Community Garden Kickoff Party

Ritchie Community League hosted our annual West Ritchie Community Garden Block Party to open the season. It was a fun, busy, energized event that also celebrated the joining together of two gardens! A huge Ritchie welcome to New Grocery Movement and their gardeners. We’re grateful for your energy and enthusiasm for all things plants and food!

Trevon, RCL Volunteer Director and Men’s Shed President fixing one of the garden’s well-loved a picnic table.

The day started at 8:30am with two Ritchie volunteers at the hall loading tables and chairs and tents into cars that seemed just too small to hold it all! Our volunteers really came through for us that sunny Saturday. The 6 folks from Ritchie Community League were joined by Men’s Shed and two Master Composter Recyclers, along with New Grocery Movement’s crew.

We did have amazing weather, a pleasant surprise as the past two years have been rainy and windy. The perfect opportunity to do some garden work while we celebrated. Men’s Shed volunteers wandered over from their gathering at Ritchie Hall to help spread mulch around. They were a welcome sight in their high-vis vests!

Ritchie volunteers Nicole, Erin & Sarah at the RCL table.

The RCL Merch & Membership table was a hit. It’s not only a great opportunity to add a new shirt to your closet, but also to pick up a RCL membership in person. Nicole and Erin were happy to answer questions and help pick out sizes all afternoon.

She shared a table with the refreshments provided by El Cafesito by MEXICÁNADA. Mexican coffee and fancy hibiscus tea, pastries…they were all a huge hit. We’re so happy to have you in West Ritchie.

As gardeners and visitors wandered through the site they were offered some composting tips by Master Composter volunteers. And, a new graduate, and Lisa, a 15 year veteran of the program are both available for answering composting questions outside of events too! Get in touch with the league if you want to chat!

New Grocery Movement arranged a garden blessing by an Elder, and invited all attendees to join in the prayer and smudge. It truly helped start this season off on the right note.

Garden blessing

Hannah and long-time volunteer and community member Ed R. planting some of Ed’s pea shoots in a garden box.

And the second big event within the event was the realization of our Tree Canada Community Tree Grant. We were able to purchase a dozen or so trees and shrubs - many of them fruit-bearing - to add to the garden this year! Hazel - our West Ritchie Director - was busy all afternoon moving trees around and filling holes. This addition to the park space is going to make a huge difference as things take root and start to grow.

Hazel and Hannah (the previous director) have worked so hard over the years to get the park designation and turn this space into a welcoming community hub the neighbourhood needs.

BY THE NUMBERS

Dump trucks filled with soil: 2

RCL Memberships sold: 3

RCL Gardeners this season: 17

Total volunteers: 33

Summer is Calling

Trade the Screen for the Streets. Summer is Calling.

And Ritchie Community League is the answer!

Why even leave the neighbourhood this summer? Ritchie has soooo many things on the go, whether you want a beer, a magic show, pickleball, or a weirdly long slide.

Community BBQ July 1 - Come on down to the hall for free brats and snacks. 5:30pm start, until supplies last. Click here for more info…we’re still looking for a few volunteers!

Green Shack - Open mornings, Monday - Friday from June 29 through August 21. Swing by at 11am on July 23 for a free magic show with Jay Flair Magic c/o Edmonton Arts Council.

Craft in the Park - Mondays at a different park or green space. July and August. Click here for the full schedule including locations.

Garden Meetups - Twice a month our beloved West Ritchie Community Garden hosts a super casual meetup for gardeners and neighbours. Come on down to gossip about bees and berries and basil. 1st Sunday of the month at 2pm and 3rd Wednesday of the month at 7pm. Click here for more info about our garden.

Seventy Gr8 Entertainment District - This is the first summer for the newly defined “entertainment district” in Ritchie. Businesses along the avenue are hosting a wide variety of events throughout the summer. So far we have seen a night market, a circus show, and Shiddy’s anniversary. What’s next?!

• July 11, 2pm to 8:30pm, Shout Out Out Out Out’s 20th anniversary. Hosted by Blind Enthusiasm.

