09/22/2026
A long, LONG, overdue update on what our Gardening Group has been up to this year. The group decided to limit ourselves to beds in two of the three ECKAN Community Gardens, the 2nd Street garden and the garden on Logan Street (affectionately known to our group as the SC garden since Smoked Creations is just across the street). Some of our green thumbed members started plants from seeds while it was still far too chilly outside for planting in the ground, this helped to jumpstart this year’s efforts. Another plus was connecting earlier with ECKAN for bed assignments and permission to begin gardening.
Late March and early April focused on garden clean up and prep in earnest with mulching beds, re-establishing pathways, laying out cardboard to deter weeds, and planting of spinach, leafy lettuce, green beans, turnips, radishes, pumpkins and tomatoes. Bed prep and maintenance continued in May and June with a FCAN wood chip run to gather material to keep walkways at 2nd Street weed-free and a composted manure run in June, to help supplement the soil at 2nd Street. Additional planting in May and June of okra, bell peppers, jalapeños, donated “mystery peppers” and tomatillos, cucumbers, banana peppers, squash and watermelon. Weeding, pruning, re-planting when necessary, watering and otherwise careful tending is accomplished by a rotating cast of roughly a dozen, give or take, FCAN members.
We had obstacles to overcome. A persistent ground hog resisted all our efforts to deter him from digging and noshing so we had to resort to a live trap and relocation. We also had a mystery marauder that laid waste to several plants at 2nd Street (the Mysterious Carnage of Summer 2026). And of course both gardens have had their share of birds, squirrels, raccoons, borer moths, squash bugs, tomato hornworms and other wildlife partaking of the fruits of our labor. Undeterred, the Gardening Group adapted and persevered.
FCAN Gardening Group also received gifts from other members of the Ottawa community that have assisted FCAN’s efforts this year. A neighbor local to the 2nd Street garden offered rabbit manure for use in the gardens! It’s an excellent, nutrient-rich organic fertilizer that doesn’t require composting that was a perfectly timed gift and been put to good use throughout the summer. Another community member provided a partial role of woven wire to use in our tomato beds as an alternative to tomato cages. An offer of composted sheep manure, donated tomato cages, seeds, occasional volunteered mowing/weed-eating, live plants from individuals as well as Littlejohn’s Sherwood Farms (Richmond) and Wet Lillies helped reinforce FCAN’s belief that neighbors helping neighbors can net amazing results.
To date the FCAN Gardening Group has donated 332.5 lbs of fresh produce to the FCAN Produce Stand at Hope House and they’re not done yet! FCAN Gardening Group will continue their efforts through October and hope to assist ECKAN with soil amendment efforts and winterizing all the Community Gardens to assure they are ready for an even better 2027 growing season. As always, we are looking for more volunteers to help with weeding, harvesting, watering for the remainder of this season and to bring their knowledge (or willingness to learn), enthusiasm and ideas for 2027.
