Community Garden
Sackville Community Garden Takes Root
A grass-roots initiative called the Sackville Community Garden is working the fertile soil of the Tantramar Region. The garden was started in 2003 by Michaela Beder, a student of Mount Allison University. Her idea was to create a local sustainable, pesticide- and herbicide-free food source. The garden is divided into private plots, tended and harvested by individuals, and a large community plot, tended by the Friends of the Garden. This volunteer effort brings healthy and environmentally- friendly food to local tables. By all accounts, the garden, in its third successful year, has fully taken root in the hearts and minds of the community.
Stakeholders and Supporters
Many groups and individuals share an interest in this non-profit enterprise. The Drew Nursing Home contributed the land. Bud Doncaster, a local farmer, plows it. Students and local talent volunteer their time to fundraise, and members of the general public visit and weed it. The support doesn’t stop there. The garden is also grateful to have assistance from Leadership Mount Allison, Tantramar Environmental Alliance, Town of Sackville, Renaissance Sackville, Human Resources Development Canada, Beal and Inch Construction, Rotary Club, and Energreen Co-op.
The Plot Thickens
The garden is located behind the Drew Nursing Home, bordering the Sackville Waterfowl Park. The garden is open to the public and the pathways are stroller- and wheelchair-friendly. If you visit, you’re likely to see perfect rows of nasturtiums, rhubarb, and lettuce.
Also soaking up the sun is this year’s Coordinator. Lara West is a third-year Fine Arts/Environmental Studies student at Mount Allison and is thrilled to be part of the Garden. “It was started by a Fine Arts student two summers ago” she says, pushing back her hat, revealing a freckled face and a bumblebee tattoo on her arm. “The buzz was going around that the job was opening up for this summer.”
Lara’s experience as a farmhand on her parents’ beef and large-crop ranch in Alberta, and her keen interest in the environmental sciences has gone a long way to help her. One look at this year’s garden and you can see that she is perfect for the position.
Lara’s challenged herself to bring her other love into the garden — art. She’s teamed up with Struts Artist-Run Gallery to involve other artists. Lara sees the garden as a “living work of art” and wants to encourage investigation of the “spaces between Science, Environment and Art”. To further the idea, she’s obtained funding to help create educational workshops that are art-, garden- and environment-related.
Lara’s husband-to-be, John “Bucky” Buckler has been assisting from time to time. His carpentry skills and interest in the environment make him an ideal volunteer. Along with the co-workers at Energreen Co-op, he recently helped build the garden a much-needed utility shed.
Reaping the Rewards
Vegetables are harvested under the supervision of the Garden Coordinator and sold to residents of the Drew Nursing Home and at the Farmer’s Market during the season. Half of the profits benefit community groups and organizations in need, such as the local Food Bank. The rest is plowed back into the Garden Fund to cover operating costs including hiring future coordinators, and to keep the garden sustainable for years to come.
Pitch In
To become a member of the Friends of the Garden, to request a plot for yourself or to contribute to the Garden Fund, contact our 2007 Coordinator, Theresa Richards by email.