Community Growing Social, March 30

On March 30th, The Food Connection hosted a Community Growing Social, which was a fun casual evening where new and old friends got together to make Buddha Bowls, swap seeds and get excited about gardening.

We appreciated the seed sharing with the seemingly unlimited choices and numerous ideas and tips for gardening; it was especially educational for us beginners. The discussion on bug infestation problems and solutions was of particular interest to us; one method that stood out to us was the use of netting to cover plants, which can also serve as protection from weather effects.

My husband was surprised there were not more men in attendance. He was impressed with how good the food was, as he was not expecting to enjoy the healthy options as much as he did; he’s more of a meat n’ potatoes (or rice) kind of guy. I can only imagine his first impression with the small portions of nuts, seeds and greens that filled the serving area. My teenage daughter loved how social the group was, she commented, “Food was good, the brownies were delicious!”

Overall, our family enjoyed meeting all the different gardeners, an awesome group of people. We were especially happy to bring home with us, a spider plant, donated by a fellow attendee. Now our family of three has decided to assign one houseplant per person, and with the addition of the spider plant, it brings our household plants to a perfect count of three. We look forward to the experience of gardening in our home, patio, community plot and at the Queen Alexandra School Garden near Mt Pleasant Neighbourhood House.

We'd like to express our gratitude for the coordinators and partners -- especially the participants, as each attendee makes the group all that it is with their shared personalities and gardening experiences. It is definitely a warm and inviting experience to take part in The Food Connection monthly potlucks and we eagerly anticipate the future potlucks to come.