For some Montrealers, using a community garden isn’t just about growing organic produce.
For Nicolas Gasset, it’s a way to relax.
“It's a joy every year to grow our own vegetables and for the children also,” he said.
He's one of 44 plot owners at a community garden on La Fontaine St. He lives in an apartment building nearby and doesn’t have space to garden.
“That's our place,” he said.
For Kate Busch, gardening is a lesson in world cuisine.
“We have a number of different ethnicities in our garden, and they grow foods that I have never seen. So I discover new things, I don't I'd ever have those kinds of experiences if I was just gardening in my backyard,” she said.
It’s been 40 years since the city started the community garden program. It all began when some homes burned down and the city decided to turn the plot into a garden.
After the first success, the idea grew and there are now nearly 100 community gardens all over the city, some with long waitlists.
“We have 55 people on the wait list to have a garden here and there's some departures every year that allows us to welcome new gardeners,” said Jean-Francois Blanchard, president of the garden in the city’s Centre-Sud neighbourhood.
The plots cost about $10 a year and the city provides the soil, water and some tools.
Mayor Denis Coderre says he would like to increase the number of available gardens in the future.
If you want to try out your green thumb, you can find a plot near you on the city’s website.
