The St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Community Gardens does more than grow vegetables.
Here at the northeast corner of Bayview and Major MacKenzie there lots of tomatoes, onions, beans, squash, and a number of other vegetables growing on this approximately 2 acre site.
The gardeners can grow what they like, except corn and sunflowers – these attract the racoons! It’s clay soil so carrots don’t do so well.
Garden plots, (25’ x 25’) are available to those who don’t have an area to garden in their own back yard. Many of the gardeners are immigrants who have brought with them their passion for gardening.
For only $25 for a season you get access to the garden and access to the garden hose, tools and compost.
But not all of the plots are private gardens. About half the land is community gardens. Vegetables are grown for seniors and handicap individuals on fixed incomes to ensure they have some fresh vegetables. They don’t need the Food Bank but they certainly appreciate a delivery of fresh vegetables in the summer months.
Margaret McCleary has been “Offering a Hand” for many years organizing this initiative. Twice a week she visits 4 senior’s buildings with geared to income apartments delivering a few meals worth of fresh produce, and some bread donated by a local bakery. She helps out about 75 people.
Marg herself is a senior with mobility challenges. She gets around with a cane or motorized scooter. She has the help of a hardworking and dedicated high school student, Haroon.
There have been many in our community that have “Offered a Hand” to these community gardens
- Volunteers have planted, watered, weeded and picked the vegetables. Haroon provides training
- Woodhill Nursery has donated plants and seeds
- Miller Waste has given them a truck load of compost
- The Town has provided some funding
How can you “Offer a Hand”?
- Helping with the gardening
- Donating bags - grocery (shirt bags) and clear (Ziploc) bags do pack individual portions
- Donating plants and seeds – it is still not too late into the season for some plants but please keep this in mind for next year
- Extra produce from your garden
- Baskets – bushel, 3 & 6 L
- Miracle Grow (or equivalent)
If you can “Offer a Hand” in any of these ways please contact Marg at 416 523-6514
