Val Schaefer, of UVic’s School of Environmental Studies, takes us on a tour of Victoria’s urban forest. The city’s remnant ecosystems are a mix of native Douglas fir (PSEUDOTSUGA menziesii ) and Garry oak (QUERCUS garryana). Indigenous genera are joined by species from around the globe planted as street trees, and a food forest cultivated by residents promoting food security. Val will summarize his 76-page book Victoria’s Urban Forest: A Walking Guide to Species of Interest, available free as a PDF at urbanecology.ca/documents/Books/UrbanForest.pdf
Workshop: Seed Sowing
Mildred Martens, co-ordinator of the VHS Fruit & Vegetable Group, presented the basics of starting plants from seed, including when to start sowing. Mildred discussed types of planting containers available, and alternatives to containers. Soil, water, heat and light requirements, plus thinning and pre-paring seedlings for transplanting out-side were also detailed.