WELL Care for Seniors Gardening Club: Growing More Than a Garden

Our WELL Care for Seniors Gardening Club continues to thrive as participants gather to learn, share, and enjoy the simple pleasure of gardening together.

Following our first session in June, the group met again on July 15 for the second gardening class. It was wonderful to see familiar faces returning and new friendships beginning to take root. Participants spent time talking with one another, sharing gardening tips, asking questions, and learning together. The conversations were just as lively as the garden itself.

Many participants have become deeply invested in the project. Several have been coming back once or twice a week to water the plants, pull weeds, and check on the garden beds. Their commitment and care help the garden flourish while creating a strong sense of ownership and community.

Over the past two sessions, the group has planted a wide variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers, including leeks, white and red onions, spring onions, garlic, potatoes, celery, carrots, radishes, chives, zucchini, Swiss chard, beets, basil, squash, peas, cucumbers, peppers, beans, butternut squash, Italian and curly parsley, mint, and borage. Marigolds and borage were also planted to attract pollinators and support a healthy garden ecosystem.

During the July class, participants learned practical gardening tips for Calgary’s growing conditions. Fiona shared advice on thinning carrots and beets to give plants room to grow, using trellises to support cucumbers and improve air circulation, and watering the soil rather than the leaves to help prevent powdery mildew. Participants also learned about companion planting, attracting pollinators, water conservation, and natural ways to support a healthy garden ecosystem. The group was highly engaged, asking thoughtful questions, sharing their own gardening experiences, and learning from one another. Fiona reminded participants that gardening in Calgary comes with unique challenges, including cool nights, hail, and an unpredictable growing season, encouraging everyone not to be discouraged when things do not always go as planned.

What makes this gardening club special is that it is about more than growing vegetables. It is creating opportunities for seniors to connect, spend time outdoors, stay active, and build new friendships. Each visit to the garden brings not only new growth in the beds but also new conversations, laughter, and a growing sense of community.

As we continue to nurture this garden together, we are reminded that caring for the earth and caring for one another go hand in hand. In the words of Pope Francis in Laudato Si', “The entire material universe speaks of God's love, His boundless affection for us.” May this garden continue to be a place of growth, friendship, learning, and gratitude for the gifts of creation.

The FCJ Centre extends its heartfelt thanks to the Government of Canada for supporting this initiative through the New Horizons for Seniors Program. We would also like to thank Jill from Calgary Horticultural Society, for sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm, to our volunteers and community partners for their ongoing support, to Fiona our program coordinator, and most importantly to the seniors whose dedication, curiosity, and willingness to brave the weather have helped make the Gardening Club such a rewarding experience. We look forward to continuing to learn, grow, and harvest together in the months ahead.