As seen in the July 2022 issue of Tofino Time.
Tofino Community Food Initiative is a nonprofit society started by local gardeners in 2009. Our mission is to develop and deliver programs that increase food growing and food security for the people of Tofino and surrounding communities. We teach the children of Wickaninnish Community School about food growing directly within their classes. We run programs for elders to come together in the school garden to share their knowledge. We offer workshops about food growing, and provide opportunities for community gardening volunteers to help maintain the school garden during summer when the kids aren’t there. We are also collaborating with WildSafe BC (with thanks to sponsorship from Ocean Outfitters) to offer our fruit gleaning program, in hopes of saving any untended fruit trees from enticing bears into back yards, and providing that food to our community. If any of these opportunities sounds interesting, please sign up to our mailing list and get involved. Thanks so much to Island Health and District of Tofino grants, and private donors for funding this important work!
We’re very excited that TCFI’s summer Edible Garden Tour is coming back this year to Tofino on Sunday July 31! We will also be presenting a Ucluelet tour on Sunday August 7. Everyone is welcome! This is a chance to observe the techniques of local growers to add to your own repertoire of gardening experiments. Come get inspired with us as we get to see some of the west coast’s food growing in action!
I remember some of the amazing gardens we saw in years past. Gil and Hilda Sadler had a field of corn, rambling squashes, and a sweet and succulent grapevine and tons of tomatoes in their carefully regulated greenhouse. Who knew this was possible? They did! After seeing their example, I planted a grape vine in our greenhouse, and now come late summer, we eat fresh grapes! We saw a hydroponic greenhouse, mini farms with chickens, and many innovative upcycled systems, home made by crafty west coasters.
Our Tofino tour will include a garden tucked away in the forest, one by the beach, and some right in town. Our Ucluelet tour will showcase some commercial growers, of micro greens and flowers, an absolutely amazing food growing operation at Reg Payne’s, and other enthusiastic home green thumbs. A huge thanks to everyone who has agreed to open up their gardens for the tours this year!
The tours will both run from 1-4:30pm, and the cost is a suggested donation of $10 per ticket. Each tour will have 6 gardens to showcase a variety of beautiful, productive food growing places. Each garden will be open for a half hour, with a half hour break in the middle.
Registering is easy, just head over to https://www.tofinocommunityfoodinitiative.com/events
If cost is a barrier for you In these times of inflation we still want you to get inspired and join us, please email me at leah.u@tofinocommunityfoodinitiative.com so I can register you without the donation.
Rides will be available for the tour, with thanks to our star volunteer Class 1 driver Steve Martin who will be driving the Weagle Wagon. Biking is encouraged, or fill up your own car with friends and join us! The map and schedule will be sent to participants in the week before the event.
Eat from your habitat! Come and see, large or small, established or brand new, in every case there is some way that you can grow food on the west coast!
