Garden & Outdoor Hub - Lake Trail Community Education Society

Community Garden

The Lake Trail Community School garden was created through a community volunteer effort over a decade ago and has since supported food for students and community organizations, as well as education and connections for both the school and the broader community.

While the original garden was dismantled due to new school construction, LTCES is excited to be building a new community garden and outdoor hub. Grant funding is supporting several infrastructure projects including increased garden boxes, a greenhouse, and full irrigation. A waterproof shade sail structure further extends the use of the garden for the school and the community into the shoulder seasons.

Garden Gnome Potluck Parties

Our Thursday garden meetup is not a WORKparty…but rather a workPARTY. We grow and eat food together. We call ourselves the Garden Gnomes and we have room for you. Come on out and workPARTY with us! Running until October 3rd.

Free for all ages.
No gardening experience necessary.
“fun luck” dinner starts at 6:00.

We harvest and cook from the garden. Pot luck items appreciate when it feels fun and easy to bring something along. It always seems to work out that we have enough.

Show up… or email Vivian at gardencoordinator@ltces.ca for more information. All welcome!

Friendship Dahlias

If you haven’t had the chance to wander through a field of dahlias you might not know that these beauties are a MUST for any cut flower space. Fun Fact: The tubers that make up the root system reproduce like zuchini… Hence the name “Friendship Flower” The only thing is that it can be challenging to know how to overwinter these glorious treasures.

Enter the astonishing Louise Clell who has offered to grace us with her passion. She will explain why we all should have a minor dahlia obsession, bring us tuber balls to divide, and answer all your cut flower questions. You will be enchanted to meet her!

Join us. Bring Friends. We’ll have tea and cookies too.

In person workshop: Tuesday, October 22 from 6:30-8:30pm.
Register HERE.
$20 p/person. Bursaries available if cost is a barrier. Email gardenccordinator@ltces.ca and we will be happy to set you up with a free registration.

Ferment This!- Lacto Fermentation 101.

This workshop is sold out but we’ll try to do another one soon. Please join our waitlist HERE.

Curious about fermenting? Wondering what you can make with local, in season ingredients? Look no further! Come learn how to make fermented Cauliflower with Julie Poolie Matthews, as she shares her delight and passion for the wonderful world of fermenting! Together we will learn the basic and create a jar of custom-made, fermented deliciousness to take home!

Facilitated by Julie Poolie Matthews. You may know her from the Facebook group “Grow Food Everywhere” or from the local fermenting Facebook group “Fermenting in the Comox Valley”. If you haven’t yet seen her posts, take a peek. You’ll quickly learn that she is an enthusiastic woman who loves celebrating local and in season food, creates food with colour and beauty in mind, and believes in empowering the inner homesteader in us all.

In person workshop: Monday, September 23 from 6:30-8:30pm
$20 p/person. Bursaries available if cost is a barrier.

School Garden Programming

School gardens are magical places to learn!

Lake Trail students and classes have opportunities to engage with our Garden Coordinator through lunchtime and after school programs. Meanwhile, educators can connect with LTCES to develop garden based workshops and class projects.

Check out our food and garden afterschool programs here!

Garden Education

Garden Workshop Series

LTCES has a long history of offering community workshops from experienced gardeners.

Be sure to check back for workshop offerings.

Project Goals

Building a safe outdoor space that is welcoming for both the school and broader community, and which supports a broad range of activities and events.
Offering a natural garden environment for the many residents in our surrounding neighbourhoods that do not have access to backyards.
Inclusion of Indigenous knowledge through plantings, programming, and plant interpretation.
Teaching tools and methods to grow food locally and contributing towards a more resilient urban neighbourhood.
Building hope and food security in the face of climate change.