FERGUS — The town has broken ground on what will be its first community garden on township land.
“So we’re excited for that and it has been a long time coming,” said Daisy Moore, one of the volunteers with the Community Garden Network who are behind the project and several community gardens already in town on church, school and private property.
On Tuesday morning, Paul Gerrie was busy tilling the soil at the plot beside the Centre Wellington Sportsplex, behind the dog park. The plots will be planted in the spring.
“Here we are in 2022 and Centre Wellington Township have agreed to allow us to put a community garden here at the Sportsplex in Fergus,” Moore said.
So far, a design for the garden has been drawn. The soil has been tilled multiple times.
The garden will be used to grow flowers and vegetables.
“What we’re doing here is we’re going to have garden plots available in the spring available for local residents to grow their own vegetables and flowers for a small fee.”
However, there is an area set aside for a pollinator garden that will support bees, caterpillars, and butterflies.
In another area, a food forest will be grown. That will have fruit trees and berry bushes beneath those trees.
The garden will be divided into 15 plots, plus the pollinator garden and food forest.
Plots can be rented for $35 per year.
This garden will be an opportunity for those who struggle with accessing food to grow some food for themselves in an affordable way.
The flowers, Moore explained, project a comforting feeling.
“It will allow people who don’t have their own properties to have gardens.”
It is also intended that the garden will bring people together, “to connect people, to be in a community.”
To inquire about purchasing a plot, email [email protected].
Jesse Gault is GuephToday's Local Journalism Initiative reporter, funded by the Government of Canada
