THE WEST END’S COMMUNITY GARDENS
A Shared Passion Builds Community

by Beth Lopez 
You’ve probably seen this meme go by, but it is the truth. The smell of mycobacterium vacii, a microorganism found in soil, compost and leaf mold, lights up neurotransmitters in the brain that release serotonin. Researchers are looking at turning it into a pill, but gardeners just have to inhale. Gardening is joy.

This is probably why many apartment dwellers feel the need to get their hands in the dirt and grow things. In the West End, one of the options for a growing space is a community garden plot.

The city operates two community gardens in the West End. Nelson Park community garden has 35 beds. Most are on either side of the path between the dog park and the school yard. The rest are along Comox Street beside the dog park.

Tom and his two children have had a plot in Nelson Park for three years, after two years on the wait list. Tom wanted his kids to experience growing their own food and he enjoys being outside in nature. They have successfully grown potatoes, planting some eyes from less than perfect potatoes immediately as they harvest, making the growing cycle easy. This year carrots and radishes are already popping up along with the potatoes and herbs that come back yearly.

They have gotten to know garden neighbors who answer their questions.

The other city-run garden is adjacent to Stanley Park, overlooking the east shore of Lost Lagoon. Because of the wild life in the park, gardeners are asked to grow only flowers. Beginning in the spring, the displays are beautiful.

As reported in the May lead story in The West End Journal, the garden is situated on an important part of the site for the improved water supply tunnel. The north end of the garden will be removed for the construction, but there is a commitment by the city to restore the garden. The gardeners are saving bulbs to ensure it will be beautiful again.

The other large community garden can be found at Mole Hill, in Jepson-Young Lane. There are 76 raised planting boxes; half of them are reserved for residents of Mole Hill, half of them are open to other residents of the West End. A look at Mole Hill gardens brings me to my friend, Rosie.

Rosie is 89. She caught the gardening bug from her grandmother who had chickens, a cow and a big garden. Rosie remembers helping her grandmother in the garden and then going with her to the Saturday market in Victoria where she sold her eggs, butter and vegetables.

She also told me of her grandmother’s method of making pickles. Each day, when the pickling cucumbers started producing, she would go out and collect the perfect sized cucumbers, a sprig of dill and a head of garlic and would make one jar of pickles. The process was repeated daily while the cucumbers were producing.

Living in an apartment in the West End, Rosie needed to find a spot to garden. She noticed the back yard of one house on Pendrell Street that was not being used. She knocked on the door, introduced herself to the two old gentlemen who rented the house, and asked if she could plant a garden in their yard and she would share her vegetables. She tended her garden there until the houses were bought up by the Mole Hill society and refurbished. That was when Rosie got her own garden plot in Mole Hill, one of the first gardeners in the laneway.

She is growing Swiss chard and kale that have overwintered and survived the cold snap. She has several varieties of lettuce. She has herbs: parsley, cilantro, basil, mint and thyme. She also has dandelion. She eats the leaves for their taste, but also for their health benefits. She has one tomato plant only and it will remain small. Because peas, beans and most tomatoes grow so tall, she has stopped planting them. The risk of falling becomes more serious as you get older.

Rosie also enjoys the company of the many gardeners who meet in this space. She has learned many tips, some that she passed on to me: Worm castings make the best fertilizer. She buys bags at the Home Hardware on Davie and puts it in the bottom of any hole before putting in a new plant. Hair clippings can be picked up from a hair salon and they keep away slugs when spread lightly over the garden. One plant of rue in your garden will keep cats from using it as a litter box.

There is another community garden found at the corner of Davie and Burrard streets. Unfortunately, this is the final summer for this garden, which was created in a vacant lot that appeared when the former service station there was torn down.

I spoke to one of the gardeners there and learned that they have enjoyed the gardening and the community that grew around their common interest. They shared conversations, seeds, plants and knowledge.

They were told by the company that owns the land that they can plant one more summer. The company is beginning construction of a 45 story building on the lot on the opposite corner. At the end of this summer, the garden lot will become a construction site for a partner building.

The gardeners are sad to lose their gardens and their community. The land is too valuable for mere gardening.

In my conversations, one theme kept recurring. When I started this close look at these gardens, I thought of them as garden plots that happened to be in my community. But actually, these are communities held together by the common love of gardening.

There is joy is watching a seed sprout or a flower bloom. There is also joy in the laughter, conversations and sharing with people who understand your passion.

“Help yourself to my watercress. I have more than I need.”

“Would you keep an eye on my garden and water if needed while I’m away next week?”

This is the community part of these gardens.

For inquiries about a city owned plot, you can write to the city. Nelson Park inquiries go to nelsonparkgarden@gmail.com and Stanley Park inquiries go to innersanctum2003@yahoo.ca.

For inquiries about the Mole Hill plots, contact admin@molehillhousing.ca .

Be aware that the wait list for any of these plots is very long.