Skip to content

Community gardens ready for planting

Stettler community garden has grown and changed and, hopefully, with the help of some warmer weather, it should become a quite busy place in the next few weeks.

Rob Spencer, head of the Stettler Community Gardens Committee said they were excited to be able to offer a bigger space to enthusiasts in the community this spring.

“We have expanded the gardening area by 3,600 square feet, we had about 5,000 last year, the design is the same but it expanded to the west,” Spencer said.

“Basically it is 40-feet wider.”

According to Spencer, the area which was reserved for Stettler Food Bank and that got flooded frequently last year has now been redesigned with raised planter beds, constructed by high school students .

“People can rent these raised planter beds there, they are three feet by eight and two feet tall,” he said.

“There will be six of them for rent and one for demonstration.”

Spencer added that there was enough space for seven more raised planter beds and they would probably be offered for rent next year.

Seniors or anyone having difficulties or disabilities in bending down or squatting will be able to rent those raised beds for their gardening purposes.

The size of the lots available for rent will remain the same as last year, with the smallest being 10 feet by 10 feet, and the biggest 22 feet by 22 feet.

Spencer admitted that weather continued to be a factor in completing the preparations this year.

“Last year this time, we already had some people in doing planting,” he remembered.

If all goes according to plan, gardeners will start to have access to their lots around May 15 with the official launch of this spring’s community gardens set for Friday, May 27.

“This year we wanted it to be an afternoon event,” said Spencer.

The launch is tentatively scheduled to start around 6 p.m. to last until 8 p.m.

Application forms to rent lots in the community garden could be obtained from the town office or downloaded from town office website.

Although there is no deadline for applications, Spencer reminded those willing to plant their flowers and vegetables that this has already been a late spring.