In Pictures: the Community Garden

Thanks to the hard work of numerous volunteers, the south facing lawn of the Revelstoke United Church was transformed over the weekend into a technologically savvy garden space consisting of raised beds, wood chip paths, and ornamental beds. Irrigation in the form of soaker hoses with numerous built in holes were laid under the soil to water the beds on a timer system, reducing evaporation and water waste. Karen McColl photo
A planting session Tuesday night brought people together to sow their seeds and plant their starters. Planters were encouraged to use the 'square foot gardening' system, hailed as being the most effective way to garden small spaces. Each square foot is segmented and gardeners are taught how many of each vegetable can go in each square, as well as which combinations of vegetables work best. For example, a large, slow growing vegetable such as cauliflower could be surrounded by radishes or carrots, which are smaller and have a faster turnover time. Karen McColl photo
If all goes as planned, the downtown community garden will be used as an outdoor classroom with guest speakers, composting and seed saving workshops, and other environmental education initiatives. Karen McColl photo
The wood for the raised beds and the wood chips were donated. Karen McColl photo
Natalie Stafl is on the steering committee for the community garden and was helping organize the planting session Tuesday night. Each 64 square foot raised bed is divided into individual plots of 12 square feet, as well as common areas for everyone to share. Karen McColl photo
Goat manure, in the white bags, is added to the garden as a natural fertilizer. Karen McColl photo
The idea is that every time you harvest something you add a handful or two of manure or compost," said United Church minister Ken Jones, who plans on donating most of the vegetable produce from his plot to community organizations. He also gardens at home. Karen McColl photo
It's never too early to lend a helping hand! People of all ages showed up on Tuesday to help grow the garden. Karen McColl photo

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