Grow Slow Community Garden

Hello SLOWesters! I hope you are all having a fantastic summer and enjoying this beautiful growing season! Accompanied by Kirsten of the Food/Community Gardens Group (and Vegetable Patch), I recently took a stroll to a community garden that is part of the Grow Slow initiative in The Food Group. This garden is on Ladouceur Street and it is one of 3 gardens involved in the Grow Slow project. The total yard space measures approximately 1200-1500 square feet and contains a variety of vegetables, a few fruits and lots of herbs.



This garden began before SLOWest got involved, but it has thrived in the past year due to this added involvement. I spoke to Brent who owns the home next door and is responsible for the garden's existence. Brent told me that the piece of land where the garden resides is next door to his property and it was derelict for over 10 years until he got involved. The landlord was receiving yard maintenance complaints from the City of Ottawa's By-Law Department due to the unkempt nature of this parcel of land since it was filled in after a house fire.

In 2006 Brent made an agreement with the landlord to maintain the land, and he could use it however he wanted as long as it got the By-Law people off his back! Four years later and the garden is going strong and even flourishing lately.









Everyone involved in this garden product shares in the bounty of food it produces, but neighbours passing by are offered a few veggies as well. The Food Group has a potluck every 2 weeks where they weed the garden and share food.







It amazed me to see such a variety of vegetables and herbs in this one garden:

• peppers
• cucumbers
• hot peppers
• radishes
• Swiss chard
• basil
• broccoli
• parsley
• cilantro
• arugula
• lettuce
• kale
• beets
• scallions
• sage
• mint
• chives
• rosemary
• lavender
• oregano
• lemon balm
• stevia
• zucchini
• pumpkins
• potatoes
• tomatoes
• butternut squash
• watermelons
• beans

I asked Kirsten why it was important for her to get involved with this garden through the Grow Slow project in SLOWest's Food Group:

"I'm worried about access to food and the place that food is taking in our world, our minds and the economy. This is a fun way to work on that issue and also be part of a community. People stop by and smile and ask questions when we're in the garden;it's a fun way to bring people together!"


Kirsten and the garden's official kitty mascot



I went home from this garden visit with a handful of herbs, a tomato and a cucumber, and a mind inspired by this neighbourhood project that not only brings people together, but also helps redefine the food system in our city.