Heat wave keeps gardener busy
Tammy Gon gets hands dirty in Gameti community garden
Kassina Ryder
Northern News Services
Monday, July 11, 2016
GAMETI/RAE LAKES
A summer heat wave in the North Slave region has kept Gameti's Tammy Gon hard at work this month.
Tammy Gon, summer student at the Gameti community garden, stands in front of potato plants on July 6. High temperatures over the last few weeks have kept her busy keeping the plants watered. - Photo courtesy of Judal Dominicata |
"It was bearable until two weeks ago, but it's really hot now," the 19-year-old said.
Gon is working as a summer student in the community garden and the hot weather means she has been learning the importance of keeping plants hydrated. The temperature in Gameti hovered between 23 C and 28 C last week.
"We have to water the plants quite a lot," she said.
"The soil would dry out really fast, so sometimes we have to water one area twice in a day."
Watering isn't Gon's only duty. She's been learning how to plant seeds in the greenhouse and when to transplant them outside, as well as how to grow corn and potatoes.
Potatoes are the most abundant crop in Gameti's garden this year.
"The garden is split up into several areas, so five big areas are just potatoes," she said.
"There is this other area where we planted tomatoes and turnips, but it wasn't as much as the potatoes."
On July 5, Gon got her first taste of the garden's bounty.
"Yesterday they harvested the peas and they gave some peas to me and my coworkers," she said.
"It was really good, they were really sweet."
Gon had never gardened before she was hired in May. She said her favourite part of the job is watching the progression from seed to harvest.
"I like planting and digging in the dirt and putting the seed in," she said.
"Just seeing it grow, like a week or two later, noticing a difference from when you first planted."
Though she's enjoying her time in the garden, the job will finish at the end of the summer.
Gon said she plans on securing another job for the fall and winter before heading off to Grande Prairie Regional College in January where she plans to take office administration.
Though gardening can be difficult, Gon said she's happy to be spending her summer outdoors.
"I like working outside."
