Veggie gardens sprouting for another season at City Hall
Gardens will help feed those in need in the community
The Adopt-a-Garden program produced more than 750 pounds of produce for Feed the Need in Durham in 2020 during the pandemic.
The City of Oshawa is bringing back the Adopt-a-Giving Garden Program this season to help feed those in need in the community.
The City has again partnered with Durham Master Gardeners, the Oshawa Garden Club, and Feed the Need Durham for the growing season.
City Councillor Rick Kerr, chair of the community services committee, says there’s nothing like fresh produce to make a diet healthier and more nutritious.
“Cheers to all the volunteer gardeners who will make this happen again for the upcoming growing season to assist those in need,” he says.
Last year, a total of 750 pounds of fresh produce was harvested from nine of the annual garden beds — which were converted into vegetable gardens and maintained by the Oshawa Garden Club and Durham Master Gardeners, with support from City Operations staff – on the north side of City Hall.
“How wonderful it is, that for the second year in a row, Durham Master Gardeners’ volunteers will grow vegetables alongside our friends in the Oshawa Garden Club at the beautiful Oshawa City Hall site,” says Durham Master Gardeners co-lead Anne van de Velde.
“All spring, our members rearranged indoor real estate to start seeds for this worthwhile project in anticipation of surpassing last year’s donation to Feed the Need,” she adds.
Fresh produce harvested from the garden this year will go to Feed the Need Durham.
DMG co-lead Helen Vander Byl, says they will be showcasing the beauty of companion planting vegetables alongside annual flowers in the hopes that the Durham Region community will be inspired to try this at home.
“We plan to offer more opportunities for the public to engage with our Master Gardener volunteers who will offer advice on seed-starting, growing vegetables, fertilizing, and harvesting,” she says.
“We can’t wait to meet or surpass last year’s donation as we all pitch in to eradicate food insecurity in our region.”
Oshawa Garden Club president says they are “delighted to contribute our skills and energy again this year to this worthwhile civic effort.”