Gardeners in Carleton Place urgently need your help. The community garden on Townline Road in Carleton Place has been located on land owned by the Catholic School Board of Eastern Ontario for about 20 years. Rumours had abounded for several years that St Gregory School would be expanding and that our garden space would be required for a parking lot. That day has now arrived. The garden will be fenced off on Wednesday April 15 as it becomes a parking lot.
A work day is planned for Saturday April 11 from 1pm to 4 pm. The Town of Carleton Place has given us the use of a small park a couple of blocks away. We need to move garden boxes, soil and plants before they are obliterated. All help will be greatly appreciated. Bring gardening and carpentry tools. Trailers or trucks would be fantastic.
A walk around the ten-thousand square-foot garden certainly met my criterion for paradise. There were gardening beds for about 50 gardeners; some were raised boxes for gardeners with limited mobility, some were enclosed by ten-inch-high boards, others at level ground. Amenities included a ten-by-ten garden shed, a pergola, a very neat composting area, a raised and shaded deck seating area and a piped in water system gratis the Town of Carleton Place. The surrounding berm had many fruiting shrubs such as currents and haskaps and several apple trees.
With your help the magic will be recreated at our new site.
Management of the garden has been the responsibility of a coordinator who has been a part of the gardening group on site. For more information call Linda at 613-451-2823.
David Hinks
