As winter transitions into spring, we begin to envision the beauty of blooming flowers, buzzing bees and baskets of freshly picked local produce, especially from the garden we all share in Sechelt: the Ocean Vegetables Community Garden.
Located on Ocean Avenue in Sechelt and co-created by a team of volunteers in 2013, this community garden is a unique model in that all beds are available for anyone to harvest from.
The intention of the garden is to connect people in community and to nature. This garden acts as an educational demonstration site where anyone can participate and learn how to grow food and medicine using organic and regenerative methods.
On April 1, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Sechelt Public Library, a community visioning session will be held to design the gardens for the year to come. To RSVP, email coordinator Laura Walker at [email protected]
There are many ways to get involved:
•Donating materials for the tool shed, compost system, trellis and perennial plants such as fruit trees, berries, pollinator plants and plants to supplement the compost system.
•Fund and awareness raising.
•Designing raised beds and a “food forest” – a new term for an ancient technique that many indigenous cultures practice. It is a garden design that mimics forest ecosystems. It applies the relationships observed in nature to create guilds: symbiotic connections of mutually beneficial species. The cycles of nature are restored as the parts of the guild contribute to the health of the wholistic garden system. A guild can provide food, medicine, fertilizer and habitat for pollinators and other helpful creatures.
•Art installations – especially ecological art, upcycled art or nature inspired creations.
•Seed starting. There is a list of seeds available for free at the Sechelt Library. All of these seeds are grown locally. Help saving seeds to provide seed security on the Sunshine Coast and to keep the gardens self sufficient is also appreciated.
•Mentorship. Do you have skills in sustainable living you want to share with your community?
•Builders. Are you interested in infrastructure construction?
Volunteer orientations and community work parties will be offered through the seasons. To stay informed: follow the community garden on Facebook, ask to be put on the emailing list or check out the bulletin board on site for upcoming events.
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