WESTLOCK - Over the past few years, the Westlock Community Garden has steadily grown and expanded services provided to gardeners and the community.
Around two dozen community members saw the changes on Aug. 21 in a tour held by Westlock Community Garden chair Brenda Lussier and member Guy Gokiert.
Lussier noted an increase in gardeners over the past year through the COVID-19 pandemic, making for the biggest year the garden has seen with around 50 plots being used to grow fresh fruit, vegetables, and flowers.
She says one of the biggest changes came around two years ago when members of the garden found a creative way to utilize unused space to help those in need.
“Two years ago, we decided to grow vegetables that anybody could use. What wasn’t used we donated to the food bank, and we donated to WECAN Food Basket Society, and we also donated to FCSS. We have so many volunteers that take care of the watering and weeding and everything else with the plots,” said Lussier.
With water supplied courtesy of the Town of Westlock, a new irrigation system was installed that ensures all plots and plants receive proper hydration.
“It just made water more accessible to everybody. We also have a lot more volunteers this year so that really helps with maintenance and upkeep.”
With the help of around 20 volunteers, Lussier says there are plans to continue expanding the garden to make it more accessible.
“We are in the proves of making some more raised boxes, they’re really good for people who have mobility issues. We were going to do it this year but because of the cost of lumber we just couldn’t. We also have some land that we can turn into plots, so we’ll till that up in fall and let it sit over the winter and till it again in spring,” said Lussier
Lussier says that the community garden provides a way to get outside and learn something new for people of all ages.
“We have young families coming here and moms are teaching their kids how to garden and we have older members of the community, middle-aged folks, and really just a bit of everyone, which is perfect. The younger ones can ask the older ones for help if they need it and it’s such a special place. It’s like coming home, everybody is talking to everybody and it’s just so welcoming,” she said.
