Greenhouses in southern Alberta gearing up for busy season, benefitting local food banks

With gardening season on the horizon, greenhouse experts in southern Alberta say now is a great time to start planning what to grow.

“We’re seeing more people planting gardens in their yards and a lot of raised garden, and raised garden is a really good way too,” said Karen Barby, co-owner of the Green Haven Garden Centre.

“Vegetable seeds were very large (in popularity last year) and we're seeing that constantly now and people are just starting to come and get their plants and looking at things and saying ‘oh, is it time to do this yet?’,” Barby added.

Gardening has become a popular trend due to the pandemic, with many looking for things to do during the spring and summer months. 

PRICE POINT                         

But another benefit is cost.

With the price of groceries increasing, Barby says growing your own food is a fairly cost-effective alternative.

“Seed is not expensive, so you can get a good garden with vegetable seed, probably, for all of your packages of seed, under $30 if you're watching what you’re getting and not buying too much,” Barby added.

Aside from the physical and mental health benefits of gardening, Mac Nichol, executive director of the Lethbridge Food Bank, says people also want to know what's on their plate.

“It allows people to have control over their own food, they get to grow the things they want to eat, they know what they're eating and how it came about, which really gives empowerment for the amount of food they are going have to have,” he said.

It also means a lot more fresh produce that many gardeners donate to the food bank.

On average, the food bank purchases approximately $20,000 of fresh produce each year, but as a result of the popularity of gardening and an increase in donations, the food bank was able to save about $40,000.

“Gardening in Lethbridge has been really important to food banks, it really gives us versatility instead of just always buying canned foods and things with longer shelf life. We get to offer a lot more produce, which is a lot healthier and gives our clients a more balanced diet as well,” said Nichol.

Nichol says the food bank is proud to partner with surrounding farmers to help ease the burden on products such as carrots and potatoes, but a few items are in higher demand than others.

“One thing that we find is green onions and tomatoes have been really important. Lethbridge has a unique climate that allows the growth of peppers and we have clients that love to have different types of peppers to have, so that would be a few things that we’d like to see more of in donations,” explained Nichol.

For beginners looking to try their hand at gardening this summer, the Interfaith Food Bank is hosting a 'Seed to Supper' course on basic horticulture practices throughout the spring.

“It teaches you proper gardening techniques, proper planting, proper care, and what to expect,” said Kaitlyn Lang with the Interfaith Food Bank. “Registration for March was really good and we still have a few spots open for our upcoming classes.”

Snow may still be in the forecast and Barby says it's still a little too early to start planting outdoors, but for vegetables like tomatoes and peppers, now is the right time to start the seeding process inside.

“If you’re a brand new gardener, the most success is with tomatoes,” Barby said with a chuckle.

If you don’t have a yard, the City of Lethbridge offers eight community gardens that are open to the public.