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Making a Change: Gallon Gardens
On June 16 at the Cranbrook Public Produce Garden, the Cranbrook Food Action Committee (CFAC) organized a project entitled ‘Gallon Gardens.’
The Gallon Gardens project can be summarized as ‘growing food for the community by youth.’ Youth from the community built easy to maintain gardens in five gallon buckets, the gardens were then delivered throughout the community. A total of 47 participants including a Mount Baker Outdoor Education class, the Youth Impact Youth Centre, and the Cranbrook Royal Canadian Air Cadets partook in the building.
“No matter how experienced or inexperienced one is in gardening, one can always grow wholesome food in a small space and make it work,” was the idea behind the Gallon Gardens project.
The gardens contain a tomato plant with a tomato cage placed around the plant for support, care cards were also included with each garden. The gardens contain a water reservoir in the bottom of the bucket and a spout, which drains out excess water thus reducing the possibility of drying out and overwatering.
The project created 24 gardens and great dialogue around food security in Cranbrook. The project has the potential to grow 200-400 pounds of local, healthy, free, food. All participants and recipients are also invited to attend a free salsa-making workshop in the fall to complete the link between growing and preparing our own healthy food.
Cranbrook Food Action Committee would like to thank Columbia Basin Trust for funding to make this project possible. We would also like to extend our thanks to our many volunteers and local businesses that donated to this project including Home Depot, New Dawn Developments, and Top Crop.
Cranbrook Food Action Committee was created by people in the community who identify food insecurity as an important health issue in Cranbrook. For the past decade CFAC has been supporting and starting food security initiatives.
Please feel welcome to check out the open gate Cranbrook Public Produce Garden located in Eric McKinnon Park or join us for our Garden Work Bee, which is held every second Tuesday at 4-6 p.m.
Also, every Thursday Senior Gardening Sessions are held from 9-10:30 a.m. Follow our projects on Facebook or check out www.cranbrookfoodaction.com. Thank you for your support!
Cranbrook Food Action Committee
