Whitehorse residents with green thumbs rejoice: the Whistle Bend community garden is officially a go.
The Whistle Bend Community Garden Coalition, a registered not-for-profit, is leasing a 0.6-hectare lot in Whistle Bend at the corner of Eldorado Drive and Casca Boulevard.
The garden will be set up a little bit differently than the popular one which already exists in the Marwell area of Whitehorse, said Jesse Jewell, president of the coalition.
Instead of having individual plots, people will be able to have a share of the garden, which means everyone works together to grow different things and everyone gets a little bit of everything, he said. This allows the garden to grow better food for everyone more efficiently and contributes to local food security, he said.
“This is an amazing opportunity to increase food security within our community and to learn valuable food cultivation skills,” he said.
“We’re interested in food security in the North … and having access to good quality organic food.”
Jewell said the garden will be growing food organically but will not be certified. That’s an expensive process and really only necessary if you intend to sell your produce, which the Whistle Bend garden does not.
The project is still “in the development phase,” Jewell said, and won’t be fully running until 2019. People can still sign up online, however, and help with planning, which will begin in 2018, he said.
There is an annual general meeting for the coalition in January for people who are interested in participating, Jewell said. Memberships will cost money, but how much hasn’t been decided yet.
There are already 25 people interested in having a share of the garden, he said. Most people are currently from Whistle Bend, but Jewell said they aren’t planning on turning people away, regardless of where they live.
“We’re not closing any doors,” he said. “It’s a big piece of land and we have a chance to do something different.”
Contact Lori Fox at lori.fox@yukon-news.com