Jack Heppner
Producing organic vegetables in our community will always be better than importing them from afar. Local gardeners can ensure that their vegetables are chemical free, travel only a short distance to their dinner table and are fresh, nourishing and tasty. While it takes some time and effort to plant, tend, harvest and process or store vegetables, all gardeners know it is well worth it.
A generation or two ago growing vegetables was considered normal. But in recent decades it has become fashionable to purchase your weekly supply of food brought to the local grocery store from nearly any place on earth. And gradually local gardens ceased being a primary source of food for most people. So a lot of people today have little idea how or where one could begin growing food.
But because of concerns about chemicals in food products and food insecurity caused by global dynamics such as overpopulation, political uncertainties and climate change, serious vegetable gardening has begun to make a comeback. With creativity and determination, an increasing number of people are planting vegetables wherever they find a place; backyards, side yards, planters on balconies and even front yards. This is a wonderful development and needs to be supported in whatever way possible.
One way to support this movement is to develop community gardens in towns and villages across our land. In the Town of Altona a community garden has been developed by the Altona Community Action Network (ACAN) over the past six years. It started out with about 55 plots and has grown to include 140 plots gardened by 97 families in 2023. Nearly half of these families are newcomers to Altona.
Right from the start the garden included a “commons” area where gardeners could meet each other and access tools, water and compost. Over the past three summers the commons has grown to include a timber-frame pavilion, an accessible garden, washrooms and a beautiful, park-like entrance; all made possible by generous local support. ACAN is planning a grand opening event of these facilities at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, September 9th (Rain date is September 16th). All are invited to join us for this festive occasion. Lunch will be served by Sun Valley Coop.
Grab a lawn chair and join us! If you wish, bring some cash to donate a little to help us pay all our final bills. See you there!
