Oldest Cranberry Bog in Canada
Agriculture and Marketing Minister Ed Lorraine today presented a plaque to Glenn Hebb of Indian Garden Farm in Hebbville, Lunenburg Co., commemorating his family's operation of the oldest commercial cranberry bog in Canada.
The bog was developed by Mr. Webb's great-grandfather, William in the late 1800s. It was subsequently operated by William's son Fletcher, and then his grandson Gerald, who successfully upgraded the bog to survive a downturn in the cranberry market in the late 1950s.
"It is a pleasure for me to visit the Hebb farm and to celebrate the Indian Garden Bog as a unique part of Nova Scotia's farming heritage," said Mr. Lorraine. "It's continuous operation for over a century is unprecedented in Canada. It is a reminder that innovation and being alert to opportunities have always been important attributes of the agriculture industry and its people."
The plaque inscription reads:
"The Indian Garden Farm Cranberry Bog along the Petite River in Hebbville, Lunenburg County, in the Province of Nova Scotia, is the oldest commercial cranberry operation in Canada. It has been in continuous production since the late 1800s. The marsh was originally developed by William Hebb who had been in New England and may have visited cranberry bogs in Massachusetts. It has been operated by four generations of the Hebb Family.
"It is a notable example of the many cranberry bogs which were developed across Nova Scotia during the late 1800s and the first half of the 20th century. These developments were undertaken without the aid of heavy machinery."
The plaque was signed by Bob Murray, a retired horticulturalist with the Department of Agriculture and Marketing who is writing a history of the province's cranberry industry and verified the historic significance of the Indian Garden Bog.
The Hebb's Indian Garden cranberries are sold fresh during the Christmas season and have helped Nova Scotians celebrate the holidays for more than 100 years.
The Hebb farm is not a specialized cranberry operation, growing a wide variety of fruit and vegetable crops. Glenn Hebb has long been a supporter of growing cranberries in Nova Scotia and opening opportunities for the province to reap the economic benefits of sizeable North American and global cranberry markets. He has been visited by countless people investigating cranberries in recent years. During the past two years a number of cranberry developments have been undertaken in Nova Scotia and together have accounted for 20-25 per cent of the net investment into the agricultural industry over this period.
Other fresh cranberry operations and brands in Nova Scotia include Dew Drop Gardens in Grants Cove near Sheet Harbour, and the Chase and Bezanson Cranberry Company of Aylesford, the province's largest cranberry operation, which markets its products under the Sun Valley label. The Duke of York Bog near Arichat, Richmond Co., was developed around the same time as the Hebb's Indian Garden Bog, but has not been in continuous operation and is currently being redeveloped.