Good food and good company

Benson Road Gardens, a collaborative gardening effort in town, has been attracting more attention recently as they search for four new members. Situated on a property owned by a Vancouver-based OB-GYN surgeon, the gardeners oversee the land, while the owner boards rescued horses on the back half of the property.

The Benson Road Gardens was formerly a co-op that sold vegetables to the community, but changed course to become a collaborative gardening effort about six years ago, and now the harvest is shared between members.

The group grows organically, without the use of pesticides or herbicides, using aged horse manure for compost. They try to grow crops that will overwinter in the greenhouse to provide fresh produce year-round. The garden currently has 32 raised beds, a large greenhouse, and a variety of fruit trees. The raised beds allow for better soil control, less bending down, and easier pest control. The group uses floating row covers to keep out bugs while letting in water and sun. Members enjoy fresh produce each week.

Community is very important to the gardeners, and they work together Saturdays or Wednesdays from 9 a.m. – noon.

To become a member, one must sign a release form and pay dues of $150-200 per year to cover seed, supplies, and water. Membership requires three hours of work a week. The group has eight long-term members, two new members, and is looking for four more members.

Isobel Brophy is the head organizer of the garden. She enjoys growing organically and the social aspect of sharing the produce. “I rarely buy any veggies. I eat out of the garden year-round and am grateful for the access to healthy food. I also enjoy the comradery and enjoy meeting and working with people who love to garden,” Brophy said.

Brophy and the gardeners strive to accommodate people of all ages and physical abilities.

“We are a sort of middle-aged group, so we do a lot of work around aging body parts. It doesn’t matter if you have bum knees or a bad back, we’ll find you a job that won’t use that part!”

If you are looking to start eating healthier and meet some new gardening friends, head over to the Benson Road Gardens on Saturday morning.