The Citizen, 2016-07-14, Page 10PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2016.
Blyth Garden to offer `pay -what -you -want' produce
The Garden is a go
For its second year in operation, The Garden at Blyth is offering its produce for sale every
Monday and Thursday night through the growing season starting July 18. Organizer Laura
Peach says she is excited for the opportunity to provide food security to the community again
and welcomes volunteers who will receive free produce from the site as recompense. (Denny
Scott photo)
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
The Garden in Blyth is once again
open to those looking to flex their
green thumb or, new this year,
purchase some fresh produce.
Selling produce is just one of the
big changes that organizer Laura
Peach was happy to tell The Citizen
about before the garden is officially,
completely open to the public on
Monday, July 18.
"We've had a few things change
since we opened last year," Peach
said.
The garden, which was designed,
landscaped and planted for the first
time last year, is located behind the
Canadian Centre for Rural
Creativity's Grant and Mildred
Sparling Centre, the former Blyth
Public School.
"We're really looking at food
security and hoping to help people
recognize that," Peach said.
Food security is making sure that
everyone has access to safe and
nutritious foods that meet their daily
necessities and, with the abundance
of land in rural Ontario, Peach says
that should be easy, but that's not
always the case.
"Not everyone knows how to grow
mattea New
addition?
Let everyone know about
your new bundle of joy!
Call for prices and details
519-523-4792
or 519-887-9114
The 4
Citizen 'k Oik
a garden and not everyone can, even
if they have all sorts of land," she
said. "We want to make sure people
know that we're going to have lots of
produce here for them to pick up."
Monday and Thursday nights,
starting July 18, people will be able
to stop by the garden and buy
produce. Some of it will be ready to
be carried out of the site while other
produce will be picked fresh with the
help of volunteers at the garden.
"We're going to work on a pay
what you want system," Peach said.
"We don't want there to be any
barricades between people and fresh
produce."
Proof of that concept can be found
in the garden's new raised planters.
The planters bring produce off the
ground at heights that can be easily
accessed by people with mobility
issues.
Aside from the flexible payment
program, Peach also said that people
will be able to work for their
produce by volunteering at the
garden.
"We're always looking for
volunteers and this way they aren't
just helping the garden, they are
helping themselves," she said.
Volunteers will meet with other
participants in a group, Peach said,
and be shown the ropes before being
allowed to be at the garden whenever
they want.
"We'll keep track of the hours and
that will translate into produce," she
said.
Aside from being a place to find
produce, the garden is finding many
other uses as well.
While The Garden welcomes
anyone at any time to meander
through the vegetables and plants,
there are also organized events
taking place that will make use of
the site.
In both July and August, a night of
yoga is being scheduled for the site
while a family movie night has also
been scheduled for July 27 with a
rain -date of Aug. 17.
While the garden features many
different kinds of edible plants
including kale and cabbage, it also
features some plants to help with the
Fashion Arts and Creative Textile
Studio (FACTS) program happening
at the centre.
"We're growing plants for
the FACTS program for a
couple different purposes," Peach
explained. "We have woad and
hollyhock which are going to be
used in dyes. The woad produces the
blue that was used by Celts, and
we're growing flax as well."
Flax, according to Peach, is used
in fabric creation.
For more information about the
garden, visit it on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/TheGardenAtBlyth
or e-mail Peach at
Laura@ruralcreativity.ca or Karen
Smith at Karen@blyth1419.ca
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