The team at Malvern was one of three winning TakeBAC neighbourhoods. (Photo: Sarah Midanik)
Toronto’s annual TakeBAC program wrapped up on Tuesday after six exciting weeks of hard work. An unusually hot and humid summer made the program especially challenging this year, but the 200 youth involved were undeterred from their goal to create beautiful, vibrant garden spaces in communities around Toronto.
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Events, Gardening, Toronto, Transformations | 
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Posted by Stefan from Common Grounds
A lush community garden plot. (Photo: Evergreen)
Over the past three years, the number of community gardens in Vancouver has more than doubled, yet the wait lists show no signs of getting any shorter. Green thumbs rose to the City’s challenge of creating 2,010 gardens by 2010 to serve as a legacy of the recent Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Despite this huge increase in availability, Andrew Pask of the City’s Social Policy Division, estimates that the wait list for garden plots across the city is “at least in the thousands.”
1 Comment | Gardening, In the Field, Issues, Vancouver | Permalink
Posted by Allison from Evergreen British Columbia
Summer is in full swing and community gardens across the country are bursting with fresh produce. The Emmett Avenue Community Garden in Eglinton Flats Park is a unique green space where community members from the Weston-Mount Dennis community join together to grow, learn and share the fruits (and vegetables!) of their labour.
Gardeners getting their hands in the dirt. (Photo Credit: Aimee Carson)
Leave a Comment » | Food, Gardening, Stewardship and Planting, Toronto | Permalink
Posted by Laura from Communications
Beaver Lodge Fort provides a shady nook for little ones at Evergreen Brick Works, Toronto, ON. (Photo: Lyle Sadavoy)
Here in Learning Grounds, we work hard to get kids outside, and shade is a big part of keeping them safe while they’re there. Escaping to shade not only feels good, it is becoming increasingly important for children’s health. According to the Canadian Dermatology Association, people born in the 1990s have a 2 to 3 times higher lifetime risk of skin cancer than those born in the 1960′s. To put it a different way, if you’re currently between 11 and 20 years old, you have a 1 in 6 lifetime risk of skin cancer, compared to those between 41 and 50 years old, whose lifetime risk is 1 in 20.
The good news is that anyone can create shade at home and or on school grounds. Shade structures can range in price and complexity, from a straight-forward tarp or tent to a vine-covered pergola or gazebo. Read on for inspiration and links to our free shade resources.
3 Comments | Art, Gardening, Green Tips, School Ground Greening, Transformations, Vancouver | Permalink
Posted by Anne from Learning Grounds
Summer intern Max Nichols and the drum composter. (Photo: Evergreen)
A note from one of our summer interns, Max Nichols:
As one of Evergreen Vancouver’s summer students working inside the office, most of the requests that come my way are pretty straightforward: file this, sort those and write that. But no tasks proved anywhere near as complex as “can you figure out how to work the composter?”
Pardon? Last time I checked you put organic material in the top and get rich soil out of the bottom.
2 Comments | Gardening, In the Field, Vancouver | Permalink
Posted by Allison from Evergreen British Columbia
Protect biodiversity by collecting seeds. (Photo: Evergreen)
Save your spot in our Seed Collecting Certification workshop on August 26 and 27. For more information, visit Evergreen’s online event calendar or download our flyer.
Johnny Appleseed, American folk legend, may have had the right idea in collecting and planting apple seeds all across the landscape. Today, certified seed collectors assist in tracking seed availability for future planting use. Information about seed availability, location, type and quantity enables these trained individuals to collect and store seed and helps ensure that the appropriate stock is available to meet long term demands. Whether plants are for community restoration, outdoor classrooms or you own native plant backyard oasis, using plants sourced from certified seed grown in a local nursery is a great start to any project.
1 Comment | Events, Gardening, Green Tips, In the Field, Issues, Native Species, Stewardship and Planting, Toronto | Permalink
Posted by Kim from Common Grounds
Youth planted trees in High Park during TakeBAC 2008 (Photo: Evergreen)
Last week was the official launch of TakeBAC 2010, a six week program for Toronto youth, ages 12 to 15. In partnership with Toronto Community Housing and the City of Toronto, Evergreen’s Community Development team will oversee the progress of numerous greening projects around the GTA. Formerly, the annual program was called “TakeBAC 13,” named for the 13 neighbourhoods involved. This year, that number has expanded to 26! That’s roughly 170 youth!
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Leave a Comment » | Gardening, Toronto | Permalink
Posted by Stefan from Common Grounds
Queen West Garden in progress (Photo: Stefan Elsholtz)
The visitors of Queen West Community Health Centre (Richmond and Bathurst) will soon be enjoying a brand new community garden. This photo was taken on day nine of construction: the garden beds are finally up, and the soil has been delivered!
The 600-square-foot space will consist of four large beds, called the “Forest Garden,” “Butterfly Garden,” “Food Garden,” and “Medicinal Garden.” They will soon be home to a variety of native plant species, herbs, fruits, and vegetables. Built entirely from natural, untreated cedar, the beds will last at least 12 years.
The Queen West Centre provides health services, advice, and support to many members of the community, and most have little experience with gardening. The project was conceived, designed, and implemented by the Queen West staff and the Community Development staff at Evergreen, with the goal of turning a barren courtyard space into an urban oasis. Once the beds are filled with soil and the plants are added, the Queen West Centre will independently provide all of the upkeep and maintenance of the garden.
This is one of many community garden projects that Evergreen has recently helped to instigate. Community gardens not only beautify the city, but are good educational tools as well: they provide a means for community members to get together and learn about plants, gardening, and sustainability. They can even inspire people to start gardens of their own!
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Posted by Stefan from Common Grounds
Despite being busy parents of children who attend Simon Fraser Elementary School, Lori Weidenhammer, Julie Sawatsky and Michelle Weeks still find time to green their city. The school has a garden plot at the Vancouver City Hall Community Garden, and these women are using the space to connect children, parents and teachers with their environment.
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Leave a Comment » | Food, Gardening, Vancouver, Volunteer | Permalink
Posted by Allison from Evergreen British Columbia
T: Garden under construction, June 2009 B: Garden in bloom, August 2009 (Photos: John Shinnick)
It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since the Vancouver City Hall Community Garden was first opened on July 20, 2009. Over the year, I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in some of its milestones – there have been many!
The below photos provide just a glimpse of some of the highlights made possible through the hard work of the community gardeners and volunteers.
Community gardeners tending and harvesting their plot, August 2009. (Photo: John Shinnick)
Leave a Comment » | Gardening, Transformations, Vancouver | Permalink
Posted by Allison from Evergreen British Columbia
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