Habib Kilisli in front of a section of his garden (Image: Elizabeth MacLeod)
Those hankering for organic, freshly grown vegetables could try the wares of Habib Kilisli’s home gardens on Manawagonish Road.
Kilisli is originally from Antioch, Turkey, and his family lived in Saint Andrews where he worked as a gardener at the Algonquin and other locations before moving to Saint John in 2002. He later created Turkan’s Middle Eastern Home Cooking, which used to operate in the City Market every Saturday, and planted the garden in order to grow what he needed to make his food.
“My thanksgiving is every day, not once a year,” said Kilisli, explaining the garden is full-time work, but not without flexibility. “This is what I’m good at, I’m trying to give my best.”
The front of Habib Kilisli’s garden (Image: Elizabeth MacLeod)
He adds he also wanted to share with people how to grow their own food, a survival skill of sorts, and show how easy it is to do, learn and teach to their children. “If the people want to garden, they can, and they shouldn’t think of it as something that is scary,“ he said.
Kilisli said he didn’t have to file paperwork with the city to sell his produce but shared that years ago a neighbour notified the city about the garden. Kilisli adds when a city official followed up and observed at the garden, he said she told him, “I wish everyone was doing what you’re doing in here.”
At first he sold his offerings to his neighbours, who spread the news about his fresh produce to their friends. “Now I start to get [people] from East Saint John and from further like from Grand Bay,” he said. “They come because they hear and drive by and they see.”
Anyone is welcome stop by his garden and purchase vegetables and herbs. Kilisli plants many vegetables at the same time, next to one another, and the garden produces multiple crops from each vegetable during their growing season.
Lettuce, Swiss chard, cucumber, corn, tomatoes, potatoes and multiple kinds of beans and squash are a fraction of the vegetables grown in the garden, along with herbs such as oregano, rosemary and sage.
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- Yellow squash (Image: Elizabeth MacLeod)
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- Fresh green beans on the vine (Image: Elizabeth MacLeod)
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- Buttercup squash (Image: Elizabeth MacLeod)
According to Kilisli, the most important part of gardening is rich soil and that fertilizer and cow manure can be easily obtained from farms and farmers. “I never planted with chemical fertilizer,” he said.
“You can tell the difference between the ones planted in the big industrial farms and the ones planted in the garden,” Kilisli added when describing the baby carrots he grows.
Kilisli’s garden reflects his values and belief that all people are equal and everyone is equipped with the maximum abilities to survive.
“We are obligated to do everything right and make everything clean and nice-looking, so why not to get something in return from the ground?,” he said.
