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Community Garden Spotlight: Queen's Green

August 4, 2022 by Erika Malich

Summer gardening is in full swing in the Waterloo Region. As we start the beginning of August, vegetable gardens are nearing their peak! To launch our Waterloo Region Community Garden Network Blog, we are beginning with the first in a series to spotlight community gardens in the Waterloo Region. For this edition, we are highlighting the Queen's Green Community Garden, located in downtown Kitchener.

As noted on their website, Queen's Green Community Garden "is part of an initiative to recover idle land [...] and transform it into productive, beautiful, community-shared space". The garden was started in 1998 with support from the local Working Center, and funding from from the City of Kitchener and other corporate donors. It currently has 42 plots open to residents in downtown Kitchener.

Julia Gogoleva has a plot at Queen's Green with her partner, Sam. The two have been gardening at Queen's Green since Spring of 2020, when they decided they wanted access to gardening space. "For us it's the best of both worlds," says Julia. "We have always lived in apartment buildings with no outdoor space, so we love having the plot."

While Julia uses her community garden plot to harvest food for her family, including her pet bunny, she also notes the other benefits of having a plot at the community garden. "This year we had a lot on our plate, and to be honest we didn't plan out the garden super well - so it's a bit of a therapy garden more so than producing lots of food."

The benefits of gardening indeed do extend beyond the ability to grow food. Many studies have looked at the link between gardening and its positive impacts on both body and mind. Urban community gardens have also been found to reduce stress and increase well-being. As a community garden located in downtown Kitchener, Queen's Green provides access to gardening and green space for Kitchener's urban dwellers.

Located across from the Schneider Haus, Queen's Green encourages workshops, knowledge sharing and mentorship. The garden boasts beautiful landscaping of native plants, berries and fruit trees. It also boasts unique features including a water tank covered in artwork by Andy MacPherson, a wood fired bread oven, and a green roof.

"It's a beautiful space," says Julia, "and I hope we have more gardens like this so more people can access gardening, harvesting their own food, and joying time outside."