Kits Point Community Garden

Kits Point Community Garden (KPCG) grew out of Billy Bishop member Angela Squires’ involvement with Village Vancouver and participation in Kits Neighbourhood House Community Garden in 2010.

Billy volunteers to care for our extensive landscaping have always been hard to find so the idea for KPCG was raised at Village Vancouver visioning meetings, extensively discussed and a proposal put together by Angela and Ross Moster which was presented to the Billy in the Fall of 2010.  A garden tour showing the areas proposed for food crops and much discussion followed with Bruce Bell, House and Grounds Director. The idea was positively received, neighbours and area residents were invited to join the group. In return for KPCG use of part of the Billy’s land their members look after our landscaping – a win win situation.

A humongous amount of work was accomplished spring 2011.  The sloping land on the north side of the front garden was cleared, terraced most attractively using bricks and concrete slabs that the Billy already had, finally a truck load of free compost from the Parks Board was spread.  A free-standing trellis was weaved using branches from the overgrown shrub that was removed.  Seeds were sowed; tomato, blueberry plants appeared and we waited for summer.  Despite our weather-delayed harvesting season, KPCG members ate fresh and tasty food but most of all learned much about growing food and working cooperatively with others.

Currently there are twelve members of KPCG and two youngsters in training, 2+ Dayton and 3+ Rory.  Those of us lucky enough to have grown up with gardening are delighted to share with the really young generation.  KPCG brings to mind the ‘Victory Gardens’ that flourished throughout the UK during WW2, a vital source of fresh food during wartime rationing and the Atlantic blockade of supply ships.  While primarily a  detective show, the BBC produced Foyle’s War gives a great flavour of wartime Britain and DVD copies are available at your library.

First year crops included salad greens, corn, cabbage, various herbs, carrots, kohlrabi, broccoli, spinach, squash, strawberries and blueberries.

Additions being floated for 2012 include a grapevine over the arch entrance to our patio garden, a pumpkin patch, harvesting the cherries before the birds get them (get ready Hart for tree climbing!), beans and sugar peas.

Landscaping work involved much pruning of our untended shrubs, the usual grass mowing, transplanting to better locations of some plants, location of drainage assisting species and removal of invasive plants such as English Ivy, pretty but a killer!

KPCG has some knowledgeable members willing to share; we are all learning while eating well during our 49th parallel growing season and hope all enjoy the aesthetics of our vegetable garden.

All photos by Marina Percy unless otherwise noted