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Clareview Community EcoGarden
Located at: 3629 145 Avenue (the site of Clareview Bible Church)
Plot Number: 35
Plot Size: 10’x 20’
Total Garden Size: 8000 sq. ft.
Gardening Style: inground beds, biointensive method
Number of Participants: 25 families
Fee: $15 fee plus 2 hours/month volunteer time
Mission Statement:
To cultivate a healthy community in Clareview by caring for each other and involving people in the growing of nourishing soil and food. “People for the Soil and Soil for the People”.
Clareview Community EcoGarden was established in 2000 as a project of the Personal Community Support Association of Alberta (PCSA). It was organized to demonstrate community building and environmental stewardship, provide a place for community members to work, play and learn together, to help themselves by growing vegetables, and for members to help the community.
In addition to families growing their own gardens, in 2002 the EcoGarden offered an opportunity for youth to garden and learn about their environment. With funding provided by Environment Canada EcoAction and Alberta EcoTrust Foundation, and additional ponsorship from City of Edmonton Waste Management and Voices of the Soil, this project involved youth as young as age eight through to University, with age relevant activities to foster their understanding, demonstration, and leadership of environmental practices in soil building.
As soil ambassadors or stewards, 16 youth formed the leadership core of EcoYouth and were assigned to four teams to work at four community gardens during the 2002 growing season. They represented 10 different schools, range in age from 13 to19, and live throughout Edmonton, St. Albert, and the County of Parkland.
At each host community garden, EcoYouth modelled soil building practices by planting and maintaining at least 1500 sq. ft. of mixed vegetable and carbon or ‘compost’ crops, composted approximately 175 large green garbage bags of compostable materials, improving the soil carbon content by at least 1.5%, and will recreate a natural habitat for butterflies and moths in 2003.
Children aged 8 to 12 expressed keen interest in topics introduced by the EcoYouth leadership core. In 2002, summer week-long EcoCamps at the Clareview Community EcoGarden provided fun activities that promoted earth citizenship, soil stewardship, water ecology and environmental awareness.
Thanks to an Edmonton Lotteries Board grant, the EcoGarden now has a large bed accessible from a wheelchair.
The Clareview Community EcoGarden is managed by a volunteer garden management team. Clareview Bible Church donates the use of their property for the EcoGarden.
Water is collected in rain barrels using a water collection system devised to work with the Church building. As well, city water is available at the Church building. We continue to use soil building practices to reduce our water consumption. We have many good ideas and some success stories to share with other gardens wanting to reduce their water needs.
The Clareview Community Eco-Garden sponsors a number of workshops related to organic gardening principles, and these workshops are open to the general public. The EcoGarden also has a business plan, garden operation guidelines and printed materials helpful to other community gardens.
Challenges, Needs and Barriers:
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We have yearly requirements for mulch and compost. As well, we welcome compostable materials as we are active composters.
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We welcome seeds and bedding plants.
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