Edmonton pilot project opens city-owned vacant lots for gardening

It was a vacant lot. Today, it has tomatoes, pumpkins and, more importantly, the smiles and friendly banter of students happy to be growing things again.
“It’s just a safe spot for everyone,” said Alyssa McPhail, excited about the opportunity to grow vegetables on city land with adult students from Abbotsfield’s Learning Centre Literacy Association.
Many of them live in apartments; some are rebuilding their lives after fleeing violence. Some had shovels in storage, just i