Carleton students will now be able to start planting in the Graduate Students’ Association’s (GSA) Kitagánensag community garden for part of this year’s growing season after a few challenging years.
Two new beds have been secured for the garden behind the Nesbitt Biology Building as an expansion of the current size. This will bring the space “significantly closer” to the size of the original garden, according to GSA vice-president (external) Theo Hug.
Hug added the GSA and the university administration are continuing to discuss plans for the garden. The two parties met on June 9.
“Everything’s looking very optimistic,” Hug said.
The garden has been facing problems since its relocation by the university from its original garden space in 2012 to make space for a new residence building. Language in the original agreement between the GSA and administration about the garden gave the university permission to move it if the space was needed.
When completed, the new space will host 40 gardening plots, doubling the garden’s current size. But even with this expansion, there is a waiting list for plots, according to Hug.
Response from Carleton students to the garden has been positive, according to GSA coordinator Phil Robinson.
“The number of volunteers we have coming out, and the dedication . . . gives me hope in the world that people are so into gardening and food,” he said.
Hug said the garden is still facing some minor difficulties to be sorted out before getting up and running.
“There’s one minor technical issue in terms of how we access water in the new location,” Hug said.
However, after a meeting between the GSA and Facilities and Management Planning later in the week, the water issue was sorted out, according to Mike Graham, assistant director of Facilities Engineering and Construction.
“It looks to me like the show is on the road and things are good for them to continue on,” he said.
Hug said he thinks there hasn’t always been great cooperation between the GSA and university administration.
“At times they have put up great resistance to meeting our demands,” he said, but added the GSA is happy the university is now working with them.
Hug said the GSA hopes to have people planting in the current plots as soon as possible. They aim to have the two new beds built by the end of June and to have people planting in them by the beginning of July.
Hug added the GSA has hired a garden coordinator to educate people about everything from food security to gardening techniques. The garden will be a “really big community building project,” Hug said.
The Kitagánensag community garden will have its official unveiling in September, and the opening ceremony will include a blessing by an Algonquin elder to strengthen the garden’s connections with the community, according to Hug.
