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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
