Plots open in Colwood community garden

There is something relaxing about the community garden in Colwood.

"Even when the deer come and eat all my stuff it's still relaxing," said Betty Taylor with a laugh.

Taylor joined the garden 10 years ago when it was still a teaching garden. In exchange for a plot of land, garden tenants had to tend beds for the local food bank. It was a way of giving back for what you were getting, Taylor said. Two years ago the garden became primarily private beds.

"There is not much space to garden in apartment blocks," she said as her reason for getting involved. Taylor makes the bus trek two to three times a week because the work has a relaxing effect. The fact you can "graze" as you go doesn't hurt either, she said with a smile. Her plot is about four feet wide by 25 feet long. What grows inside it is limitless.

In the past she has grown peas, broccoli, zucchinis, swiss chard, lettuce and more. One year she even picked brussel sprouts two days before Christmas. Throughout the growing season, there is also access to communal raspberries, garlic and more.

There is necessary work to maintain the beds, some of which are raised, but it's rewarding, she said. "You get what you put in," Taylor said.

For the greenhorns, or black thumbs depending on how unsuccessful people start off, there is plenty of information in the garden. Charts are posted in the tool shed when to plant and perhaps more importantly, where. Roses love garlic but the aphids that eat the flowers sure don't, Taylor said as an example.

"There is always someone who will know something you don't," she said.

The garden is kid friendly and a great place for families, she said. It's so important children learn where their food comes from before it lands in the grocery store.

"Come to the garden - you'll have a whole other outlook on life," Taylor said.

Growing season gets into full swing in May and there are still a few plots open. Access to the garden costs $20 annually with a $10 deposit. That covers the cost of insurance, water and tools, all of which are provided.

The garden plots are located in the Seeds of Progress community garden behind Pilgrim United Church, 3319 Painter Rd. in Colwood. Of the 32 plots most of them are 100 square feet although there is some variety.

For more information contact Capital Families at 391-4320.