| The stereotypical gardener is generally considered to be someone in their middle years whose children have grown, affording them more time to focus on yard maintenance – they might have a button or bumper sticker with a catchy phrase like "Gardeners Make Better Lovers," a Tilley hat and sun-kissed skin. But many other people would probably be into gardening, and sporting those buttons, if only they had the time, space and guidance. Young families, singles, seniors and new residents to Calgary – all of these folks with different backgrounds and motivations for getting their hands dirty, but without the time or space, have found a viable solution in the market garden.
Market gardens come in many shapes and often exist just outside any city’s limits, with an aim to provide food for the local population. Some take the U-Pick approach to farming, where they grow and maintain the crops and customers do the picking, while others actually rent small plots out to the public so that anybody can plant, weed and harvest on their own within a growing season.
Allen Schernus is the owner and operator of The Garden, located 10 kilometres east of Calgary. A unique operation that is heading into its 16th season, The Garden not only features plots for rent, but also U-Pick strawberries and vegetables, U-Cut flowers and a U-Fish pond stocked with Rainbow Trout.
"We’re not a traditional food supplier in the sense that the food is harvested a thousand miles away and transported and stored and arrives to you in less than pristine shape," says Schernus. "You’re harvesting it at the absolute peak of freshness – so it is the quality of food that brings people here. But probably more importantly is the whole experience associated with getting that food."
With each generation, the distance between the consumer and the farmer widens, resulting in less connection between urban dwellers and the food we consume. While there may not be a foreseeable change to that situation, according to Schernus, market gardens are a great way of bridging some of those gaps.
"Market gardening is probably one of the very few aspects of agriculture that tends to welcome the general public out to their farms to not only get their product, but to see how the food production operation is going."
This active glimpse into Alberta agriculture fosters trust regarding those locally grown food products – a trust that is lacking in the food industry as a whole. Gardening isn’t for everybody, but even taking the time to meet the producers in your vicinity and buying directly from them furthers the knowledge and understanding about what you are getting for your money.
"You’ve got to love the land and love to see things grow," says Grace Fedak, owner and operator of Serviceberry Farms in Strathmore. The farm, which features U-Pick strawberries and Saskatoons, has been enjoying a steady increase in popularity over the years.
Fedak, who started her farm in 1984, has been to California and Florida, two of the biggest producers of strawberries, and tasted berries right in the field. She insists they don’t compare to Alberta’s berry potential.
"We grow a completely different variety that does well in our cool climate," she says. "Warm nights can cause less flavour in the berry. Cool nights tend to turn the starches into sugar, so that cool climate is good for something."
Even with the added value of better tasting crops, many are still in a hurry and prefer to grab their stuff and go.
Gwendolyn Simpson owns and operates Inspired Market Gardens, 35 minutes west of Edmonton, which specializes in salads, culinary herbs and edible flowers, and doesn’t mind if you don’t want to feel the soil between your fingers.
"I’m trying to provide a place that people can come out to so that they can wander the fields and look at what we’ve got," she says. "They can taste different things and they can shop at the store, but they don’t actually have to get their hands dirty."
The future of independent business is always uncertain. Schernus points out that as Calgarians become more and more prosperous, the type of activity people want to and can afford to participate in increases. Will people take time to buy fruits and vegetables from their local farmer, let alone pick or plant, maintain and harvest themselves?
"I guess my reaction to that would be if we had an operation that was strictly, ‘come and get your food – go away,’ I think we would be in real danger.
"I realize that we can’t produce product 12 months of the year," he says. "(But) if Albertans bought their produce for three months of the year, the industry could increase tenfold."
Simpson agrees. "I think in a few years, there will only be two types of farmers: niche farmers like myself who are doing small plots of land, under three acres… and (the) industrial-sized farms. The family-sized farm, I don’t think, can make it. It’s just stacked against them in terms of the price they can get for their commodity."
Says Schernus, "We certainly recognize the old adage that if you take care of the land, the land will take care of you."
For more information on hours of operation and rules and regulations, visit: www.thegardencalgary.com, www.serviceberryfarms.com and www.inspiredmarketgardens.com.
Masters in Gardening
Back in the spring of 2001, a group of environmentally minded University of Calgary students entered the President’s Challenge – a contest of ideas designed to improve campus life – with a proposal for a community garden on campus. They came in second place, which earned them some time with U of C president Harvey Weingarten, who thought it was a good idea.
The garden, now five years strong, is a substantial plot on the west side of campus next to the Varsity Courts housing complex – a spot with decent soil and good visibility, which is run by a group of volunteers who keep the garden rolling.
"The community garden is not individual plots that people come and take responsibility for," says Yori Jamin, garden co-ordinator. "It’s a whole bunch of different people coming to grow vegetables together. For the garden to survive and thrive, it requires people to show up, become enthusiastic about the garden and take some sort of ownership in it. That’s both the challenge and the triumph."
Each year, a planning committee gets together around February to start thinking about what to grow – usually a lot of root crops like carrots, beets, potatoes and turnips as well as peas, beans and herbs. The group makes their own compost and refrains from using chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
Undergraduates, graduate students and even community members are all involved in this group of green thumbs, which meets Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons. For more information, or to become involved, e-mail garden@ucalgary.ca.
All leftovers from the U of C Campus Community Garden at harvest time are directed towards St. Mary’s Church Feed the Hungry Lunch Program. |
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