We are currently working with the District of Central Saanich, where our joint project progress can be seen on the Let's Talk Central Saanich website. The plot of land we're working on right now is a small field behind the Boys & Girls Club on Clarke Drive. Below you can view a concept of the design of the site and how we intend to use it.
As Central Saanich has a rich agricultural history, we are dedicated in keeping this knowledge alive by making the gardens a hub of agricultural knowledge within the community. As such, we have teamed up with UVic’s Community Mapping class to assist us with reaching out to local schools and the wider community to assemble existing agricultural knowledge in the form of a mural that will be displayed in our garden space. In addition, we will be hosting various workshops and educational events based on the community’s needs, skillset, and interests once the gardens are established.
We are also donating a bed to the Boys & Girls Club, and we'll be looking forward working with local organizations, such as Brentwood Bay Elementary and the Girl Scouts.
The plot provides us with space for 16 regular beds, three accessible beds, and one double-sized community bed. In our design concept, we want the main entrance to be in the north east corner, next to the Boys & Girls Club, to reduce traffic on Lucille Drive. The fencing will most likely be deer fencing, together with finer mesh at the bottom for rabbits to serve as an attractive pest deterrent. As a part of our pest prevention plan, our compost bins will be rodent-proof. The pathways in the gardens will be consist of gravel or mulch, as long as it's accessible for wheelchairs. We aim to keep the gardens tidy and good looking, year-round to ensure that it remains an attractive neighbourhood asset.
Below we have some impressions of how we envision the community garden, and some drawings of what the gardens would look like. These are often pictures from other community gardens, so this does not indicate final design. Every picture includes a caption that gives more explanation.
This is the design concept for the community gardens. Lucille Dr would be at the top of the picture (west) and the Boys & Girls Club at the bottom (east).
Territorial Acknowledgement
We acknowledge and thank the W̱SÁNEĆ people on whose traditional territory we live, learn and grow. We honour and respect the peoples who have cared for this land since time immemorial, and we recognize their historical relationships with the land that continue to this day.