As local farmers start getting in the fields for seeding, the newest addition to Estevan's agricultural landscape, a community garden, is ready for planting.
Gardeners and volunteers were out last week preparing the property and building the raised garden beds, as fresh topsoil was dropped off by a pair of local construction companies.
Estevan Community Gardens liaison Chantelle Dubreuil said during one of the work bees it was an exciting time for the gardeners, particularly after they had planned work bees for the previous two weeks, and both had been postponed.
"It's exciting. There are a lot of people who are excited but not everybody could make it tonight," she said.
The garden is set up for 12 beds. They were all spoken for, but one person dropped out just before work started at the Lynd Crescent property that was donated by the City. Anyone interested in joining the garden may pick up that bed, and Dubreuil noted they are able to accept another couple of gardens if others come forward with an interest in gardening this year.
"We need to fill that bed," she said. "We have enough material to make seven more beds, so if we get enough interest before planting season is over, then we'd like to fill those other beds."
She said the group wants to be community stewards as well as leaders in promoting healthy lifestyles that draw from local sources for fresh foods.
"Now that we are building a community garden in Estevan, we want the residents of our great community to know that we are committed to creating a wonderful place to come and grow and meet new people within the community in a new way. To the residents of the immediate area, we hope that we make you proud with our dedication to promoting a healthy lifestyle and a unique landscape that will be visually appealing."
The gardeners are a diverse group. A church has decided to plant a bed and donate whatever grows to the Salvation Army food bank this summer, while other gardeners young and old are getting their hands dirty with one of the 12-foot by 4-foot beds.
"There are also a couple of immigrants who want to learn more about Canadian vegetables, and then we have people who aren't going to be gardening but want to help,' Dubreuil said about some of the people cleaning up the property at the work bees, held May 14 and 15.
"They're just people who really want to see this work," added Dubreuil, who said the positive influence of a community garden extends beyond the participating gardeners and their work. "We want to emphasize the benefits of community gardens to the larger community, including beautifying the area, increasing feelings of safety and community pride, and becoming less reliant on imported foods. Recent studies have also shown that community gardens can also have a positive impact on surrounding property values."
She said the 48-square-foot beds will provide gardeners with lots of opportunity, noting a 16-square-foot bed can yield more than 500 pounds of produce if done properly.
Dubreuil was confident all the beds would be built and the gardeners would have been able to begin planting over the long weekend if they wanted to.
"As soon as the beds are full of dirt, they can start planting. It's nice enough to start planting."
The group is waiting for water tanks to be installed on the property, and a local company has donated a proper stand for the tank once they have one. Dubreuil also noted they are raising funds to built a structure to fence in the tank.
