MAC Community Garden

Autumn orchard health workshop poster

Q. What’s worse than finding a worm in your apple?
A. Finding half a worm in your apple.

Learn how to find fewer worms in your apple next week at our Autumn Orchard Health workshop with Katie Janeway from Drnman Island Heritage Apples, Saturday Oct 4, 10 am. www.eventbrite.ca/e/autumn-orc...

Chickens on a perch

Good morning!

They should resign and call by-elections in their ridings to test their platform on people who voted for the party that was not the NDP

There’s nothing I like better than some unsolicited advice. It’s my favourite.

Plants with Friends, or The Great Microbe Exchange of 2025. My old pal Mark traded a bucket of his chicken compost for a bucket of our fresh aerobic compost tea, with the aim of increasing the microbial diversity in both of our gardens.

Welcoming summer vibes. Our garden piano just moved outside for the season

We’re bringing ours out into the community garden on June 2 in Parksville, Gord John’s’ country

Calendula plants in bloom

California poppies in bloom

Flowering collard plant

Today is World Bee Day. Thanks to our volunteer Howie’s advice, we’ve planted a bunch of pollinator-friendly plants, we leave lots of opportunity for habitat, and allow many of our crops to go to flower to help our native bees of all kinds to thrive. #worldbeeday #nativebees #pollinators

A great show of support from Parksville Rotary and a welcome cash infusion to help us grow and distribute more fresh healthy food directly from our downtown Parksville garden location. We’re already crushing last year’s totals, and we’ve barely begun the growing season. #mutualaid #communitygarden

Side by side pictures of a strawberry patch one year apart.

Check out the difference in this strawberry patch from last year at the same time. I say it’s all about the deliberate soil building we’ve been doing, including a seaweed mulch, some of Ben Lazar’s chicken compost, and what I think most of all, is the regular application of our aerobic compost tea.

I’ve been told that gardening is an act of rebellion, and I believe it.

Side by side pics of a raspberry patch, 2 years apart

Side by side pics of a raspberry patch, 2 years apart

Two years of raspberry progress. It’s why I love gardening so much; that steady effort and care yields visible results.

Our spring fundraising raffle closes tomorrow with our grand prize draw going at 1 pm, still plenty of time to get in on the action. Win a freezer full of beef or take the $2300 cash pqbfruit.org/2025/01/29/s... #mutualaid #fundraising #nonprofit #foodsecurity

Sunny day in a colourful community garden

Happy Earth Day from our garden to yours

Check out our community garden on Chek News

Middle school class in a community garden space

Middle school class in a community garden space

Middle school class in a community garden space

Middle school class in a community garden space

You know you’re in for a wholesome racket when Farmer Brown’s middle school class comes by. They’re encouraged to touch and taste the vegetables, they planted some seedlings and they’ll be back to plant a couple fruit trees on Earth Day. These kids are learning about food and where it comes from.

Keep spreading that love!

Picture of vegetables and a sign that says, these are free, please take some.

Is it crazy to think that everyone should be able to eat fresh, healthy food today? #foodisfree #communitybuilding #glimmers

Delicious sautéed in some butter and salt and pepper!

Planting for pollinators workshop poster

Planting for Pollinators workshop this Saturday April 12, 11-1 at the MAC Community Garden. We’ll talk about native bees and pollinators and how to encourage them into your garden. #parksville #pollinators #workshop #gardening Register at Eventbrite. www.eventbrite.com/e/1133121620...

Goofing around with garden updates and TikTok edits. Riddle me this, is this a Kendrick song, an M.I.A. song, or a Clash song?

United Way appeals for help to support Vancouver Island food programs - My Campbell River Now The United Way is appealing for help to provide healthy food to people in need in the Campbell River and North Island areas. With grocery prices soaring, the charity is […]

“With inflation, layoffs, rising food prices, too many people are struggling to stay afloat. Through it all, United Way BC is committed to supporting people in need.” #CampbellRiver #NorthIsland #VancouverIsland #BC #Canada #foodsecurity www.mycampbellrivernow.com/81479/news/c...

3 views of a community garden 2 years ago, 1 year ago, and today

2 views of our community garden 2 years ago and today

It’s our 2nd birthday! Check out how we’ve changed in 2 short years

That’s not good

Community meal in Nanaimo provides employment training – The Discourse. Nanaimo chef wants to ‘erase the stigma that we're just feeding the homeless or the community at large; it is for everyone.’

A Nanaimo chef is helping tackle food and job insecurity at once in the city with his free lunch program — an initiative that’s also helping build employment skills.

When you step away from your busy tech services company and build a community garden instead. #imrichwithkale

Young pear tree planted by a fence in a community garden

Raspberry canes leafing out

Kale flowers

Flats of young veggie seedlings

Spring update; today finally felt like a nice balmy day, and we’ve now got 5 fruit trees in the ground, the peas are coming up, kale flowers are getting eaten, raspberries are leafing out nice, and we have multiple flats of seedlings ready for a new home. Huzzah! #gardentok #thirdspace #spring

Innovative local food production

'Seedy Sunday' farmers' market set for March 30 in Coombs Event goes from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

"The annual Seedy Sunday Farmers' Market will be held in the activity hall at the #Coombs Fairgrounds on March 30....The event will go from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m." #foodsecurity #Parksville #Qualicum #VancouverIsland #BC #Canada www.pqbnews.com/local-news/s...