Use the Space! A Rubble-Strewn Construction Site Becomes a Thriving Garden
Craig Marsh was facing a difficult problem in 2017. His company had purchased a commercial property in the heart of downtown Collingwood, right on the main street of Hurontario and across from the Town Hall.
The previous building had been demolished, and the new construction plan wouldn’t begin for at least another 2 years. On the site, old construction debris wasn’t fully cleaned up, and the Town insisted that the space be cordoned off (at significant expense) to avoid potential liability issues.
Fortunately, Craig learned of TGC and asked whether we could help him meet the Town’s demands and also if we could “green” the site. TGC then submitted a proposal to create a sustainable popup garden using our Caja planters as a living perimeter. Instead of a costly, unattractive, and unwelcoming chain-link fence, TGC was hired at a much lower cost to create a beautiful and productive popup garden to animate this prime real estate space.
The Popup Garden Begins
In late May, within two weeks of getting project approval, arrangements had been made to get the garden planted, growing, and bringing life and energy to this previously derelict space. Water was connected and shared with the neighbouring building.
The Caja garden itself- 100 containers – was setup by three people in a single weekend – no need for digging, permits, special tools or equipment. Just Cajas, soil, seeds, and plants. A perimeter of 60 boxes was created, and an additional 40 boxes were clustered in the middle of the space to mitigate potential tripping hazards and to beautify the space.
In 2017, a wide-ranging and diverse garden produced tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, figs, beans, cucumbers, cantaloupe, ground cherries, basil, edible flowers, and more. Fresh produce (when ripe and ready to harvest) would be given away for free to community members, visitors, and even neighbouring restaurants and cafes.
In the fall, the garden was cleaned up and the boxes were prepped for the winter, with a core perimeter of 60 boxes remaining in place. In 2018, with development and construction plans still at least a year away, TGC was invited to rebuild the garden, much to the delight of the Town.
The Community and Town Response
The Town of Collingwood got directly involved by in supporting the project by installing bike racks, picnic tables, and bringing some of their youth summer camps to visit the garden and learn about organic food production. The Collingwood Garden Club took special interested, with members helping in the watering and maintenance, and by bringing new planting material and helpful advice. Community projects such as the Mother/Child Nutrition program regularly visited the garden to demonstrate the value of DIY production.
TFO (Ontario French-language TV) also filmed a youth-oriented program on urban farming in the garden.
As the garden was adjacent to the Collingwood’s thriving farmers market, there was hearty foot traffic on weekends, with folks marvelling at how easy it is to grow, and especially how important it is to “Use the Space”. This a potential eyesore and area of potential risk had transformed into a green and tasty refuge amidst the concrete and pavement.
Alas, the Fall of 2018 saw the end of this project, as digging/construction began on the site. The concept of the “Use the Space” has been deeply rooted in the community, and surely the garden will pop up elsewhere in the near future!
Read more about our other case studies featuring unique and inspiring gardens.
