Indoor garden brings joy to Chester seniors

The “Winter Harvest” program at Shoreham Village in Chester brought a burst of green life during the coldest months of the year, giving residents a chance to grow fresh food, reconnect with past hobbies and share memories.

Supported by roughly $2,500 in wellness funds from the Lunenburg County Community Health Board, the program allowed the Shoreham Village Senior Citizen’s Association to set up an indoor greenhouse space equipped with accessible gardening tables, greenhouse coverings, lighting, seeds, soil and other supplies.

Community health board wellness funds support non-profit groups working to improve health in their communities. Among other things, grants go toward programs that promote food security, housing, transportation and social participation. The goal is to reduce risks of poor health outcomes in Nova Scotia communities.

The idea for the indoor garden grew as staff searched for meaningful winter programming.

“My recreation team and I were looking for different ideas and we also went to the resident council,” said Niki Rodenhizer, Shoreham Village’s manager of recreation and volunteer services. “They wanted to see more gardening but it was getting late in the year to do an outdoor garden, so this was the idea that came up.”

Shoreham Village is a long-term care home for 89 older adults.

Residents grew herbs, edible flowers and small vegetables, such as cucumbers and peppers. While eight to 10 residents helped with the initial setup, Rodenhizer said participation grew steadily.

“Throughout the months, we had individuals tend to the gardens on a regular basis. It was different people each time, so it really reached upwards of half of our facility - about 45 residents.”

The harvest was put to use in the kitchen, where staff incorporated herbs into meals and served fresh cucumbers in dishes such as cucumbers and cream. Rodenhizer said the program’s impact went far beyond the food it produced.

“It was meaningful and it definitely had a positive outcome,” she said. “Not necessarily with all that we grew but for the residents to actually see it, be part of it and watch it grow. It was a really good process for all of us.”

For many participants, the project tapped into lifelong habits and memories of days gone by. “A lot of the interest came from their personal leisure backgrounds,” Rodenhizer said. “These were individuals who used to have some kind of green thumb, whether it was with houseplants, big outdoor gardens or herbs on a windowsill.”

The indoor greenhouse became a social hub as residents swapped gardening tips, shared stories of past gardens and talked about the foods they once made – or hoped to make again - with what they grew. Rodenhizer said that sense of connection was central to the program’s success.

Shoreham Village plans to host “Winter Harvest” again in future years as the materials are ready for future use. Rodenhizer said the program will return when interest builds again, especially as the resident population changes.

Applications for 2026 wellness funds are open until 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 15.

To find out more about community health boards (and locate contact information), please click here. 

Photo of “Winter Harvest” in full swing at Shoreham Village in Chester, Lunenburg County.