COVID-19 Protocols in the Garden

We are in uncharted territory. RPCG contributes to many food security initiatives in the area, and we see this as vital for our community. We are determining how we can maintain this contribution to our community, while keeping everyone safe. 

Until further notice, we cannot hold Work Parties, host Workshops or Lunch Events.  To keep up with needed site work, core volunteers will facilitate limited small group work sessions focused on specific tasks. Your participation in one or more of these work sessions will help us maintain the valuable community resource that the RPCG has become.

In keeping with the Vancouver Parks Board response to the COVID-19 outbreak, effective March 30, 2020, Community Gardens are to follow these guidelines, which are subject to change.

  • All work parties & events are cancelled until further notice.

You may continue to garden if it is safe to work independently and you can ensure the activities can be completed:

  • without hosting a public event;

  • maintaining physical distancing of at least 2 metres (6 feet) between individuals;

    • Our maximum number of gardeners is 4 people. 

    • The garden is closed to the public when our gardeners are at work. 

  • without sharing food, tools, gloves, or equipment; 

    • Bring your own tools, no shared snacks or lunches.

  • while following the City of Vancouver’s COVID 19 guidelines:

    • remain at home if you are feeling sick;

    • remain at home if you have recently travelled outside of Canada;

    • wash your hands before and after going outside;

    • cover your cough or sneeze.

Connecting to Place: Salmon Dreams

An exploration and discovery of the waterways and the importance of water in Little Mountain Riley Park.

Saturday, Feb. 15 1-3pm in the Garden rain or shine.

Our exploration will nurture a connection with the visible and hidden waterways in the Riley Park/Little Mountain Neighbourhood. The guides are Celia Brauer, co-founder and staff of the False Creek Watershed Society and Amy Kiara Ruth, a somatic movement educator. We will continue afterwards with a gathering filled with community connection, scrumptious snacks and hot beverages!

World Soil Day December 5

Every day is “soil day” at the Riley Park Community Garden.

Read our post from our local soil scientist, Professor Emeritus UBC, Dr. Art Bomke

December 5 is World Soil Day, a day on which we are encouraged to become more aware of soils and their importance in the sustainability of the earth’s ecosystems. The Riley Park Community Garden group, under the auspices of the Little Mountain Neighbourhood House is actively collaborating with UBC students in a case study of park soil creation and management of both natural and human-made soils. The soils of Riley Park offer an opportunity to connect with the natural history of the community and with the way in which urban soils currently influence the way we live in this community.

Beginning in 2016, students from UBC Applied Biology 402/SOIL 502 (Sustainable Soil Management) have sampled the park to establish a data base focused on the fertility of park soils. This is likely the best data set of this kind in Canada and aims to characterize soil quality indicators of importance to growing plants in the park.

Riley Park lies on the boundary of two very important soil parent materials in Vancouver, well drained glacial till and poorly drained glacial marine deposits. To further complicate the picture, redevelopment in the northern quadrant of the park in 2015-16 created a landscape of human-made, anthropic soils that are to support the community garden and green space for grass and other vegetation. In order to improve our knowledge of park soils and how they function in Riley Park we are, for the second year, collaborating with a group of Environment 400 students whose main goal is to map the soils of Riley Park and suggest design and management implications of the various soils. 

The results of these collaborations will be to assist and enrich the outreach programs of the Riley Park Community Garden. Examples include the current Ecological Literacy Through Gardening initiative with Brock Elementary School and our desire to support local gardeners and other community gardens.  Every day is a “soil day” at Riley Park.


Recap: On the Table Dialogue

Thank you to everyone who was part of the Little Mountain Neighbourhood House hosted On the Table event at the Riley Park Long Table. Over 50 people came out to share a delicious meal using garlic and potatoes from the Riley Park Community Garden, and participated in conversation on important, local topics. The topics discussed were decided by the participants, and the notes were collected from the conversations. Please email Joanne MacKinnon for feedback or input on the event. We look forward to continuing the conversation. Special thanks to Michelle Huisman for the wonderful photos.