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The Bees, Garden and Seeds group is the newest committee within BPEG and was formed in the late winter of 2009. It became apparent to several of us and your Board that direction was needed to focus our increasing participation in local food issues including the Westover garden plot.
The members listed alphabetically are: John Baker, Tony Barton, Stuart Burgess, Alain Charest, Christine Ellis, Bob McKay, Tim Spencer, co-ordinator. Joining us this year are Terry Munn of the Transition Community and Jacquie Wakefield.
This group to date has made two garden plots both in Lion’s Head; one at Helen Westover’s and another at John and Donna Baker’s. Successful soil improvement remedies primarily using green manure techniques have been undertaken. It is envisioned that the Westover plot will be an education centre for gardening issues and the Baker plot will be a site for a seed growing project.
Tony Barton is involved in exploring the opportunities to raise bees both for pollination and honey production in North Bruce. We have sought out advice from knowledgeable people in the bee keeping business and Tony has completed a season with bees using top bar hives at his home.
Several other members are engaged in sourcing out open pollinated varieties of primarily vegetable seeds which will be reproduced and offered within our community. Seeds and markets have, in recent years, moved increasingly toward control by large private corporations, in our view, a poor situation at best.
The BGS Committee will move toward “developing a sustainable local food system” to coin a phrase by Jacquie Wakefield.
We are encouraging cooperation with the Transition Community and other groups. We hope to stage several events in 2011 such as our recent seminar on October 22, 2010, with Brewster and Cathleen Kneen, our Fall Garden Tour, support for BPDS garden projects and bringing BPEG’s presence to the Guelph Organic Conference in January 2011.
We are looking for members to assist in seed gathering and to man the table for a day or less at the Guelph Conference which runs from January 28th to the 30th inclusive. This will be an experiment for BPEG in staging a multi-day event.
Please see any committee member, a Board member or Tim Spencer, if you have something which interests your regarding the BGS Committee.
Thank you.
Tim Spencer
The members listed alphabetically are: John Baker, Tony Barton, Stuart Burgess, Alain Charest, Christine Ellis, Bob McKay, Tim Spencer, co-ordinator. Joining us this year are Terry Munn of the Transition Community and Jacquie Wakefield.
This group to date has made two garden plots both in Lion’s Head; one at Helen Westover’s and another at John and Donna Baker’s. Successful soil improvement remedies primarily using green manure techniques have been undertaken. It is envisioned that the Westover plot will be an education centre for gardening issues and the Baker plot will be a site for a seed growing project.
Tony Barton is involved in exploring the opportunities to raise bees both for pollination and honey production in North Bruce. We have sought out advice from knowledgeable people in the bee keeping business and Tony has completed a season with bees using top bar hives at his home.
Several other members are engaged in sourcing out open pollinated varieties of primarily vegetable seeds which will be reproduced and offered within our community. Seeds and markets have, in recent years, moved increasingly toward control by large private corporations, in our view, a poor situation at best.
The BGS Committee will move toward “developing a sustainable local food system” to coin a phrase by Jacquie Wakefield.
We are encouraging cooperation with the Transition Community and other groups. We hope to stage several events in 2011 such as our recent seminar on October 22, 2010, with Brewster and Cathleen Kneen, our Fall Garden Tour, support for BPDS garden projects and bringing BPEG’s presence to the Guelph Organic Conference in January 2011.
We are looking for members to assist in seed gathering and to man the table for a day or less at the Guelph Conference which runs from January 28th to the 30th inclusive. This will be an experiment for BPEG in staging a multi-day event.
Please see any committee member, a Board member or Tim Spencer, if you have something which interests your regarding the BGS Committee.
Thank you.
Tim Spencer