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[to Spring
2005 update]
August 2004
 In
November 2003, Cowichan
Green Community initiated
the idea of starting
a community garden, Jubilee
Gardens, in Centennial
Park in Duncan, B.C.
Cowichan Community Land
Trust and the Vancouver
Foundation backed this
dream and made it a reality.
The two people who supervise
the garden currently
are Carol Sim and Christine
Pollard. Carol is the "Garden
Mentor" who tends the
garden and helps the
people gardening there.
Christine is the Project
Manager. Currently, both
staff are funded by the
Vancouver Foundation
but only for a limited
time. The jubilee Garden
committee feels that
through mentoring this
initial group of gardeners,
these gardeners will
pass on their training
to new gardeners and
garden will be self-sufficient.
 Two
parts of the Jubilee Gardens are
the Communal Beds and the Allotment
beds. Dinters Nursery generously
supplied plants for both of these
beds. When plants come in and can't
be planted right away a local neighbour,
Sharon Jackson, holds the plants
and waters them regularly.The communal
beds are worked on by anyone in
the community. Any of the food
produced by the beds is given to
the local Food Bank. Allotment
beds, on the other hand, are worked
by individuals or groups for a
nominal cost of $20.00. A variety
of groups, for example, the Cowichan
Valley Intercultural and Immigrant
Society, the Seniors Advisory Committee,
Duncan Manor (Senior Housing),
and Community Kitchens are involved.
Partners has helped with the Jubilee
Gardens by adding a shed to their
premises. With the help of the
Maxwell International Baha'i School
and their fundraising, we were
able to buy the material which
built this shed. Inside they store
their materials and things the
garden needs to keep running.
 Some
goals of Jubilee Gardens include:
Adding 20 beds to their 10 allotment
beds, and increasing size of communal
beads in order to donate more food
to the food bank. They would also
like to have everyone who works
in the garden, achieve food security.
They invite everyone to come down
to the garden and have a look.
In the fall they plan to have workshops
on Saturdays with topics like composting,
Butterfly gardeners and Snake pit
gardens.
People in the Valley can help also.
If you happen to have any food
from fruit trees or gardens, that
you are willing to offer, please
email us at
and
we can set up a task force to take
this food to the Food Banks.
Author: Anis Atrchi
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2005 Spring Greetings from
Jubilee Community Garden
We are beginning our 2nd season
in Centennial Park in downtown
Duncan, a lot earlier than last
year. We have 13 returning gardeners
and 13 new ones, with more interested.
Although it's been rainy and cool,
the gardeners have been busy making
new beds in both the allotment
area and the communal part. An
Entrance Garden has been added,
across from the shed, with flowering
shrubs and perennials brought from
our homes. There will be a Children's
Garden this year, with pie-shaped
beds that radiate out from a big
fennel plant. We are busy making
more beds for all of our new gardeners
and seeding our crops.
The group has Society status now
and everyone is pitching in to
make this season a success. We
continue to be blessed with support
and donations from the community.
Recent spring events in the
Garden:
30 April - Plant Sale at City Square
Market, and Worm Demonstration
14 May - Master Gardeners' Plant
Clinic
15 May - Gardeners' Pot Luck
Source: Christine Pollard,
Horticultural Therapist Masters
Level,
Co-Chair BC Chapter of the CHTA,
Home Farm, Duncan, BC, Canada
tel. 250-748-1777
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