It’s been said that to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow – and a group of gardeners is hoping to sow the seeds of a sustainable future in Cochrane with more community growing sites around town.
Andrea Blonsky of the Cochrane Community Gardens Society, which works closely with the Cochrane and District Horticultural Society, has been consulting with a number of areas this spring, including Heartland, Riviera and the East End, in hopes of expanding their community garden program beyond the flagship site at Glenbow Elementary School.
“We consider ourselves … proponents of urban agriculture as a whole,” said Blonsky. “It would be fantastic if we had a community garden in every area of Cochrane.”
The Glenbow garden project began in 2010 and doubled in size the next year. Now, the successful space has 79 rental boxes in total – which includes 15 that elementary school children, teachers and parent volunteers maintain.
“It’s just a really nice space to gather … It’s a neighbourhood location, it’s a school environment – it’s the perfect location,” she said. “I think it’s really important that kids know the connection between where their food comes from … and it isn’t a grocery store. There’s far more (of a) willingness to be adventurous with what they choose and to make healthy choices if they’ve grown it themselves or had some sort of exposure to where their food comes from.”
With Glenbow as the model, along with a heritage garden at Cochrane Ranche, Blonsky said she and the CCGS are discussing how to create similar metropolitan farmsteads throughout town. She’s excited about a new Cochrane Public Library project, which is creating a community garden and tool lending library this spring after receiving a $5,000 grant, as well as a small pilot project in the works at Frank Wills Memorial Hall.
“The first thing they need to do is to have a really supportive group within the community itself,” she said. “It grows from there.”
Blonsky said rental space is still available at the Glenbow garden. Interested gardeners can call 403-932-9713 or email [email protected] to rent a plot or simply be part of the community of people who have an appreciation for urban agriculture.
“I think it’s important for all of us to have a connection to the earth.”
