Sooke Garden Club Sept. 23: Greenhouses

By Cory McInnis

Living on Vancouver Island is a dream for gardeners.  If you’re someone who takes advantage of all the seasons, there are things to grow and nurture 12 months of the year. If space and finances allow, adding a greenhouse can also be beneficial.

A greenhouse can extend the growing season, whether that’s starting seeds weeks early in the spring, or providing protection from frost, heavy rains and strong winds. 

With good airflow, a greenhouse also lets you grow warm-season or tropical plants in a colder zone, in addition to providing a space to over-winter and store tender perennials. 

As the Sooke Garden Club general meetings return after the summer break, we welcome Mary Alice from ALM Organic Farm as September’s speaker, sharing her knowledge on growing and maintaining plants in a greenhouse.

Mary Alice has been a certified organic farmer and seed saver for more than 35 years on her 10-acre ALM Organic farm on Otter Point Road, mentoring many folks who wanted to learn how to grow food and save seeds. 

She helped create the Moss Street Market back in the 1990s, worked with farmers in Asia and across Canada, and taught courses for Camosun College about organic growing for 15  years.  She is still actively farming at 82 years of age.

Join us for the next meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 7pm at the Juan de Fuca Local Area Services Building (CRD Building) address #3 – 7450 Butler Rd. off Otter Point Road. If you would like to become a member, check out the SGC Facebook page, visit online at sookegardenclub.ca or email Sookegc@gmail.com.