A vegetable-filled oasis along the banks of the Neebing River has brought a south-side neighbourhood together.
Two summers ago, looking at a derelict lot at the end of their block that invited drug users and drunks to flock there, a group of nearby residents led by Rachel McGuiness created the Franklin Street community garden.
Today 10 plots are overflowing with homegrown produce, ranging from onions and beets to eggplant and corn. They’ve also since added a picnic table and a horseshoe pit.
It’s changed their neighbourhood, said McGuiness, who’s always been interested in growing her own food.
“You have a lot of peaceful activities taking place in this space,” she said. “People wander by and just have a sit at the water’s edge. There have been people who aren’t interested in growing food anymore. Maybe they’re elderly or don’t have the time or the space. They’ve asked if we could come and dig up their rhubarb in their backyard.
“Isn’t it great that people can be wandering and actually have access to pull their own food as well, beyond what people are growing in their plots? This is only our second year, but it’s been really, really positive.”
Just ask Jo Hughes, who is obsessed with tomatoes.
Her eight-foot by 10-foot plot is teeming with them, starting to transform from green to red as the August sun beats down on the flourishing plants.
She loves the idea of having a community garden nearby.
“I guess one of the fun things is that everyone gets to grow their own food, really tasty stuff. There are lots of different heirloom varieties that are popping up. It’s really neat to bring the neighbourhood together and meet people you wouldn’t necessarily meet when you pop by to water, or someone else is harvesting,” said Hughes a longtime gardener who is also growing beets and beans in her plot.
“I love to eat, so you get to grow it first.”
Across Thunder Bay, there are several similar projects. On Tuesday the Food Action Network toured five of them, including one at McKellar Park School, where the finished product will be used to feed daycare students housed inside.
The community garden effort began a dozen years ago in the city, with six longstanding gardens in place and six more that have sprung up in recent years.
Catherine Schwartz-Mendez, a public health nutritionist with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit and FAN chairwoman, said there are several reasons they have become so popular.
“I think with the environmental movement, people are more and more interested in local food and growing their own food, knowing where their food comes from. I think the community gardens are a great way to learn the skills again,” Schwartz-Mendez said.
“I think we’ve lost a lot of the gardening and food skills in our society, in our communities, so a community garden is a great way for people to come together and learn from each other about gardening and how to garden.”
For more information, visit www.nwofood.ca.
