Community gardens continue plotting course

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This article was published 11/07/2015 (3951 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Community gardening is growing by leaps and bounds in Brandon — and part of the appeal is more than a larder filled with fresh produce.

“One thing everyone I talk to agrees on is that being able to garden in close proximity to one another allows people to share ideas,” said Blake Hamilton, co-ordinator of the Community Garden Network for the city.

“So you’re growing a lot more than vegetables — you’re growing a lot of knowledge and wisdom.”

The gardens work through partnership with various organizations in the city and with a strong volunteer base. Volunteers do everything from co-ordinate the gardens to site maintenance.

There are 880 plots in 17 sites throughout the city, with close to 2,000 people using these gardens during the summer.

In years past there has only been one employee for the network, but this year, thanks to some grants, they were able to hire a summer student, Ashley Sadler.

“Having another set of boots on the ground that’s dedicated to helping orientate new gardeners and deal with issues and organize events and that kind of thing is absolutely tremendous,” Hamilton said.

The community garden staff work with gardeners and educate them on better ways to garden. They also run workshops and work-bee nights.

The workshops, held every Thursday at the Central Community Centre unless otherwise posted, cover a wide array of topics, from gardening to yoga to cooking classes. They’re a lot more than weeding and digging in the dirt.

“What the workshops are, are an opportunity for somebody to come and learn and maybe there’s an activity that they can get involved in but generally stay clean,” Hamilton said. “You can show up in your sandals and bring a notepad and learn something.”

The work bees involve maintenance work on the gardens and are held at a different site each Tuesday. They are open to anyone wishing to volunteer to help.

The work bees will continue until the end of September and the workshops until March.

The community gardens also have a partnership with the Samaritan House Ministries food bank, which has plots at the Stickney Avenue garden site. Currently, there is not much to harvest besides lettuce, so the plot is unable to help out the food bank’s current shortage crisis.

“When they can harvest, that will make a really good impact to their program later in the season,” said Naomi Leadbeater, Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corp.’s representative on the Community Garden Network. “It’s just right now the only sort of fresh vegetables that they can get out of them are the lettuces.”

The demand for the gardens is high and this year, there was a wait list; however, most of those were taken care of and given garden plots.

To apply to have a garden there is a form to fill out on the City of Brandon website.

For more information on the Brandon Community Garden Network, visit their Facebook page at Brandon Community Garden Network.

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