Check out our new website

Find us in our new home! www.urbantomato.ca 

You can now buy urbantomato seeds on-line

Loads of information on growing & saving heirloom seeds & why you should do it. as always lots of pictures of my gardens & harvests too. 

see you there! 

Seedy Sunday 2014

Seedy Sunday 2014! 

Peterborough's Annual Seed Exchange 

Sunday March 9th 1-5pm

George St. United Church 
FREE

Seedy Sunday is the perfect place to get inspired for Spring. Come out to get all the knowledge, tools, and resources needed to get growing this season. There will be an incredible diversity of vegetables, flowers, and herbs available for sale, as well as a plethora of community groups showcasing the great work they do, informative hands-on workshops and the ever popular Seed Exchange Area where you can trade seed with other gardeners & learn more about seed saving.  

Come and buy seeds (& other fab stuff) from these great vendors:

• Les Bowser – Cedar Grove
• Heritage Seed & Produce – Kingston
• Greta’s Organics
• Urbantomato seeds
• Mountain Grove Seed Company
• Cottage Gardener
• Urban Harvest
• Ann Brown - The Plant Lady! 
• Robin Tench EarthWorks Eco-Gardening 
• Eco-Stewards 

New vendors this year: 

•  Green Barn Nursery - Perennial nuts, seeds, berry & fruit trees seeds and plants 
• Le Champ Fleuri - Biological flower seeds, fine herbs seeds & dried herbs, cold hardy graps vines and lavender plants 
• Elderberry Herbals 

Learn some great stuff from or find out how to be involved with these community groups:

• Peterborough Community Garden Network
• Seeds of Diversity Canada
• Transition town
• Millbrook Community Garden
• USC- Canada
• Master Gardeners/ Horticultural Society
• Peterborough City-County Health Unit
• YWCA- Food Action Programs 
• Nourish 
  

Check out more pictures from last years event 

seed swappers checking out the selection at a past Seedy Sunday 

ECHO Global Farms

ECHO empowers small-scale farmers to increase their harvests, and the nutritional diversity of their crops. We educate, equip and share sustainable solutions to hunger!

I went to visit my mom for the holidays. Luckily for me (especially considering back home in Canada now amid a three day frigid cold snap!), she lives in Fort Myers Florida. It was nice and warm there. I got to visit farmers' markets, sit in the sun, expose my pale pale skin, shop for cheap designer shoes & hang with my mom & brother. I have done this for many years. 

 This year, I discovered that there was a very cool farm located quite close to where my mom stays. Echo Farm is a pretty amazing place. We toured through test sites for crops that mimic climate zones all over the world, particularly places that are struggling with famine and starvation. "For over 30 years, ECHO has been helping thousands around the world to better access vital information and other resources needed to improve food production and security for small farmers and gardeners"

lush greenery & companion planting demos. 

test growing many global crops such as amaranth 

giant hot pepper plant! this is what happens when you don't have annual frosts

didn't get the chance to learn too many details about this water system. will have to go back to learn more 

lush greens growing in a shady tropical environment

i enjoyed the entire tour, but was extra excited by & interested by the urban farm garden area. so many interesting concepts & successfully growing plants. 

some cool ideas in the urban garden demonstration area

loads of veggies growing in tires, cinder blocks, eaves & more 

greens in eaves  

urban growing test site

 

  There were so many beautiful crops growing and blooming (in Decemeber!), they were saving seeds, and helping farmers grow more food. my kinda place :) 

asparagus winged pea

  Check out their site, donate if you can, I will be back next year to volunteer some time.

cactus looks like abstract art