New society of gardeners formed to manage local community gardens
A new society of gardeners, for gardeners has started up in the North Peace to manage the Charlie Lake and Fort St. John Community Gardens.
“The idea of the society is not just for Fort St. John and Charlie Lake but can incorporate any other gardens (in the region) that want to start up,” said Natasha Stanton, a gardener at from the FSJ Community Gardens.
The Fort St. John Community Gardens are located behind the Catholic Church of the Resurrection on 100 Avenue, and the Charlie Lake Community Gardens are located on a 10-acre plot of land next to the Charlie Lake Hall. Two very different styles of gardening are practiced in the gardens – at Charlie Lake the garden is communal with no private plots, instead everyone works together to grow crops using a variety of methods from traditional rows to Hügelkultur. The FSJ gardens consists of some 50 raised beds which are rented out to gardeners for a small fee.
After narrowly averting a crisis last year, the FSJ Community Gardens was able to continue operations. This year, the creation of a new non-profit society to manage it has enabled community gardeners to continue without the uncertainty of 2023. When NEAT, which had been managing the gardens for several years, closed its doors in late 2022, it left the future of the gardens in limbo as the Church would only sign a lease with a non-profit society. Recognizing the value of the gardens to residents, in April 2023, the city organized a town hall meeting to discuss possible solutions, and find an organization to take over the gardens.
Last year’s growing season was short because of the lack of management structure, but thanks to action on the part of the North Peace Horticultural Society and donations from the community, gardeners were able to make use of the plots.
“It was a bit of a scramble to get the garden going, so we had a very short season,” said Fort St. John gardener Alicia Murray. Companies and people in the community were very generous with donations, including Dunvegan Gardens which donated a number of seedlings to the gardens, and allowed the gardens to a have very successful season. So successful, that they were able to donate potatoes to the Foodbank.
Shortly after its formation in February, the NPCGS had a meeting with Father Chris at the Catholic Church to discuss plans for the coming growing season. Unfortunately, the Church has decided to sell the land behind the church where the community gardens are located.
“The game plan changed when we found out we wouldn’t have the land,” said Stanton.
This means the Society needs to find new land in order to continue the FSJ gardens next year and is seeking land within the city to continue to assist residents with their vegetable gardening needs.
The FSJ Community Gardens has been a feature of the city since the mid-1990s and has been in a variety of locations in the city during that time, providing self-sustenance opportunities for urban residents who don’t have access to an area for vegetable gardening at their home.
Moving forward for this season, the Society will not be repairing any of the beds in the FSJ Community Gardens. Instead, they will be taken apart and can be planted this year as mounds, rather than the current raised beds, and will be communal beds, rather than private plots.
For the approximately 21 beds that are suitable for use as raised beds, the Society has started a waitlist for people interested in renting a plot. This year the cost will be just $10, and after May 4, if all the plots have not been spoken for via the waitlist, the Society will open up the list to anyone who wants a second plot.
At the end of the growing season this fall, the beds and other infrastructure at the current location will be dismantled.
“We will be working with the Fort St. John garden,” said Charlie Lake gardener Chantal Neilsen. “If they need anywhere to store stuff when they move.”
Ideally, the Society would like to find land in the city this year, so it can be prepared in the fall for the 2025 growing season.
In the meantime, work is going full steam ahead at both community garden locations for this spring, with work bees and volunteer opportunities beginning in April.
Spring Work Bees:
April 20: Charlie Lake – Wood sign making Work bee
April 27: FSJ – Garden clean-up Work bee
May 4: Charlie Lake Work bee – irrigation set up
o FSJ – Bed rental move-in day (first bed waitlist)
May 11: FSJ – Yard Waste Bin – city
o FSJ – Seed planting Workshop – planting the community garden beds
May 25: FSJ – Garden Seedling Planting
o FSJ – Bed Rental move-in (second bed waitlist)
Weekly Recurring:
Moist Mondays – starting May 13 (not on holidays) Water community beds
Weed & Water Wednesdays – starting May 15, water and weed community beds
For more information, to volunteer or donate, please contact the North Peace Community Gardens Society by email at npcommunitygardensociety@gmail.com