THUNDER BAY – A day after a small neighbour-led protest took place opposing a large community garden at Victoria Park, work has begun on the project.
Volunteers spent much of Thursday preparing the 2.25-acre site, constructing raised garden beds and prepping bases for sheds to be built on the site to house tools and other equipment needed to keep the garden going.
Roots to Harvest executive director Erin Beagle, who is overseeing the project, said it’s a great feeling seeing ground broken on the project, a replacement for their former site in the Bay and Algoma District that was closed to make room for low-income housing.
“We’ve got a group here from Western University who are up with us for the week enriching themselves in urban and northern agriculture,” Beagle said.
Thursday’s work also included measuring out the garden itself, an ambitious project that will provide plots for school groups to learn about agriculture, as well as plots for members of the community who wish to grow their own food, but don’t have the space.
“This is a long-game, really. We’ll start tilling early next week so we can get plants in the ground fairly soon. And it’ll go all through May and early June, before we have everything all tilled up and ready,” Beagle said.
“The truckloads of soil – we’re bringing in a lot of triple-mix and compost – will come as soon as May long weekend comes we can bring it in.”
Beagle said they plan to grow what she termed comfort vegetables, which most people would be familiar with, such as beans and peas, carrots and cucumbers.
Berries and fruit trees will also be planted and down the road she hopes to install a bee hive and raise a few rabbits to complete the localized ecosystem.
Some of the food will be sold at market, while the remainder will be donated to organizations such as Shelter House.
Beagle said while Wednesday’s protest was vocal, about a dozen neighbours approached the group working on the field on Thursday to express their support for the project.
The opposition group, led by habitual protestor and neighbour Ray Smith, said they fear an increase in vermin, vagrants and crime because of the garden, which Smith termed an urban farm.
