As the days grow longer and temperatures rise, our thoughts turn towards spring.
And with the coming of spring, many of us yearn to get our hands dirty and start gardening.
If you want to learn more about gardening in Campbell River, you can check out a unique series of talks offered by ElderCollege.
The series starts on Thursday, March 24 and runs for six weeks. Each week a different gardening topic will be presented.
“Healthy soil, dig it” will launch the series, Dr. Thierry Vrain, a retired soil biologist and plant pathologist, will talk about how to keep your garden soil healthy.
Dahlia bulbs are available for purchase at local nurseries and they come in a tempting array of varieties and colours. On March 31 Rick Monchak will teach how to successfully grow them in our gardens.
On April 7, two local gardeners will be sharing their expertise. Valentino Milan will talk about growing and caring for grape vines for wine. Jim Dubois will be there on the same day to share his knowledge about mason bees.
Growing your own food can be tremendously satisfying and is also good for the environment.
On April 14, Lance Klaasen will talk about starting plants and saving heritage seeds.
Do you want to grow fruit trees but your available space is limited?
On April 21, Ed Cooper will talk about growing dwarf fruit trees using the cordon method (espalier) to produce high quality fruit.
To wrap up the series on April 28, Bev O’Sullivan will talk about preparing your body and muscles for gardening and how to work in the garden without injuring yourself.
These classes are open to anyone aged 50 plus. The cost is $30 for the series.
You can register in person at North Island College or online at www.nic.bc.ca/eldercollege.