Bulrushes (aka cattails) have been started in the buckets at the base of the wall. Rob is the greatest community garden coordinator ever!! I just casually mentioned them and he responded, “I’ve got some in my car!” He’d been waving the seeds away for a while (and will for awhile longer!) He jumped into action, grabbing buckets and a hose; then finding a place to tuck them out of the way.

I suggested to Kevin that all he had to do was add water but he added wood chips to 4 of the 5 buckets. I joked, saying, “You couldn’t just leave them naked, could you?”, thinking back to the bin-sized “brick” of roots, after being away for about 4 months, the first time I tried it (thanks, Rob of Garden Gate, for watching over them!)  

Because of their speed of growth, cattails need a lot of transplanting. That’s one of the things that makes this plant perfect for intensive indoor cultivation: many hands make light work, and the light work can be fun and easy with practice and friends (OhGs, synergies!)  And, if they are fed only water (or better yet: compost “tea”), maybe the roots can be guided to grow in shapes like potato patties or pops, etc… Furthermore, the sprouts (and more!) are good to eat! 

From powder-like seeds to 6′ tall in a season, and billions of seeds per bi-annual plant; this is the food of the future–and in OhGs! we grow them ourselves!  Check out this article and recipe from the Sacred Gardener. 

The Butler Urban Farm, in the heart of North Kamloops — OhGs, a Heart in Our community, pulsing with new life. Here’s Kevin, the Farm Manager, hard at work: