Oct
8
By Anne Draper
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?" Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme - Remember me to one who lives there - She once was a true love of mine"...... by Simon and Garfunkel, released in 1966. And Beatrix Potter's Tales of Peter Rabbit and cousin, Benjamin Bunny in Mr. Macgregor's Garden, published in 1902, 1905: "First he ate some of the lettuces and some string-beans; and then he ate some radishes; and then, feeling rather sick, he went to look for some parsley..."can be related to the former Michigan Street Allotment Garden. A community garden was created 15 years ago with the help of Life Cycles. Gardeners have chosen "The Garden of All Sorts," ("NGAS") for our neighbourhood allotment garden that is relocating along the North Boulevard on Niagara Street, adjacent to MacDonald Park. Generous gardeners will continue to contribute fresh surplus vegetables, herbs and berries to our community. Raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries, herbs, roses, a fig tree, a laurel tree, (bay leaves and cuttings), and perennial flowers are some of the plants given away this past spring. Jeneece Place Kitchen Garden transplants are thriving in their new location on Victoria General Hospital's grounds! The gardeners working with Life Cycles and James Bay Neighbourhood Association consulted with James Bay residents and key organizations about the Niagara Street site and on September 3, 2015 the City of Victoria Council's Governance and Priorities Committee approved a recommendation to Council to enter into an agreement with Life Cycles to establish the Neighbourhood Garden of All Sorts at the Niagara Street location.
James Bay is the most densely populated neighbourhood in the city and many residents have no space for gardens. Community interest in accessing garden plots is in high demand and growing. The Montreal Street Allotment Garden and Neighbourhood Garden of All Sorts have waiting lists of over 100 people in James Bay looking for a space to garden.
Life Cycles is currently fundraising for the purchase of 18 raised beds, soil, composters, and a shed for storage. The site will have fencing to give some separation and shelter but will be completely open to the public. If you would like to help, please send a cheque, pay on-line or call Life Cycles Project Society, 1A - 625 Hillside Avenue, Victoria, BC, V8T 1Z1, 250-383-5800. Please indicate that your donation is for the Neighbourhood Garden of All Sorts. James Bay residents, who meet requirements are welcome to apply for a plot. These are: a) Lacking access to garden space equivalent in size and quality to a plot in NGAS; b) No member of your household who already has a plot at NGAS; c) Signing of a Plotholder's Agreement; d) Paying a modest annual fee. For more information about the NGAS. you can email the Garden Coordinator, MaryLynne Rimer at rimergroup@gmail.com.