Community Gardens

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Let's Talk About Community Gardens!

What happening?

Transition Sooke and Sooke Food CHI are embarking on a mission to cultivate a new community garden right near the heart of our Town Centre.

Their vision and goal?

To create not just a space for gardening, but a thriving hub of community engagement, education, and sustainable food production.

Their goal is to locate and develop approximately 2025 m2 of available land, crafting 50 allotment garden beds and 50 m2 of common gardens. Why? Because there's a real desire for more allotment garden space in Sooke, and they are keen to make it

Let's Talk About Community Gardens!

What happening?

Transition Sooke and Sooke Food CHI are embarking on a mission to cultivate a new community garden right near the heart of our Town Centre.

Their vision and goal?

To create not just a space for gardening, but a thriving hub of community engagement, education, and sustainable food production.

Their goal is to locate and develop approximately 2025 m2 of available land, crafting 50 allotment garden beds and 50 m2 of common gardens. Why? Because there's a real desire for more allotment garden space in Sooke, and they are keen to make it happen.

How we got here?

The journey began with a presentation to the District of Sooke Council, where Transition Sooke laid out site assessment criteria and proposed potential locations. If you'd like more details, click here (pages 217-225) for a summary of the extensive community garden site selection process.

Staff provided a follow-up report to the Transition Sooke request at the May 27, 2024 Regular Council meeting which resulted in the following resolution:
THAT Council direct staff to work with Sooke Transition Town Society (STTS) and Sooke Region Food CHI Society (Food CHI) to conduct public engagement on the feasibility of establishing a pilot community allotment garden project at Woodland Creek Park and Ponds Park Corridor and report back to Council on the findings.

How you can be involved?

From June 24, 2024, to July 7, 2024, Transition Sooke and the Sooke Food CHI Society will be reaching out to you, our community, to gather your input on these prospective garden locations. Your voice matters – together, we'll shape the future of community gardening in Sooke.

More About the Proposed Sites:

Woodland Creek Park is a 1.3 hectare site with an established trail network, bench seating, playground equipment and a natural pond. The park is classified as a Neighbourhood Park in the Parks and Trails Master Plan (PTMP) which are intended to serve the catchment area and typically includes play equipment, pathways, open grass, seating and other recreation amenities. Access is via Callumwood Land, Arranwood Drive, Noblewood Place and Ponds Parks Corridor with minimal neighbouring parking. However, there may be an opportunity to collaborate with School District 62 to support parking in relatively close proximity outside of school hours (at Ecole Poirier).

Ponds Park Corridor is classified as a Linear Park in the PTMP. Linear Parks are generally for the purpose of supporting trail networks with some amenities such as benches, staging areas and plantings. The development of Carter Navarette Dog Park was an initiative identified in the PTMP and completed in 2023 with the construction of a shelter, benches, fenced off-leash area and water. Access is via Acreman Place or trails from Townsend Road and Church Road with minimal neighbouring parking.

Join us on this journey as we sow the seeds of change and cultivate a greener, more connected Sooke. Together, we'll make our community bloom!

  • Update from September 9, 2024 Council Meeting

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    At the September 9, 2024, Regular Council meeting, Council passed the following resolutions:

    • THAT Council not proceed with development of a pilot community allotment garden at Woodland Creek Park or Ponds Park Corridor at this time.
    • THAT Council direct staff to coordinate free gardening related workshops for the community from Local Government Climate Action funds.

    While the allotment garden project is not proceeding at this time, Sooke residents can still look forward to new opportunities for green-thumb education. Council has directed staff to organize free, community-focused gardening workshops funded by the Local Government Climate Action Program. These workshops will cover a wide range of gardening-related topics, from growing food in small spaces to climate-resilient landscaping.

    The workshops are part of Sooke’s broader climate adaptation and community resilience efforts, emphasizing local food production as a key priority in addressing food security and sustainability. Leveraging Local Government Climate Action funds ensures that these workshops will be accessible to all, with the potential to foster a growing culture of gardening in the district.

    Staff are currently coordinating workshop schedules and topics, which will be announced in the coming weeks.

  • Staff Report to Council on Monday, July 22, 2024

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    Staff will present engagement finding to Council at the Monday, July 22, 2024 Regular Council meeting, which includes the following recommendations:

    • THAT Council not proceed with development of a pilot community allotment garden at Woodland Creek Park or Ponds Park Corridor at this time.
    • THAT Council direct staff to coordinate free gardening related workshops for the community from Local Government Climate Action funds.

    Read the report here >>

    Further, a previous recommendation was reaffirmed:

    • THAT Council consider dedicating funds to advance the John Phillips Memorial Park master plan and conduct related public engagement in the 2025 budget.

  • Transition Sooke and Sooke Food CHI Seeking Resident Input on New Sooke Community Garden

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    The Sooke Community Garden project, in co-operation with the District of Sooke, wants to engage with the residents of Sooke on possible locations for community gardens.

    “As higher density development becomes more commonplace in the Sooke core,” says Levi Megenbir, spokesperson from Transition Sooke, “retaining space for residents to learn about and grow their own food close to their homes is growing in importance.”

    “We have been exploring the possibility of creating community gardens in some Sooke parks,” says Ellen Lewers, spokesperson for Sooke Region Food Chi. “We feel that growing vegetables in our parks is an appropriate activity and could provide direct benefits to the community.”

    After conducting a detailed review of the park possibilities, the groups are presently looking at two parks — Woodland Creek Park and Ponds Park Corridor (next to Carter Navarrete Dog Park). Two “open houses” will be held at the parks — Tuesday June 25, 4 – 6:30 pm at Ponds Park Corridor and Thursday, June 27 4 – 6:30 pm at Woodlands Creek.

    Volunteers have already been going door-to-door in the areas of the two parks and a survey is available for all interested Sooke citizens. Links to the survey and more information can be found on the District of Sooke’s website: https://letstalk.sooke.ca/communitygardens or Transition Sooke’s website:
    https://transitionsooke.org/sooke-community-gardens/.

    The development of community gardens is possible through a District of Sooke Community Climate Action Seed Funding grant to Transition Sooke for a total of $7,000 over two years (2023 – 24) providing critical start-up costs.

    “We’re excited to collaborate with the District of Sooke and thank them for this generous funding to make these projects happen,” says Megenbir.

    Transition Sooke is a citizen-based, volunteer, public-interest group focused on co-creating a sustainable, resilient and secure community that meets the challenges of the climate emergency in the Sooke region. Sooke Region Food CHI organizes and advocates around food security issues so the community can grow towards a vibrant, resilient local food economy.

    For more information, contact:

    • Levi Megenbir, Transition Sooke, 250-508-0842, levi.megenbir@gmail.com
    • Ellen Lewers, Sooke Region Food CHI, 250-812-2830, mrslewersfarmhouse@gmail.com


Page last updated: 25 Sep 2024, 01:48 PM