Photo by Mike Pochwat, taken from the Parkview Neighbourhood Garden website.
Gardeners everywhere (okay, everywhere with a cold winter) tend to get antsy around this time of year. We long to play in the dirt and grow something fabulous. A lot of us get a temporary fix by fussing with houseplants or poring over seed catalogues. I'm lucky enough to have another outlet: the Parkview Neighbourhood Garden (henceforth PNG).
Born of the fiendishly clever idea that cities can (and should) produce locally grown organic food, the PNG sprang to life last year on donated land in Willowdale (Toronto). The harvest (everything from corn to Swiss Chard to tomatoes and herbs) is sold out front or given to needy members of the community. Meanwhile, the beautiful garden is open to anyone who'd like to stroll along the paths, enjoy the sights, and maybe take some photos (as long as that's all that's taken, please).
My own visits to the garden led to chatting with one of the gardeners (a friendly and fantastic lady named Nancy), which in turn led me to finally attending one of their meetings. There are all sorts of exciting plans for 2010, including an expansion of the garden. There are also tons of volunteering opportunities (students needing hours for their Volunteer Credit take note).
If you're interested in attending a meeting or volunteering, contact the PNG here. The next meeting is Monday 25 January, from 7 to 9 pm at the John McKenzie House.
Helping a worthy cause, supporting the community, and getting your gardening fix? Don't you love it when a plan comes together? :)
2 comments:
I've been reading about the urban farming happening in San Fransisco, New York and such places for a while now. It's such a great idea and I'm really glad to hear it's happening in Toronto too.
I think it's fantastic--I hope it catches on even more.
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