Green thumbs in Westsyde will have the opportunity to make a community garden successful next spring.

Three third-year Thompson Rivers University nursing students have teamed up with two teachers from Westsyde secondary to create a garden at the high school.

The idea was conceived by Katherine Ashman and Karen Bates — both home-economics teachers at Westsyde.

They would like to have the garden incorporated into the curriculum for their classes.

“We thought it might be something we’d like to pursue,” Bates said.

“We got a lot of support at the school-board level, so they encouraged us to keep going with it.”

The project, however, is too much work for two full-time teachers to undertake on their own, Bates said.

So, Erin Macnamara, Susan Rowe and Tyler Kennedy — the three TRU nursing students — will share the workload with the teachers.

They chose the project for the mandatory community-service portion of their third-year course loads.

Still in its infancy, the Westsyde Community Garden has the potential to unite garden lovers in the area, according to Macnamara.

“We’re advertising it as a way to meet new people and get involved in the community.

“There is still a strong need for communities to be connected to the land and to know where food comes from.”

A 100-foot by 100-foot plot of land has been set aside on school property.

That area will be divided up into 50 separate plots — 45 plots available to the public, five reserved for the school.

The rate for renting a single plot is $30 per season and a $30 refundable deposit.

The season begins on March 15 and runs until Oct. 31.

Only pumpkins, which the five-person team deemed vandalism-prone, and any illegal foliage will be nixed from the list of acceptable growing items.

The City of Kamloops will be donating soil and compost.

Shop students at Westsyde are building boxes for the raised garden beds.

Anyone wishing to rent a plot, donate supplies or become involved in any way with the garden’s creation can call Karen at 250-571-1221 or Katherine at 250-851-2899.

E-mails can be sent to westsydegarden@gmail.com.