Renée Layberry

A raised bed garden plot with an orange wheelbarrow next to it, partially filled with old kale.

A raised garden plot in a community garden. The plot has been cleared of old plants and vegetables.

I've been given a new, better plot for 2026; it was abandoned, so I'm clearing it out and wrapping up my old one.

I've learned that gardening is about planning and working towards the next season, not just tending to the current one. True for life in general, too. #communitygarden #gardening

A closeup of a small, content-looking dog with expressive eyes and floppy ears. In the background are sunlit trees lining a body of water.

A sunny autumn day and a walk along the water with my wee doggo. Perfection.

Close-up of deep red tomatoes, cut and arranged on a baking tray for roasting.

How can I go back to eating pale, store-bought, off-season tomatoes after harvesting and gorging myself on all these tomatoes I grew this summer?

Two plastic totes filled with fresh, colorful garden produce, as viewed from above.

Cusp-of-fall bounty, bound for Living Edge Market, which serves those experiencing food insecurity. Herbs, lots of collards, patty-pans, beets, tomatoes, kale and more. #communitycare ##communitygarden ##foodsecurity #gardening

I'm likin' that lichen!

Lush green rainforest with wood boardwalk winding throughout.

Surfer carrying surfboard on Long Beach, Tofino.

Anyway. Tofino and Ucluelet are gorgeous. So worth the trip.

Driving home after a vacation. Stopped in Port Alberni for food and to stretch our legs. Random dude in a truck loudly yells "Fuck Mark Carney! Fuck Mark Carney!" at my husband, who's wearing an Elbows Up t-shirt and walking our tiny dog.

Sir, this is a McDonald's parking lot. Calm your testicles.

A pile of ripe red tomatoes on a rustic wooden table outdoors in a community garden.

Harvested 14 tomatoes today—not even half of what's still ripening.

I miss that soothing sound of streetcars. Gotta love a sultry summer day in Toronto.

Ha! I miss hearing them. Grew up in Toronto but live on the west coast now.

Tray of yellow lemon cucumbers

Closeup of green beans

Close up of yellow beans

A variety of small yellow and green squashes on a wooden table

The abundance continues. More produce from the garden, bound for Living Edge Market. I'm convinced that food insecurity is more a matter of supply-chain and communication breakdown than a scarcity of produce. Grow food. Share food. #communitycare #communitygarden #foodsecurity #gardening #solarpunk

Viewed from above, a pile of small, thick, waxy-looking green leaves on a wooden table.

Thai lime leaves (aka Makrut) grown and shared by a neighbour. Will freeze these for making curries, soups and other Thai-inspired dishes.

I really love growing, accessing and sharing food outside of commercial channels.

#foodsecurity

A plastic box holding leafy green vegetables from an organic community garden

This week's bounty, bound for the local free-food market. Underneath all the leafy vegetables are beans and squash. The red-and-green bundle to the right is shiso, a member of the mint fanily, used in Vietnamese cooking. #communitycare #communitygarden #foodsecurity #Esquimalt ##yyj #vancouverisland

Box filled with garden greens

Box filled with herbs and vegetables from a community garden

This weekend's delivery to the local free-food market that serves neighbours in need. We can grow food, share food, have food. In the face of scarcity and loneliness and the housing crisis and the climate crisis and rising food costs, we still have this. #communitygarden #foodsecurity #hopepunk

Mason jar filled with dried green mint and lemonbalm leaves

Freshly cut mint and lemonbalm in a black bucket against a grey wooden fence

Remember that pile of mint and lemonbalm that a neighbour gave me a couple of weeks ago? Dehydrated it and mixed it together for a delicious calming tea. Kind of blown away by how little came from all those fresh herbs, though. #gardening ##greenwitch #herbalremedies

Two large Mason jars of dried orange calendula flowers set on a wooden table in a kitchen.

Close-up of borage plants in an orange bowl

Dehydrated the calendula and have started to do the same with some borage. Soon I'll be making a soothing, summery salve.

Am I...becoming a green witch?

#gardening #greenwitch #herbalremedies #borage #calendula

Closeup of a pile of orange flower heads

About 16 cups of calendula, given to me by a neighbour. Will dehydrate it and infuse the petals in carrier oils to make salve. #gardening #herbalmedicine

Colorful abstract watercolor and acrylic painting that suggests layers of the earth and nature's cycles, from seeds deep in the earth to their roots and green shoots with tiny yellow flowers, all reaching towards the sky and stars.

Pondering the truth and consistency of nature's cycles and how we are bound to them—whether or not we realize it. There's a lot I don't know, but I know we can count on that. How do we want to be with that? How do I want to be with that? How do you want to be with that? #creativepractice #dailyart

Every little bit helps these days!

Office desk in a creative space near a window. On a white desk is a pile of several herb bundles made up of mint, sage and oregano.

Put together some herb bundles (mint, sage, oregano) for my colleagues, as a thank-you for supporting my balcony garden at the office. #foodsecurity #gardening

"Lost" by David Wagoner comes to mind.

Wait, are you re-using grounds from hot brewed coffee? Or just grinding fresh for the cold brew?

View from above a jar on a wooden surface. Jar is filled with a thick, bright-green condiment.

Making unholy sounds as I sample this cilantro-and-garlic-scape chimichurri made from ingredients grown at the community garden. This stuff is going on *everything* and won't last the week. In fact, it'll probably be devoured by Wednesday. #communitygarden #foodsecurity #gardening

Phew.

Black bucket holding a large bunch of mint and lemon balm leaves.

Today a neighbour gave me this massive bounty of apple mint and lemon balm. Plucked, washed and dried what I could and now it's in the new-to-me dehydrator, on the lowest setting overnight. Hoping I'll wake up to some lovely tea leaves. #foodsecurity #foodshare #gardening

A wooden table outside in a garden, on top of which are lettuce, rainbow chard, kale and herbs in plastic containers.

Sweet little bounty for the local foodshare organization, as shared by community garden members.Thyme, rosemary, a huge bunch of French tarragon (not showing all that well in the photo), lettuce, rainbow chard. #communitycare #communitygarden #foodsecurity #gardening #localfood

The cuteness is strong in this one.

Pile of fresh cilantro on a rustic wooden table outdoors in a garden.

A hand holding up a bunch of bok choy. In front of a sign with big green letters that spell "produce stand".

Harvested about 5 cups worth of cilantro today from my three cilantro plants. Also, scored some free bok choy from our shared produce stand. If you're on a tight budget, find your local community garden—they may have a free produce stand.

#communitycare #communitygarden #foodsecurity #gardening

A raised bed in a community garden, with growing peas, borage, beets, marigolds, tomatoes and cilantro.

Fortified my pea trellis, tied back the peas, trimmed the borage, replanted some greens, used some borage leaves as temp shading. Will later shade those areas w/cheesecloth so the seeds can germinate without excessive heat. Going to try eating the borage leaves tonight. #foodsecurity #gardening

Close-up of a large, leafy plant with fuzzy, pale-blue flower bids in the center.

My borage, planted from seed in late April, is getting big and is about to blossom.

#communitygarden #gardening #flowers #pnwlife #yyj