More than 1,000 pounds of fruit has been harvested by the PQB Fruit Tree Project already this summer, preventing it from becoming food for wasps and bears.
The goal this year is to collect 5,000 pounds, which would double the 2,500 pounds brought in last year, according to Dan LaRocque, founder of the project and the community garden located next to the McMillan Arts Centre in Parksville.
“It’s kind of ambitious, really, but I think we can do it,” he said. “We’ve had lots of individuals drop off fruit from their own gardens and drop off vegetables as well. We’re able to share all of that fruit and vegetables directly out of the garden.”
This time of year, it’s mostly apples and pears being gleaned from trees and brought to the garden to share with the community. Earlier in the year plums and cherries were collected, and more plums are expected, LaRocque said.
Dozens of people visit the garden each day, with plenty of foot traffic from the MAC, the nearby Society of Organized Services and people who live in the neighbourhood.
“You really see the commitment that people have and the concern that people have about food security and the cost of food as well,” LaRocque said. “People are mobilizing themselves and their neighbours to grow more food and just be aware of it.”
LaRocque is preparing for the garden’s second annual Apple Festival, set for Sept. 20, which will be a social occasion offering up freshly pressed cider and apple desserts, similar to previous corn roast and strawberry festival events.
A Ghost Story event is planned for Oct. 3, which promises to be spooky and entertaining, and several canning and preserving workshops are in the works, plus workshops that focus on fall orchard maintenance and winter grafting.
The garden began as a partnership between the arts centre and the PQB Fruit Tree Project, which came about when LaRocque and MAC executive director Jennifer Bate were looking for a venue to host a new community garden.
The garden is watered by hydroponics and has produced a variety of fruits and vegetables since the summer of 2023.
In 2024, a greenhouse was constructed thanks to funding from a $116,000 grant from Agriculture Canada and built by BC Greenhouse.
The MAC and the community garden are located at 133 McMillan St. More information about the garden and the PQB Fruit Project is available on the Facebook page and pqbfruit.org.
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