Monday, May 2nd - Visits to Van Tech and Trillium Park

In the morning, we visited Van Tech Secondary School in East Vancouver.  The school has an extensive gardening program with 1,000 square metres of garden space and  sells the fresh produce on a market, with funds going back into the garden and the school.  The garden operation is run by Fresh Roots, and benefits from endless volunteers helping out.  We met agriculture students from several universities who are gaining valuable hands-on experience.  The garden is used in the core curriculum for a variety of classes at the school, ranging from biology to home economics. 

                                          Charlotte, the Farm Manager led our group this morning

                                          The school has a lovely herb garden

                                          The crops are varied and efficiently managed

                                          Many crops are protected under special materials
                                       

                                          We were fortunate to have sunny weather all day!


In the afternoon, we took public transit and headed for Trillium Park in the historical neighborhood of Strathcona, which is well known for its gardens.  This park’s perennial plantings were chosen for significance in traditional hand technology by First Nations People in British Columbia. 

                                          This lovely fence is made from the willow plant

                                          CFE students engaged in making rope from freshly
                                          harvested grass
   

                                          This is what we made!