Our annual plant exchange is back at last. This is the 12th plant exchange event we have organized in Etobicoke and we are so looking forward to growing with you!
Date: Sunday May 8th, 2022 Yes, it’s Mother’s Day – but the morning only!
Time: 9-12pm Early birds bring the best plants!
Location: Assembly Hall 1 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive
Rain or Shine!
What happens at our Plant Exchange?
Good question!
Bring a plant and take home a plant. All plants are donated by local gardeners from overflowing gardens. There is usually something for everyone! Maybe you need some more bulbs or berries or daylilies or you have tons of those to share.
Bring them with you when you come.
Daisy Heart for the Avid Gardener (in love with Flowers)
Seed and plant exchanges allow gardeners of every level in our community to come together and share seeds, cuttings, and transplants from their own gardens to swap with others. Even wisdom, sometimes books and references are shared. Most importantly, new friendships and stories are shared!
Get your seeds and start growing now for the 2022 Garden Season!
Last year we compiled 30 days of Gratitude – Giving Back Thank you to our great Mother Earth. Here is our List of 30 seeds/plants, recipes and favourite garden links for you to get inspired for Seed Starting. Did you know that our FREE seed library is open 7 days a week?
Even through the rainiest day, the coldest snow storm, the hottest days of the year. We are fortunate to have a local ECO HUB as our base at the Healing Muse Apothecary AND accessible via Big Guys Coffeeshop Coffeeshop & Seed Library Hours: 9-5pm Monday to Saturday 9-3pm on Sundays
Yes – Big Guys Coffeeshop is open all year long (except for New Year’s Day, but that’s a great day to stay home!)
Use our Seed Library – FREE – In our Local Eco Hub:
The Healing Muse 2859 Lakeshore Blvd West Toronto ON M8V 1H1
You can receive FREE seeds by mail, from our SEED LIBRARY, just send us a SASE (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope) —- please note what seeds you are looking for, or we will send a random assortment of garden veggies and flowers!
Explore with these Daily Inspirations from our Garden Stewards. Pick up a new book to read, some seeds from our local seed library at The Healing Muse and maybe even try a new recipe from the garden. Here are 30 ways to begin!
[you can receive seeds by mail, just send us a SASE – self stamped and self addressed envelope]
15 SEEDS TO ENJOY AND DISCOVER IN OUR SEED LIBRARY!
seedling 1 – Purple Cornflower
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Purple Cornflower – Echinacea purpurea, Tall, Purple North American Native, Pollinator
Feel Good Book to Read: Grow your own spices: harvest homegrown ginger, turmeric, saffron, wasabi, vanilla, cardamom, and other incredible spices – no matter where you live By: Tasha Greer
Quote to Enjoy: “Little things seem nothing, but they give peace, like those meadow flowers which individually seem odorless but all together perfume the air.” Georges Bernanos
seedling 6 – Calendula
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Calendula – Calendula Officinalis
Quote to Enjoy: “Love is the flower of life, and blossoms unexpectedly and without law, and must be plucked where it is found, and enjoyed for the brief hour of its duration. ” D. H. Lawrence
seedling 8 – Brown Eyed Susan
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Brown-Eyed Susan, Rudebeckia Triloba
Feel Good Book to Read: Outstanding American gardens : a celebration : 25 years of the Garden Conservancy By: Brenner, Marion
Garden Recipe to Try: Spicy Peach Chutney
Quote to Enjoy: “Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace. ” May Sarton
seedling 13 – Dill
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Dill – Anethum Graveolens
Garden Recipe to Try: Green Tomato Mincemeat Tarts
Quote to Enjoy: “Help us to be ever faithful gardeners of the spirit, who know that without darkness nothing comes to birth, and without light nothing flowers. ” May Sarton
seedling 15 – Evening Primrose
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Evening primrose – Oenothera Biennis
Quote to Enjoy: “From plants that wake when others sleep, from timid jasmine buds that keep their odour to themselves all day, but when the sunlight dies away let the delicious secret out to every breeze that roams about. ” Thomas Moore
DANCING IN THE GARDENSEED LIBRARY IS OPENSNOW DROPS SEED EXCHANGE
15 MORE SEEDS FROM OUR SEED LIBRARY AND BOOKS WITH RECIPES TO ENJOY!
seedling 16 – Field Poppy
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Field Poppy (annual) – Papaver Rhoeas
Quote to Enjoy: “To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower Hold infinity in the palms of your hand and eternity in an hour.” William Blake
seedling 19 – Joe Pye Weed
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Joe Pye Weed – Eutrochium
Quote to Enjoy: “A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit. ” D. Elton Trueblood
seedling 21 – Morning Glory
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Morning Glory – Ipomoea Tricolor
Quote to Enjoy: “A garden requires patient labor and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them. ” Liberty Hyde Bailey
Urban lichens : a field guide for northeastern North America : including New York City, Chicago, Toronto, Boston, New Haven, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C.
join us in our first annual September Harvest showcase.
We hope to see you in our community gardens, in the west end of Toronto, South Etobicoke. We have been working very hard to grow an urban farming environment that’s inviting and welcoming to everyone.
Come see our growing gardens, pollinator beds, raised beds, Fruit Orchard and join us in the many activities we have planned for this coming September 11th, 2021.
We support the Daily Bread Food Bank with our produce and our dedicated garden steward volunteers work had weekly to grow food for everyone – growing food security where it is needed the most!
We are launching our Annual Tea Fundraiser this fall – starting this month. Making blends and custom tea blends. Want to join us? info@legsetobicoke.ca
We will discuss growing, harvesting, drying and storing teas!
In preparation for our tea production we are going to have at least one (or more time permitting) tea blending party.
We will mix herbs and dried fruit and try a few.
