PEOPLE, PLANTS & HOMES Garden Fund Resource Guide
Get Growing
Therapeutic Garden A garden specifically designed to meet the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs of the people using the garden. These gardens are often found in health care settings to support horticultural therapy programs with specific clinical goals. Healing Garden A garden designed for passive use and passive therapeutic benefits. Participants are not actively engaged in maintenance but benefit from spending time in the garden. Community Garden A garden where participants are allotted a space that they care for on their own. These gardens often encourage community engagement through work parties, workshops, and celebrations. Communal Gardens A garden where everyone works together and gardens the same space. Produce is shared in food programs, among the gardeners or with other community members. Pollinator Garden A garden planted specifically to feed bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. Native Garden A garden that only has Indigenous plants. This can be for cultural use or to create a habitat for wildlife. Herb Garden
The BC Housing Garden Fund provides start-up funding to BC Housing non-profit housing partners to build gardens and start garden programs at their buildings. Learn more or apply at www.bchousing.org/garden-fund.
Types of Gardens There are many different types of gardens you can create. If you have limited space or time, a pollinator, herb, or native garden will be best. Communal gardens are great for buildings that regularly welcome new residents. Check the list on the next page for more inspiration.
A garden with medicinal or culinary herbs for use in teas, tinctures, balms or food.
Container Garden A garden exclusively grown in containers. Great for buildings where there is no common space but residents have access to balconies or patios.
Not sure where to begin? Read on for helpful tips, ideas, and inspiration to get started.
Helpful Tips for Starting a Garden
Maintain Your Garden Gardens need care. Decide who will water, weed, and harvest the garden. You will need funding to keep the garden in good condition, to pay for seeds, plants and soil each year and to repair beds and paths every 3 – 5 years. Get Organized Be clear about who will manage waitlists, assign beds, or do special tasks at your garden. Appoint a garden coordinator, a volunteer committee, or a staff person at your organization to take the lead. If your garden is volunteer run, have clear written guidelines and expectations for the role(s) and agree on how the person or committee will be selected or succeeded. For community gardens, you need clear rules that gardeners agree to before you start. This will include who
Start Small New gardeners often underestimate the amount of care and work a garden needs and can easily get overwhelmed if they take on too much. It is best to dream big and start small. You can expand in the future, once the garden gets established, gardeners learn skills, and interest grows. As we like to say on BC Housing’s People, Plants, and Homes team “grow with the flow.” Pick the Right Location You must pick the right location for your garden to be successful. Think about sun exposure, water, and accessibility. • Does your site have six hours of sun per day, or more? This is best for growing vegetables. • Is there an easily accessible hose bib close to the garden? Do not expect your gardener to carry water with watering cans, they will give up! • How exposed is your site? Do you need a fence? • How easy is it to bring soil, mulch or other equipment to the garden to be able to maintain it?
is allowed to garden, consequences for not following the agreement, what can be grown, and how common areas will be cared for. It is best to have plots renewed each year and have members sign an agreement to ensure that gardeners are aware of their commitment. Connect with Your Neighbours Gardens that focus on community-building are more successful. Engage gardeners in all the stages of creating the garden and continue to have garden meetings throughout the life of your garden. Having social events, workshops, and celebrations to allow gardeners to get to know each other and work together, will make your garden project more successful.
Accessible Garden Design Tips Create Wide Paths Paths should be three to five feet wide (91 - 153 cm) to allow easy access for wheelbarrows, lawn mowers or mobility aids. To have paths that are accessible and have little maintenance, place your garden beds on existing concrete or use compacted crusher. Gardens can be placed on grass, but this is less accessible and will need to be mowed. Make It Reachable
Make your garden beds three feet wide or less, to allow gardeners to reach across the bed. A great size for accessible and manageable beds are 3 x 5 feet (91 x 153 cm). Your beds should be at least 30 - 39 inches (76 - 99 cm) high for people who need to sit or stand while gardening. Keep the Hose Close Install water access as close to your garden as possible. Many people don’t have the physical ability to drag hoses far or may have trouble opening taps or connecting hoses. Install “quick connect” hose attachments to your water outlet and hose, and use light expandable hoses.
First Year Gardening Tips
A lot of gardening is learning as you go. Do not be afraid to experiment! Begin and try it out. Some plants will do well, and others will not. It is all part of the experience to learn and understand nature. Easy to grow veggies:
Beans
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Cucumbers
Potatoes
Where To Find More Support
• Master Gardeners, Botanical Gardens or Garden Clubs, may offer free or low-cost workshops on gardening, composting and more. • Local businesses, like nurseries, seed companies, or garden centers are often willing to support non-profit programs with low cost or free plants, seeds, or soil. • The internet has a wealth of knowledge, but when it comes to gardening, it is important to get local advice. Go to www.westcoast seeds.com for detailed information on information on how to garden in BC or look up local garden stores as they often have useful blogs with local growing tips.
• More funding opportunities:
◆ Gardens for Good - Nature’s Path (www.naturespath.com), provides funding for garden projects across North America. ◆ Edible Trees – Tree Canada (www.treecanada.ca/greening- communities/community-tree-grants/edible-trees/), provide funding to plant fruit trees and maintain orchards. ◆ Garden Grants - Compass Canada (www.compass-canada.com), provide funding for community gardens. ◆ Neighbourhood Small Grants (www.neighbourhoodsmall grants.ca) provide funding for community initiatives. Go to their website to find out if they have funding available in your community.
For more information or to apply, visit www.bchousing.org/garden-fund
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