A Bancroft-area community garden program is growing strong.
Plants are now springing from soil at several Harvest the North gardens.
Coordinator Jo-Anne Reynolds says the program started in 2015 when it had 10 raised beds at Riverside Park. It now has more than 30 gardens throughout North Hastings. New this year is the “edible art installation” garden behind the North Hastings Community Trust building.
Reynolds says anyone is welcome to use the gardens or enjoy the produce from them. The program allows everyone to enjoy gardening, which, she says, is an uplifting experience.
“You stick your hands in the warm soil and let me know how good that feels?” she says, standing outside the Community Trust garden. “That’s where it is, right there; hands in the Earth.”
“And it’s warmth. And that warmth isn’t just about the soil. It’s about life that’s growing within it. It’s about the community that’s growing around it and tending it. That’s what it’s about.”
While most Harvest the North gardens are at Riverside Park, several more are at Riverstone Residence, a retirement home along the York River.