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6 Friday, July 21, 2017 brooklintowncrier.com The Ups and Downs of Rain Blooming in Brooklin By Ken Brown Last year I greatly expanded the drip irrigation system in my vegetable plots. So far, it's looking like an unnecessary expense. I like to wander the garden early in the morning but many mornings it's just too wet to be out there comfortably. Remember that children's rhyme? "Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day!" There are benefits. Many things are growing well. Who knew roses liked so much water? They're bigger with more blooms than any year I can remember. And amazingly, there seem to be few leaf-eating worms and other nasties. Unfortunately though, weeds do appreciate the rain and the opportunities to deal with them have been limited. No rain There was a stretch of four days one week without rain. Town workers can attest to my efforts as they found several brown bags at the end of my driveway on Thursday. Weeds can make great compost, especially in the municipal system where it gets heated enough to kill weed seeds. My own compost gets quite warm but many weed seeds seem to survive and that's why the nice town workers got to take them away. Thanks, fellows! The rain has also reduced the frequency of the watering cycle for the containers decorating the house and deck. While that's a good thing, those plants are growing in a soilless medium that has no nutrient value. They're totally dependent on the fertilizer I put into the watering can. Use Acti-Sol Although not wilting, they're not putting on as good a show as they might if they were getting fertilized more regularly. Some larger containers aren't suffering as badly. The soft soil is a place where squirrels like to dig. To deter them, I spread Acti-Sol on the surface. Acti-Sol is a dehydrated, pellet-like chicken manure fertilizer. Though we barely notice, it produces an odour the squirrels find offensive so they dig somewhere else. The rain ensured the fertilizer pellets have dissolved and do their main job as well as be an effective repellent for those bushy tailed tree rats. Two for the price of one - what more could we ask? Eating in the fall At this time of year I think about what we might eat in September and October. With planning, we eat almost exclusively from our vegetable garden from mid April until November. Cool season vegetables such as bok choi, broccoli, lettuce, cabbage and others have almost disappeared from the garden. But they'll return in the fall if I plant seeds now. In a small space on the corner of the deck, I'll be repeating the seed sowing I did in the basement last win- ter. All those delicious delights will be sown in their little cell packs and tended carefully to produce healthy transplants to go into the garden by late August. An hour or two now will ensure delicious dinners in October. I'm growing more vegetables in sub-irrigation containers and the results are amazing. There isn't room here to tell you about this process, but please check my web site gardening-enjoyed.com to learn more about it. More food, less space, no weeds - a gardener's dream. Our Councillor's Report by Rhonda Mulcahy North Ward Councillor, Town of Whitby mulcahyr@whitby.ca One Year In Over the last year, our council has been working towards creating a stronger community and I'm honoured to have been part of achieving that goal. Recently council approved the creation of the Werden's Heritage district in downtown Whitby and the formation of the Town's business improvement area (BIA). Council also approved the use of the former land registry office to become a "Wi-Hub," an innovation hub accelerator project to help new hi-tech businesses. As well, there are plans for the old downtown Whitby fire hall. We should soon see the Nordik Spa project at the Old Cullen Garden property on Taunton Road come to fruition. As for Brooklin, our Secondary Plan (BSP) has been by far the biggest project that directly impacts our North Ward community. Final draft approval will return to council this fall before the provincial government passes increased density rules. We have had a lot of in-fill projects come through the Planning Committee and these can sometimes be a challenge. Two sites in particular have been noted on the BSP as their land use designations won't be determined until each application is dealt with at Planning and Council. Watford improvements The Operations Committee, of which I'm a member, will invite more public consultation about Watford Street improvements. The objective, of course, will be to make our streets safer. This fall, I'll be moved to the Planning Committee, which is important given the many projects coming to Brooklin. In the meantime, the multi-purpose trail approved last fall is being installed along Highway 12. While rain has been an issue for many areas this spring, it's slowly getting done. The trail connection from Ashburn Road south through Cullen Central Park will be constructed later this summer. The work has to be completed this year as we need to fulfill the grant from the Provincial government. However, we need to wait until the breeding grounds of specific species are safe to disturb. So we're hoping for a dry autumn. Cullen Park Meanwhile, there should be great improvements at the south end of that trail in Cullen Park. The old log cabin will get a covered patio alongside new pickleball and bocce ball courts. One day, it will make for a great destination on bike. Then there's the location for the new sports facility. We're scheduled to receive a report to council about that this fall and I am eager for this to get moving. As of 2018, we will be at capacity in our population for sports facilities. No matter when it starts, the project will be in construction for two years. Given the time to plan it, that puts us in a position of balancing our user groups and community facility time. I feel strongly about the need for active living in our community for all ages and abilities, which makes this one of my highest priorities for the upcoming year.