Hundreds of people in Greater Victoria want to dig in and do their part for the planet by joining a community garden, but they’re going to have to wait.
The demand right across the capital region is so high, waitlists are as long as four years for some coveted plots.
“We have a long waiting list of about 64 people waiting to join,” Montreal Street Community Garden chair Christina Mitchell said.
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Other gardens are experiencing similar backlogs: there are 50 people waiting for an opening at Burnside, 20 at the Yates Street location, and another 20 in Vic West.
Gabe Epstein with the Gorge Park Community Garden said to generate more supply requires not only committed volunteer manpower, but a more streamlined process with municipalities.
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“If resources are allocated, if money is allocated, then it will be much easier,” Epstein said.
It’s becoming a challenging situation for the LifeCycles Project Society, which advocates for local food production. They say it’s hard seeing so many people wanting to do their part to help protect the planet, but not having any access to land.
“There’s a lot of beautiful spaces in this city that are just growing grass,” the society’s executive director Matthew Kemshaw said. “People are mowing that grass. We are putting fossil fuels to maintain these fields, when we could be utilizing them as community sites to grow food together.”
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The City of Victoria is currently investing up to $140,000 a year to assist community-led food systems projects, but admits getting them off the ground can be difficult.
The city’s food systems coorinator Virginie Lavalee-Picard said there are other options to consider.
“Boulevard gardens, commons gardening, community orchards, gardening with your neighbours: there are a lot of other avenues to be explored,” she said.
Still, those who have secured a spot say patience is key. Mitchell was on the waitlist for three years before finally getting the call.
“I was thrilled,” she said. “It was worth the wait.”
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