Communal Garden

Growing Season 2024

The Golden Food Bank’s new Communal Garden program is an opportunity for new gardeners and experienced growers to help each other grow food in an established and beautiful garden space. Participation in the Communal Garden will increase individual food security, build community connections, and allow for sharing of resources and skills.

Growers will join a team that works together to make decisions, plant, tend, maintain and harvest their assigned garden beds. In this garden model, the cultivated land is tended by people as a group, and the labor, knowledge and harvest is shared equally among all members.

The program is open to all, with space reserved for those who identify as low income.
The program is funded by the Golden & District Community Foundation.

The Garden

Located on the grounds of the Golden Food Bank, the Communal Garden is a shared space consisting of 4 communal growing plots, 11+ educational beds, a three-bay composting system, automated irrigation system and a greenhouse. Communal Garden Growers share in both the responsibility and the bounty of the garden.

With the help of our Growers, we hope the Communal Garden will continue to evolve in the years ahead as an accessible community gardening program. We appreciate the feedback that our members will provide.

Structure

Each plot comprises two 4x8 ft. raised beds, equipped with automatic drip irrigation and replenished with compost and mulch annually.

  • Four Growers form a team for each plot, collaborating on planting, tending, and harvesting.

  • Harvested produce is shared evenly among the Growers.

  • Growers have the option to self-select teams or be assigned teams

  • The Garden Coordinator is growing seedlings for the 2024 season, but Growers are invited to bring seedlings and get involved in seed starting in subsequent growing seasons.

  • Once seedlings are ready for transplanting, Growers collectively choose which seedlings to plant in their beds.

  • The Educational Beds will be planted by the Coordinator, with harvest being shared amongst all the Growers.

Seed to Supper

Growers gain early-bird access to registration for our popular Seed to Supper garden workshops. Throughout the year, we invite local knowledge-keepers to present hands-on workshops where participants can increase their knowledge and skills in growing and preserving food.

Important Dates

March 24th – Registration opens

Mid April (date TBC) - Growers are notified they have a spot on the program, or are waitlisted

April 15th – Payment due for Communal Garden Growers

May 18th - Garden opening day, all Growers are expected to participate on garden opening day

October (date TBC) - Garden closing day

Cost for the GFB Communal Garden membership will be $50/Grower for the 2024 growing season.

A Communal Garden Bursary is available for those who would face a financial barrier in paying the membership fee. Growers who would be supported by a bursary will be asked to indicate this when completing the online registration. Bursaries are available to cover either half ($25) or all of the membership fee.

Apply for the program

The Communal Garden program is open to everyone, with space reserved for those that identify as low income. The 2024 growing season will be capped at 16 participants.

We will email all applicants by mid April with a place on the program or a waitlist spot.