It takes a community to prepare a garden


Over the past few weeks, Shoresh's Kavanah Garden has been visited by many. Humans, mining bees, hawks, turkey vultures, an American Toad, a Leopard Frog, a Garder snake and many more species have come out to enjoy the beautiful garden. One of the many lessons we have learned over this time has been that it takes a community to plant and prepare a garden. People are the key actors in community gardens and we are so grateful for our ever growing team of volunteers who are helping to develop and grow the Kavanah Garden.


Jewish Environmental Educators Training

The humans have been particularly helpful. Three weeks ago we ran our first Jewish Environmental Educators Training at Shoresh's Kavanah Garden! Eight of us studied, planted, and prepped together for 3 days, learning how to integrating Jewish texts and teachings into garden-based activities and projects!


Philosophizing about the connections between Judaism, agriculture and sustainability.

Shoresh staff, Kyla Landon filling up our new raised beds.

Yoga? Dance? Neither! The Jewish Environmental Educators are spreading native wildflower seeds to help attract native pollinators to the Kavanah Garden with the help of some homemade seed balls!


Lag Ba'Omer

On Sunday May 30th, in honor of Lab Ba'Omer, 30 people came out and helped transform and prepare the garden for the 2011 growing season. Together we finished building 16 raised beds, planted Jerusalem artichokes, tomatoes, corn, sunflowers, radishes, nastursiums, lettuces in wheelchairs beds and made deer scares out of old CDS to keep deer from eating our gardens (sorry deer, we love you but we want to enjoy and share the fruits of our labor!).


Wheelchair accessible gardens are ready for planting lettuce and radishes!


Human-power pedaled mowing! There's no electricity at Shoresh's Kavanah Garden...thank goodness we have lots of volunteer muscle power to mow the open areas using our own push lawnmower!

Helping prepare our worm bins for another season of eating and pooping!


Lag Ba'Omer is the only day between Passover and Shavuot when traditionally observant Jews are permitted to cut their hair. So Marc took the opportunity to shave!




Yom Manual Labour

Yesterday we celebrated Yom Manual Labor at the Garden. Twenty eager workers came out to prepare the garden for the season. We assembled ten new raised beds, tilled the soil, pulled out some weeds, picked up garbage, turned the compost, fixed the shed and put up our beautiful new sign!


Ruvena, 2010 Kavanah Garden Intern, helped build our unnamed Scarecrow last year an placed him in the garden yesterday. We are accepting names for him. Cast your vote/suggestion here.


J Scott MacIvor, PhD Candidate at York University is conducting innovative research about native pollinators at the Kavanah Garden. For details on his project, visit http://www.tobee.ca/.


Meet our 2011 Interns: Jenny and Bronwyn. Welcome to the team ladies!


Alice meets a millipede.


Weeding, tilling, preparing, oh my!


Thank you to Transtek Graphic Systems for donating this wonderful sign to the garden!


Preparing last years in ground beds for our new raised beds.


Wind swept through the garden and lifted up our shed!