Blog  September 6, 2011

Elaine Eppler: Gardening with (and for) community

Green City Gal, Elaine Eppler

Evergreen BC’s City Hall Community Garden in Vancouver wouldn’t be the success it is without passionate gardeners like Elaine Eppler. Below, Elaine tells us why she loves gardening and what it means to be part of the community.

What do you enjoy most about working in the garden?
I enjoy being in any garden, no matter where it is or what I’m doing. It’s hard to pick what I enjoy most about the City Hall Community Garden but perhaps it’s this: the sense I’m part of a larger community—not only of fellow gardeners and the neighbourhood but also with the creatures, great and small, who help keep the ecosystem thriving and healthy. (Well, that’s my hope—I’m in a symbiotic relationship with the other organisms). For example, the bees and I worked side by side yesterday while I pruned back the lavender and catmint. That was delightful!

What have you learned from your experiences gardening in a community garden so far?
Here are a few lessons learned:

1. Do the groundwork. Prepare the soil well with organic amendments before sowing and transplanting.
2. Be square. At the beginning, I started planting crops in rows but soon switched to square-foot gardening, which immediately made planning, sowing and transplanting so much quicker and easier.
3. Keep an eye on your plot. Even if it doesn’t need daily watering, try to visit it regularly to deal with pests and overcrowding at an early stage.
4. Plant for the pollinators. This may be one of the most important things we can do for the future of gardening and food security.

What motivates you to spend time contributing to the community garden?
I do believe nature has so much to teach us and the community garden is a wonderful classroom. Also, I’m inspired by and learn from my fellow gardeners and the Evergreen coordinators. Thank you, Helen and Max for your enthusiasm, support and guidance, for bringing in expert speakers to provide education on topics such as winter gardening, and for organizing group work parties (including tasty snacks).

What do you enjoy doing when you are not in the garden?
I enjoy my Westie, photography, blogging and recently, cooking up all the goodness I grew in my garden these past three months.