March 20, 2025
Speaker: Jason Crouch from Fraser Valley Rose Farm
Topic: Roses
We’re Jason and Lisa, and about a dozen years ago we took the plunge and bought a small acreage on Nicomen Island. Money was tight at the time, the girls were young, the learning curve was steep, and the property needed some major TLC. It was hard to see at first, but even in those tough early years we were forming the impression of what Fraser Valley Rose Farm could be. Although we had to hold our day jobs to make ends meet, make no mistake: from the time we sold our first plants from a folding table at the farmers market, we were no longer a part of the “9 to 5” work force. It took me nearly another decade to hand in my resignation, and now I’m so excited to invite the world to our little farm.
April 24, 2025
Speaker: District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services
Topic: Firesafe for our Community and Gardens
FireSmart Landscaping Guide
FireSmart Landscaping Hub
DNV Home Hazard Assessment
May 15, 2025 – Zoom presentation only – no in-person meeting
Speaker: Linda Gilkeson
Topic: Where have all the insects gone
Linda earned a Ph.D. in Entomology from McGill University in 1986, then moved to British Columbia to work for Applied Bio-Nomics Ltd., a company that produces biological controls. From 1991 to 2002 she worked for the provincial government, promoting programs to reduce and eliminate pesticide use. She was head of the provincial State of Environment Reporting Unit for the next six years, then the Executive Director of the Salt Spring Island Conservancy until the end of 2011. Linda now devotes her time to writing, teaching and consulting.
Linda’s comprehensive gardening book, Backyard Bounty: The Complete Guide to year-Round Organic Gardening in the Pacific Northwest, is a BC best seller. She has just published a newly revised and expanded 3rd edition of her comprehensive pest management guide, West Coast Gardening: Natural Insect, Weed & Disease Control. In the past, she has co-authored pest management training manuals for the provincial government and organic gardening books for Rodale Press and now focuses on publishing books for local gardeners.
As a private consultant, Linda is a regular instructor in the Master Gardener programs in BC and is busy year around giving workshops on pest management and organic gardening.
Linda has served as President of the Entomological Society of Canada, the Professional Pest Management Association of BC, the Entomological Society of BC and the Salt Spring Island Garden Club. She was awarded a Queen’s Jubilee medal in 2003 and an outstanding achievement award from the Professional Pest Management Association of BC in 2005.