On The Coast explores Metro Vancouver's community gardens

Community gardens have numerous benefits; they promote sustainable agriculture, tackle food insecurity and provide a place to connect with nature and neighbours.

In Metro Vancouver where land is at a premium and the cost of living continues to increase, community gardens promote a local sharing economy and empower citizens to design, build and maintain community spaces.

It seems everyone can gain from getting their hands a little dirty.

From July 11-15, tune in to On The Coast at 5:20 p.m. for A Little Dirt Never Hurt a new special series on CBC Radio One with features on cbc.ca/bc and CBC Vancouver News about the many ways urban agriculture brings communities together.

Listen and learn about one of the oldest community gardens in Vancouver, an innovative community orchard in Surrey, guerilla gardening, a community bee project that is dispelling bee myths and more.

LISTEN:

• CBC producer Melody Jacobson takes a trip to Vancouver's Cottonwood Gardens.Listen Here
• Speaking with Linda Stanley Wilson, one of the founders of Ocean Park Community Orchard.Listen Here
• Duncan Chambers and Liana Glass own City Beet Farms, which grows crops on people's front and backyards in Vancouver.Listen Here
• Visitinga working bee hive at Ocean Park Community Orchard in Surrey.Listen Here
• What it means to decolonize gardening. Listen Here

On The Coast with Gloria Macarenko airs weekdays from 3:00-6:00 p.m. on CBC Radio One and streaming on CBC Listen and read news stories from across the province at cbc.ca/bc.