Feeding Ourselves and Others at Serenity Farm

Feeding Ourselves and Others at Serenity Farm A therapeutic garden project intended to create positive change in adults struggling with mental illness and addiction.

Feeding Ourselves and Others is a community partnership providing therapeutic food growing opportunities for people who have challenges including mental illness, addictions and/or criminal offences. Our 14,580 square foot garden is located in front of Island Health’s Seven Oaks Care facility in the Blenkinsop Valley. Through this program, the participants gain useful skills and experience working

in an organic garden, and are able to grow organic food for themselves and for donating to other disadvantaged people. They also have begun generating some income for themselves through the sale of their produce. Finally, they develop stable and positive interactions with other participants and volunteer mentors, and are able to improve their physical and mental health in the process.

Last week, we were featured in a CBC radio story (On the Island). I hope to get the link and will post it here. Preeti S...
05/13/2026

Last week, we were featured in a CBC radio story (On the Island). I hope to get the link and will post it here. Preeti Sharma interviewed three participants, Sheila (garden manager) and me (Jacquie Nelson). It aired on Thursday, May 7 at 8:20 am. We were happy with the coverage, particularly the interviews with the participants. It was good to get their perspectives out to the broader community.
We've done a lot of planting of cold-hardy vegetables, such as peas and lettuces, and with the continuing warm weather we're getting beans and tomatillos in. So far, the season has been great and we're happy for the high number of participants who show their dedication to the garden. Bonus: the first artichokes are ripe!

A warm work day at the end of April let us get busy with lots of projects. We built a potato tower at the end of one of ...
05/01/2026

A warm work day at the end of April let us get busy with lots of projects. We built a potato tower at the end of one of the beds, using a wire cage and straw. The potatoes had long roots on them, so we expect great things. We are still dealing with areas that are full of weeds so cardboard is the solution! First we strip off any plastic tape and labels, then we fit the cardboard to the size of the bed and weigh it down with wood or rocks. This smothers the weeds and will make the area tillable. We have a row of active compost boxes and are putting finished compost on the beds that need amendments.
And while we work, Cheeky Charlie (our garden crow) keeps watch from the old apple tree.

Today was the first work session for the participants at Serenity. We had a very good turn-out, with 'old-timers' who ha...
04/17/2026

Today was the first work session for the participants at Serenity. We had a very good turn-out, with 'old-timers' who have been at the garden in previous years and new participants who want to try us out. And the weather was beautiful - a great start to the season.

Tuesday was Work Party Day - a sunny day full of activity: weeding, rebuilding beds, renovating the picnic tables and la...
04/08/2026

Tuesday was Work Party Day - a sunny day full of activity: weeding, rebuilding beds, renovating the picnic tables and laughing while eating the snacks that Sheila brought. The next one is Thursday, April 9. Stop by and enjoy the vibes!

Welcome to spring! We are gearing up to get the 2026 season started. Our garden manager, Sheila Weitman, has scheduled ...
03/26/2026

Welcome to spring! We are gearing up to get the 2026 season started. Our garden manager, Sheila Weitman, has scheduled two work parties before the garden officially opens on April 14th. The work parties will be on April 7 and 9, from 9:30 until around 2:30. You are invited to drop in and check us out and stay as long as you want. We'll be weeding, restoring beds, and planting early spring veggies. We'd love to see you whether you're an old friend of the garden or thinking about volunteering. Are you hesitant about physical labour? Perhaps you have knowledge and skills that you'd be willing to share (we're always learning). Or you could help us with some of the 'gentle' jobs at hand.
We need volunteers! This is a fun and feel-good gig that has been shown over the years to be of real help to people who have been marginalized in our community. Join us for snacks, drinks and (we hope) sunshine!

We had all sorts of tasks on the go.
04/17/2024

We had all sorts of tasks on the go.

As promised, more pictures of our opening work session. Strawberries! We cut holes in cardboard, laid it over a newly ...
04/17/2024

As promised, more pictures of our opening work session. Strawberries! We cut holes in cardboard, laid it over a newly mulched bed, poked the little plants into the holes, added more mulch on top and wait for red berries!

Today we opened the garden for the first full work session. We had a great turn-out with lots of willing workers. We pl...
04/17/2024

Today we opened the garden for the first full work session. We had a great turn-out with lots of willing workers. We planted carrots, sweet peas and strawberries. And of course, we harvested a lot of biomass (hint: harvesting biomass is our word for weeding; the weeds go into the compost). Here's a picture of us 'walking the plank', or taking donated lumber out to the beds, to rebuild the fronts in order to hold soil more securely.
More pictures are on their way!

We had a terrific work bee on Tuesday and have another on Thursday, April 4. Drop by if you can!
04/04/2024

We had a terrific work bee on Tuesday and have another on Thursday, April 4. Drop by if you can!

Serenity is looking for volunteers! If you are interested in checking us out, you are invited to drop by the garden on ...
03/28/2024

Serenity is looking for volunteers! If you are interested in checking us out, you are invited to drop by the garden on Tuesday, April 2 or Thursday, April 4 at 10:00 and join our work bee. We are located at 4575 Blenkinsop Rd, on the grounds of Seven Oaks. We'll show you around and tell you more about the project. And there will be snacks!

We're having some work bees at Serenity! The first one will be on April 2, from 10:00 to noon and the second one on Apri...
03/20/2024

We're having some work bees at Serenity! The first one will be on April 2, from 10:00 to noon and the second one on April 4th, same time. We'll have a snack at noon. A number of the experienced participants will join us, so it will be a reunion of sorts.
These sessions are always lots of fun and its satisfying to see the garden beds and paths starting to look beautiful again.
Please join us if you can at Seven Oaks, 4575 Blenkinsop Rd. And if you can't come to work, please drop by anyway for a visit. We'd love to see you!

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Serenity Farm Interstate Located On The Grounds Of Seven Oaks Tertiary Mental Health Facility At 4575 Blenkinsop Road In Victoria BC
Victoria Bc

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