Growing for Self-Sufficiency: A Community Initiative

At FIFE (Food Is For Everyone), we’re excited to share our latest gardening endeavors, focusing on two key plants: St. John’s Wort and Lamb’s Quarters. This marks our second attempt with Lamb’s Quarters, following an unsuccessful first attempt where none of our seeds germinated. We suspect that harvesting the flowering plants too early may have impacted our results, but we’ve recently harvested seeds from a new plant and are optimistic for better success this time around.

In addition to Lamb’s Quarters, we’re embarking on our first journey with St. John’s Wort. We’ve gathered seeds from local plants in Oshawa and aim to cultivate them for seed production. Our goal is to establish a sustainable source of seeds for ongoing cultivation.

A central focus of our gardening efforts is to grow seeds collected this fall, allowing us to create a self-sustaining cycle of production. However, we anticipate challenges with Mullein, which requires a second-year plant to produce seeds.

We’ve encountered some difficulties when transferring seedlings to larger containers, resulting in some losses. We’ll be sharing updates as we navigate these challenges and implement new programs aimed at helping those in need within our community.

As part of our mission, we’re also developing initiatives like the “Not Just A Meal Program,” which is nearing launch in the Oshawa area. This program will include growing lettuce for sandwiches, and we’re actively seeking volunteers to assist with this effort. Additionally, we’re excited to announce plans for a new project focused on growing microgreens.

At LIFE (Love Is For Everyone), we believe in the power of community and self-sufficiency. Together, we can cultivate a brighter future for everyone. Stay tuned for more updates on our gardening projects and community initiatives!