Canada: Green thumbs get free seeds as Get Growing, Victoria promotes gardening
Victoria encourages residents to grow food in their backyards and community gardens
By Ella Matte
Victoria News
July 25, 2023
Excerpt:
Neighbourhoods across Victoria are planting the seeds they received from the city’s Get Growing, Victoria program that started today (July 26).
Get Growing supports and encourages residents to grow vegetation in their own backyards and community gardens. Partnering with non-profit organizations, this endeavor distributes seedlings to residents who face barriers to growing their own food.
This summer, distribution will contain seeds for fall and winter crops, including broccoli, bok choy, swiss chard, kale, radicchio, kohlrabi, peas, cabbage, lettuce and parsley.
“We have a really great garden and live off our garden in the summertime,” said Gregory Shea, a Victoria resident who biked to the first event at the Quadra Village Community Centre and picked up a pea plant.
“I’m hoping they reach out to people with a lower economic background because, you know, we’re middle class people. Hopefully they can get the news out to people,” said Shea. “I was a member of a community garden in Vancouver for many years and there’s a lot of single parents. We had a great community there, but now we were fortunate enough to get our own place here, but the community gardens are amazing places too. Hopefully people can take advantage of them.”
