Downtown New Westminster is completely urban yet has three main sites at the present time. The garden plots near the former site of St Mary's Hospital are just a few blocks from the apartment. More, at the New West City Hall, are not a great deal farther up the hill. We discovered the ones at Simcoe Park just last summer.
Jay likes to grow food plants. That interest is related to the ease at which plants thrive in his native Sri Lanka. The house in Minuwangoda sits on only an acre or less of land, but it is a jungle!
I don't expect that a community garden plot in British Columbia will support coconut or banana trees, but having one for summer would offer much more potential than the few balcony pots he's been using in recent years.
Jay stands in Simcoe Park Community Gardens.
This is my drone shot of the City Hall plots.
St. Mary's gardens are the closest to our downtown apartment.
The garden plots are administered through a gardening society. In the autumn, I bought a membership so he can be put on a waiting list for space. Rumours abound that the COVID-19 situation has brought out the 'inner-gardener' in many folks. The plots can be renewed by those who currently tend them.
This week, I exchanged emails with the society and learned that Jay is ninth in line for an available summer garden plot. After the NWCS AGM at the end of February, we should hear whether space will open up. Fingers crossed for good luck.