88 year old began his love of gardening in the 1920’s

Photo by Bronwyn Smyth

Jim Foort’s garden on 11th Avenue, Vancouver, BC

Audio interview with Jim Foort.

Story by Bronwyn Smyth

A garden, like that of Eden, thrives on 11th Avenue in the neighbourhood of West Point Grey. It is lush and humming with life. The bamboo fencing morphs every so often as the beds change shape. A huge variety of vegetables and fruit are grown here, even in the winter. At the corner of the yard stands a clapboard frame with a wise quote or latest article on square foot gardening. The front door of the small yellow bungalow on the property is always wide open when the weather is good. James Foort, or as neighbours call him, Jim, with his wife Margaret, are the owners and garden extraordinaires of this piece of paradise.

Today, with the cooler weather and fickle rain, the front door is closed. However, I am not deterred and I ring the doorbell in hopes that Jim will be home. The solid oak door opens and Jim greets me warmly, welcoming me into his living room. Since moving to Vancouver, five years ago, I have been intrigued by Jim’s garden, where his artistic flair is combined seamlessly with growing food. Although I know that Jim is always willing to chat with his neighbours and strangers that wander past his yard, I haven’t ever taken the opportunity to fully do this until now. Thanks to needing a story for my class assignment, I finally had my excuse to ring Jim’s doorbell and ask lots of questions.

We have a seat on the couch. The warmly painted walls are decorated with several of Jim’s artwork. Several more lean against the corner of the room, waiting for a spot to be hung. One depicts Eve with the forbidden apple in her hand. The crisp lines and vivid colours, along with the robin drawn in the foreground bring a huge smile to my face. Each painting evokes a sense of child-like joy inside me. Jim’s zest for life radiates so clearly through these paintings, as with his garden.

I pull out my digital recorder and turn it on. “Testing, testing. This is Bronwyn and I am here with Jim Foort.” The interviewing commences. Jim waits for my first question. I stumble over my words and have a hard time getting my first words out. Nerves combined with still getting used to using the recording device are the cause of this, I tell myself. However, I know Jim isn’t judging me; that isn’t his nature.

Twenty minutes quickly pass. My mind is out of questions for the time being, so I ask if Jim would mind touring me through his garden.

Jim’s love affair with gardening began in the 1920’s and 30’s as he helped his mother with her garden on Quadra Island. His own garden began in the 70’s when he asked his wife Margaret if it were okay to plant an artichoke in the front lawn. The potatoes were next. From there the garden area increased, eventually encompassing the whole yard. The food production took over the south facing front yard and crept across the sidewalk taking over the boulevard. Margaret took over the shady backyard with her trees and flowers. Yet, these two gardens, one food producing and the other ornamental, are not separate entities. Instead, a rock pathway that Jim laid down flows from the front to the back. Bordering the pathway both ornamental and the odd vegetable plants thrive.

When we get to the backyard, Jim is careful to explain why there is no fence and gate barring entry into his yard. He, unlike most, wants people to wander through his yard. He loves having children run from the alleyway to the front street through his garden. The laurel bushes growing on the side border of his property have been carefully trimmed so that his neighbours can look into his yard and he into theirs. He admits that he would like to see the low cedar fence gone completely between the two properties, but respects the difference in goals between his neighbour and himself.

Jim is committed to building community, which is evident in the layout of his yard. His garden gives him the venue through which he is able to be “out on the street…where everyone can see [him], and [where he] can participate in everything that develops the idea of community.”

Teaching others about gardening, especially about growing their own food is another thing Jim is keen on doing. Yet he is a firm believer in leading and organizing by example. He doesn’t push ideas on people, but allows them to see what he does and either take it or leave it.

Fifty minutes after ringing Jim’s doorbell, I finally bid Jim farewell. Before I leave, he excitedly lets me know that I won’t believe what he has started writing – in fact he can hardly believe it himself – he is penning an opera about social issues.

As I walk back home with my fifty minutes of audio, I smile at the inspiration that Jim is. His passion for life and excitement to try new things, like writing an opera, makes me ponder. Hopefully when I am 88, I will be just as gung-ho.

See also this wonderful story of Jim Foort’s career in a local newspaper.

excerpt:

Just when you think you’ve taken the measure of his creativity, you discover that Foort’s real contribution in life is that he is recognized worldwide as possibly the greatest inventor of prosthetics for amputees.

Every poor soul who lost an arm or a leg in a world war or a logging accident was doomed to become some kind of Long John Silver. Give ‘em a wooden stump and get ‘em outta here. Then along came Foort, who is my neighbour.

He changed the world for so many people, and he did it with grace as a modern Leonardo.