From the Ground Up
Transition Garden is our garden website and video series that empower people to grow delicious food, take control over their health and well-being, and thrive together in their communities. We will describe the benefits and the reasons why gardens and community are important in today’s world.
- Learn the essential skills of gardening.
- Learn many things that you can do yourself.
- Learn money saving tips on growing food and reducing your food bill.
We seek to inspire people about the larger trends in gardening and local food production, how that knowledge can translate into your own garden, and the work and learning that happens there and with others. Through Transition Garden, people can be better gardeners and better connected to their community in sharing the ability to grow food. As food prices soar and quality declines, home and community gardening is a quiet revolution happening around the world. People are understanding the importance of gardening as a life skill, and the many benefits that this brings in food quality, security and resilience for themselves and their community. In addition, individuals and communities are looking for ways to improve their resiliency in the face of global changes in the economy and environment.
From Seed to Harvest
We cover the entire range of seasons, with lots of tips for local conditions and species. Follow along and learn all the steps involved - like with potatoes, tomatoes and garlic as shown here in these How-To short clips below. We will be adding more as we go.
Content
Videos
12 Episodes (25 minutes) each have been produced in our first 2017 season, which are available for viewing on this site.
Blog
We have a blog by the garden hosts, which will keep you updated on important and timely things to know during the growing season.
Location
The Transition Garden series and how-to videos are filmed largely on location at a working extended neighbourhood garden in Nova Scotia, Canada, with visits to related garden initiatives in Atlantic Canada. Located in growing zones 5 to 6, this location provides a comparable climate for gardeners across the mid to Northern US and most of Canada.
The Transition Garden is a unique 2 acre garden which contains 14 raised and terraced beds as well as larger garden plots. There are four small unheated greenhouses, two of which are used year-round for ‘4-season’ vegetable production, and function as part of a community-supported agriculture program. The gardens also include a small vineyard, fruit orchard and berry-crop sections, as well as ornamental areas and a beehive. An old hand-dug well has been reclaimed to provide irrigation water.
Hosts
Bob Cervelli is the main host, content writer and researcher for the Transition Garden series. He has enjoyed gardening, and especially food production for decades, and currently manages the Transition Garden. Teaching others about growing your own food is an important focus of his time, having helped start a farmers market, an educational vegetable garden, a community garden and network of cooperative neighborhood greenhouses. .... More Info
Jessi Fillmore is a gardening enthusiast with a passion for discovering what’s possible. After visiting the Transition Garden in 2013 and learning that it can provide the majority of food all year for several gardeners, she became passionately obsessed with learning to do the same. Since then she has been gardening intensively and expanding her knowledge, number of garden beds and the varieties of edibles she grows yearly. ... More Info
Shawna Henderson is a long-time gardener who's goal is to grow at least 70% of her household's food and find a permanent way to keep the deer out. Her life philosophy is simple: the one open-hearted way that we can all connect with each other and support each other is through food: growing it, sharing it, cooking it, eating it. Her passion for food security matches her love of being grubby, sweaty and in the dirt, where all good things happen. Also, there can never be enough basil! ... More Info
Episodes
Episode 1: Winter Magic
Winter is backing off and life is stirring in the garden. Fresh veggies at this time of the year are mostly imaginary…but not quite.
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Episode 2: Soil and Seeds
Getting down to basics. Spring is here. Good soil preparation is essential. The greenhouse has given seeds a kickstart and greenhouse group shows up for their seedlings.
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Episode 3: Pruning and Bees
Visiting the trees in the garden with the pruning sheers. Transition Garden’s friend Shawna introduces us to her apple orchard in the making. And there is good news about the bees.
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Episode 4: Adding Warmth
Bob gives us the basics of cold frames – the budget-conscious greenhouse., including how to make your own. A first harvest leads to a beautiful spring salad.
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Episode 5: Continuous Harvest
The harvest continues and the idea of successional planting is explained.
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Episode 6: Essential Tools
As high summer approaches, here is a little refresher on essential tools.
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Episode 7: Pests and Pals
As Bob explains, “Everything wants something”. Garden pests are a reality, but their trouble is offset by pals, like bees, who are essential to life in the garden.
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Episode 8: Weeds, Water and Compost
Continuing on with the basics, this episode looks at the big three, weeds, water and compost. Sometimes you just have to keep your sense of humour.
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Episode 9: Gardening Benefits
The health benefits of a garden go way beyond the obvious; fresh air, exercise and nutritious food. It can take you to a whole new attitude toward your life and your community
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Episode 10: Everywhere Gardens
In this episode we will look at some creative ways to garden on a city property, either on your own veranda or cooperatively, with your community.
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Episode 11: The Fall Harvest
The harvest goes on year round at Transition Garden, but this is the big one. It is fall, and what bounty!
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Episode 12: Reflections
A reflection on the year past and a look forward to year two. We are just getting going.
Read More »Producer
Nexus Media is the producer and film maker for all our videos. A tip of our gardening hats to this incredible team!
Nexus started in 1998, twenty years ago. Our agenda then, as it is now, is to produce programming that is relevant to how we live and want to live. Watching one of our shows, we hope, will always be time well spent.
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