Garden Profile
Cityfarm Community Garden
Cityfarm community garden has been running since 2006 and is located north east of the city along the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. Although separate from Cityfarm, the garden is within the one acre of cultivate land used by Cityfarm and is a part of the overall crop rotation. As such, each gardener does not keep the same piece of land from year to year, but rather moves onto land that has had green manures grown on it the previous year. This is part of an overall effort to increase the organic matter and fertility of the soils, as well as to manage nutrient demands, pests and diseases.
The community garden began as a way of rewarding volunteers of Cityfarm with space to grow their own produce. The relationship between the community garden and the host organization remains strong. Gardeners share tools and resources with Cityfarm and gardeners are required to have volunteered a minimum of 20 hours prior to spring planting. They are also asked to offer several hours during the summer to help during the high workload periods in the gardens of Cityfarm.
The community garden is still small, with 6 members during the 2007 season. Plots vary in size depending on the needs of the gardeners, and organizing of collective work is done by the gardeners in coordination with Cityfarm's site manager/agriculture coordinator.