Get Your Hands Dirty – for a good cause

submitted by Heather Whittall, Oliver Community Garden Society

Spring is finally here and we are ready to start growing at the new home of the Oliver Community Garden (the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre). The sheds, beds, barrels and bins have been delivered but now we need your help. We need as many strong, able bodies as we can get to help us move everything into position. Please come and help and bring your friends on…

Sunday May 15th
9 – 11 a.m.
Quail’s Nest Arts Centre

Please RSVP to olivercommunitygarden @ yahoo.com or 250-485-2535 so we can get an idea of how many helpers we will have.

We will also still looking for donations of start up materials such as dirt and compost so if you can help us out in that way it will be greatly appreciated!

Garden beds are still available so don’t forget to reserve your garden box for the 2011 growing season by calling or emailing me. We’re setting up fewer boxes this year so space is limited!

Looking forward to growing and gardening with you!

Visit the Oliver Community Garden Society online at http://olivercommunitygarden.wordpress.com/ . We’re also on Twitter! http://twitter.com/olivergarden

Arts Council “Growing” relationship with Community Garden

The arts council hopes to grow a green thumb in 2011. 

Oliver Community Garden Society reps Heather Whittall and Marji Basso proposed a partnership with the arts council at the January meeting of the OCAC Board. The Community Garden has been seeking a new location, after their two-year tenancy at the Murray property on Main Street. The Murray property has been slated for other development. 

The Community Garden proposal included a request for land use at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre  (34274 95th Street) and  installation of 20 – 30 container beds,  a small storage shed, and other garden features.  The proposed area is a narrow strip of land 100 x 25 feet running north-south along the west side of the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre property,  adjacent to a back alleyway.

An exciting component to this partnership are proposed arts and culture projects. Whittall and Basso suggested events of mutual benefit to the two societies, including educational workshops,  children’s gardening programmes, and joint artistic installations such as painted picket fencing, decorated paving stones, a gazebo, birdhouses, and statuary.  Basso described the proposed garden as a “magical” space, that would be an attractive, inviting  and self-contained  area.

A joint committee of the two organizations is currently writing a memorandum of understanding that will delineate land use, leasing arrangements,  security, liability coverage, and water usage and access.   

Visit the Oliver Community Garden Society website at  http://olivercommunitygarden.wordpress.com/ . Interested in joining the Community Garden and book your container bed? Contact olivercommunitygarden@yahoo.com.

Comments or questions about this partnership? Email the arts council at olivercac@gmail.com.