LICA starting community garden in Bonnyville

LICA Environmental Stewards has announced plans for a community garden to take root in Bonnyville.

The garden will be situated between Sobeys, the Wholesale Club, and the Bonnyville Community Church, with 17 raised plots and a compost drop-off site.

“At LICA, we’re hoping to use this space to educate people on good gardening practices, water use, air quality, and many other environmentally focused practices,” said education and outreach coordinator Mason Unrau.

There will also be educational programs offered covering sustainable horticulture practices, which LICA hopes will promote sentiments of kinship and pride within the community.

The composting will be available to all community members and will include signs detailing what is and isn’t compostable, as well as different compartments for the various stages of compost. Residents can donate their materials early to help speed up the process.

Converting otherwise unused organic waste to compost will lead to soil which is more nutrient rich.

Though the garden doesn’t yet have a concrete opening date, planting is predicted for summer of 2021.

“We’re going to start with 17 beds, and from there we’re going to expand based on interest from the community,” said Unrau. “We’re hoping we got to fill the entire space we’ve set aside.”

Once it’s operational, the garden will provide peripheral benefits such as beautifying an unused space, an opportunity to practice a healthier lifestyle, providing fresh fruits and vegetables to the community, and sharing educational opportunities.

LICA will be facilitating partnerships with businesses, organizations, and individuals to ensure the continued care and longevity of the garden.

Entities within Bonnyville have already began to voice their support for the project, including Town Council, which released a statement saying that they “are pleased to be able to support LICA in their Community Garden initiative.”

Other supporters include the Bonnyville Community Church, GetRidOfIt Canada Inc, the M.D. of Bonnyville, Wholesale Club, Bonnyville Fellowship Alliance Church, and the Bonnyville Seniors Citizens Society.

For more information about the community garden, contact LICA at 780-812-2182, or click here to get involved