The Rockwood Community Garden group is partnering with Rockwood Centennial Public School and the Upper Grand District School Board on a community garden project.
“A community garden is long overdue in Rockwood, and we now have our official start,” said one the organizers Jen MacLeod.
She explained the garden consists of a garden bed and a raised accessible garden that will allow people who use a wheelchair or have mobility issues to participate and harvest at a comfortable level.
The garden will provide fresh produce for the East Wellington Community Services Food Banks in Rockwood and Erin.
Students will tend the garden while school is in session, and complete activities, which extend from their school curriculum. In the fall, students will be able to harvest. Community volunteers will tend the garden throughout the summer.
Volunteers will harvest every Monday night, and bring fresh produce to the Food Bank every Tuesday morning for regular distribution days in Rockwood (Tuesdays) and Erin (Thursdays).
As well, there will be a children’s drop-in garden group on Monday nights throughout July that will be open to all children in the community.
Officials say there are many local volunteers and supporters on board already and the group has received donations from Rockwood Home Hardware, Jim’s Repair Shop, Rainbarrel.ca and Garant tools to help get the project started.
The group also had a consult with the recently-launched, Guelph-based Spaces2Grow, which helps people to plan and prepare growing spaces and identify the best crops to grow for the location.
“We have professional landscaping expertise and donations from community volunteer Todd Allen,” said MacLeod.
“And for this season, the Rockwood Fire Department has agreed to fill our rain barrels as needed, with the Township of Guelph-Eramosa donating the necessary water.”
For more information or to join, join contact Jen MacLeod at 519-856-9709 or e-mail rockwoodcommunitygarden@gmail.com.
