Comments for Pacific College News http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog Let the Outdoors be Your Classroom Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:27:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 Comment on Irrigation & Drainage Fieldtrip to Island View Beach- photos by student Marcus Hissen by HCP Blogger http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog/?p=104&cpage=1#comment-224 HCP Blogger Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:27:39 +0000 http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog/?p=104#comment-224 Thanks Marcus for the fun and fine photos. Thanks Marcus for the fun and fine photos.

]]> Comment on Student Pics… by HCP Blogger http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog/?p=1&cpage=1#comment-86 HCP Blogger Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:17:26 +0000 http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog/?p=1#comment-86 Thanks Darren! From the class of 2010. Thanks Darren! From the class of 2010.

]]> Comment on Student Pics… by Darren Reed http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog/?p=1&cpage=1#comment-52 Darren Reed Fri, 22 Jan 2010 05:53:06 +0000 http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog/?p=1#comment-52 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION MEETING Just to let all of the past graduates of the college know we'll be having the first ever meeting of the Alumni Association on Tuesday, February 2, 5:30p.m., in the PHC classroom. If you know of anybody that has not already been e-mailed or contacted yet, please let them know about it and also ask them to forward their contact information to me at alumni@hcp.bc.ca There's some exciting information forthcoming and some great opportunities as well! Hope to see you all there! ALUMNI ASSOCIATION MEETING
Just to let all of the past graduates of the college know we’ll be having the first ever meeting of the Alumni Association on Tuesday, February 2, 5:30p.m., in the PHC classroom. If you know of anybody that has not already been e-mailed or contacted yet, please let them know about it and also ask them to forward their contact information to me at alumni@hcp.bc.ca
There’s some exciting information forthcoming and some great opportunities as well!
Hope to see you all there!

]]> Comment on Student Pics… by Darren Reed http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog/?p=1&cpage=1#comment-51 Darren Reed Fri, 22 Jan 2010 05:48:59 +0000 http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog/?p=1#comment-51 I would just like to take this opportunity to welcome the 18 new students to our certificate program. I'm sure that by now you've been given sufficient time to get settled in and also been able to meet a few of the many great instructors that you will learn from this year. Hopefully I'll have more time during this year to meet and interact with all of you, and please feel free to flag me down for a chat if you see me around the gardens..... As anyone who knows me can attest to, I'm always willing to talk! Best of luck! I would just like to take this opportunity to welcome the 18 new students to our certificate program. I’m sure that by now you’ve been given sufficient time to get settled in and also been able to meet a few of the many great instructors that you will learn from this year. Hopefully I’ll have more time during this year to meet and interact with all of you, and please feel free to flag me down for a chat if you see me around the gardens….. As anyone who knows me can attest to, I’m always willing to talk!
Best of luck!

]]> Comment on Student Pics… by Mike Bailey http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog/?p=1&cpage=1#comment-35 Mike Bailey Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:54:14 +0000 http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog/?p=1#comment-35 One of the most interesting projects we took on this year was the urban garden. Unfortunately we did not get as far along as I might have hoped, although a before and after picture wouldn't suggest we slouched in anyway. Of what we accomplished I feel the drystone wall was by far the most fun and satisfying. While it isn't anywhere near complete it is the section I spent the most time with. When I started the year I was looking forward to trying my hand at drystone wall building but felt I needed to know more. My advice to next years students and anyone else interested is that the theory behind drystone wall building is fairly strait forward, but the only way to get any good at it is to get your hands dirty. The best feeling by far is the one you get after spending ten minutes trying to get one section to fit right, giving up, then picking up a rock and having it just fit perfectly with no effort. Sadly towards the end of the year the water had risen high enough and the rain had saturated the field so much that work was all but impossible to continue. I hope next years students have as much fun working on it as I did. One of the most interesting projects we took on this year was the urban garden. Unfortunately we did not get as far along as I might have hoped, although a before and after picture wouldn’t suggest we slouched in anyway. Of what we accomplished I feel the drystone wall was by far the most fun and satisfying. While it isn’t anywhere near complete it is the section I spent the most time with. When I started the year I was looking forward to trying my hand at drystone wall building but felt I needed to know more. My advice to next years students and anyone else interested is that the theory behind drystone wall building is fairly strait forward, but the only way to get any good at it is to get your hands dirty. The best feeling by far is the one you get after spending ten minutes trying to get one section to fit right, giving up, then picking up a rock and having it just fit perfectly with no effort. Sadly towards the end of the year the water had risen high enough and the rain had saturated the field so much that work was all but impossible to continue. I hope next years students have as much fun working on it as I did.

]]> Comment on Student Pics… by Mike Bailey http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog/?p=1&cpage=1#comment-34 Mike Bailey Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:03:56 +0000 http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog/?p=1#comment-34 Our final field trip of the year was very inspiring. Butterfly gardens is amazing, though I imagine quite a bit of work. It was odd being in such an artificial, but organic garden. Obviously a healthy balance must be maintained, and any action against a pest must be carefully taken. What a challenge though, I would love to take a peek at the IPM program they have in place. I know they release beneficial insects at appropriate times, but how do they monitor? It's not like they can just put up some sticky traps and count. Just a late thought. Still when the weather gets like it is these days I will undoubtedly wonder why I'm not working in garden like that. Our final field trip of the year was very inspiring. Butterfly gardens is amazing, though I imagine quite a bit of work. It was odd being in such an artificial, but organic garden. Obviously a healthy balance must be maintained, and any action against a pest must be carefully taken. What a challenge though, I would love to take a peek at the IPM program they have in place. I know they release beneficial insects at appropriate times, but how do they monitor? It’s not like they can just put up some sticky traps and count. Just a late thought. Still when the weather gets like it is these days I will undoubtedly wonder why I’m not working in garden like that.

