We started the morning in the greenhouse with scones, plum-port jam, fresh butter, and coffee.
Surrounded by blooming lemon trees and veggie starts, we shared our school garden experiences and learned about the Galiano Club's Food Program.
Then, Alison and Patti showed us around the shared community and school garden, including "the munching beds" for kids.
This is the circular "Pizza Garden" with a bean tipi in the middle. Around the edge of the gardens are perennial edibles and pollinator plants.
I loved the silhouettes of children on this garden gate. Community garden plots are maintained by adult volunteers, who also help water the school beds.
Fruit trees are pruned to stay low within a child's reach for easy picking.
Alison has been with the Food Program for over 10 years and brings such a warm, culinary, and strategic approach to managing this amazing, multi-pronged organisation! It includes farm and fruit gleaning, food preservation and preparation workshops (including edible seaweeds and mushrooms), weekly community lunches, frozen senior meals, several years of a paid school garden coordinator (only 5 hrs per week right now)and much much more.
They share garden events on a bulletin board next to the office in the school. Thank you so much to Patti Pringle and Alison Colwell for an excellent morning at the Galiano School & Community Garden!
