2024 Garden Pictures
Click through the images to see all the fun things happening at the garden this year.
We are grateful for the people and organizations who have supported the Abbotsford Community Garden throughout the recovery process after the devastating flood last winter. An Appreciation Coffee Morning was held on Saturday, September 16, 2022. Some people who attended were city councilors, city staff, and a member of the BC Council of Garden Clubs who brought us more seeds!
We have had a very challenging year but our members worked hard to overcome the many obstacles. A year-end barbecue seemed like a great way to celebrate how much our community has come together and how much we have accomplished.
We had a good turnout despite the poor air quality due to wildfires in the area. Everybody seemed to have a good time. We also gave away a few door prizes of garden gloves and kneeling pads which were happily received by winners.
- finding the shed
- transporting the shed to garden
- building the pad
- cleaning the shed
- reassembling the shed on site
“The Abbotsford Community Garden is my happy place, but never as much as it was today!” – Shirley
The Abbotsford Community Garden has obtained a Temporary Right to Enter and Clean Up lease from the City of Abbotsford and members have been eagerly volunteering to join the clean-up teams.
Volunteers are only allowed to enter the garden as supervised teams. All volunteers are required to wear personal protective equipment. Please note that general access, even of members, is still not permitted. The lock on the gate has been changed by the City.
The first cleanup bee was on April 13 and the second on April 15. Kudos to these hard-working volunteers. Terrific teamwork, everyone!
These photos show how much volunteers accomplished in one area on Friday
These frames and other structures were lifted by the floodwaters and carried over the black chain link fence into the City’s horticultural area.
Use the blue shed and the black fence for orientation as you view these images.
Our community garden does not extend to the area beyond the six-foot-high black chain link fence, but a surprising amount of gardeners’ structures ended up there.
Intact frames were found far to the east of their original location.
Lumber, fencing, pots and rubbish were everywhere.
The square blue tubs travelled all the way from the Agriculture in the Classroom garden. They are still full of soil.
Volunteers worked tirelessly to move out the debris from this area.
This is the pile of debris volunteers cleared from the area.
The area looks so much better now.
Here are the PowerPoint slides presented at a meeting hosted online by the ACG Board for the membership on February 23, 2022. Scroll down to see images of all 21 slides, or download a pdf of the presentation using this link:
https://abbotsfordcommunitygarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Zoom-PowerPoint-Feb-23-2022.pdf
If you’ve peered through the fence at the aftermath of the flooding, you know that our beautiful community garden is almost unrecognizable. Many frames and structures were washed out of place; some were tossed about and upended. It’s been astonishing to say the least.
The garden is still closed and everyone must stay off the property until further notice. Once the City of Abbotsford has finished its risk assessments, the hard work of restoring the site will begin. On February 23, 2022, the ACG board will hold an exploratory video-conference with garden members to address questions and to begin planning for the future.
With a telephoto lens, our photographer was able to take pictures of the current state of the garden. These will give some idea of the scope of the cleanup that is ahead of us and may help with the planning.
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The Abbotsford Community Garden Board met on November 16, 2021 to discuss the flooding of the garden site. We can confirm that the whole site was flooded and there has been considerable damage.
Debris has been spread throughout the garden and unseen hazards and toxic material may be present.
The Board is working on plans for clean-up and recovery. This will include how to best remove debris, and assessment of soil conditions including contamination. We have contacted the city, and been told that everyone must stay off the property until further notice because the gardens and greenhouse are unsafe for access. The city will advise us when we can proceed.
Once the Board has permission, there will be an evaluation of the damage, as well as what work is required to effect repairs. We envision a garden community opportunity to work together to restore the garden, the greenhouse, tools and equipment once it is safe to do so.
DO NOT ENTER THE GARDEN PROPERTY OR THE GREENHOUSE.
DO NOT TAKE IT UPON YOURSELF TO DO ANY CLEANUP
As soon as we have information, it will be shared with all members of the community garden. Please be patient. This will take time … certainly into 2022.
We hope that all of you are safe and well as we look forward to the spring … the season of renewal and hope.
Your Abbotsford Community Garden Board members
These photo were taken on the afternoon of November 16, 2021. Record rainfall has caused flooding, road and highway closures, and evacuations in southeast Abbotsford (as well as many other areas). As a result, the Abbotsford Community garden is under water. We strongly recommend that you stay away from the flood zones so that you do not put yourself at risk or hamper the work of emergency personnel and volunteers.
#BCFloods #AbbotsfordFloods
