INNISFAIL – It was just a little over a week into November when the Innisfail & District Garden Club announced it had finally secured a federal grant for a major expansion to its community garden.
And before the early wrath of winter arrived a week later, shovels were already in the ground at the community garden, located in Nova Park east of Dodd’s Lake Manor.
“We were able to get a little bit in before the snow flew. The area for the new plot is all scraped. The sod is all out of there,” said the club’s new president Elizabeth Bayley.
She said the scraping was done through volunteer support and then hauled away by Howell's Excavating.
“We weren't able to get the beds staked out before the snow,” said Bayley, a club member since 2022 and president since last June’s annual general meeting. “The area is all straight. The town has already tilled it once.
“And so in the spring all we have to do is add our compost and get it tilled and mark out the beds,” she added. “We're going to put chips down, like mulch, for the pathways, and then people will be good to start gardening.”
The long awaited expansion project is made possible by the $21,000 grant the club received from Farm Credit Canada (FCC) as part of its AgriSpirit Fund.
The expansion is going ahead in partnership with the Town of Innisfail.
According to a news release received by the Albertan, the FCC AgriSpirit Fund supplied $1.5 million to 82 rural community groups across Canada this year to support capital projects that enhance the quality of life, foster growth, and improve food security in rural communities.
The new Innisfail expansion, south of the current community garden location off 57 Street, is the result of growing community demand, said Bayley.
She said the project will triple the number of 10 ft. by 20 ft. gardening plots from the original 10 now at the community garden.
There will be 20 added next year to bring the total to 30.
“With the increased cost of living felt everywhere across the country, the Innisfail & District Garden Club has seen a significant increase in demand for its community garden spaces. Demand has far outpaced supply the last two seasons, so an expansion was much needed for the community,” said Bayley.
She said 19 of the 20 new plots have already been reserved for the 2025 season.
The original community garden also features a three-season greenhouse, a pollinator bed, children’s garden beds, haskap berry u-pick, and various raised beds for gardeners of all ages and abilities.
But by next year there will be more additions, including a food forest; an ecosystem model that will have strategically planted fruit bearing trees, shrubs and plants.
“They will all be fruit bearing, so people are able to pick them and enjoy them, whether they're community gardeners or not,” said Bayley.
She said there are also plans for an outdoor education space and expanded composting.
Bayley told the Albertan the club’s expansion project must be completed in 2025, as all grant money has to be spent by the end of the year.
She said club members will have an opportunity to hear more about the project at the next club meeting planned for the fourth Monday in January.