We will work on developing our LEGS signature blends among them Summer Berry Tea (name to be chosen).
You are invited to come to the Healing Muse. Wed August 11th at 5 p.m.
Tart and Sweet. Kellly Geary and Jessie Knadlerhttps://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/search.jsp?N=4292744803 – sweet apple cider baby beets- pickled baby beets with juniper berries- peach lavender jam- canned hole berries- pickled cauliflower- ginger garlic pickles- zucchini relish
Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavours for a Modern Pantry. Liana Krissoffhttps://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM2732960&R=2732960 – pickled asparagus- blackberry jam with lemon zest- apricot halves with honey and ginger- peaches in vanilla syrup- peach jam with lemon thyme- raspberry jam with mint and lavender- roasted peppers with lemon juice- zucchini bread-and-butter pickles with ginger- mint apple jelly
It’s high time we take a moment to stop and appreciate, applaud, rejoice, and count our blessings for having such an amazing and dedicated, joyful and wonderful lead Garden Stewart as part of our community gardens here at LEGS Etobicoke: Catherine Mayled! She has taken our society of Lakeshore Environmental Gardeners by healthy rain nourishing storm! And, that makes us all grow food! And, we are growing our Community Food Security as a result. Want to join us?
thank you!
The Garlic Harvest Season is in full bloom and Our Garden Steward Lead – Catherine Mayled Leads us to great success!
We are Thankful!
Are you ready to join us in the garden and grow even more food and community love? If you are, we are happy to have you join us. The spinach will love you. And, the beans will love you. Of course, the garlic is smiling. Can you see?!?
garlic harvest is great this season and we are rejoicing!
Our Gardens are Blooming! Here’s what new from the last few weeks
Donations:
We received some wonderful organic vegetables plant donations from Stefan & Lucas at etobiGrow. They are an amazing company founded by brothers Stefan and Lukas, please check out their website, it would be great to support them next year, I will be getting my organic potting soil from them.Buy Local and Organic Plants with etobiGrow | See what’s growing!
South Garden – Garden Ongoing Chores!
Harvest fruit Planting Pick up fallen cherries/apples
Honouring the North American Way of Planting Plant up another 3 sisters area for Canada Day
Come and see our new 3 sisters garden plots:
Background: The Iroquois (Hodeneshone) were agricultural people who lived along the eastern shores of Lake Ontario in Canada, and in northern New York State below the St. Lawrence River.
Among the good spirits of the Iroquois are the three sisters who reside over their favourite vegetables – corn, beans and squash. They are represented as loving one another very dearly and dwelling together in peace and unity.
The vines of the vegetables grow upon the same soil and cling lovingly to one another. The spirit of corn is draped over the corn with its green leaves and silken tassels which represent a green shawl and long blond hair. The sister who guards the bean has the garments of velvety green pods and delicate tendrils, while the spirit of the squash is clothed with the brilliant yellow blossoms.
On bright nights you may be able to see the spirit of the three sisters flitting about or hear them rustling amongst the tall corn.
We Learn about Gardening & Growing Sustainably All Year Long!
Thank you to Barbara, Dorota, Ewa, Matt, Pete, Cathy, Rene, Marcy for your hard work today…
Dorota – Our Orchard Steward –
She feeds us well. She brought in these delicious beauties for the hard working garden stewards! See how our community garden is thriving.
Well done – all before the start of June hot days! Thank you to Dorota for organizing the apple socks and the delicious muffins and Barbara for bringing and making the wooden apples, also Marcy for taking photographs for us. You are the community in action.
What We accomplished: • Watering • Weeding • Planting • PruningApple socks and traps.
Thank you everyone for your time today. Catherine LEGS Garden Coordinator
Our 2021 Spring Plant Exchange was a tremendous success – thank you to all of you! May your gardens and hearts bloom with much love.
Our star Plant Exchange Sharer, Gatherer, Fundraiser Was Julie – Thank you Julie!!!
So far we have raised over $350 and still going strong!
Our Community Garden always needs more volunteers for weeding, watering, and general plant love. Our Community LEGS garden group always needs more members to create open, accesible events and programs for everyone to learn.
Donate your time or money anytime to help us grow this community one plant at a time!
Support us with your $10 Membership donation now: eTransfer to: legstreasurer@gmail.com and notify us if you would like a membership card as well
At long last, the weather has turned into warm and sunny support that we need to grow our wonderful plants, to grow our food, to grow our community.
For a while there, the nights turn cold and then the days we get hot and then there was wind and then there was rain and our gardens were all getting a world wind of activity. Did you find that May was quite a disturbance? It was touch and go there for a while wasn’t it? Did you put sheets on top of your raised vegetable beds?
Our garden is flourishing
Have a look at the wonderful work that is growing in our community garden farm, in our community.
Each week ( or even each day!!!) New plants will be donated by neighbhours and gardeners at these locations and you can come by and pick up your favourites!
First come, first serve. While quantities last.
5 locations — 3 weeks of plants!
The way it works: You bring a plant / take a plant! The plant varieties will keep changing. LEGS Spring Plant Exchange runs from Sat., May 8 till Sunday, May 30 depending on individual locations.
Donate to support our Community based group! Etransfer Donations accepted at: Legstreasurer@gmail.com
If you can: donate a few extra plants to LEGS. Drop off at a location near you. See Below. Some people to not have plants to donate, so they make a small donation to LEGS instead. (above) That is why we really need extra plants. Please see what you can spare from your garden, to help us out!
If you need plants that you are donating to be picked up, or have any questions, send us an email to info@legsetobicoke.ca and we will make arrangements and answer any questions that you may have.
Where the plants are:
Location 1
The Healing Muse Apothecary – ECO HUB 2859 Lakeshore Blvd West
