Canada: Potatoes o’plenty: new community garden sprouts up in Yellowknife
“One of my neighbours came out and was just so excited that someone was doing something with the space because it’s been over a decade that it’s just sat, ugly and full of weeds in plain sight,” said McGurk.
By Brendan Burke
Yellowknifer
July 1, 2020
Excerpt:
“I’ve wanted to do something with this space for years. I live in the area and the spot has been a total eyesore,” said McGurk. Her long-held wish to transform the land was made possible thanks to a recent grant from Rising Youth, a federal program focused on getting young people involved in their communities.
McGurk applied for the funding after the Northern Farm Training Institute (NFTI) received a massive donation of seed potatoes — some 50,000 pounds worth — from an Alberta farm earlier this month.
“When the potatoes were donated to NFTI, I felt it was a great opportunity and decided to jump on it,” said McGurk.
She put the funding towards the construction of the garden beds — built Wednesday with the help of Common Ground, a homeless employment program. Last weekend, volunteers helped prep the land.
