Someone has been taking the herbs, vegetables and other edibles in planters in front of businesses in Coquitlam's Austin Heights neighbourhood.
But neither thieves nor raccoons are responsible.
In fact, it's an activity welcomed by partners in the Coquitlam Munch project, now in its third year.
Shoppers, walkers and local residents are welcome to help themselves to the harvest now spilling out of the planters that were filled with seeds and vegetables and are being looked after by local businesses, according to Tabitha McLaughlin, executive director of the Coquitlam Farmers Market Society, and Lisa Landry, executive director of the Austin Heights BIA.
The Community in Bloom project supported by the city helps beautify the area, they say, and with plentiful water and sun, the planters have been overflowing with greenery and early flowers.
Some of the plants have already been harvested. A kohlrabi in front of Mary Ann Meegan Insurance Agency Ltd. was missing a few leaves but other plants, like tomatoes, are still in the flowering stage.
鈥淚t brings that sense of community because people are talking about and trying the plants,鈥� explained Landry.
McLaughlin, whose farmers market has been supporting local producers for years, said she鈥檚 thrilled to see that people are experimenting with some of the herbs.
Some dill had been snipped, for example.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great way to show people how easy it is to grow your own food,鈥� she said.
It was just early May when volunteers came together to fill the planters with tomatoes, green onions, squash, swiss chard, brussels sprouts, peppers, kale, arugula, cabbage, strawberries, oregano, basil, rosemary, dill, cilantro, mint, camomile, parsley, marigolds, sunflowers, bee balm and lavender, to name a few.
Now, some of the produce and herbs are ready to harvest while others will have to wait for a few more weeks of summer sun to ripen.
The plan is to replant in the fall with cold-weather vegetables when the summer harvest is done.
鈥� To keep up to date with Coquitlam Munch, you can follow the project on Facebook.
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