Gardeners snatching up plots

The relentless cold and snowy start to spring didn’t put a damper on the eagerness of green thumbs.

Following a registration event April 7 for plots at the Diamond Valley Community Garden in Black Diamond, more than half of the 64 public use garden plots are spoken for.

People pay $40 for the use of a 4x16-foot raised garden bed, as well as tools, water and communal edibles including gardens of herbs, berry bushes and fruit trees.

Black Diamond resident Alex De Gagne signed up for a plot again this year, eager for another fruitful growing season for turnips, carrots, onions, parsnips, peas and potatoes.

“I love gardening,” said De Gagne. “I have a small one at my house, too, and a small greenhouse. They’re just not big enough.”

De Gagne said she enjoys the community atmosphere at the garden.

“There’s always somebody there,” she said. “We kind of get together and go over and see what other people are doing. It’s nice to see somebody else enjoying some gardening, too.”

For De Gagne, it’s only a block away.

“I like it because it’s close to my place,” she said. “It’s so handy for people who don’t have a spot at home for gardening. The fact that it’s raised beds is easier to work with, especially for old people like me. I always enjoy going there because I love gardening.”

Committee member Jane Toews said the garden creates a community feel, complete with shared plots that allow members to snack on herbs, saskatoons, blueberries, rhubarb and apples. The garden consists of 72 plots, eight of which are designated for the Oilfields Food Bank and communal use, Toews said.

All 64 public plots were spoken for last year and she expects the same result this year.

“The raised beds are a huge asset,” she said. “The garden looks terrific. There’s berms around the outside with a food forest with different kinds of berries.”

Toews said the committee has a lot of work ahead of itself including repairing the sheds, trapping gophers, planning barbecues, work bees and information sessions, planting more apple trees, adding more mulch to the gravel groundcover and, new this year, building a gazebo in the southwest corner with picnic tables.

In addition to the fees for renting plots, Toews said the committee organizes fundraising activities to pay for expenses like water, tools and upgrades.

A plant sale will be held at Country Food Mart AG Foods in June.

Toews said the fundraisers are what keeps the community garden going year after year – that and the work bees.

“It’s a legacy that we don’t want to give up on because it’s so rich,” she said. “The appreciation people express for what the volunteers are doing to keep this together makes it worthwhile.”

Users of the garden can plant whichever vegetables they choose, but people must keep weeds under control and they don’t allow use of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides.

With people working together, Toews said it becomes a real community feel.

“People look after each other’s beds if they’re away,” she said. “It’s developing not just a garden community but a community of people who look out for each other.”

Those interested in having a garden plot in Black Diamond can register at the Black Diamond municipal building until the end of April.

Anyone interested in joining the Diamond Valley Community Garden committee can send a message on its Facebook page or email [email protected]