The Rockland Community Garden is bringing more green practices to Clarence-Rockland’s doorstep, launching their first – and hopefully annual – Growing Green Fair in early March.
On Sunday, March 3, in partnership with the City of Clarence-Rockland, the fair aims to be an educational fundraising event. More than 50 local vendors and community groups will be participating, filling the L’Escale gymnasium, along with workshops and seminars taking place throughout the day.
“One side of the event is the vendors,” said Stephaine Howard, a coordinator of the event a member of the Rockland Community Garden team. “We want people to come out and learn about all the different vendors we have in the space as they start to think about spring and the upcoming growing season.
“The other side of it is we wanted provide education and workshop opportunities for the community to learn more about different aspects of sustainability and gardening.”
More than a dozen workshops and seminars are on offer for the day, including how to grow a flourishing kitchen garden, organic pest control, conserving vegetables, foraging and the importance of trees for community well-being.
Lawrence said that after the first year of operations at the Rockland Community Garden, the team recognized that a lot of their members and other residents wanted to learn more about sustainable living beyond growing their own food.
“Part of the garden’s mandate is community learning initiatives, so this falls under that,” said Lawrence.
She added that seeing the success of the City’s FoodCycler composting pilot program, which launched in late 2023, shows how much interest the community has in a greener lifestyle.
While most fees associated with the workshops and seminars go to those holding the sessions, Lawrence said revenues from the event will go towards the Community Garden’s food bank donation and youth programs during the growing season.
A list of vendors, seminars and workshops can be found on the Rockland Community Garden’s website, www.rocklandcommunitygarden.ca.
