Two years ago, Garden 579 was an empty lot with lots of potential and community members willing to make it a viable place to grow local food.

This year, about a third of the garden grew itself, Rachelle Sauvé, one of the main organizers, said Sunday.

A community planting weekend was held Saturday and Sunday where members of the public were encourage to donate, “seeds, seedling, soil or time.”

Sauvé said they had about 12 to 14 helpers over the weekend and 30 to 40 people who stopped by to learn more about the garden located at 579 George St. About 10 people donated seeds and plants, she said.

Volunteers are needed for a community garden spruce-up at Garden 579 on George St. this weekend.

Organizers are looking for people willing to visit the garden (at 579 George St.) and pitch in with spring garden preparation and, possibly, minor repairs and maintenance.

About six weeks ago, during a meeting of the Peterborough Community Garden Network about starting gardens on city-owned land, Sion Hughes decided he would “have a look and see what’s out there” that’s owned privately.

He found an empty lot owned privately by T.J. Cavanagh Appliances and with the owner’s approval plans to turn the space into an organic, pesticide-free community garden.

Standing in the grassy lot on Sunday, located on the east side of Stewart St. just north of Charlotte St., Hughes shared his vision about what could be achieved by “a group of people trying to make something from nothing.”

Evan Podd is a local restaurateur. With his wife Kelly, he owns and operates both the Old Bridge Inn in Young’s Point and the soon-to-be-reopened 38 Degrees on Water St. in Peterborough.

Meanwhile, Karen Caruana operates Porcupine Creek Farm in Marmora. With her husband Matt, she grows certified organic herbs, which she sells on their own or as part of teas, jellies, vinegar and other products.

Both were among the crowd at the second annual Kawartha Choice Speed Dating Business Networking Event at Evinrude Centre on Monaghan Rd. on Monday afternoon.

The event brought together local restaurant owners, chefs and other food service operators, like Podd, to meet with area food producers, like Caruana, and learn about the products they offer.

Anyone who didn’t make it outside over the weekend missed out on some beautiful weather. It was warm, there was a light breeze and you could really sense that the change in seasons has begun.

I stepped outside Sunday afternoon to the sound of water trickling down the storm drains in front of my little piece of suburbia. The snow on the front lawn had almost disappeared overnight and it seemed the entire neighbourhood was out enjoying the weather.

I found myself going for a long walk in Jackson Park, where the ground was still blanketed in a white layer of cold. A subtle reminder that winter hasn’t quite loosened its icy grip on us.

I think Mother Nature is trying to trick us into thinking that winter is over, but she always has the last say and it’s not uncommon to get one last harsh blast.

Over here: farmers. Over there: buyers from restaurants, catering companies and hotels. On your mark, get set—say hello.

Kawartha Choice Speed Dating for farmers is back for its second year.

The event provides opportunities for chefs, restaurants, caterers, retailers and buyers to meet and develop business relationships with local producers.

Speed dating paid off for Brad Watt, owner of Rare Grill House on Murray St. “Huge,” he said. “I built huge bonds there last year.”

With the first day of spring right around the corner, many are looking to begin planting vegetables alongside their neighbours in Peterborough’s many community gardens.

“People are just dying to get their hands dirty again,” said Paula Anderson from Peterborough Green-Up and the Peterborough Community Garden Network. “There’s a growing movement right now of people just getting together in a community garden and enjoying the bounty together.”

Recently the Peterborough Community Garden Network received about $60,000 in funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to support the network’s development, she said.

That money allows the group to start planning to make sure all the area’s community gardens are successful this season, she said.

Locavores looking to get a jump on spring will find inspiration browsing the many local and organic seeds at the fifth annual Seedy Saturday seed exchange next month, organizers say.

Coordinator Jillian Bishop said the annual seed swap is a great way to usher in the season of gardening.

“Organic seeds means there hasn’t been any pesticides or fertilizers used, so they’re a lot healthier and produce better food,” she said. “That’s good for the planet and yourself.”

Most of the seeds are local, so they aren’t being shipped to Peterborough from outside the region, she said.

It was three weeks ago Thursday when three Canadian rodents were pulled from their slumber to predict when we could expect an end to winter. From Shubenacadie Sam in Nova Scotia to our own Wiarton Willie, it seems the groundhogs were all on the same page this year -we can expect snow and cold through mid-March.

It was an easy prediction, if you ask me. I had this hunch all along that we’d still be facing winter conditions right up until Feb. 2 plus six weeks -and beyond. I find the groundhogs’ accuracy is sometimes lacking.

One thing we can be sure of is the anticipation of all those in the gardening world. As seed catalogues arrive in the mail, gardeners eagerly thumb through the glossy pages wishing for an early spring. They want to get their hands dirty in the warm spring earth, and I can’t say that I blame them.

A new Peterborough-based catering business is bringing the area’s fresh seasonal ingredients as close as your local table — even in the dead of winter.

“This is about taste education based on my clients’ needs,” said Peggy Baillie, the chef and owner of Local Table.

Her new catering business creates made-to-order menus using only local ingredients based on their seasonal availability, she said.