Three community gardens in Colwood are looking for people who want to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty.

Between the Westshore Teaching gardens, Pilgrim community garden and the Coast Collective gardens, about 40 plots are ripe for the picking.

The Pilgrim community garden, off Painter Road in Colwood, is run solely by its gardeners.

B次元官网网址淲e are a volunteer group, we donB次元官网网址檛 advertise it because we are busy gardening,B次元官网网址� said Pilgrim plot co-ordinator Maureen Cue. B次元官网网址淭his is a garden that a lot of people in the community started up. Now it runs on its own and doesnB次元官网网址檛 require support.B次元官网网址�

The Pilgrim community garden has about 10 plots for newcomers. The garden has 40 plots, five of which are communal plots containing items such as raspberries and rhubarb. There are 17 families who are members of the garden.

The Pilgrim garden is the oldest community garden on the West Shore. The land for the garden is donated by the Pilgrim United Church.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a gift to the community for people who donB次元官网网址檛 have land to garden at their homes,B次元官网网址� said Elaine Hooper, chair of the church council. B次元官网网址淲e all love to know the land is being used this way.B次元官网网址�

The church considers the land to be a gift to the community. Gardeners are responsible for covering the water bill.

B次元官网网址淚f places donB次元官网网址檛 give land, then there are no community gardens,B次元官网网址� Cue said, expressing gratitude to the church. B次元官网网址淲hat a garden needs is land, labour and water.B次元官网网址�

Capital Families Association started the Pilgrim garden in 1997. With the grant money the agency was able to bring in 80 tonnes of composted soil.

B次元官网网址淎t the time it was used as an occasional parking lot,B次元官网网址� said David Stott, former project co-ordinator of Capital Families.

B次元官网网址淲e basically built the beds on top of the gravel. We started adding mulch a couple years later.

B次元官网网址淚 think it is a wonderful garden and I am so pleased it is doing so well.B次元官网网址�

All of the gardens ask gardeners to pitch in additional time to help with communal areas. The Pilgrim community and Coast Collective gardens donB次元官网网址檛 have specific guidelines, but the teaching garden, off Sooke Road, asks its gardeners to donate about two hours per week for various tasks.

Westshore teaching garden

The Westshore teaching garden is run by the Westshore Learning Centre. While the numbers havenB次元官网网址檛 been tallied for this year, there is speculation about 20 plots will be open at its Sooke Road location.

B次元官网网址淓very summer the garden is busy and active,B次元官网网址� said Candace Thompson, Westshore Training and Learning Centre agricultural consultant.

B次元官网网址淭he plots are super fertile but small, so although they grow a lot of food they don't easily support many people working in them at a time.B次元官网网址�

Coast Collective garden

The Coast Collective garden at the Havenwood property in Colwood has four individual plots but the majority of the garden is communal and runs on the honour system.

B次元官网网址淲e share what people plant, itB次元官网网址檚 a free, shared experience,B次元官网网址� said co-ordinator Annabelle Baxter. B次元官网网址淭his place is about community and teaching.B次元官网网址�

reporter@goldstreamgazette.com

Pilgrim community garden

Contact Maureen Cue at 250-479-1156

10 plots available

3319 Painter Rd.

Westshore teaching garden

Call Candace Thompson at 250-642-2595

About 20 plots available

2139 Sooke Rd.

Coast Collective garden

Contact Annabelle Baxter at annabellebaxter73@gmail.com

Four plots and communal areas

3221 Heatherbell Rd.