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Lakeside Community Garden is located in Kingston’s west end. We provide growing space for individuals, families, and children using organic gardening practices with no chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

Lakeside Community Garden also hosts a large donation garden, a butterfly garden, a seed saving garden, and many educational projects for local elementary and secondary schools, all playing an important role in building food sovereignty in Kingston.  Projects currently in the development phase include a food forest and a medicinal garden.

Mission

Our mission is to provide Kingston residents with a gardening space to share, learn, and grow.  Our hope is that involvement in the garden will promote community building, education, nature conservation, and awareness of healthy and sustainable local food systems.

History

We were granted the use of 1 acre of fallow farmland on Collin’s Bay Institution Prison Farm property in August of 2012 through an agreement with the City of Kingston. Our first year, we amended the heavy clay soil by planting a buckwheat cover crop (adding nitrogen and organic matter to the soil).

The Garden opened to the public in 2013 offering 50 allotment plots to the Kingston community.  The Garden has now expanded to two acres, hosting 80 10×10’ allotment plots, 12 3×3’ children’s garden plots, a butterfly garden, a large donation garden and many other Special Projects.

Funding

Lakeside Community Garden general operation costs (compost, tools, etc) are funded through membership fees.  

We are grateful to receive the City of Kingston Community Gardens Grant that contributes toward our insurance costs annually. A special thank you to the Kingston Horticultural Society for supporting the start up costs of the Butterfly Garden and Children’s Garden and to Reddendale Pharmacy for facilitating and funding the Medicinal Garden.

Additional fundraising efforts through seedling and garlic sales support Special Projects at the Garden such as the Butterfly Garden, workshops and supplies for school visits.

Operations

Board of Directors

A volunteer Board of Directors (elected annually at an Annual General Meeting) runs Lakeside Community Garden.

Chair – Sarah Martinek

Secretary – Colette McKinnon

Treasurer – Jason Vlahakis

Joyce Hostyn

Barb Hill

Tom Martinek

Dan Robinson

Coordinators

Members and community partners fill the following coordinator roles.

Lunch By George Donation Garden – John Poland

Butterfly Garden – John Poland

Children’s Garden – Keely Grass

Seed Saving Garden – Kathy Rothermel

Grow Project Educational Garden – Anne Murnier

Frontenac Secondary School Garden – Karlyn Pixely

Food Forest – Joyce Hostyn

Medicinal Garden – Allan D’Souza

Compost – Rudi Wycliffe

Pathway Maintenance – TBD

Donations Delivery – TBD

Members also each provide 5 hours of volunteer service to the Garden each year.

A very special thanks to the many members (past and present) and volunteers that have made the Garden a tremendous success over the past seven years.