Jasper鈥檚 community garden is about to bust out of its first planter.
Members of the five-year-old Jasper Local Food Society were told last week during the group鈥檚 AGM that the garden on Connaught Drive expanded from 24 plots in 2012 to 56 plots last season.
President Janet Cooper, who is also Jasper鈥檚 environmental stewardship coordinator,聽told about 20 people at the AGM held on Feb. 15 that the not-for-profit group would need to apply to the municipality for permission to expand sooner rather than later.
鈥淚t鈥檚 that popular,鈥� she said, projecting images of the gardens鈥� sparse, black-earth appearance after it was relocated in 2012 and of the overflowing foliage that was present last summer.
The photo of the empty planters drew a gasp from the audience as they recalled the amount of work that went into relocating the garden from behind the old library to its current home.
The society is currently working on more effective signage that makes it clear that though the space is a community garden, it is not a communal food source for people who pass by. Though many gardeners choose to donate some of their yield to the Jasper Food Bank, their crops are theirs to do with as they please and are not intended for grazing.
The society is also pushing toward creating a seed library, starting with a Seedy Saturday event in April to bring gardeners together for an exchange of stock and knowledge.
The group will likely be similar to the 59-member Jasper Fruit Share group on Facebook, a band of like-minded volunteers eager to maximize the use of fruit grown on trees within the town. Cooper said Parks Canada is all for that program since they regard fruit trees as a troublesome wildlife attractant.
Other plans include a passive solar greenhouse at or near the community garden, an apple festival to go along with the fruit share program, a native plant garden highlighting local species, and possibly an interpretive vegetable garden for both schools.
鈥淭he high school is a LEEDs silver building...and they鈥檙e redesigning the playground to make it more interpretive,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淭hey seem open to the idea.鈥�
Also looming large on the vine for the society is the 12-week farmers鈥� market that runs from 11-3 p.m. on Wednesdays between June 21 and September 6. The operation is getting complex and sophisticated enough that it needs a dedicated manager, so the society found some money in the budget to hire someone for about $4,300 starting in the beginning of April. The manager can choose to use some of that amount to hire help to set up and break down the market each week.
Email [email protected] to apply.
鈥淭he market is profitable now, but we could grow it even more,鈥� Cooper said, noting that Alberta has more farmers鈥� markets per capita than any other province.
Craig Gilbert
[email protected]
