City of Peterborough’s Rain Garden Subsidy Program Providing Resources and Funds for Local Garden Installation

The City of Peterborough’s Rain Garden Subsidy Program, delivered in partnership with GreenUP, provides eligible property owners with educational resources and up to $1,000 toward the cost of installing a rain garden.

photo courtesy of the city of peterborough.

“Currently, only 25 per cent of the City of Peterborough’s stormwater is filtered for pollutants before entering natural waterways, such as the Otonabee River or Jackson Creek,” says Councillor Joy Lachica, chair of the City of Peterborough Environment and Climate Change Portfolio. “Rain gardens are an important part of a greener stormwater management strategy by reducing the amount of polluted runoff entering local waterways, which keeps the watershed healthy and can also reduce the risk of localized urban flooding.”

There are many options for tailoring the size and style of a rain garden, but they all function the same due to their bowl shape. This bowl shape collects water from roofs and other hard surfaces. These gardens use plants and fast-draining soil to absorb and filter water that would otherwise flow straight into storm sewers.

To function properly, rain gardens must be designed and located in a particular way. That’s why this subsidy process provides support for property owners, including design templates, educational resources and on-site consultation from GreenUP staff.

“We know folks can be intimidated by the idea of designing and building their own rain garden, but it’s doable with a bit of support,” says Hayley Goodchild, coordinator with GreenUP’s Neighbourhood and Residential programs. “That’s why GreenUP has partnered with the City to support this subsidy program. We help applicants through the process, step-by-step.”

This year, the maximum subsidy amount is $1,000 per garden, and GreenUP  provides up to two on-site visits to advise on design and construction.

Goodchild says the number of subsidies is limited and are awarded on a first come, first serve basis.

Interested property owners can begin their application process using the link, or by contacting Curtis Mei at 705-742-7777 ext. 1507.

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Seedy Sunday Is Back In-Person at Peterborough Square Mall

Get all the knowledge, tools and resources needed to get growing this season at Peterborough’s 15th annual Seedy Sunday seed sale and swap March 12 at the Peterborough Square Mall.

photo courtesy of peterborough seedy sunday, facebook.

After 3 years of being virtual, Seedy Sunday is back to a free, in-person event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

They have moved to a larger location in the downstairs of the Peterborough Square Mall (340 George St. N - where the Farmers’ Market is held on Saturdays) and have lots of space for shoppers to peruse seed selections and talk with seed farmers and other vendors.

There will be a huge diversity of locally grown heirloom vegetable, flower and herb seeds, vermicomposting supplies and bulbs available for purchase. Community groups will be displaying information about their work and providing visitors opportunities to get involved with local food, farming, water and environmental programs.

The Seed Exchange Area is a great place to swap seeds with other growers, pick up some new and unique seed varieties and chat with other seed savers. Educational, hands-on workshops will be offered throughout the afternoon.

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The Avant-Garden Shop Celebrates 20 Years in Peterborough

The Avant-Garden Shop celebrates 20 years of business; opening its doors in Downtown Peterborough on Dec. 12, 2002.

Proud shop owner Brenda Ibey. Photo courtesy of The Avant-Garden Shop.

The shop opened on George Street on that date and remained there for three and a half years. As demand grew for bird seed and bird feeders, the owners decided on a location with easier parking, thus prompting their move to the current location at 165 Sherbrooke St.

Over the years, the shop’s sale items extended. From Canadian-made outdoor wall art, hand-tuned wind chimes, east coast and Ontario pewter, garden flags, locally made garden art, jewellery, coasters, candles, quality bird feeders, non-GMO bird seed, birding books, greeting cards and more.

Owner Brenda Ibey has had many successes through her shop; winning four Business Excellence awards including her most recent title of 2022 Business Woman of the Year. The store has also been awarded Best Wild Bird store by Wild Bird Trading who services similar businesses across the country in 2021.

“Truly an honour to be recognized as one of the best birding shops in Canada,” says Avant-Garden in a press release. “Brenda and her team are very appreciative of her wonderful customers over the last 20 years who have supported the business and have helped it to grow to become one of the best gift and birding shops in the area.”

As 2023 approaches, the shop says they plan to continue seeking out unique, Canadian-made items while building on their past successes.

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Second DBIA Holiday Shopping Passport Early Bird Winner Announced

The Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area’s (DBIA) announces Karen Scott has won the second Holiday Shopping Passport early bird draw on Thursday.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Downtown Business improvement area.

Scott’s winning passport came from Avant-Garden, where she purchased garden supplies and some Christmas presents for her family during a customer appreciation event on Nov. 22. She was granted her $500 Boro gift card prize by Avant-Garden’s customer service representative Marissa Dunk on Dec. 14.

