A New Chapter Takes Root for the Work Point Garden Club

Archana Cini, Lookout Newspaper.  

Tucked between community buildings and the rhythm of Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt operations, the Work Point Garden Club is quietly growing something beyond vegetables and flowers.  

The club has now entered a new chapter after relocating to a new garden site, where members are once again digging in, rebuilding plots, and cultivating community together. For those involved, the club has become much more than a hobby space. It is a place of connection, wellness, food security, and calm amidst the many demands of Defence life.  

Open to military members, Defence Team employees, dependents, and Non-Public Funds (NPF) staff, the Work Point Garden Club offers allotment plots, shared gardening spaces, tools, and water access for members of all experience levels. Whether growing herbs for the kitchen, tending flowers, or learning how to plant their first seeds, members are welcomed into a collaborative and community-oriented environment.  

For Commander (Cdr) Paula McHale, President of the Work Point Garden Club, gardening has long been both a personal passion and a meaningful outlet.  

Trays of healthy seedlings being shared amongst members of the Work Point Garden Club. Photo: Sarah Linde

“Living in Esquimalt offers such an incredible opportunity to garden all year long,” said Cdr McHale. “I love to grow kale, garlic, potatoes, onions, zinnias, zucchini, herbs… It is so beneficial to spend time outdoors, and many people don’t have their own yards to garden in.” 

The club’s previous site, located near the Work Point housing area, had become a cherished oasis over the years. According to McHale, the space was alive with hummingbirds, blossoms, and pollinators, while gardeners learned from one another as they tended to their own plots.  

“It was truly magical,” said Cdr McHale. “It was peaceful, and it was a joy to see things grow there and learn from one another’s practices and experiments.”  

When the site was later designated for future Canadian Forces Housing Agency (CFHA) development, the club faced the task of relocating. The move now brought uncertainty and physical labour for many long-time members who had spent years building their soil and gardens.  

“Gardening is an act of tinkering and building over time,” explained McHale. “The idea of disturbing what was built over decades was experienced as a loss for some members.” 

Despite its challenges, the transition revealed the strength and resilience of the gardening community itself. Members rallied together to move irrigation systems, establish new plots, transport plants and trees, and prepare the new site for the 2026 growing season. 

The new site, located near the RV storage compound and Macauley Elementary School, offers slightly more protection from coastal winds, though members are now tackling invasive Himalayan blackberry bushes and Scotch broom. Even so, optimism is steadily returning. 

“Now that the move is behind us, it has been awesome to see so many members working together and pitching in to get established,” said McHale. “The fresh start has actually brought members together in the effort.” 

McHale credited much of the successful transition to the support of club volunteers, Personnel Support Programs (PSP) staff, and Real Property Operations (RP Ops), who assisted with fencing, water access, and planter boxes to help members quickly begin growing again. Among the many community contributions, members relocated an apple tree from the old site, installed mason bees to support pollination, sourced manure and cardboard for soil preparation, and helped one another rebuild garden spaces from the ground up.  

“It will take several years to build up the new garden site,” said McHale. “But witnessing the progress will be as satisfying as watching any plant grow in my own plot.” 

As spring settles across Vancouver Island and the first radishes begin to emerge from the soil, the Work Point Garden Club continues to offer something increasingly valuable within the Defence community: a shared space to slow down, reconnect with nature, and build community.  

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The Work Point Garden Club welcomes members from across the Defence community to grow, learn, and connect. 

Individual and allotment memberships are available, with shared garden spaces accessible even when plot waitlists are in place. Those interested in joining can learn more by contacting workpointgardenclub@gmail.com