Community Indigo Project
Growing natural indigo in our community is a big step towards a more sustainable textile system in Manitoba and we are excited to share this first years’ journey with all of you.
Here are a few tips about growing your indigo:
- the colour comes from the leaves, so focusing on lots of leaves, and healthy growth is our goal!
- You can safely plant out your indigo starts in your garden anytime after June 1st. If we run the risk of some early june frost we recommend covering your plants as they can be sensitive.
- Indigo likes heat, but in our climate they prefer a bit of shade. If you have a spot in your garden that gets a bit of shade during the day, that is perfect for indigo.
- Japanese indigo is a nitrogen loving plant, so if you test your soil, or if you add amendments, make sure there is a good amount of nitrogen. I have read that feeding the plants with diluted fish emulsion (or something similar) can strongly increase the yield.
- Japanese indigo likes lots of moisture as long as there is good drainage in your garden beds. Mulching with straw can be beneficial for retaining moisture and weed suppression.
Let us know how your plants are doing! and don't forget to tag us on social media with your progress!
@pembinafibreshed or the hashtag #mbcommunityindigo
Community Indigo Project 2020
Growing indigo - may 2020
We distributed indigo seeds to 25 individuals throughout Manitoba. Plants were grown in backyard gardens, in small planters, and in larger farm gardens.
processing indigo - july 2020
Due to covid restrictions we had to limit our indigo workshops, but we had two workshops on processing indigo: fresh leaf, and the water aqueous method.
Community indigo vat - september 2020
During the Manitoba Fibre Trail event we had a community indigo vat. We encouraged participants and any interested community members to come dip fibre, yarn, clothing in our indigo vat. We shared about the process of growing indigo and the potential of local, sustainable dye farming in Manitoba.
