In the centre of our community garden, we have an uncovered gazebo with a table and chairs. This space is used for garden meetings and as a quiet spot in the neighbourhood for people, including the bus driver at the nearby bus stop, to sit, relax, and enjoy the gardens and the ambiance. The garden area is also used by the Alex House Daycare programmes for outdoor educational purposes, as well as other programs that use the park. The table and chairs were on an uneven, rough grass surface that, during rainy periods, tended to be less inviting. Four of our community garden gardeners took on the project of digging out the grass sods, framing the area with 2x4s, bringing in and spreading crushed rock and then sand on the base of the area and then placing and levelling 24″x24″ paving stones over the interior of the gazebo. The timing of the project was perfect, as we had to deal with some heavier rains. This meant that access to the area from where we could park the vehicles and trailer to unload the crushed rock, and pavers resembled a small pond, requiring wheelbarrowing the materials on narrow 2×10 boards. With determination and teamwork, the main part of the project was completed. There is still some landscaping and planting that needs to be done, but it was decided that November was not the best month to finish the beautification of the area. This will be completed in the spring. As the gazebo is not covered, the garden area is not used very much during the winter. Hopefully, once the weather warms up and dries up, this project will entice neighbours, visitors and the nearby daycare to enjoy this quiet, beautiful space to relax and enjoy seeing gardening from seeds to harvest in the surrounding garden plots. Once things dry up and the landscaping is completed, I will send in some more photos of this community space.
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