George Pearson Garden Club in full bloom

Submitted by Sarah Carten, community nutritionist, Evergreen Community Health Centre

The peas came late this year, and the tomatoes could use more sun, but you don’t hear complaints from the George Pearson Garden Club.

George Pearson Centre is a long-term care facility for people with disabilities, and in 2009, the “Farmers on 57^th”* group — a project of the B.C. Coalition of People with Disabilities — dug in to transform one acre of the facility’s green space into community-integrated, wheelchair -accessible gardens.

Organized into three parts — a Therapeutic Garden, a Market Garden and a Growing Eden Garden — Farmers on 57^th benefits both George Pearson residents and neighbours. Highlights include:

• a weekly Garden Club that matches volunteers with George Pearson resident gardeners to help them with planting, tending, harvesting
• a juicing project for residents with special diets
• a flower-cutting garden, which provides beautiful organic bouquets for residents throughout summer
• a fruit tree orchard that includes 20 dwarf heirloom apple trees
• community plots for various groups including DIGA  Disabled Gardeners Association) and classes from the local Sir Wilfred Laurier Annex and Ideal Alternative High School

Read more about Farmers on 57^th and the George Pearson Garden Club.

* The name “Farmers on 57^th” comes from the location of George Pearson, which can be found just west of Cambie Street on 57^th Avenue in Vancouver.