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Castlegardens BC adds 24 news garden boxes

Castlegardens BC saw 30 community members lend a hand to build 24 new garden beds.
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Kathleen Jackson, Shawn Godwin, Coun. Arry Dhillon, Maria Woodman. (Submitted photos)

On Saturday, Sept. 16, Castlegardens BC saw over 30 community members lend a hand to build 24 new garden beds at their first ever Community Box Build.

The community garden, located at the heart of downtown Castlegar, had local businesses, organizations, city council members and individuals come out to support the expansion of this community garden space.

Community gardens aren’t just about a space to grow nutritious, local food, they also grow healthy children, foster friendships and build resilience. They allow seniors to share knowledge with younger families and for new Canadians to quite literally grow roots in Castlegar.

Leah Jackson, Board of Directors, says “the event brought so much awareness to the garden as place to connect people with healthy food, available growing space, and each other. Having Mayor Lawrence Chernoff attend the Community Box Build was really exciting for us, not to mention over 30 community members and prize donations from 8 different businesses. We now have 24 more beds for people to use next year thanks to this overwhelming amount of support.”

The Castlegardens was founded in 2009 as a project of the Kootenay Food Strategy Society (KFSS). It’s a gathering place for gardeners and community members alike, with both individual beds and communal garden spaces. In the past year they’ve developed an extra 120 ft of growing space, a pollinator garden for bees and butterflies, built a new garden shed, seen a 25 per cent increase in memberships and engaged nine different elementary school classes. They are also in the midst of developing a Children’s Garden and Exploration Space in order to make the area even more inviting for children, schools and families.

“We are a bit of a work in progress — the last two years have seen significant growth in the garden and we’re excited to show off where we’ve come and where we’re going,” said Nicole Hergert, Board Chair.

If you’d like to become a member, to lend a hand or contribute to the Children’s Garden and Exploration Space, send the Board an e-mail at castlegardensbc@gmail.com to connect. Castlegardens BC is located near the Millennium Walkway Entrance on 5th Avenue, closest to the dog park.

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Young helpers get in the action.
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Mayor Lawrence Chernoff and team.