The featured community garden for February 2009

Riverdale Meadow Community Garden

Begun in 1994 by a collaboration inspired by Bring Back the Don’s Dalton Shipway, this garden is unique within Toronto’s community and allotment gardens. While most gardens are on Parks Department or grade school properties, supported by the city, or are on private property (churches, seniors’ residences, supportive housing,…), RMCG is an anomaly. Situated on the property of an adult education school hosting city-wide enrolment, the garden is not connected to curriculum or enrolment, and receives only summer water and physical space from the school board, but NO city support, NO staff, NO programming, NO funding from any granting body or government agency; if we, as volunteers don’t do all maintenance and development ourselves, it doesn’t happen. However, we are lucky to be able to have physical access to operate all year round: most community and allotment gardens have an April-to-October mandate.

After being in operation for a number of years, Riverdale Meadow, experienced a significant setback: the water pipes froze and burst one winter. Most members became discouraged and moved on; Lemon Balm, Spearmint and Peppermint, Queen Anne’s Lace, Jerusalem Artichokes and thistles took over. When the current coordinators became involved in 2003, the garden looked virtually abandoned.

With help from Paula Fletcher, then School Trustee for Toronto-Danforth (and now City Councillor in her second term), a new water tap was installed on the back of the school.

The current coordinators have forged many significant connections in the local community and across the city; and are proud to list, on our website, the individuals and organizations who support the garden in many practical ways. The demands of holding a plot in this garden are more than in most, but so is the potential for rewarding experiences. For funding we participate in local farmers’ markets, and, conversely, are proud to have donated many perennial food plants to numerous other gardens across the city and beyond.

When the garden was created it was intended to be a demonstration garden, and focus is slowly but surely returning to that purpose.

Currently one key practice is Season Extension Techniques and ColdFrames for growing foods outdoors to eat through all four seasons – that means including right through the winter. Riverdale Meadow hosts tours and building workshops each fall through spring, as well as making presentations at Seedy Saturday (a TCGN supported event) and at community gardens across southwestern Ontario.

Website: www.riverdalemeadow.ca

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Content last modified on March 24, 2009, at 11:15 AM EST