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Spring Ridge Commons
Spring Ridge Commons
Details
Commenced:
01/01/1999
Submitted:
03/02/2011
Last updated:
07/10/2015
Location:
Chambers and Gladstone, Victoria, BC, CA
Phone:
(250) 380-6383 Linda
Website:
http://springridgecommons.ca
Climate zone:
Mediterranean





Followers
Adam Jackson Angelika Fijalkowska Debra Warmington Elaine Codling Javan Kerby Bernakevitch Jesse Lemieux Jodell Bumatay Kira DeSorcy Leigh Hegg Sean Corwin Suki Sawatzky Tim Taylor
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Spring Ridge Commons

Project Type

Urban, Residential, Community, Demonstration, Educational

Project Summary

Spring Ridge Commons is Canada`s oldest public food forest and Victoria’s largest public permaculture garden or community multi-layer food forest , located on a 1/2 acre city lot in Fernwood at the corner of Chambers and Gladstone. This premier site for small scale urban permaculture has been visited by over 20,000 people over the last 15 years of being a living laboratory for food, medicine and functional plants. Spring Ridge Commons serves as a source of free food, a learning environment, a community space and most importantly a place of beauty, nature and solitude. Spring Ridge Commons is an example of what is possible when you transform an under-utilized, marginal spaces ( a barren gravel lot) into a productive space both in terms of yields such as food and medicines and in terms of social yields such as experiences of beauty, nature and solitude, recreation, learning, a sense of belong through contribution to a common space and experimenting with new relationships to land and people.

Project Description

 Designed as a freely assessible community open space/ permaculture demonstration site, Spring Ridge Common contains over 100 species of plants, many of which have food and/or medicinal value.

At various points during the season, the garden produces strong yields of goumi, pie cherries, seabuckthorn, damson plums, medlars, and especially desert king figs.  There are secondary yields of several more fruit species, as a well as a number of herbs.  A home for many native birds (including hummingbirds) plus bees and other insects, the Common is intended to be a place where community members can meet, engage and grow on land held in common.

 

In 1999, local permaculturist  Geoff Johnson, together with a group of volunteers began laying sheet mulch over the hard-packed gravel on this unused former school bus lot, and proceeded to start planting fruit trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants according to a design they developed.  Over time, some of these plantings have been more successful than others, with figs, goumi, medlars and the large damson plum near the centre doing especially well, while some other species have struggled due to the original poor soil conditions and warm, dry conditions on the site.

  

Please check out our site http://springridgecommons.ca  


Updates

Bee in the Garden at Spring Ridge Commons

Learn about Bee in the Garden at Spring Ridge Commons....

Posted over 9 years ago (0 comments)

Spring Ridge Commons Brochure

Have a look at a new brochure for Spring Ridge Commons....

Posted over 9 years ago (0 comments)

Spring Ridge Commons Public Meeting

In Spring and early Summer of 2014, Spring Ridge Commons and the surrounding neighbors experienced the effects of increased drug use, people camping and dangerous people there……

Posted over 9 years ago (0 comments)

Spring Ridge Commons New Wordpress Site

Visit Spring Ridge Commons new wordpress site: http://springridgecommons.ca

Posted over 9 years ago (0 comments)

Cracks in the Armour Sculpture

A beautiful sculpture made of inlaid stone was donated to Spring Ridge Commons on March 19, 2011 by John Cowan, a resident of Fernwood (a neighbourhood in Victoria) and is now in the southeast area of Spring Ridge Commons

Posted almost 13 years ago (0 comments)

Transition Victoria / Integreen Action First Event at Spring Ridge Commons

On Sunday, March 13, there were over 25 industrious and keen work party volunteers - Posting includes YouTube Video + Details

Posted about 13 years ago (0 comments)
Courses Taught Here!
Project Badges
Urban Residential Community Demonstration Educational
Administrators
Linda  Chan - Admin
Team Members

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