Activity at the Altona Community Garden is in full gear this season.

Jack Heppner is with Altona Community Action Network (ACAN) and manages the garden. He says about 90 plots are being rented this year, which is up from 57 plots last year. About 30 percent of the plots are being gardened by new immigrant families.

Heppner says good things happen when different cultures come together in one place to garden.

"Friendships have developed. You can watch people coming to the garden in the evening and all of a sudden you see somebody from Syria talking to someone from Altona, and they're having a really good conversation, laughing and talking."

Heppner says it was nice to see gardeners sharing their produce with each other last year. He says that prompted them to add a new feature this fall called 'Crop Share' where gardeners who have an overabundance of a particular vegetable can set some of that bounty on a specially made table to share with their fellow gardeners.

Meanwhile, ACAN set up and officially unveiled a new 4' x 8' sign identifying the Altona Community Garden. The large marker is sponsored by Pembina Valley Pharmacy and was erected in the southwest corner of the garden making it visible from both 10th Avenue NW and the Curling Rink parking lot.