The community garden in Estevan, which ran through its first season last summer, has caught the attention of researchers at the University of Regina. The all-access nature of the garden seems to be a great opportunity to learn.
On June 15, the gardeners will host a celebration at the property in regards to the partnership the community garden is entering into with Regina-based Fullbright Canada Eco Leadership. The Estevan garden received a $4,000 grant through the program, and the local garden will be ground zero of a research project that teams Fullbright and the University of Regina’s kinesiology department.
What has attracted the teams is the accessibility of the local community garden. Chantelle Dubreuil, one of the garden’s organizers, said that wasn’t a fluke.
“Because our beds are raised beds, and when we started building them, we started building them with disabilities in mind, so they caught wind of that and wanted to be a part of that,” said Dubreuil.
The funding has covered some of the beds at the garden as well as helping to promote being mobile within a garden. The funds will also cover some new, ergonomic hand tools.
The kinesiology department at the UofR will also be designing some new tools of their own for use in Estevan. These will be designed with various people in mind, from those with arthritis to those with prosthetics. Dr. Shanthi Johnson, of the UofR’s kinesiology department, is leading the group that will be monitoring activity in Estevan.
“It’s something they will be tracking this year, and they want to keep an eye on it over the years.”
The gardeners will be self-reporting to the researchers. Spreadsheets have been drafted for gardeners to fill out, and that data will be sent to those overseeing the study.
Johnson will be in Estevan June 15 to complete an assessment and survey the gardens, and she will return in September during harvest.
“Our beds are long enough to have a decent garden. They’re wide enough that you can reach from both sides, and they’re high enough that they’re easy for someone with a disability to maneuvre,” said Dubreuil.
The beds are also spaced in a way that wheelchairs and walkers can be navigated through without difficulty.
Dubreuil said the raised beds were designed to be accommodating because they’re easy to work with for everyone, those with or without disabilities. They also look better.
“We kept that in mind, not just for accommodation but for the beautification appeal,” she said, noting in-ground beds require rototilling and are often dustier.
And the gardeners are well into preparing for this year’s growing season.
Last week, a shed was hauled on to the property, and five more raised beds were built. Dubreuil noted another three will be built shortly, to accommodate more new members in 2015. Twenty beds will be planted this year, up from 12 in the garden’s inaugural season, last year.
The gardening crew held their pre-planting work bee May 12.
“There are a few beds that are already planted. I’m thinking people will probably be planting again this weekend,” Dubreuil said prior to the long weekend.
The Estevan Fire Rescue Service brought in the first load of water.
Dubreuil noted in addition to the raised beds, in future years there will be beds in the ground. Work will be ongoing this year to prepare the in-ground beds for the 2016 growing season.
“Over the summer we’ll start working on our in ground plots for next year,” she said. “We’re organic, so we can’t spray the ground. We have to dig it up by hand, and it’s going to be a slow process.”
