By Seth DuChene
Editor
Community garden enthusiasts from Lennox and Addington, Hastings and Prince Edward counties got together in Napanee on Tuesday to see what they can learn from each other moving forward.
Representatives from the Community Gardens Network of Hastings and Prince Edward and Harvest Hastings toured the Gardens to Go installation on Centre Street near Market Square, the Veggies in the Village garden on Church Street and the Napanee Community Garden just south of Napanee on County Road 8.
Although the community gardening efforts in the different counties have evolved differently, they share common goals — that is, to improve communities by taking advantage of the benefits provided by gardens and gardening.
And it’s not just about the good, healthy food.
“(It’s about) that whole concept of pooling your resources and coming together as a community so that everybody has enough to eat and everybody has the social interaction that is so incredibly important for mental health,” said Tanya Baldwin of the CGNHPE. “A lot of people are isolated, whether you’re a young mom or an elderly individual who has no family. Community is created around a garden, and it’s not just ‘here’s your box, you plant here.’ It’s about those social interactions that are so critical to encouraging healthy growth and development for everyone.”
“It’s also awareness of healthy eating, awareness of food options, awareness of (the fact) that you don’t need 50 acres to grow some of your good, healthy food — and you can do it yourself,” said Greater Napanee Deputy-Mayor Marg Isbester.
The CGNHPE doesn’t operate its own community gardens; however, it works with other groups to establish gardens. “We encourage people to create new gardens, and last year, the first garden started in Picton, 36 beds, and this year the first garden in Wellington (was established), 10 beds. We want to see more beds every year, all over the area,” said Kevin Bazkur, who also works with CGNHPE.
“For the most part, we’re hosting community events where people can come together and collaborate — making those connections and building those relationships. That’s the most important part about community are those relationships, and people coming together and pooling resources to become more self-sustaining,” said Baldwin.
Isbester — who has attended a couple of CGNHPE meetings in Belleville in recent months — said she hoped the groups could learn from each other moving forward. She also said that the town should be proud of what it has accomplished in this regard to date. “I think we need to be proud in Greater Napanee, how quickly this has actually come to fruition. I’m not going to take any credit for it — it’s Marsha Beebe and Kathy Medd and Susan Withers and all those people that have been doing it for ages and just believe so strongly that you have to push it forward,” she said.