]]> Comment on Student Pics… by Wayne Reid http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog/?p=1&cpage=1#comment-33 Wayne Reid Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:23:10 +0000 http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog/?p=1#comment-33 As Yogi Berra would say: “It ain’t over till its over”. Even though the Class of 2009 officially ended yesterday, November 18th at noonish, Dustin and I will be continuing on with our work installing an irrigation system on a property in Saanich. If you don’t subscribe to “Murphy’s Law”, a summary of our project might alter your opinion. It started off as a simple project, installing an aboveground drip irrigation system, but evolved into a relatively complex project, installing an integrated underground pop-up system with an above ground drip system. All good stuff really and looked very doable once we fully reconfigured the initial system design, drafted new plan schematics and drafted a project plan. Even though we did consider risks to the project’s critical paths, we didn’t really expect most of those risks (and few others) to arise; but, they did. I won’t go over all the issues that came up but suffice it to say the project that we estimated would take us approximately 3 days to install, has turned into a rainy, muddy, and cold 2 week install .... and still counting. Subsequently, we’ll be slopping around in the mud for a few more days at least and most likely floating around the college until next week (figuratively and literally) - and just when they thought they had seen the last of us Over the past month +, Dustin and I have relied heavily on each other, our irrigation manuals (bibles) and the patience of the home owner, but through trial and error and numerous phone calls to our supplier, its been a great learning experience and one that will do us well as we apply our newly acquired knowledge and skills to our private enterprises. Now if it would just stop raining ............ As Yogi Berra would say: “It ain’t over till its over”.

Even though the Class of 2009 officially ended yesterday, November 18th at noonish, Dustin and I will be continuing on with our work installing an irrigation system on a property in Saanich.

If you don’t subscribe to “Murphy’s Law”, a summary of our project might alter your opinion.

It started off as a simple project, installing an aboveground drip irrigation system, but evolved into a relatively complex project, installing an integrated underground pop-up system with an above ground drip system. All good stuff really and looked very doable once we fully reconfigured the initial system design, drafted new plan schematics and drafted a project plan.

Even though we did consider risks to the project’s critical paths, we didn’t really expect most of those risks (and few others) to arise; but, they did. I won’t go over all the issues that came up but suffice it to say the project that we estimated would take us approximately 3 days to install, has turned into a rainy, muddy, and cold 2 week install …. and still counting. Subsequently, we’ll be slopping around in the mud for a few more days at least and most likely floating around the college until next week (figuratively and literally) – and just when they thought they had seen the last of us

Over the past month +, Dustin and I have relied heavily on each other, our irrigation manuals (bibles) and the patience of the home owner, but through trial and error and numerous phone calls to our supplier, its been a great learning experience and one that will do us well as we apply our newly acquired knowledge and skills to our private enterprises.

Now if it would just stop raining …………

]]> Comment on Student Pics… by Christy Vincent http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog/?p=1&cpage=1#comment-32 Christy Vincent Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:42:47 +0000 http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog/?p=1#comment-32 Wednesday is our graduation! Yay!!!!!! It was so good to meet so many people who have a love of gardening and plants. Congradulations to my fellow students. I will miss you all. Wednesday is our graduation! Yay!!!!!! It was so good to meet so many people who have a love of gardening and plants. Congradulations to my fellow students. I will miss you all.

]]> Comment on Student Pics… by Christy Vincent http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog/?p=1&cpage=1#comment-31 Christy Vincent Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:40:33 +0000 http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog/?p=1#comment-31 Well, I'm going to meet with my client tonight to give them my final design, and I can tell you that it sure feels great to know that this is the last thing that I have to do before graduation. I hope that they like it. Such good practice for me. A dry run for what I'll be doing so much in the months to come. Well, I’m going to meet with my client tonight to give them my final design, and I can tell you that it sure feels great to know that this is the last thing that I have to do before graduation. I hope that they like it. Such good practice for me. A dry run for what I’ll be doing so much in the months to come.

]]> Comment on Student Pics… by Mike Bailey http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog/?p=1&cpage=1#comment-29 Mike Bailey Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:21:30 +0000 http://www.hcp.bc.ca/blog/?p=1#comment-29 Today we pruned the apple trees at UVic. I must say that while attending UVic I was completely unaware they had an apple orchard. Prior to today and our previous session earlier in the year I doubt if I had been aware it would have been worth the walk over. Now many of the trees look much more friendly, if not a little bare. In a few years, with the proper care, they should look amazing, and potentially be as nourishing as attending a class. Good work everyone. Today we pruned the apple trees at UVic. I must say that while attending UVic I was completely unaware they had an apple orchard. Prior to today and our previous session earlier in the year I doubt if I had been aware it would have been worth the walk over. Now many of the trees look much more friendly, if not a little bare. In a few years, with the proper care, they should look amazing, and potentially be as nourishing as attending a class. Good work everyone.

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