Elmsdale Community Garden – 2022 Grant Recipient

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ELMSDALE , NOVA SCOTIA –Elmsdale is in the East Hants Municipality District in gorgeous Nova Scotia , Canada . With a well develop population and over half of its residents aged 15 and up possessing a post - secondary certificate , diploma or point , the part is proud of its “ racy history of ship building , forestry , railroad line construction and preserved born surroundings . ” Their residential area garden has no substance backing , but is supported by multiple grants each twelvemonth . Gardening Know How was proud of to support this great sweat in Elmsdale through our 2022 garden grant program .

Nova Scotia is renowned for its lobster piscary , its mix of Mi’kmaq , Acadian and Gaelic heritage and the beautiful Cabot Trail . Elmsdale is located in the centre of the state and is a quickly grow community about 30 mo outside of Halifax , the capital of Nova Scotia .

Two smiling women hold radishes among raised garden beds

We talk with two Tanyas atElmsdale Community Garden . Tanya Burke is the executive director and Tanya Ashley is the garden coordinator . Elmsdale is a rural expanse that ’s on the brink of becoming more urban with a recent influx of resident . Still , the infrastructure remains rural , with one food bank , no homeless shelter . There is still a degree of food scarceness and unemployment , with basically no public services , making this project incredibly significant to the people in the community . Based on survey collect in 2022 , the Elmsdale Community Garden determine that 10 % of their users have use up less or pretermit a day-after-day meal .

The Community’s Garden

Elmsdale Community garden has 12 wheelchair approachable garden bed . These and the cold skeletal system are cared for by Tanya Ashley and her team of volunteers . All the produce turn here is given away to member of the biotic community or used to educate meals for them . Tanya says they raise crops of “ everything from A to Z - aubergine to courgette , ” and adjudicate planting dissimilar assortment to keep the kids concerned .

The garden carry workshops and classes ; they plant garlic bed and do solid food homework workshops such as how to pickle veggie . Tanya and her voluntary throw extra workshops on budgeting , shop on a special income and cooking for one , since around 35 % of the universe in Elmsdale are older adults . The programme holds a turgid garden party once or twice a yr , including a harvest home dinner party , and provide recipe for the food they serve .

A Cog in the Community Wheel

East Hants Learning Association developed a pilot light program in 2017 to come up to food security and generate scholarly person interest . They now have willing volunteers who systematically help out with the labor ’s events and come out - up markets , where solid food is always free . The course of study donate seeds , quad and gardeners to grow craw for the benefit of the community , and delicious , organic food is uncommitted to anyone .

There are n’t many rules about how much food a person can take from the garden . Their internet site tells the community , “ Do n’t feel shamefaced about taking food from the Elmsdale Community Garden . It is there for our community and we do n’t want food to go to waste . ” When taking food from the garden , people are only asked to provide information on how many people they design to tip , which aid with wee garden architectural plan for the coming yr . In the 2021 - 22 menses the garden helped to fill 2,673 plates .

Their pattern also bespeak a corresponding and share on theElmsdale Community Garden Facebook page , a donation of any garden permissive waste to the compost bin and , of course , no smoke on the premises . That ’s not a lot to ask for free organically - grow vegetables – a wonderful inspection and repair for this community .

They Make it Easy!

For those unfamiliar with the garden ’s layout , there is anECG Garden Map Guide , which points the way to specific vegetables , and highlights what is quick to harvest and when . The map is update regularly and markers are placed in the garden boxes . What a great idea !

We are proud of to extend our grant program to Canadian community of interests gardens . Elmsdale ’s garden sets a swell deterrent example for how communities can work together to abolish solid food scarceness and make impertinent constitutive intellectual nourishment useable to anyone who postulate or want it . We pride the two Tanyas and all the volunteers whose concentrated body of work continue this project humming along each year .

Every class , Gardening Know How awards $ 1,000 to 20 dissimilar , deal - pluck garden projection across the United States and Canada . If your community or school garden has a growing , unmet need for more soil , seed , fertiliser , building textile , or even just help stupefy the word out about your program , we ’re quick and uncoerced to help you cope with those penury . As residential area garden and schooling gardening programs form up all over , we ’re well-chosen to do our part to serve . Learn more about our subsidisation platform here .

concerned in learning more about school or residential area gardens ? chaffer ourCommunity Gardening for Everyonepage today .

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