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Neighbourhood Forum

Canstar Community News - ONLINE EDITION

Millennium Gardens make triumphant return

By: Bertha Klassen

Posted: 04/18/2012 10:35 AM | Comments: 0

In 2001, I became a member of the Millennium Gardens, which at the time was located on Henderson Highway, a convenient distance from our apartment block.


I was delighted. I could grow our own salads all summer. The Safeway store was right next door and  Petrasko, a nursery was on the other side. How lovely to have everything we needed for good healthy eating within walking distance!


Alas, this joy was short-lived. After almost a decade of idyllic existence, we learned that we had to move. The city wanted the Chief Peguis Trail to go directly where we had been gardening. Apparently this had been decided quite a few years ago, but we had innocently been using this ideal space, thinking our more than 80 gardeners — who are all 55 and over — would have it forever.


We did have quite a bit of help in our move, which to me seemed very costly. I’ve never been accustomed to dealing with more than three or four figures in finances, but there were many others who could do it. Our fundraisers, including Darlene, Dianne and others, rolled up their sleeves and got to work. The Heifer Foundation, plus many of our original backers, donated quite generously. They all earned our gratitude.


The wildflower garden had to be culled, the herb garden, built on a berm, had to be more or less demolished, and precious plants dug up and saved. The three lady-slipper flower plants came to an ignominious end.


Beautiful trees, and even memorial trees, were not saved, although some got moved. More than 30 boxes of earth were dumped and the boxes driven to the new site, further east along the new freeway. The earth was piled up at the old site, waiting to go back into the boxes at 260 Douglas Ave., the new site. The move took months to complete. Piles of earth sprouted weeds, which volunteer gardeners dutifully removed.


I must say how grateful we are to have had so much help with our move.


We’ve now had one summer at our current location of harvesting fresh tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, dill, parsley and other goodies. It felt good.


 It was difficult to do without a garden for the two summers before the move was complete.  


Electricity is back, water is back. Barbecues and picnics are once again possible. We hope to have music night on Thursday evenings, beginning in July.


Maybe we’ll see you there.

Bertha Klassen is a North Kildonan-based writer.


Neighbourhood Forum is a readers’ column. If you live in The Herald area and would like to contribute to this column, contact jim.timlick@canstarnews.com.

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