• July 31, August 28, September 25. Grand Night Market.

Cycling - June is Community Bike Month across Edmonton, but Ritchie folks are always on their bikes.

Public Market - Tuesdays from June through September. Food trucks, fruit, and the new Lucy’s (IYKYK). Click here for more details.

Playgrounds - Ritchie is home to three perfect playgrounds: Lilliput (97 Street and 74 Avenue), Escuela Mill Creek (97 Street and 80 Avenue) and Ritchie Park of course! (7727 98 Street). That last one has a splash deck too, woo hoo!

Courts - We changed the rules this year so you don’t have to be a member to use the courts anymore! Yippee kay yay! Pickleball and tennis, with a half basketball in the back. Located at the hall, enjoy free parking and new bike racks (7727 98 Street)

Patios - Home to Happy Beer Street and a few amazing coffee shops, there are loads of patios to choose from in Ritchie. If you’re also looking to save some money, check out all of the Crew businesses here.

Outdoor pools - Mill Creek is the closest, just across Whyte in Strathcona. Use your RCL membership to get a multi-use pass at a reduced rate. All kids and youth can take advantage of a 30 day summer pass through the City. Click here to purchase the kid’s pass.

Our Neighbourhood in Bloom

CELEBRATING RITCHIE GARDENS

New for 2025, Our Neighbourhood in Bloom is a collaborative pilot project between Edmonton's Community Leagues and the Edmonton Horticultural Society (EHS). This initiative helps Ritchie Community League deliver a yard recognition program right in our neighbourhood!

Building on the beloved, 25-year legacy of the City of Edmonton’s Front Yards in Bloom program, this year's pilot offers RCL a chance to continue honoring the creativity and care residents pour into their front gardens. With a focus on local involvement, storytelling, and celebration, we aim to keep the tradition of garden recognition thriving—one front yard at a time.

WHY?

RCL is participating in this pilot project because we know our residents LOVE their yards, and put great care and attention to them. We want to help recognize our neighbours’ beautiful, practical, and environmentally friendly spaces, and are grateful for the support of EHS and their partners.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

It’s easy!

1. Fill out this form

That’s it, just one step! Once you have filled out the form with the address (or addresses) of spectacular yards in our neighbourhood, our RCL volunteers will deliver a postcard to the deserving recipient, formally recognizing their efforts.

Criteria

Any front yard or boulevard garden qualifies, but we are looking for that extra care and attention. If you see a front yard or boulevard garden that fits within the following parameters, please consider recognizing their efforts:

• More than grass

• Creative use of the space, interesting features

• Food gardens and fruit trees

• Conversation area, making your front yard part of your living space

If you can tell that the person put the effort into their space, we want to know about it!

Volunteer opportunity!

We are looking for 2-5 volunteers to help distribute postcards.

Please email communications@ritchie-league.com if you’d like to help out!

FINE PRINT

• Only one recognition postcard per yard will be delivered

• We are collecting addresses from community members and our RCL volunteers

• Only yards within Ritchie borders will be recognized: 82 avenue, Mill Creek Ravine, 72 avenue, Gateway Boulevard

• Boulevard and food gardens qualify

• Photos of your garden might be shared on RCL communication channels

• Program runs until August 31 or until our postcards run out

Our Neighbourhood in Bloom is a collaborative effort led by the Edmonton Horticultural Society, with support from key partners like the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues, the City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Native Plant Society.

West Ritchie Garden Perspective

I write this to help clarify a bit of what the West Ritchie community faces with the homelessness situation and to explain how complex this issue really is. 

My motivation to create a community garden didn't stem from my love of gardening; I have a bit of a black thumb. Instead, my drive came from my observation of the land: overlooking it from my balcony and witnessing first-hand how neglected, dirty, and under-utilized it was. No one had cared for it in a long time, that was evident. I watched pickup trucks back in and dump mattresses, TVs—you name it. I watched homeless camps pop up, get looted, and/or burn down. Even the City was on the hook; garbage from construction projects, utility poles, and exposed wires could be found across the property. Even more concerning was others’ apparent obliviousness to the dangers of this space. Off-leash dogs ran through the lot, their owners unaware of the broken glass, disposed needles, and other hazards. Teens came by at night, not knowing that they were drinking near a bike chop shop. It went on and on. So I took it upon myself to do something. 