Scott’s completed Holiday Shopping Passport was drawn at Poco Burro, a new Mexican grill restaurant in downtown Peterborough.

“Growing up in Peterborough, downtown was my favourite place to shop and explore. Supporting downtown really helps our local economy,” says Scott. “What a delightful surprise to win the early bird draw. I am excited to shop the many charming stores located in the heart of our city with my Boro gift card.”

Each $10 spent earns a stamp, and every full card ($200 spent) earns a ballot for the grand prize of a $1,500 Boro Gift Card drawn on Jan. 11. The third and final early bird draw will take place on Dec. 21.

Holiday passports can be picked up at any of 150 participating businesses in downtown Peterborough. Multiple ballots are accepted and can be dropped off at any ballot box in a participating business.

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14th Annual Seedy Sunday Takes Place March 10th At Emmanuel East United Church

On Sunday, March 10th, the 14th Annual Seedy Sunday takes place. This popular seed sale and swap is a great place to get all the knowledge, tools, and resources needed to get growing this season, and get inspired for spring!

More than 20 vendors will be selling a huge diversity of locally grown heirloom vegetable, flower and herb seeds, vermicomposting supplies, bulbs and fruit trees and bushes. Ten community groups will be displaying information about their work, and providing visitors opportunities to get involved with local food, farming, water and environmental programs. 

The Seed Exchange Area there is a great place to swap seeds with other growers, pick up some new and unique seed varieties, and chat with other seed savers. 

There will be informative workshops for this free event, including: Pruning Fruit Trees & Bushes, Growing Great Soil, Rematriation of Seeds and Saving Tree & Native Plant Seeds. 

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Look At The New Canoe Museum’s Stunning 1.5-Acre Green Roof

The Canadian Canoe Museum has announced that the Dalglish Family Foundation has made a $1.2 million commitment to its capital campaign.

Camilla and Peter Dalglish, directors of the foundation and longtime supporters of the organization (see photo below), were at the museum on Monday (November 13th) for the announcement of the generous gift, which will support capital costs for the new facility to be built along the Peterborough Lift Lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway. The new museum’s 1.5-acre green roof—with its accessible boardwalk, extensive pollinator gardens and exhilarating views of the National Historic Site—will be named in their honour.

The 83,400 square-foot facility has been designed by the award-winning team of Dublin, Ireland-based heneghan peng and Toronto-based Kearns Mancini Architects. The building—purpose-built for the world’s largest collection of canoes, kayaks and paddled watercraft—will blend almost seamlessly into its landscape, emerging from the drumlin and complementing and contouring the waterway.

The roof will welcome visitors of all ages and abilities, and encourage them to explore the spaces along a boardwalk—inspired by the High Line public park in New York City. The roof will feature up to 50 local plant species, including a wildflower meadow. Many of the species are of significance to Indigenous cultures in the area, and have been chosen because they will bloom at various times of the year and thrive in the climate and conditions.

The outdoor spaces at the new museum—including the roof and the waterway—will allow programming to flourish as visitors will have integrated experiences that include its world-class collection. The roof will be among the areas that will allow for ecological exploration and experimentation.

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Seed Sale & Swap: Seedy Sunday Is March 13th

The popular Seedy Sunday is back this Sunday, March 13th. It's the perfect place to buy (and trade) a huge diversity of local, heirloom seeds for your gardens and farms, and get inspired for spring!

Admission is free to the event, which takes place at George St. United Church from 1 to 5 pm.

PTBOCanada File Photo (Julie Morris)

There will be an incredible diversity of vegetables, flowers and herbs available for sale, as well as several community groups showcasing the great work they do in informative hands-on workshops. Not to mention the ever popular Seed Exchange Area where you can trade seed with other gardeners and learn more about seed saving.

More info here.

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Epic Tulip Bulb Sale June 10th

The City's Annual Tulip Bulb Sales takes place Wednesday, June 10th, starting at 7 am at the Public Works Yard (182 Townsend Street).

Tulip bulbs are only $3 per dozen while supplies last. Cash, debit and credit will be accepted.
 

The annual Public Works Tulip Bulb Sale is Wednesday, June 10, 2015: http://t.co/TS8MF4rB6w

— City of Peterborough (@CityPtbo) June 3, 2015

Even squirrels are excited

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Peterborough Family Grows Epic Size Zucchini Almost 19" Long

Anything can happen in Peterborough, like growing a zucchini in your garden weighing in at nearly 8 pounds. Take a look at this tweet sent out by Peterborough's Karla Sampson...

Hey @Ptbo_Canada how's this for a homegrown zucchini ?! Almost 19" long, and over 7 1/2 lbs! pic.twitter.com/6yHEesItPp

— Karla Sampson (@ksphotogirl) August 6, 2014

Again, feast your eyes on this...

One more time... WOW...

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