The idea to establish a dedicated children’s garden was inspired by the High Park Children’s Garden in Toronto. Community member Aamina Badran initiated the children’s garden project with the help of the Ottawa East Community Gardeners (OECG). Sustainable Living Ottawa East (SLOE) was intrigued with the idea and in the fall of 2007 SLOE chair Rebecca Aird, along with Annette Hegel, Erin Kaipainen, Leah MacDonald, Julia Sneyd and Chris Osler began the planning process.
By spring of 2008, with assistance from the City’s community garden coordinator Sue Bramley, SLOE had acquired permission for use of Robert Legget Park, an under-utilized space at the corner of Clegg and Main Streets. Funding from Evergreen/Walmart and the Community Foundation of Ottawa soon followed. Research and design work by Lady Evelyn students in Jen Dawson’s class resulted in a wonderful plan for the garden; and a fence picket was painted by each student at the school. Finally, in the fall of 2008, the Corporate Council on Volunteering (Volunteer Canada) led an intensive work day to implement the students’ plan. The fence went up, the paths and seating circle went in, and Ottawa’s first dedicated children’s garden came into being!
Beginning in the Spring of 2017 the garden underwent a remediation and redesign carried out by the City of Ottawa and was closed for the 2017 season. As part of the refurbishment, we once again collaborated with students from Lady Evelyn School to repaint the pickets on our new fence. Other improvements included the installation of raised beds, wide paths giving greater accessibility for wheelchairs and strollers, interactive signs with subjects such as the composting process and the life cycles of insects and plants and a new and improved sandbox.
The Children’s Garden grand re-opening celebration was held in June of 2018 thanks to a generous gift from TD Friends of the Environment. The 2018 season also saw the installation of a “Little Free Library” and a perennial border garden, lovingly overseen and tended by our board member Cynthia. The perennial bed features a diversity of plants including flowering vines, native shrubs, fruit trees, herbs and pollinator-supporting flowers. A great number of the plants were donated by community members and friends of the garden. We are grateful, as always for their generosity and community spirit.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 seasons were significantly scaled down. Gardening did continue, however with a small group of dedicated volunteers and our wonderful Garden Manager Telsing. On a high note, the 2021 growing season was particularly bountiful. Happily, we were able to be generous in our regular donations of fresh produce to the local food pantry.
The 2022 season saw the departure of long-time board member Sue. We will miss her dedication and service to the community. Thank you, Sue! We also welcomed our new Garden Manager Marianne, who has gotten the garden into great shape with lots of interesting and delicious things on the grow.
On the programming front, the garden will be moving in a slightly different direction this season. For a variety of reasons, we have decided to move away from running our own programs. This will allow us to focus our energy and resources on creating a bountiful and inviting growing space where we can educate kids about gardening, where food comes from and the natural world.
Sandy Hill Community Health Centre has been an invaluable partner throughout the development of the Garden and we are thankful for their support in the ongoing operation of the Garden. Volunteers from organizations including the Community Garden Network, Carleton University, Let’s Talk Science, and the Ottawa Master Gardeners have also made important contributions.
We are thankful to all those who funded the garden over the years:
Sandy Hill Community Health Centre
Ottawa Community Foundation
The Main Farmers’ Market
TD Friends of the Environment
Community Activities Group (CAG)
Donations by visitors to the garden