On a sunny Saturday afternoon in early May, more than 40 community members gathered at the New Canadians Centre for GreenUP’s first workshop in the Growing Together series. Participants left with tomato plants, seeds, practical gardening knowledge and, perhaps most importantly, the confidence to grow something of their own.
Growing Together is a new initiative developed in partnership with the Peterborough and Area Master Gardeners and supported through the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program.
The series recognizes the important role seniors play as mentors, educators, and community leaders by creating opportunities for experienced gardeners to share their knowledge with others.
The inaugural workshop, Starting Your Own Food Garden, focused on helping people take their first steps into growing food. Participants included newcomers to Canada, seniors, experienced gardeners, and people who had never grown anything before.
The workshop created space for conversations about food, gardening, and community while providing practical skills that participants could take home and use immediately.
One of the most rewarding aspects of the event was the exchange of knowledge across generations. The Peterborough and Area Master Gardeners brought decades of gardening experience, while participants contributed their own questions, stories, and enthusiasm. Learning flowed in many directions.
The workshop was also a reminder that gardening does not need to begin with a large backyard or years of experience. Many people are interested in growing food but feel overwhelmed by where to start.
Questions about soil, sunlight, watering, and plant selection can make gardening seem more complicated than it is. By breaking it down into simple practical steps, the workshop helped make growing food more approachable.
That same theme continued at the recent Gardening Basics workshop at GreenUP Ecology Park and will carry through the remainder of the Growing Together series.
Upcoming Saturday afternoon workshops include Gardening with Children on July 4, Gardening with Pollinators on September 26, and Gardening as we Age on October 17.
Each session combines practical activities, discussion, and opportunities for participants to learn directly from experienced gardeners.
While Growing Together is a new program, the partnership between GreenUP and the Peterborough and Area Master Gardeners has deep roots.
Since 2005, Master Gardeners have staffed information tables at the nursery’s opening weekends and other GreenUP events. Several current members were involved in those early years and continue to share their knowledge with the community today.
In addition to leading workshops, the Peterborough and Area Master Gardeners have been volunteering as garden mentors at the GreenUP Ecology Park Native Plant Nursery throughout this spring and early summer.
“It has been really lovely to see the excitement of visitors who are coming to discover native plant species,” says Mary-Kathleen Dunn, a Master Gardener in training and garden mentor at Ecology Park.
Every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Master Gardeners have been on site at the nursery to help visitors select plants, answer gardening questions, and share practical growing advice drawn from years of experience. The final sessions this season are July 4 and 5.
“It’s been truly wonderful interacting with the staff here. We all learn from each other. You’ve never totally arrived as a gardener, and that’s the beauty of it.”
Gardening naturally brings people together. Whether sharing seeds, comparing successes and failures, or helping someone troubleshoot a struggling tomato plant, gardeners have long built community through shared learning.
The Growing Together series is part of a broader effort to strengthen social connections amongst older adults while celebrating the knowledge and experience that exists within the community.
As the growing season unfolds, these workshops will continue creating opportunities for connections to happen. Some participants may leave with a planter full of herbs. Others may leave with a new gardening technique, a helpful tip, or a renewed sense of confidence. All are valuable outcomes.
For information about upcoming Growing Together workshops and for the registration link, visit greenup.on.ca/events.
