Community Garden Program
The City of Barrie's Community Garden Program is governed by the Community Garden Policy approved in 2009 and updated in 2011. Prior to renting a plot, gardeners are to read the policy and sign a Community Garden Plot Rental Contract.
Single plots are a standard size of 1.5 x 4.5 metres (5' x 15') and the rental fee is $20.00 plus HST ($22.60 total). Double plots (available in Golden Meadow Garden only) are 3 x 4.5 metres (10' x 15') and the rental fee is $40.00 plus HST ($45.20 total). Visitors are always welcome to the community gardens.
New for 2012! GOLDEN MEADOW PARK - 139 Hurst Drive
Barrie City Council will be reviewing the pilot project status of Golden Meadow Park Community Garden on May 28, 2012. Should this location be approved by Council on June 4, the garden will be opened for the 2012 growing season. Interested gardeners may pre-register without payment to reserve a spot now by calling the Engineering Department at 705-739-4207. In order to fill the garden at this late date, gardeners may reserve more than one plot. Volunteers will be needed to help build the new garden and source materials. This will be an unfenced location, with parking and water nearby. There will be nine single plots and nine double plots available for a total of 18 plots in this location. Please refer to the Golden Meadow Park Community Garden Layout for plot numbers. Payment will be due following Council approval.
SUNNIDALE PARK - Coulter Street curve
Established in 2010, with a financial contribution and the work of many volunteers from Living Green - Environmental Action Barrie, the Sunnidale Community Garden is located along Coulter Street in Sunnidale Park. It is a fenced area containing prepared plots of a standard size of 1.5 x 4.5 metres. Garden plots are rented for $20.00 plus HST ($22.60 total) for the season (more details included in the policy - see above). There are currently 33 individual garden plots and one Community Plot (see Sunnidale Community Garden Layout) within the fenced enclosure. This layout is subject to change at the gardeners' discretion. Gardeners are welcome to rent more than one plot after May 1st.
Please note: there is no water tap available on site and gardeners are responsible for their own water supply. There is also an abundance of groundhogs due to the natural parkland, and gardeners are advised to implement any controls necessary (raised beds, chicken wire etc.) on their plots to prevent loss of produce.
How to Rent a Garden Plot
Current Gardeners - must re-register for their same plot by October 31.
New Gardeners - New registrations will be accepted starting December 1.
- Fill out and sign a Garden Plot Rental Contract. One plot per person, except after May 1.
- Submit in person, with payment of cash or cheque to the Engineering Department, 6th Floor, City Hall, 70 Collier Street. Hours of Operation from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.
OR Submit by mail with payment by cheque (please do not send cash in the mail) to City of Barrie Community Garden Administrator, 6th Floor Engineering, Box 400, Barrie Ontario, L4M 4T5.
- Signed contracts will be received on a first-come/first-served basis. Gardeners may pick their plot immediately if registering in person. If the contract was submitted by mail, registrants will be notified of their plot number by phone or e-mail. Your contact information will be made available to the Sunnidale Park Garden Coordinator, who will contact you when the garden is opened up in the spring. If you indicate on your contract that you are interested in being a Garden Coordinator, you will be contacted by the City of Barrie Community Garden Administrator.
- Due to the limited number of plots available, you may be placed on a waiting list, in priority sequence, if the plots are all rented by an early date. Your payment will be returned to you if your contract was submitted by mail. If a plot becomes available, you will be contacted according to the waiting list priority sequence, and the fee will be due at that time. Please submit your signed contract regardless of plot availability in order to help indicate the level of community interest and the need for more garden plots.
Definition
Source-Wikipedia: 'A community garden is a single piece of land gardened collectively by a group of people. Allotment gardens are characterized by a concentration in one place of a few or up to several hundreds of land parcels that are assigned to individuals or families. In allotment gardens, the parcels are cultivated individually.'
Community gardens provide access to fresh produce and plants as well as access to satisfying labour, neighbourhood improvement, sense of community and connection to the environment. They are publicly functioning in terms of ownership, access, and management, as well as typically owned in trust by local governments or nonprofit organizations. A community garden brings your community closer. Community gardens encourage an urban community's food security, allowing citizens to grow their own food or for others to donate what they have grown. The gardens also combat two forms of alienation that plague modern urban life, by bringing urban gardeners closer in touch with the source of their food, and by breaking down isolation by creating a social community. It has also been found that active communities experience less crime and vandalism.' Source: Wikipedia
Evolution of the Sunnidale Community Garden - Photos
(November 2009 - September 2010)
