

Most herbs are easy to grow inside. Position your plants on a south-facing windowsill and watch them take off! Easy to grow herbs include basil, chervil, chives, rosemary, oregano, parsley, sage, and thyme. These herbs will surprise you in how quickly they flourish and how flavorful they are in countless recipes.

When Planting a Garden

Location is key. Overhead structures like buildings or large trees can drastically reduce needed light for your plants. Avoid areas near tree roots as they will be a large consumer of the water you apply. Choose an area with good drainage so plants don’t sit in water and develop diseases.

Spacing is essential. Look for plant spacing information on seed packages and plant labels… and follow it! Crowded plants compete for light, water and nutrients. Ample spacing between rows or groupings makes gardening easier by giving you room to weed and harvest.

Remember that you can have fun and be unique with creating your garden! Make your garden any shape to take advantage of light and space you have.

When Sourcing Seeds

A lot of people purchase greenhouse started plants and pay a premium for them. Purchasing seed can be very cost-effective and produce quite well. You can get seeds pretty much everywhere – your local greenhouse is a great place to start. RRC Grounds purchases seeds at T&T seeds. “We find that they have pretty much everything you could ask for!”, says Brady.

Now that you have our notes it’s time to turnip the beet, get your garden gloves on and sign-up to be a part of this year’s Grow-A-Row!

We can’t wait to see your garden grow. For questions and to share your gardening accomplishments, contact sustainability@rrc.ca