Garden location

Located in beautiful Centennial Park in Coniston, across from the Post Office on 17 Second Avenue, Coniston

Our gardens were created by the Coniston Community Action Network and are maintained by volunteers.

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Contacts

Name: Kevin Rivard
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 705 923 0225

Name: Linda Hachez
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 705 920 3782

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Coniston-Community-Gardens-886503571440447/

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Type of garden

Private: Our gardens are shared between Coniston seniors and Coniston school children. Produce from the children's gardens is donated to the Coniston Food Bank. Produce from seniors' gardens is utilized by the senior gardeners, but also supplements the Seniors Helping Seniors Good Food Box. For more info Seniors Helping Seniors, visit their Facebook group.

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Configuration

• Fifteen  4 x 8 feet plots dedicated for use by the children of St. Paul's School, Teddy Bear Day Care and Notre Dame de la Merci School in Coniston.
• Fifteen 3 x 6 feet accessible beds dedicated to Seniors and persons with mobility issues. These beds are approx. 36 inches in height.
• One 8 x 8 foot Healing Garden dedicated to the residents of Coniston who have succumbed to various diseases, such as cancer, ALS, strokes, etc.
• We have planted two apple trees, two cherry trees, one plum tree and a nut tree.
• An accessible octagon picnic table on the patio stones in front of the Healing garden and an upgrade to the Healing Garden done in 2017.
• 2018 improvements include: greenhouse furnishings; a replaced patio; and a new pergola with the help of City of Greater Sudbury Healthy Community Initiatives Funds, Home Depot Community Build, Central Cable Contractors and stones from Guido Chezzi.
• Our community garden includes a 16' x 20' greenhouse with a misting system and several garden beds. This allows us to start our seeds earlier in the season and grow later in the season, as well as allow seniors to work inside, in inclement weather. We also welcome groups who wish to have a planting session inside the greenhouse.

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Gardening

• organic gardening: we use triple mix, mulch, perlite, Meeker's mix, manure, peat moss

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Cost to participate

Free plot rental to seniors and school programs

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Produce and Plants

We produce vegetables, fruit, and herbs.

We plant flowers and vegetables in collaboration with local schools who plant seeds and nurture seedlings for us, and then have a fun planting day at the garden. The school children donate all of their produce from their gardens to the Coniston Food bank.

We also provide seeding classes for the Seniors for them to plant in the gardens, for their personal use.

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Community Services Projects

Canada 150 Tulips

In 2016, we planted and distributed 1,000 Canada 150 tulips. The Coniston Community Action Network purchased 500 of the Canada 150 Tulips, and Second Avenue Home Hardware donated an additional 500 bulbs. We planted 250 of the bulbs at the Post Office bed in the shape of the Canada 150 logo of a stylized maple leaf. The balance of tulips were distributed to businesses and churches in Coniston.

Bus Crash Memorial

We created a memorial bed at the Bus Crash Memorial in honor of the victims of the crash.

Activate Your Neighbourhood School Project and Healthy Seniors

We are a group of vibrant volunteers, whose main focus is on Healthy Kids and Healthy Seniors. To this end, we provide "growing classes" at both the English and French schools in Coniston, and the local seniors Golden Age club. All materials are provided, free of charge to these groups. Our Garden Lead is a Master Gardener.

Seniors Helping Seniors Program

In April, 2018, with the help of a small grant from Project Impact and in partnership with our local Valu-Mart, we deliver a Good Food Box, every week, to each the three Senior residences in Coniston. Once  the seniors' gardens start producing, we also supplement the boxes with that produce. Friends and relatives of the seniors have expressed their gratitude for the program, stating some seniors are socializing for the first time. The seniors are happy about the variety of produce, as well as the single servings. The ValuMart is cutting the hard vegetables and wrapping them for the seniors.  We have been asked by several other groups to explain the model to them, so they can set up their own program.

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Amenities

Water source: municipal water source installed in 2018
Seating: two benches in close proximity of the gardens. We installed a 8 foot octagon picnic table in 2017.
Children: Children welcome! We have playground equipment at the park including a brand new splash pad installed in 2018!
Tools available: watering cans; tools are brought in by the volunteers on work days.

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Accessibility

All 30 in-ground and raised beds are accessible. The fifteen raised beds are 36 inches in height and can accommodate wheelchairs. The picnic table under the pergola is accessible for people in wheechairs.

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Volunteers

We are seeking volunteers to help with expanding the gardens, planting in the spring, watering and weeding during the summer, and harvesting periodically to bring to the Coniston Food Bank.

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Our Sponsors and Friends of the Garden

• Bob's Service Centre
• Caisse Populaire/Desjardins
• C&R Roofing
• Central Cable Contractors (CCC)
• City of Greater Sudbury - Healthy Community Initiatives Fund
• Coalition for a Liveable Sudbury - Project Impact
• Coniston Community Action Network (CAN)
• Coniston Lions
• Coniston Seniors and Golden Age Club
• Desjardins
• Fruit for All
• Garson Pipe Contractors Ltd.
• Home Depot
• La Ruche de Coniston
• Le Pavillon
• Lopes Ltd.
• Real Canadian Superstore
• Royal Bank Sudbury
• Second Avenue Home Hardware
• Stella Legault - Colonial Inn
• Sudbury Community Gardens Network
• Sudbury Development Services
• Sudbury Food Bank
• Time Ltd
• Vale
• Valu Mart Coniston
• Van Druenen Construction Inc.

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Facebook

Check us out on Facebook! Like our page or join our group!