Canada: Demand soars for community garden plots as more Islanders on Prince Edward Island move to grow their own food
‘The price of food at the stores is just getting higher and higher so why not try and grow your own?’
By Sara Fraser
CBC News
May 29, 2022
Excerpt:
She used to eat from her father’s large garden, she said, but with his death over the winter she realized her days of picking fresh, free veggies was over.
“I can’t go to the grocery store to get everything, it costs too much. So it’s time to do it myself,” Clow said.
She plans to plant tomatoes, peppers, carrots and beans — “a little bit of everything to see what works the best for me.”
Clow has prepared her plot at Stratford’s community garden and will plant after the risk of frost has passed in a couple of weeks.
The garden started in 2013 with 40 plots and has grown to 87. With help from $7,000 from the local Rotary club, the town added 22 more plots this season to keep up with rising demand — all of the plots have been claimed.
“We really saw the demand go up. Even with the expansion, it’s still full — just crazy,” said Kaylee Busniuk with the Stratford Area Watershed Improvement Group, which partners with the town to look after the garden.
