BOWDEN — About half of the Bowden Community Garden had been repaired a day after being vandalized late Monday night or early Tuesday morning last week.
Jade Prefontaine, the town’s Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) community navigator, discovered the damage at about mid-morning Aug. 19.
“I was out doing some watering of the raised beds and planters, and I looked over and I thought that the potato plants looked a little wilted,” she said during an interview with the Albertan.
“I wondered why they were so close to the ground and then realized that they had all been pulled up and trampled (on).”
Prefontaine described the damage in a Facebook post.
“The individual(s) pulled nearly half of the garden plots, some full of potato plants – just ripped out tops, not really dug – smashed Swiss chard & tomato plants, took the tops off carrots and left them in the ground, pulled up beets, onion and lettuce and just left them in the dirt,” she wrote.
“Each plot at the garden is rented by a family or individual, planted and cared for all season long. It is heartbreaking to see someone’s food source destroyed, especially with how food costs have risen recently.”
During an interview with the Albertan, Prefontaine said the garden was created in about 2013 by former FCSS town official Corrie Monk with help from some members of the community.
Prefontaine believes this is the second time the community garden has been vandalized since she replaced Monk in about 2016.
She was asked if the damage may have been done by animals, rather than human beings.
"The possibility of animal has been completely ruled out," Prefontaine wrote in an email. "The damage and the way that plants were uprooted was very specific and could have only been done by a human. There were no signs of tracks, scat, or bite/eating marks."
During the interview, Prefontaine was asked if she or any town staff have any theories on who did the vandalism and why.
“I don't have a theory,” she said. I could speculate that it was just somebody coming through and maybe didn't recognize the importance of what the garden plot to mean to each individual, plot holder, family or individual.
“Maybe they were looking to pull up a few things for themselves to enjoy.
“But it really was just senseless. A lot of it was just yanked and left on the ground or pulled up and then stepped on. And like I said in my little post that I made, that the fruit was just left in the ground.
“The potatoes weren't dug (up), the plant tops were just pulled off, same with the carrots.”
Prefontaine said the vandalism was not reported to the RCMP because she didn’t think it was necessary to do so, given the amount of damage done.
‘If it happens again, or if there was further damage or to the buildings or major catastrophic loss, then of course, we would report (that),” she said.
As of Wednesday, about half the vandalism in the garden had been cleaned up, Prefontaine said, noting that a couple of gardeners had come in to do that, but others had not yet done so.
The vandalism won’t deter Prefontaine or others from keeping the garden going.
She noted that since its inception, the garden has grown to the point where it features 20 in-ground plots and four raised beds for those who have mobility challenges. It also contains a small community berry patch.
Prefontaine said the garden provides a great opportunity to teach kids about gardening.
“We do tastings and sample raspberries and fresh herbs from the ground and learn a little bit more about farm-to-table, so to speak, right here in town,” she said.
“It's wonderful. It brings people together, young and old alike. It gives individuals that may be experiencing some isolation a place to come and feel a part of something.
“And the best thing is that all of the gardeners, they don't have to have anything to get started. Here we have a community garden shed that's got the water source and all the tools that you need.
“It’s a really a great way for people to be sustainable, grow their own veggies and learn a little from other gardeners, because there's all levels of experience here. We've had wonderful donations from out-of-town.”
Utilization of the garden is strong; so much so that it was expanded this year and there’s talk about creating some more above-ground beds.
In years past, it would likely be harvest time now throughout the garden, but climate change seems to be altering that schedule.
“It's been an odd growing year for us, because of the wonderful amount of rain that we've had, which has given a little cooler temp,” Prefontaine said.
“Some of the things that you would expect would be finished by now are just starting to have fruit, such as peas.”
“With the shift that we've had in the in the weather the last few years, it seems that our growing season maybe starts just a little later.
“Last September and even in early October, some people were still pulling out their root vegetables, like carrots and squash, so there's probably still a month, at least, weather permitting.”
Prefontaine stressed that “the garden is for everyone, and if anybody is ever in need of those food resources, we're always willing to share.”
