An important milestone was celebrated at Collingwood Neighbourhood House on September 28th when people gathered for the grand opening of the new food producing rooftop garden. Those who gathered remarked on how beautiful and colorful the garden looks, especially with the newly installed mosaic tiles that was created by Yoko Tomita and a team of 80 volunteers. They also commented on the wide variety of plants growing which includes purple cabbages, heirloom tomatoes, apple trees, various greens and globe artichokes. The garden is very green and lush and it’s amazing to see a previously dull concrete space turn into a green oasis high about the street. The main features of the garden includes innovative raised concrete planters with a new mosaic tiles, a workshop area, a composting area, living walls comprised of edible greens. The rooftop garden has increase the numbers opportunities people have had to connect around food, learn about gardening and cooking, develop leadership skills, and build relationships in the community. Those involved in caring for the garden have really worked at connecting the garden to other initiatives at the neighbourhood house. Through the development of the garden we’ve increased the nutrition of the Saturday morning breakfast and community kitchens by offering fresh greens and herbs to be added to the food as well as giving bags of vegetables for people to take home.
This article was written by Heidi Sinclair who is the previous coordinator of the Renfrew Collingwood Food Security Institute. She’s enjoyed the many benefits of working with this exciting project which has brought in people of all ages to learn about gardening and sustainability. She particularly likes teaching children about growing vegetables. Heidi and husband Peter now reside in Nanaimo where she is continuing to find ways to connect people with their food source.
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