Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 05/01) - Plans are well under way for the next season of the Inuvik Community Greenhouse, as another successful season comes to a close.

Josh Tyler and other members of the ExPLORE program have painted a mural at the Inuvik Community Greenhouse. ExPLORE was put on this past summer by the town's recreation department. The greenhouse is capping off another successful season.

Sliding shelves are to be built for the upper, commercial level, to make better use of space and allow for the growing of more plants. As well, a circulation system involving 1.21 metre diameter perforated tubing is to be installed.

A rubberized greenhouse floor may be installed upstairs. Such a floor is expensive, but can be scrubbed and sanitized weekly, thus cutting down on plant viruses.

Effie MacLeod, chairperson of the Community Garden Society of Inuvik, said a big change will be that less tomatoes will be grown next summer than have been over the past two seasons. More shorter season produce will be grown instead.

MacLeod explained the heavy concentration on tomatoes creates a revenue gap between June and August. The produce grown will be based on demand from local restaurants, and will also be available for sale to the general public.

"We'll probably triple or quadruple our revenue from produce over the summer," MacLeod said.

Over the past month, about $1,500 worth of tomatoes have been sold at the greenhouse, with the total expected to reach $2,000, or 500 kilograms, by Oct. 8, the last day the greenhouse is to be open this year. Both ripe and green tomatoes are on sale until then.

MacLeod said the greenhouse had a "very successful" season. As was hoped for, bedding plant sales earlier in the season were up, by about $5,000, for a total of $18,000. MacLeod said the target will be $25,000 for next year.

Fundraising bingos

A series of bingos have also helped the society along, so that it is ending the season in the black. MacLeod said one consequence is that next year two people will likely be on staff at the greenhouse full time.

"It's a relief to have a cushion of funding to go into next year with," MacLeod said.

"It's not just the dollars. It's a good feeling to be part of the community effort to beautify the town, 'cause it's really, really good to walk around the town and see the town in bloom, as it were."

Recently MacLeod made a presentation about the greenhouse at the fourth Circumpolar Agricultural Conference in Akureyri, Iceland.

She said one of the most interesting aspects was a day trip to a greenhouse research facility, which uses geothermal heat to heat water and generate electricity.

MacLeod said agriculture plays a large role in Iceland's economy, and that a lot of experiments are being taken to help their greenhouse industry stay competitive. She said the greenhouse research facility director has offered to provide ongoing contact and support with the Community Garden Society of Inuvik.

MacLeod also met a farmer from Norway who winters bees in temperatures as low as -39 C, and she wonders if bees could be kept at the Inuvik greenhouse.

"That's one of the challenges for us, getting even pollination and consistent pollination happening, because we don't have a lot of insects, and it's insects that pollinate plants."

MacLeod also got to see some geysers, including the Blue Lagoon.