Skip to content

City of Victoria digs deep for community gardens

Neighbourhoods can apply for Community Garden Volunteer Coordinator Grants
19533691_web1_191125-VNE-CommunityGardenGrants_1
Available community garden plots are hard to come by in Victoria, where most gardens have wait lists of 20 or more people. (Nina Grossman/News Staff)

The City of Victoria aims to put cash into growing food with Community Garden Volunteer Coordinator Grants, available to neighbourhoods that manage and maintain community gardens.

Eligible programs also include community growing projects such as the Urban Food Tree Stewardship Program and community boulevard gardening. The grants are intended to provide funding for a person to conduct outreach and coordinate volunteers and to promote educational growing opportunities for the community.

Community gardening is a valuable recreation activity that contributes to health and well-being, positive social interaction, neighbourhood building, food production, environmental education, habitat development, and connection to nature.

READ ALSO: Victoria’s community garden plots a hot commodity

Victoria has three different types of community gardens. Commons Gardens are maintained by community volunteers and can be harvested by all residents. Allotment Gardens have individual garden plots, maintained and harvested by individual gardeners, and Community Orchards are groves of fruit or nut trees in a public park. A community group participates in the care, maintenance and harvesting of the trees, and the harvest is shared.

The 2019 intake for the Community Garden Volunteer Coordinator Grant program closes Jan. 31, 2020.

Council will then consider applications with grants issued in spring 2020. Learn more about the program and apply online at victoria.ca.



c.vanreeuwyk@blackpress.ca

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter