Creating Productive Space in Previously Inaccessible Areas
The Challenge
For many years, an interior courtyard of the Grove Park Long Term Care Home was deemed to be off limits to the residents and this prime location at the facility went unused.
The Proposal
In Spring 2017, TGC connected with Travis Durham, the Director of Food Services at Grove Park Home. Travis was/is a selected member of the Nourish cohort of the McConnell Foundation – a group dedicated to exploring and innovating ways to improve nutrition within health-oriented institutions across Canada. Together with TGC, a perimeter garden was designed to grow fresh, organic vegetables and herbs for the residents at Grove Park Home in Barrie, Ontario.
For safety reasons, this interior courtyard was deemed to be off limits, despite an accessibility ramp to reach the courtyard. Half of the courtyard space had large river rocks running adjacent to the flat patio area which created a trip/fall hazard. As a result this sunny courtyard, despite its prime central location was off limits. TGC saw beyond the objection and proposed to create a Caja garden along the edge of the patio to divide the flat accessible area from the rocky area adjacent to it. Large cinder blocks were setup up to raise the height of the Cajas to a more accessible level, and a dozen (12) Cajas were planted with a selection of fresh greens, herbs, tomatoes, and other vegetables to create a living garden barrier.
The garden was received with a warm welcome from both residents and staff. It thrived in this ideal, sunny location as participants enjoyed fresh vegetables all summer long. Not only did it inspire folks to get outdoors and enjoy the sunshine, it provided an enriching (and tasty) new activity for residents to participate in. The previously taboo space was transformed into a welcoming area in which to spend time with family, friends, and visitors – and the plants too!
The Progress and The Results
After a successful first year of growing, Grove Park Home decided to expand and double the size of the garden in Spring 2018. A local metal shop donated their time and labour to build custom metal stands. The garden was featured on the local CTV evening news and Travis won the 2018 Innovation and Excellence Award from Advantage Ontario. The facility further extended their local food efforts by bringing in 2 bee hives with help from a local beekeeper.
Final Thoughts:
Grove Park is a terrific example of recognizing the therapeutic and nutritional value of on-site sustainable food production. It has proven to be an inspiration for residents, and for other long term care facilities across the province.
Read more about our other case studies featuring unique and inspiring gardens.
