The community gardens at Coquitlam’s Colony Farm Regional Park are among the biggest and most active in the Lower Mainland.
With 650 individual plots on the Metro Vancouver Regional Parks’ land, the gardens see a bounty of organic produce in the summer as well as flowers, trees and bushes that draw pollinators — and photographers, looking to capture the perfect image of a hummingbird in flight.
Currently, the waitlist to join the 280-member Colony Farm Community Gardens Society and obtain a plot is three years.
Started 24 years ago, the society follows federal principles for organic gardening at Colony Farm.
The society stages work parties for its members (its next one is Aug. 12) and hosts 11 demonstration plots near the gazebo, featuring a variety of plants or to showcase various gardening techniques and different seeds.
Besides photography, the oasis is also a good way to meet local gardeners and learn about the growing trends.
However, the society is asking visitors to socially distance as the COVID-19 pandemic continues and not to sample or steal the garden harvests.
For more information, you can visit the Colony Farm Community Gardens Society's website.
