Southdale garden keeps alive memory of Neighbours Pub
This is the second story in a series about community gardening in Dartmouth. (Part I)
Land that once housed a popular South Dartmouth pub continues to bring people together for gardening.
The Southdale Neighbours Community Garden has been operating since 2020 on the privately owned lot. The garden’s name is a tribute to Neighbour’s Pub — a longtime community establishment that stood on the same lot until it caught fire April 5, 2013.
With no imminent plans to redevelop the now-vacant parcel, landowner T. Chandler Haliburton decided to use it for a community garden.
“I thought in the meantime, a little community garden would be a good idea,” said Haliburton. “I had seen some in other neighborhoods and I thought they were great.”
When Haliburton spread the word about the garden to the community, people stepped up to help run it. “They’ve kind of taken ownership of it,” he said.
“I hope it just gives some people in the area something to do that keeps them local and adds something to the neighborhood,” said Haliburton.
The garden continues to be run by volunteers, including coordinator Janet Tobin. Tobin lives in the neighbourhood and tends a plot in addition to her own garden at home.
Each year, she does a callout in their Facebook group to gauge interest and assign bins for the year. They have around 20 plots, each 4 by 6 feet. A few people have created their own bins or dirt mounds to plant in as well.
“There’s no fee. It’s completely open to anyone in the community,” said Tobin. Instead of fees, organizers ask gardeners to contribute their efforts for cleanup and upkeep.
Tobin said events like seed swaps and garden cleanups add to the sense of community at the garden. They’ve also hosted larger fundraising events that have welcomed over 100 people to the garden in a day.
“I think folks that participate really just enjoy spending time down there,” said Tobin.
Tobin said community members are historically quick to help to address issues in the garden. For example, when a hose broke and they asked for a replacement on the Facebook group, four hoses showed up on the lot.
“It’s been a nice, really nice experience of people kind of coming together to troubleshoot and problem solve,” said Tobin.
Tobin attributes the garden’s early success to the restrictive social conditions during the early pandemic.
Community members were “gathering outside or in smaller groups. It was something people were really longing for, and once folks were allowed to do that again, it became a really meaningful way to connect,” she said.
“I just love being down there.”
The best way to get involved with the Southdale Neighbours Community Garden is through their Facebook group.