The smell of fresh soil was in the air as volunteers worked to prepare Apsley Gardens for the growing season.
Barbara Tetz, coordinator for Apsley Gardens, and volunteer Linda Wilson started earlier this week, turning over the soil for the raised garden plots, sifting through pebbles and breaking down decomposed pumpkins to build up healthy sod.
“Now that we’ve got spring here, if any of you are interested in gardening, you’re welcome to come on out to the community gardens,” Tetz says. “You can check out Evergreen, you can check out Apsley or you can check out your own backyard and get some plants growing.”
The gardens on Apsley St. and Evergreen Ave. are owned by the City of Terrace and maintained by the Green Thumb Society. Apsley is the smaller piece of land, but together the two gardens are used by around 70 families in Terrace, Tetz says.
READ MORE: Community garden shifts focus
Volunteers have made some upgrades to the garden within the last year, including a renovation of their garden shed and greenhouse.
“We’re trying to get things ready so gardeners can come in and enjoy the gardening experience,” she says.
Growing produce locally can be instrumental for maintaining a healthy diet, Tetz says.
“It’s a hands-on experience to [grow] your own food, and just knowing how to do it… it’s a critical life-skill. There are people out there who can give you a ton of information about gardening.”
Work will continue over the next couple weeks until the garden plots are ready for planting.
READ MORE: Exploring food opportunities in Northwest B.C.
CORRECTION: In a previous version of this article, Barbara Tetz was identified as the president of the Green Thumb Society. She is not the president, but current coordinator for the Apsley Gardens. The two gardens together are used by around 70 families in Terrace.
brittany@terracestandard.com
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