A season of growth at the Kimberley Community Garden

Photo: Ashley Lortscher

There’s something special taking root at the Kimberley Community Garden this season. With the arrival of spring, a new “production” bed has taken shape.

Designed with mounded earth beds, drip irrigation, and woodchip pathways, this space is more than just a place to plant vegetables. It’s a small experiment in blending permaculture principles with the techniques of a traditional market garden. The goal? To grow food more efficiently while supporting healthy soil and ecosystems.

Photo: Yuri Lortscher

Just as the plants are adapting, so is our compost system. After some trial and error, we’ve made changes to improve the quality of the compost. If you’ve been contributing to the compost piles, you’ll notice new signage with updated guidelines. We’re no longer accepting newspaper, cardboard, or bioplastics, as these materials don’t break down properly in our current system.

The garden is also shifting toward something even more ambitious: a food forest. This transformation involves building tree guilds, reshaping the hugelkultur bed, planting more perennials, and creating better walkways. The vision is a space that not only produces food but also tells a story about how diverse systems can thrive together.

Photo: Ashley Lortscher

People and partners fueling a season of growth

This season’s progress wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of our volunteers; a few key folks have spent many hours tending, weeding, and dreaming alongside us. We’re also grateful for the energy and support of our summer Program Assistant, Rachel Wik, who has helped move many of our plans from paper into the soil. We’re thankful as well for the financial contributions from the City of Kimberley and the Government of Canada, which have helped bring this season’s work to life.

Photo: Rachel Wik

Support from local partners has made a big difference as well. Top Crop Too provided seeds, plants, and irrigation supplies to get us going strong this year. We’re also thankful for contributions from Canadian organic seed company,  West Coast Seeds, the Kimberley Edible Gardens and Greenhouse group, and the Healthy Kimberley Food Recovery program.

Pick what you need, share what’s left

As you read this, the garden is bursting with early harvests. Oregano, thyme, lovage, chamomile, and rhubarb are all ready to pick. Visitors are welcome to stop by and harvest what they need. New signs will help guide you on what’s available and how much to take. Whatever remains at the end of each week will go to the Healthy Kimberley Food Recovery Depot.

Photo: Ashley Lortscher

Workshops to help you grow

We’re also looking forward to sharing knowledge through hands-on learning. Our first workshop of the season is happening June 24 at 5 pm, where we’ll learn to build trellises from cattle panels. This $25 workshop is a great way to make use of vertical space in the garden and includes plants to take home and get started. More details are available here. 

Whether you come to grow, harvest, learn, or simply enjoy a quiet moment, the community garden is a place for everyone. If you’re curious to learn more, come meet Ashley in the garden on Tuesday or Thursday mornings throughout June.

 


This September, Wildsight is inviting Columbia Basin residents to camp, explore and learn with us along the Columbia River through two ‘Columbia River Conversations’ Field Tours designed around interactive learning…Read more 
Wildsight, Stand.earth and Wilderness Committee are calling for urgent action as new research sounds the alarm on imminent danger to southernmost caribou from logging.Read more 
How would the world look if we honoured the champions of this Earth? Those that protect the landscapes we love and defend wildlife that can't speak for themselves? It…Read more 
The Youth Climate Corps (YCC) East and West Kootenay crews launched their season by joining forces on a wildfire risk reduction project that combined on-the-ground training with climate…Read more 
Bank Swallows are a species at risk and have been facing one of the largest population declines for any species in Canada - an estimated 93-98% of the Canadian population…Read more 
When he speaks, he draws from two worlds — ancient and immediate. A member of the Ktunaxa Nation's Akisqnuk Band, Faro Burgoyne stood before an audience interested in water conservation…Read more 
Read more news