The Rockwood Community Garden broke ground on its first project recently.
Rockwood Community Garden is partnering with Rockwood Centennial School and the Upper Grand District School Board on a community garden project.
The garden consists of a garden bed and a raised accessible garden which 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- open to all children in the community.
The project is already shaping up to bring people together and teach about gardening! There are many local volunteers and supporters on board already. Organizers have received generous donations from Rockwood Home Hardware, Jim’s Repair Shop, Rainbarrel.ca and Garant tools to help get them going.
The group consulted 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.
Organizers have professional landscaping expertise and donations from community volunteer Todd Allen. And for this season, the Rockwood Fire Department has agreed to fill the rain barrels as needed, with the Township of Guelph-Eramosa donating the necessary water.
For more information, or to join, contact Jen at 519-856-9709 or e-mail rockwoodcommunitygarden@gmail.com.
