The members at 1 Engineer Support Unit (1 ESU) have borrowed one of Health Promotion Kingston’s Tower Gardens since January and it has been a huge morale builder within the unit.
2Lt James Lynes, the Tower Garden lead at 1 ESU along with Capt Ashten Sawitsky, provided us with some great feedback on the unit’s experience with growing an abundance of nutritious greens within their unit – in the middle of Winter! See photo.
What has been your favorite element of the Tower Garden?
My favourite element is the positive environment that it offers in a busy workplace. The sound of the water falling within it, the opportunity to harvest from and maintain it, and seeing the greenery in the office all help contribute to this positivity. It brings more life into the office and, since we have put it in a central location, it is often the first thing people see when they come in.
What conversations has the Tower Garden created?
It most often starts conversations about other future herbs that could be planted, as well as how to harvest the plants and maintain them. It also allows people to talk about their own gardening experiences and set-ups that they have in their own lives.
What were some highlights?
The highlights are the days when we harvest the herbs. Watching people take home bags of herbs we have grown to use in their own food is really rewarding as it shows that the effort put into the garden has a meaningful output for people.
Was it difficult to grow any produce?
Most of the plants are doing very well. The spinach is the only one that is struggling due to the lack of space for it to grow. We intend to replace it with green onions in the future. The rest are doing very well. We are currently growing mint, parsley, cilantro, dill, and kale.
What tips would you give other units with a Tower Garden?
I would say to try to choose plants that do not need too much space and keep up with the maintenance. At the end of the day, the TG only takes around 30 minutes a week, so I would highly recommend that other units try it. Ours has been a great success without a huge amount of work put into it.
Do you have any recipes that you used produce from the TG?
I have used cilantro and parsley in a few recipes as they are more versatile. I’ve added mint to some beverages as well. I also intend to use the dill to try and make dill popcorn seasoning from it. I also hear that people are making powdered greens and kale chips from the kale we have grown.
What would you like to grow next?
We are going to try green onions in the future to replace the spinach which has been struggling.
If you would like to request a Tower Garden for your work environment, please visit https://cfmws.ca/kingston/campaigns-and-challenges/growcery-tower and complete the Tower Garden Booking Form.
For more information on upcoming Health Promotion Programs, please visit: https://cfmws.ca/kingston/upcoming-core-programs