With snow melting and the seasons changing, gardeners everywhere are likely giddy with excitement as they prepare for this year’s growing season — and the opening of the Yara Community Gardens.
The gardens — with plots located on South Hill on Home Street West and next to the Bell Park baseball complex on Grey Avenue — plan to open their gates around April 25. This will give green thumbs everywhere the chance to grow fresh produce, avoid the high cost of store-bought vegetables, and donate to Hunger in Moose Jaw’s food security initiatives.
The gardens are expected to remain open until the end of September.
Registrations to book a plot opened on March 1, while a registration night is planned for March 31 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the basement at Zion United Church, explained organizer Suzanne Ramage. Past community gardeners can stop in to book their spot, while new green thumbs can also come down to secure a plot.
There are various sizes of plots from which gardeners can choose, while there are about 11 empty plots available, she continued.
To rent a plot, contact Ramage at 306-630-3498, Hunger in Moose Jaw at 306-692-1916, or hungermjgardens@gmail.com. The cost is a $10 membership fee and 12 cents per square foot, while the gardens will supply most of the equipment, water, and even seeds.
By acquiring a membership, gardeners must donate a portion of their produce to Hunger in Moose Jaw for its food programs. Gardeners are also required to donate some of their produce whenever the community gardens host farmers’ markets.
Prospective gardeners can also rent a raised garden box for $15. Ramage noted that these boxes — four feet by four feet — are waist high and good for people with physical health challenges.
“The raised boxes are great. Some of our seniors are getting older and having trouble getting down on their hands and knees,” she said. “Those raised boxes are nice for them because they can just stand there. (There’s) no bending (and) no kneeling.”
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic does not appear to be negatively affecting the gardens, Ramage continued. In spring 2020, with restrictions in place, many gardeners stepped away and left numerous empty plots that required regular maintenance.
Last year, the usual gardening rhythms “slid back to normal” and most plots were filled.
“And definitely … we don’t have any COVID restrictions at the gardens this year so far,” she chuckled. “(However,) that can change overnight.”
Yara Community Gardens plans to hold a farmers’ market fundraiser in July, while a pumpkin festival will be held in the fall, Ramage said. Other fundraisers are also in the works, which should help the non-profit generate extra revenue and assist with maintenance projects and other initiatives.
“We want to get a composting program going and buy some new composting containers,” she added, “and just different projects we want to get into that need a bit of extra funding.”
For more information, visit the Yara Community Gardens’ Facebook page or call 306-692-1916.
