Local news
Inexperienced gardeners see their plants thrive thanks to a family gardening program
The Steinbach Family Resource Centre (SFRC) family gardening program started in mid-June with empty planters. Now, in early August, the planters are thriving. Right now, the SFRC’s gardens are filled with plants like cucumbers, tomatoes, sunflowers, corn, peas and dill. Executive director Jo-Anne Dalton says the SFRC purchases some plants, but most of the seeds are donated by people in the community. “We give families the opportunity to plan their bed and choose the plants they want. We tell them what kind of seeds we have and then they can decide what to plant in them.” At the beginning of the season, families learn about companion planting. “They don’t necessarily want to plant tomatoes next to corn because they use the same nutrients, so they choose the seeds based on what interests them most and then plant other things in that go with it.” Dalton says many families in the program are new to Canada or have never started a garden before. “So they’re not familiar with the climate and the growing season, how short or long it is depending on where they’re from, and the soil type and the type of pests.” They also see a lot of families who are well versed in gardening but don’t have access to green space. “Whether they’re struggling with housing issues, living in apartments, or moving from place to place, it gives them the opportunity to still get hands-on and enjoy the benefits of gardening.” Some families sign up for the program for several years in a row. Dalton says families keep coming back because they enjoy it and the gardens do very well, but also because of what they learn. “The volunteers who support this program are so knowledgeable that we couldn’t possibly teach them everything they need to teach them in one season.” SFRC received some good feedback on some of the additions to the program this year. They had an intern for the first part of the season who had a personal interest in foraging for food. Dalton says the student has taught participants in the program how to gather from the land, respect the land and take the right amount so as not to deplete resources. “She created a little handout and a brochure that she distributed to families and that has gotten a lot of positive feedback.” The family gardening classes run until the end of September and families have October to harvest and clean out their planters. Anyone interested in participating in the program next year can email [email protected].
