Life at the new site for Cowichan Lake Community Garden has been an “interesting journey”, according to Cara Smith.
The enthusiastic spokesperson for the group spoke with Lake Cowichan town council on March 13, aiming to give them an overview of the status of the garden plus a little background information about their application for a $500 grant-in-aid.
The community garden had to move out of its initial location at Centennial Park when the massive renovations of that space finally began. A new home was found in the former Ravine Park, between the former Stanley Gordon School playground and the Hundred Houses subdivision.
“With the move, we decided to have a second look at our vision and our mission. The vision that we have currently is: the Cowichan Lake Community Garden is a place for the production of food for those hungry in body and a place of beauty and serenity for those hungry in spirit.”
The aims haven’t really changed much but now include the society moving forward as a steward of green space, and showing a productive use of vacant land.
“In 2017, with the much appreciated support we received from the town, the mayor, council and staff, the support of many businesses, and the community at large and through the efforts of our dedicated members and volunteers we were reborn at our new home in Ravine Park. Most of the salvaged infrastructure has been rebuilt. We have irrigation at the garden, 16 boxes were salvaged and we’ve added eight more. Our capacity is growing. The restaurant organics program was reinstated and we were able to start work on soil and drainage improvement efforts and to develop relationships within the community and each other. All this we did while getting to play in the dirt,” Smith said.
Joining the effort has proved popular.
“To date 19 of the available 22 rental boxes have been allocated. I’m pleased to say that one of those is going to the Palsson [School] Strong Start Program so they are going to try and organize having some parents and kids look after their box,” she said.
Only part of the parcel of land is developed so far and work on the rest is a long-term project for the gardeners, especially improving soil quality, water retention and water drainage within the communal garden area, according to Smith.
“And the other thing we would like to do this year: our original handpainted sign has deteriorated and we would like to have the sign professionally repainted with more durable, weather resistant materials,” she said, adding, “We think these things reflect our mission and that the improvements will benefit the town.”
Ravine Park, though formerly used as a landfill site, is an ecologically sensitive riparian area.
“It has a lot of potential to become a well-used and often-visited refuge for the members, for the general public and for local birds, insects, and other wildlife,” she concluded.
Mayor Ross Forrest was the first of the councillors to respond to her presentation.
“Thank you very much for being so persistent. It would have been very easy, when we moved you out of Centennial Park, to have just given up. I’m really pleased that you have stuck with it and done a great job there. I enjoy driving by there and seeing the changes that are happening,” he said.
Smith, who has been regularly attending council meetings for months, smiled, saying, “In hindsight I think a lot of the problems came when the project ended and the Cowichan Green Community dropped out. We didn’t make enough effort to keep in touch with council. We just didn’t think about it. I’m happy to have got to know you all a bit better and I look forward to continuing it.”
Coun. Bob Day said he’s been impressed to see what’s happening at the garden.
“I had the opportunity to deliver some larger amounts of trim from the grocery store. They were happy to have it. I watched Rennie, the guy who talked to us about composting, and watched Gary Demings, who comes down there every day just ‘cause, sift gravel and old asphalt out of the ground that’s excavated for drainage and then bury the compost and the sand and put stuff over top. Then one day he planted something and four days later he had grass that high in a place where you could barely grow a weed. It’s really cool to watch that place come to life,” he said.
Coun. Tim McGonigle is also a frequent visitor at the community garden.
“First of all, the garden gnome looks wonderful there. My grandson talks to him every time we go there,” he said. “It’s looking good. Kudos. That was one of my concerns that during the winter months when there is no activity per se it would look run down but it does not,” he said, adding that he liked seeing the group at Ravine Park.
“I think it’s a better placement. It has been embraced by not only those within your group but by those within the neighbourhood as well. They didn’t have that much of an opportunity when it did reside within Centennial Park. When you hear of Mr. Demings just walking down from his house, or of kids walking to school, taking an interest, it’s great.”
The community garden society’s request for a grant will be discussed during council’s ongoing budget talks.