Gardening collective a good idea for the Miramichi

Well folks, I’m glad to say this is the last column I’ll write this winter, cause by the time Monday rolls around again, it’ll be spring.
And it’s about time, too.
There’s still a pile of snow and the cold weather isn’t going to disappear tomorrow, but I can deal with that.
If there’s one thing a long Canadian winter teaches you, it’s patience.
So does gardening.
I planted tomatoes the other day. I started planting vegetables a few years ago, almost by accident.
I threw some turnips seeds in a pot, poured some water on them and forgot about them. When I walked by the pot a few days later some green was shooting up out of the soil.
Those turnips didn’t win any awards for size, by they hooked me on growing vegetables.
Now I’ve got some tomato plants growing with some basil to keep them company.
It’s kinda neat to have a little garden growing on the kitchen counter while there’s three feet of snow on the ground.
But this summer, I’m gonna move beyond container gardening.
Some friends and I are teaming up to work a garden plot together up here in Yellowknife. You pay your membership fee and get access to a small patch of ground that’s yours for the season.
We’re gonna plant potatoes, carrots, turnips, beans, tomatoes, peppers and lots more. We’ve got it all laid out on paper, and were just waiting for the weather to become a little more agreeable. Well, a lot more.
But that’ll come. Like I said, winter teaches you patience.
There’s a good feeling that comes from putting some seeds in the ground and after a few months putting food on the table you made yourself.
I think a gardening collective could be a great idea for the Miramichi.
There are probably plenty of people in the city who’d like to try their hand at growing vegetables who might not have access to a plot of land. Any of the dozens of old empty lots around the city would work great as a community garden. It would get more people outside and active and give them a break on their grocery bills. And in these tough economic times, any saving on your grocery bill is good.
Plus it’s good fun and would cost next to nothing.
Just an idea. Hopefully someone on council will do something with it.