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Join the Urban Gardening Movement!

March 11, 2021   ·   0 Comments

By Mayor Sandy Brown

It’s been a year of lockdowns and social distancing, but spring is just around the corner, and there is no better time to think about starting a new hobby. Gardeners across Orangeville respond to the signals, and plans are in motion to think about this year’s planting beds and bringing out the rubber boots, shovels, kneeling pads and gardening gloves. It’s almost time to get digging and get your hands dirty. 

You, too, can join the gardening movement and “play” in the dirt to add fresh vegetables and herbs to your meals. Gardening is a club that welcomes all members, whether you’re planting a container or two of tomatoes on your balcony, or laying out a vegetable garden in your backyard, greenhouse or raised garden bed.

Launching this month – Sustainable Orangeville will be promoting and subsidizing a new urban gardening pilot project to help you get started and create your successful 2021 garden.  We are hoping to sign up 100 interested parties to start your raised vegetable garden.   The program will include the raised bed kit (wood structure), top soil, a seed package, rain barrel and access to a gardening “knowledge library” to give you tips, tricks and ideas for your garden. Each participant will be invited to a social media group (Facebook, Instagram) to share their stories, successes and questions throughout the growing season, along with planned webinars and guest speakers. There’s a saying that you reap what you sow, and in the case of a vegetable garden, a rich harvest will bring more than dinner, but gardening is also good for your mind and body. We are also hoping to connect with some of our local restaurants to see if we can promote some recipes using fresh produce.  

The health, social, economic, and environmental benefits of gardening are a clear call to action: human beings need gardens. 

“Growing Food is like Printing Your Own Money.” –Gangsta Gardener Ron Finley

Connecting with people

We are still uncertain about the pandemic and connecting is more important than ever in our history.  A few extra vegetables can be an excuse to share with your elderly neighbour or a family down the street. Beautiful flowers and edibles in your front yard may put a smile on the face of someone walking past and inspire them to ask questions.

Connecting with nature

If this is your first-year gardening, be prepared to be amazed! Being surrounded by nature, digging in the soil caring for your crop has proven to be very stimulating for all ages and connects you to the world and the earth in a tangible way that can be life-affirming. 

Gardening is full proof that things don’t always work out as planned, no matter how much planning you do. Your cucumber patch may not yield as much as you wanted, and your lettuce may grow taller than anticipated. There is freedom in accepting and letting nature take its course. 

Eating your homegrown vegetables, tossing a fresh salad daily, adding herbs or growing a unique seed brings a sense of accomplishment and pride. Studies have also shown that even looking out on a garden is linked to better recovery from surgery, less anxiety and depression and many other positive effects for your neighbours. 

Physical exercise

Tilling the soil may conjure up images of large farms or picking your own berries, but you may not realize how much exercise you get digging in the dirt, watering or reaching that perfect tomato at the top of the vine. As you nurture your garden, you also nurture your body with low impact bending, stretching and lifting in the sunshine and fresh air.  

Healthy eating 

Your garden can produce the freshest and healthiest foods available, reduce your exposure to harmful pesticides, and encourage healthy eating habits. Getting kids involved early in the process improves their immediate nutrition. It educates kids in a fun and tangible way about where our food comes from can be a catalyst for a lifetime of healthy eating and choices. 

Different vegetables have various health benefits, and when you choose the foods you grow, you can address health concerns or expand your cultural knowledge. The humble tomato is rich in antioxidants, potassium and vitamin C. A Lebanese cucumber could start a conversation about a culture you didn’t know and encourage your community’s cultural safety.   

Impacts on the environment 

Gardening impacts everything from the air we breathe to the minimizing of carbon footprints we leave behind. If you have an area to plant in, even if it’s merely containers on a terrace, take advantage of this space and become part of a beneficial environmental impact.

Plants naturally clean the air and ground through the process of photosynthesis. Leaves take the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and use it to help create oxygen and water. Simply put – they recycle our air into something we need to survive and filter out harmful chemicals and bacteria, providing an overall healthier environment! 

Additionally, when you grow your foods, you visit the grocery store less often. Your food is not packed on a truck, reducing your carbon footprint and saving on energy, waste, and money.  

Urban gardening results are more significant during COVID-19 as people self-isolate, quarantine, look for ways to save on food budgets, and find new ways to connect with neighbours, friends, family, and the community. Urban gardening can also provide long-term effects as we come out of the pandemic by making our community more resilient, productive and interconnected than ever before. 

By embracing your green thumb, you may be gathering your vegetables and herbs fresh from your garden instead of making another trip to the grocery store, reducing stress, improving your health, and strengthening family and community connections. 

There are many opportunities to get involved and make sure your voice is heard. This Council is listening – reach out to myself or any member of council with your ideas!

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