Growing together

One garden’s mission to feed and teach the Alberta Avenue community

The Garden is located behind the Alberta Avenue Community League at 9210 118 Ave. It currently has 45 individual plots and a large communal space. | Photo provided by Karen Mykietka

A new program in Edmonton called Growing Together is addressing food insecurity, limited access to healthy food, and a lack of gardening knowledge. These are critical issues in a city where over 21 per cent of households experience food insecurity, according to Statistics Canada.

The problem is particularly acute in inner-city neighbourhoods like Alberta Avenue, where the Alberta Avenue Community League (AACL) leads Growing Together. The program expands the use of AACL’s community garden, helping residents grow their own food and develop practical gardening skills.

What started out as a simple patch of lawn in 2011 has since flourished into a thriving community garden, growing food and sustainability skills in the neighbourhood. The evolving program offers Alberta Avenue residents hands-on gardening experience and access to fresh, free produce according to their needs. 

Operating for 14 years, the garden has come a long way with the help of Alberta Avenue residents. Garden development began on May 11, 2011 (left) and now grows a variety of vegetables and plants (right). | Photos provided by Karen Mykietka

"People like the idea of growing their own healthy food, but often they don't have the knowledge and skills needed, or they don’t realize how much time it takes," says Karen Mykietka, garden administrator and manager of the AACL.

Through funding from the Norwood Neighbourhood Association, Mykietka recently hired a lead gardener to help facilitate and plant the communal garden. 

“The garden is a lot of work, and we aren't fully using its potential. Many people struggle with food insecurity. Many people don't have gardening skills. I felt we could tackle all these issues by hiring a lead gardener,” Mykietka adds. 

Jacob Ulickij, the recently hired lead gardener, moved to Alberta Avenue in 2023 and was immediately drawn to the low-stress, community-focused environment of the local garden. Ulickij said the main goal of Growing Together is to provide food free of cost or any obligation, and to address food insecurity.

The biggest challenge to continuing and expanding the new project is finding the funding to support it. Ulickij was successful in securing a $1,500 microgrant from the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, Righting Relations Canada, and the Royal Bank of Canada to support this year's expenses.

Jacob Ulickij was recently hired to be a lead gardener for the community garden. He first started helping out with the garden in 2023 as a volunteer. | Mikayla Pohl

“Nature gives us all of these foods in abundance if you give it the smallest amount of tending,” Ulickij says. “We can make it so why not give it away?”

With a background rooted in family gardening, Ulickij would also like to share his expertise with residents through the program.

“I'm hoping that people take what I'm building here and can replicate it at their own home, for their own immediate family or community,” he says. 

Are you in need of free produce? Do you want to learn gardening skills? Do you have time to share? Complete this questionnaire to participate in the Growing Together initiative.

A practical way to support Growing Together during harvest season is to volunteer in the garden, explains Ulickij. He encourages children and families of any gardening skill level or interest to come visit. Reach out to Jacob@albertaave.org to get involved. 

“If you have space, you have brains and you have heart, you can create incredible things by yourself or with your community,” says Ulickij.