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Roberts Creek: Hey, pumpkins!

I read somewhere that men are overwhelmingly inclined to like blueberries more than women and that one of the favourite aromas for a woman is pumpkin pie.
pumpkins
The Roberts Creek Community Association is putting on a Pumpkin Growing Contest.

I read somewhere that men are overwhelmingly inclined to like blueberries more than women and that one of the favourite aromas for a woman is pumpkin pie. We should have a pie contest this fall! But if we don’t, you need to know that we are having one tree-related and two food-related contests right now. 

The Roberts Creek Community Association is putting on a Pumpkin Growing Contest. Size matters, with the main prize, a Gumboot gift card and bragging rights, going to the heaviest gourd grown outdoors in the confines of Roberts Creek. You can start inside or out, any variety, but they must be finished outside. The grower submits a photo of their prize being weighed, with a two-litre drink bottle in the photo for scale, on the weekend before Halloween. There are prizes for prettiest and ugliest pumpkins to boot. On your marks … get set … GROW! 

The One Straw Society is making a huge difference in the food security of the Sunshine Coast, one farm at a time. Partnering with Persephone Brewery, there is investment in local farms to help increase their production to better serve our community. Their planned urban Tiny Farm in the Heart of the Creek needs volunteers to turn dirt and get seeds in the ground. Want to get your hands dirty for the cause? Email tinyfarm@onestraw.ca to sign up. There is also a tree-naming contest to find the right moniker for the Dr. Seuss looking Douglas fir in the centre of the garden. 

Another local contest is open to any and all residents of the Sunshine Coast. The Farm Gate Market at the Masonic Lodge is hosting the “I Love My Edible Garden” contest. Register at the market on Wednesdays between 3 and 5 p.m. and submit your pictures by Sept. 1 to farmgatemarket@gmail.com. This is only for gardens grown for food, so if you can’t eat it, then don’t send pictures of it. 

Where do you get started if you haven’t yet? Try these fine folks: 

Jardin de Flores Nursery and Farm, 3483 Stellar Place, are having a retirement clear out sale this Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. After they sell everything, they will be taking it easy. 

John Yue at Coastal Sun Greenhouses and Farm has plants born and raised in Roberts Creek, available by email pre-order only at coastal_sun_farm@yahoo.com and curbside pickup at 1652 Pell Rd. 

On the highway, the Sunshine Coast Nursery has parking lot pickup and a delivery form on their website: sunshinecoastnursery.com. They are open to the public, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday, one family member at a time (no children please). 

And for something a bit more in the permaculture slant, you can to check out the Exotic Fruit Nursery, specializing in hardy, uncommon and carefree fruit trees and other unusual edible fruit and perennial plants suited for the climate of the West Coast. More info at exoticfruit
nursery.weebly.com 

Email your news to kellybacks@rocketmail.com