By Janice Endsley

As part of HMC Earth Week, our Ontario studio planted a community garden today. A group of about 20 of us gathered at the new planter box where Eric Stevens, community garden specialist, reviewed some gardening basics and helped us plant our first vegetables—watermelon, squash, peppers, and carrots. We learned about compost, irrigation, mulch, earthworms, and even got our hands dirty by planting the vegetables ourselves. At the end of the presentation, Eric gave each of us a small vegetable plant to take home and start our own gardens. (I received carrots, and I’m planting them tonight!)

Getting dirty! We planted carrots, watermelon, squash, and peppers.

Eric Stevens gave us each a few vegetables to take home and plant.

We’re starting this garden to address a very common community need—hunger. The purpose of HMC’s community garden is to engage staff to volunteer and collaborate outside the studio, promote sustainable living, and inspire staff and office visitors to start gardens of their own. The community garden ultimately grows for those in need, and by working together to grow and donate healthy, fresh produce, we can make a difference in our community.

Thanks to everyone who teamed up to kick start the garden. Earthworks donated the soil, Nutrilite donated the seedlings, and Trex donated the materials for the planter box that our own Jack Kay built himself. ArchLab organized the vegetable planting event and logistics for the garden, and Eric Stevens, community gardener specialist from “The Gist,” shared his expertise to help us set up our first planter box and donated some of the vegetables we planted today. And also thanks to Doreen Lamothe who inspired the community garden idea here in Ontario about a year ago, and will be leading the volunteer gardener crew.