Lady Flower Gardens, located on a farm just south of Fort Saskatchewan, is a not-for-profit one-acre garden working to reduce food insecurity and support positive mental health in the Edmonton area. This garden was started in 2012 by Kelly (LFG co-founder) and Doug (LFG co-founder and farmer), and was named in honour of Doug’s late wife. LFG partners with several agencies and recreation therapists working with vulnerable community members who come out to the garden. These gardeners enjoy the benefits of community through chatting, weeding, and harvesting, and the quiet of being out of the city. Every session begins with weeding to allow gardeners to give back to the garden, reflecting on how the garden gives food to us and to our community. Walks through the New Jubilee Forest - an old growth forest on the land, which has a conservation easement under the Edmonton and Area Land Trust – are popular, allowing gardeners to connect with plants and wildlife. On rainy days when the team cannot get into the garden (due to slipping hazards, messiness, and compaction of the soil), a yurt is set up with several stations, including rock painting, corn hole, poetry-writing, and a seed-guessing trivia game. Rocks painted by the community are waterproofed and laid out in the garden for the enjoyment of all who visit. At the end of the year, the “Harvest Party” takes place, a picnic where all agencies from different time slots gather together at the garden for a celebration of the season. This builds community between the different groups and encourages the gardeners to reflect on their hard work through the season. On average, the garden donates 25,000 pounds of fresh produce to the Edmonton Food Bank per year! This value does not include the produce that is taken home by our hard working gardeners each week.
In the early years, only potatoes and carrots were grown in the garden, and only one agency, The Mustard Seed, joined LFG staff in the garden. Now there are ten agencies that come out, including Niginan Housing Ventures, Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), Wellness Integrated Support Homes (WISH), Alberta Hospital Edmonton (AHE), Young Adult Services (YAS), Recovery Supports Day Program (RSDP), Anderson Hall, Forensic Assessment and Community Services (FACS), Recovery Acres, and The Mustard Seed. There are also countless varieties of fresh veggies that have been grown on the land. The list of products includes potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, kale, spinach, lettuce, Swiss chard, corn, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, radishes, parsnips, zucchini, cucumber, peppers, peppers, leeks, green onions, red onions, yellow onions, garlic, peas, beans, beets, pumpkin, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, butternut squash, watermelon, dill, basil, mint, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, thyme, and (probably) more! Marigolds and nasturtiums are thoughtfully planted throughout the garden as a form of organic pest control, as marigolds deter pests and nasturtiums draw pests onto themselves and away from the crop.
In addition to the wonderful variety of produce, there is also a flower garden, where gardeners are encouraged to make a hand-picked bouquet. Clients often make these bouquets as gifts to give to family members and loved ones. Some of these flowers dry very nicely and even keep their colour, especially strawflower. We have heard stories of clients who still have the same strawflower bouquet from years ago who bring it to every new place they have lived. Flowers are just as important to grow and bring home as the fresh produce because the action of walking in the flowers, making a bouquet, and sharing that joy with others is important in restoration of mental health balance and promoting strong community. There are many types of flowers grown in the LFG flower garden, including statice, zinnias, cosmos, baby’s breath, sunflowers, strawflower, poppies, Queen Anne’s Lace, amouranth, sweet peas, larkspur, and several decorative grasses.
The Lady Flower Gardens mission is both to provide lots of high quality produce to the Edmonton Food Bank alongside our community of vulnerable and marginalized Edmontonians. The garden would not exist without the hard work of countless gardeners through the years. LFG has been equipping vulnerable members of the community with the skills and knowledge to grow their own veggies to help support themselves and their families since 2012. Learning these practical skills, cultivating and bringing home high quality fresh produce, and feeling part of something bigger than themselves has had incredible impacts on the mental health of our gardening community. The impact of the garden on their mental, physical, and social health cannot be calculated or overstated.
In the early years, only potatoes and carrots were grown in the garden, and only one agency, The Mustard Seed, joined LFG staff in the garden. Now there are ten agencies that come out, including Niginan Housing Ventures, Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), Wellness Integrated Support Homes (WISH), Alberta Hospital Edmonton (AHE), Young Adult Services (YAS), Recovery Supports Day Program (RSDP), Anderson Hall, Forensic Assessment and Community Services (FACS), Recovery Acres, and The Mustard Seed. There are also countless varieties of fresh veggies that have been grown on the land. The list of products includes potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, kale, spinach, lettuce, Swiss chard, corn, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, radishes, parsnips, zucchini, cucumber, peppers, peppers, leeks, green onions, red onions, yellow onions, garlic, peas, beans, beets, pumpkin, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, butternut squash, watermelon, dill, basil, mint, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, thyme, and (probably) more! Marigolds and nasturtiums are thoughtfully planted throughout the garden as a form of organic pest control, as marigolds deter pests and nasturtiums draw pests onto themselves and away from the crop.
In addition to the wonderful variety of produce, there is also a flower garden, where gardeners are encouraged to make a hand-picked bouquet. Clients often make these bouquets as gifts to give to family members and loved ones. Some of these flowers dry very nicely and even keep their colour, especially strawflower. We have heard stories of clients who still have the same strawflower bouquet from years ago who bring it to every new place they have lived. Flowers are just as important to grow and bring home as the fresh produce because the action of walking in the flowers, making a bouquet, and sharing that joy with others is important in restoration of mental health balance and promoting strong community. There are many types of flowers grown in the LFG flower garden, including statice, zinnias, cosmos, baby’s breath, sunflowers, strawflower, poppies, Queen Anne’s Lace, amouranth, sweet peas, larkspur, and several decorative grasses.
The Lady Flower Gardens mission is both to provide lots of high quality produce to the Edmonton Food Bank alongside our community of vulnerable and marginalized Edmontonians. The garden would not exist without the hard work of countless gardeners through the years. LFG has been equipping vulnerable members of the community with the skills and knowledge to grow their own veggies to help support themselves and their families since 2012. Learning these practical skills, cultivating and bringing home high quality fresh produce, and feeling part of something bigger than themselves has had incredible impacts on the mental health of our gardening community. The impact of the garden on their mental, physical, and social health cannot be calculated or overstated.