First, it was just calling around. The City said any garbage near the fenceline is CP Rail's jurisdiction. CP argued that side of the fence was city land. This went on and on for months while real people were still trying to use the green space. Large dumped items were removed, but the real hazards—the abandoned encampments—remained. So a few good neighbours chose a day to go down there and haul trash. 

Now, this was not easy. We pulled around 50 needles from the site on the first day. We didn't know what to do with these needles—we ended up putting them pointy side down in a coffee can that we found. We didn't have cut-proof gloves, safety training, or really any good reason to be out there, other than the fact that no one else would help. I look back and realize that we should've stopped as soon as the needles began piling up. But we continued. We hauled a huge amount of trash to the road and called 311 to come get it, since they wouldn't if the trash was located on the fenceline. Seeing how the green space looked after a little TLC was hugely motivating and the garden idea bloomed. 

Throughout my time building this garden project, homeless encampments have been the absolute biggest issue. There have been massive fires both in the garden and directly adjacent on CP land, and the fire department comes several times a year to put out small and large blazes. Needles have been an ongoing issue, popping up in the grass, on the picnic tables, and once thrown into our compost piles, which can be extremely dangerous for gardeners. Open drug use happens all the time, often with paraphernalia left on the picnic tables. We've had gardeners approached by campers asking if they are alone and if they brought anyone with them. We've had human feces directly beside the path. We have had full-scale bike chop shops, with multiple men dismantling dozens of bikes per day within view of my balcony. But we've had many good campers too. I go down and speak to most campers that set up, letting them know that they are in a community garden, and I usually offer them some garbage bags and water. We've had campers apologize for using our space, some saying that they truly didn't know where they could legally stay the night. I’ve had laughs with campers, had campers help me pick up garbage, and had campers help me repair the compost lids. I've seen their camps looted by people—homeless or well-off—while the campers were away. We had Paul, who dubbed himself the garden guardian and protected the produce. I didn't exactly believe him, but alas, after he moved on, the gardeners began to complain that their produce had been picked. I know that campers are not the issue, it's the lack of support we have in managing the ones who are being bad neighbours. 

More support is needed for grassroots projects like this. For years, the City fought with both us and CPR about jurisdiction, and in that time no one would clean up the space, regardless of hazards. This is an issue, especially with the garden being the closest green space to homelessness supports in Ritchie. Of course people will want to shelter there. But we need help with encampment cleanup and proper needle response, regardless of jurisdiction. The City added a needle drop-off box a block away from the garden, on the corner of an intersection with no sidewalk—this kind of response is laughable, in my opinion. I hope that the supervised consumption site in Ritchie that will open will offer more comprehensive supports than the City has for the issues we are facing. Related to this, we also need prompt City response when citizens take it upon themselves to clean up on their behalf. We have 311 bags, which the city advertises citizens can use for community cleanups, but the full bags sit there for days or weeks, attracting attention and getting rooted through. I understand that this comes down to budget, as litter and encampment cleanup costs around the city have skyrocketed, but it still impacts the quality of the garden and our neighbourhood. One group that I don't have complaints about is EPS and the beat cops that we call when campers pose a risk to gardeners. Our beat cops are extremely friendly to us, understanding of our situation, and always ensure that they're clear on what we need before they talk to the campers. They only ever evict campers if we provide cause (ie, threats, needles), and otherwise just coordinate with us and the campers' social workers. 

Overall, the garden has become what it is because of volunteer support and community vision. The number of hours put into improving this space by people who simply want nicer neighbourhoods is amazing, and something that all neighbours benefit from. I hope to see the City supporting these citizen-led efforts with more funding and less red tape, because people-led projects are the lifeblood of the neighbourhood.

A community volunteer’s perspective

Hanna Davidson, West Ritchie Director