History
Ongoing garden projects include:
Meal program: The meal program was started in 2009, with food grown in the garden donated to the Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House, for use in their various programs to serve those in need. Photos of the produce donated over the past few years can be found here: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022.
Spring Fling!: Our annual Spring Fling! fundraiser began in our first year, and has been held every year since, until the arrival of COVID. This community event is popular with both garden members and local residents, who enjoy the opportunity to take a tour of the garden and purchase plants, seedlings, food, and browse the various merchant stalls. Click here to see some photos of our annual Spring Fling! from 2009, 2010, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019.
Harvest Dinners: We have often held community harvest dinners to celebrate the bounty of the garden with the community. These events have always proven a great success thanks to the volunteers who helped plan, shop, setup, cook, serve, and pack away. In July 2018 we celebrated our 10th anniversary with a long table dinner in the garden. Click to see some photos from our harvest dinners in 2013, 2015, 2018 10th Anniversary, 2019, and 2022.
Work Parties: Every growing season we hold over a dozen work parties, for garden members to work collectively on the communal areas of the garden, share the produce ready to be harvested, and socialize to build connections and community. Click to see some photos from our work parties over the years.
Other past garden projects include:
Garden Movie Project (2019): With Devon Cooke we created a movie to highlight the beauty of the garden, its role within the community and the importance of finding it a new home before its current site is developed for affordable housing. Click here to see some photos of the project. Click here to watch the video.
Labeling Project (2018): Many of the fruit trees, berries, and shrubs within the garden were labelled with environmentally friendly bamboo labels. These provided garden members and the general public with both the plant's common and scientific names, together with some short pieces of interesting information. Click here to see some photos of the project.
Tree Watering Bags (2017): We purchased over a dozen slow-release watering bags for many of our garden fruit trees. These bags have two major advantages over conventional hose-based watering: they continuously water a tree over an average time period of 5 to 9 hours, preventing water loss due to run-off and evaporation and also help deliver water deep below the soil surface, encouraging strong root growth, helping to reduce the effects of drought shock. Deep roots mean sturdy and healthy fruit trees once they reach maturity. Click here to see some photos of the project.
Bee yard construction (2012): The garden's apiary (or bee yard) was constructed in 2012, since when we've had two or more hives active each year. Click here to see some photos of the project.
Heritage Plaque Installation (2012): The plaque mounted to the garden's shed commemorates the Lakeview disaster. Further details on the accident can be found at the Vancouver Heritage Foundation. Click here to see some photos of the project.
Lawns to Loaves (2011): We planted and grew approximately 1,500 sq ft of hard red spring wheat! This was harvested in September 2011, threshed, milled, and the flour shared among all Lawns to Loaves participants. Thanks to all Cedar Cottage gardeners that helped prepare the field and harvest the wheat. We were by far the largest grower for the project. At a celebration party in October of 2011, participants made 90+ pizzas with our wheat, that were devoured by about 100 guests. Click here to see some photos of the project.
Triangle Garden (2010): During the summer of 2010, 40 raised double plots were built and surrounded by a "living fence" of espaliered fruit trees, berry bushes, and common gardens. The triangle garden (or T-section) was later expanded to 46 plots. Click here to see some photos of the construction of the T-section.
Food Forest (2010): The food forest was constructed in early 2010, as a permaculture area - shifting traditional garden practices to integrate principles and cycles observed in natural ecosystems. The goal was to create productive, self-sustaining systems that use water efficiently, build healthy soil and provide food for people, pollinators, and wildlife. Click here to see some photos of the food forest construction or here to see how it looked just a year later.
Garden Shed (2009): The garden shed was built within 20 feet of the original Lakeview station on the BC Electric Railway that once ran between Vancouver and New Westminster. The style of the structure reflects the design of a typical station stop on the Central Park line. It is a three-quarter scale replica of the building that stood there from ~1900 to 1935. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on October 25th, 2009. Click here to see some photos of the shed construction. Click here to see some phots of the opening ceremony.
The Garden (2008): The garden was started in May, 2008 with 22 raised plots (now part of the B-section) and a small orchard. Click here to see some photos of the early planning or here to see the early stages of construction.
Garden site:
and a brief history of the site before it became part of Cedar Cottage Community Garden:
A map that transitions between the 1912 Goad's Fire Insurance Map (City of Vancouver, CC BY) and 2020 Imagery (City of Vancouver, CC BY) in the vicinity of Cedar Cottage Community Garden. There were several street name changes and realignments in the intervening years.
