16 raised garden beds at the new Kinnear Neighbourhood Garden

Something new has blossomed in the Kelowna's Bethel Church parking; 16 raised garden beds have been built for residents to grow their own food. 

Community member Carol Kergan saw a need for fresh, local food once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and with the help of a small action team, the Kinnear Neighbourhood Garden was born. 

Volunteers built and filled the 16 garden beds in two-days thanks to soil donations from Art Knapps Garden Centre and Interior Pool and Spa, which donated their trailer and bobcat. 

Kergan sent an email to the Bethel Church asking if they’d be interested in the initiative back in mid-March and they jumped at the opportunity. A small committee then formed, and by mid-June, the gardens were up and running. 

“A neighbour heard us talking about a garden, he found himself walking over because in COVID he was tending his garden because that’s the kind of thing we do,” says Kergan, about a neighbour who works as a Landscape Architect

“He jumped in and said what a great idea this was, I haven’t talked to him yet … he backed up the exact logic I had about this, himself with no preconceived connection - so it was awesome because it just validated the need for this.”  

Each bed is individually tended by a member of the area and are designed to be accessible to all. Kergan noticed one garden being looked after by a boy in a wheelchair helping his mom garden. 

“It felt really neat to see him able to move around easily between the beds and be involved. We wanted accessibility and we’d like to have people who have limited access to good, healthy food,” adds Kergan. 

Garden space was sorely needed in the neighbourhood, which consists of numerous multi-family buildings. 

“In many places, it’s having four households at least on a piece of property.”

Currently, there’s only one raised garden left to rent at 30 dollars a year. They also will be creating a waiting list and expanding if they see greater interest. 

For more information on how you can get involved, you can email the committee or check out their Facebook Page or Group.