The Youth Centre Changes Pavement to Paradise!
Join an enthusiastic crew of carpenters (old duffers and youth) this Saturday morning April 22 (Our rain date is Sunday April 23). at the new Mississippi Mills Youth Centre, 134 Main Street in Almonte (the former Mac’s Milk right beside Milano’s Pizza). We will be building six garden boxes out of rough-cut cedar and placing them in front of the Youth Centre starting at 10am and going until we are done – there might even be pizza involved at lunchtime! We’re gonna’ hav’ta’ git ‘er dun since we are committed to hosting the launch of the Great Veggie Grow-off here on May 1st!
The garden boxes will take up about half of the parking area and will produce fresh veggies for the participants in the Youth Centre programs as they learn about growing and harvesting veggies. Any surplus veggies will be donated to our local food bank – the Hunger Stop. The garden is a joint project of the Mississippi Mills Youth Centre and the Neighbourhood Tomato Community Gardening Program. We are grateful to the Town of Mississippi Mills for providing funding for this project.
The next stages of the project will include a picnic table, a shade structure and some trellises so we can convert this ‘cast-off of our urban car culture’ into an urban oasis.
More Opportunities!
Here’s an opportunity for Mississippi Mills gardeners to extend a helping hand (and shovel) to our neighbours in Carleton Place. A major project to rejuvenate the community garden next to St. Gregory School on Townline Road in Carleton Place is being spearheaded by the Lanark County Food Bank (aka the Hunger Stop) in collaboration with existing gardeners at the site and in consultation with local Master Gardeners. It is being funded by a grant from Sysco Food and is supported by several local businesses. Circle the dates Saturday April 29 and Sunday April 30, the last weekend in April. Construction will be in full swing starting at 9 in the morning and going until dark (or until we drop). Bring your wheelbarrows, shovels and rakes!
Also circle the date Saturday May 6 – this is the day for a work party to get the Neighbourhood Tomato gardens in Almonte ready for the growing season – both the Augusta Park Community Garden as well as the vegetable plots behind the Almonte Library. No need to register – just show up in your gardening attire anytime after nine in the morning!
