What is a Community Garden?

A community garden is a plot of land where community members collaborate and contribute to a shared garden space with a goal of producing food. Community gardens provide residents the opportunity to engage in a healthy recreational activity, grow nutritious food, build community, learn about sustainability, and beautify open space.

Sustainability

Many community gardens strive to promote sustainable garden practices, including:

• Discouraging the use of pesticides and herbicides,
• Practicing water conservation,
• Employing effective use of composting, and
• Planting native species best suited to the environment.

Community gardens administered by USask are bound to these sustainability principles in their guidelines. Garden co-ordinators take professional steps to engage gardeners in sustainability to help educate participants on the benefits of sustainability in a community garden.

As part of its implementation of the Campus Sustainability Plan, the Office of Sustainability supports all campus community gardens in any way possible. This includes offering personal expertise, opportunities to network with experienced campus personal, access to funding opportunities, and - in the case of the McEown Community Garden - administrative support.

Community Garden Co-ordinator

Beginning with the administration of the McEown Community Garden in Spring 2015, the Office of Sustainability established a new position within its ranks: the Community Garden Co-ordinator. This position is part of the office's student hiring strategy and aims to integrate passionate and sustainability-driven students into a strong supportive role for community gardens on campus. The Community Garden Co-ordinator acts as a liaison between the Office of Sustainability and all community gardens around campus, helping the gardens in ways such as:

• Solving gardener disputes
• Addressing facilities or operational problems
• Organizing community-building events
• Facilitating collaboration between different gardens across campus
• Aiding gardening education around campus

If you are a student interested in getting involved with sustainability on campus and have experience in gardening, horticulture, or community organizing, watch for the posting of this position early each year. For more information, please contact Erin Akins, our Sustainability Initiatives Co-ordinator, at sustainability.initiatives@usask.ca. 

Description

The McEown Community Garden is our largest and longest-standing community garden on campus. Having come under the administration of the Office of Sustainability and Consumer Services in 2015, the garden currently serves ~80 gardeners living in the residences at McEown Park, College Quarter, and Grad House.

The garden operates as an allotment garden in that garden parcels are allocated to individuals who cultivate them individually. The Office of Sustainability's Community Garden Co-ordinator supports operational logistics, acts as a liaison for gardeners, and helps to plan events or workshops throughout the season.

Get Involved

Registration for the McEown Community Garden is available in late April and early May year.  The program is open to students living in residence at any of the McEown Park, College Quarter, or Grad House residences.

Location

The McEown Community Garden is located in McEown Park, located just south of the main campus, along Cumberland Avenue.

Description

The University Services Building (USB) Community Garden is located outside the University Services Building. The garden is a source of fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs for staff participating in the garden. Planting is a shared process in the springtime, with a co-ordinated planting party. At a harvest party in the fall, employees are invited to help reap the bountiful harvest of the garden to share amongst themselves and to contribute to a communal potluck.

Get Involved

Involvement in the USB Community Garden is limited to employees. All employees are invited to help plant the garden at the beginning of the year, take from the garden during the growing season, and participate in the final harvest celebration in the fall.

Location

The USB Community Garden is located outside the University Services Building at 110 Maintenance Rd.

Description

The Horticulture Club Community Garden is located at the university's greenhouses on 14th Street. The project involves approximately 25 students, who are responsible for starting transplants in the greenhouse, field seeding, transplanting, maintaining (weeding), harvesting and storing of produce. Some produce is designated for sale to cover the cost of inputs, however the students consume the majority of produce. A faculty adviser and student co-ordinators assist the students in learning more about vegetable production. You can contact the Horticulture Club at uofshortclub@gmail.com.

Get Involved

To get involved with the U of S Horticulture Club, contact uofshortclub@gmail.com.

Location

The Horticulture Club Community Garden is located at the university's greenhouses on 14th Street.

Description

The College of Agriculture and Bioresources Rooftop Garden is an urban agriculture experience at the University of Saskatchewan. Located on a rooftop connected to the pedway between Biology and Agriculture, this garden is a result of the hard work of Prof. Grant Wood and his cohorts in the Departments of Plant Science and Soil Science. Born from the work of students participating in the Office of Sustainability's own Living Lab initiative, the Rooftop Garden has become the university's first closed-loop urban agriculture garden that allows Plant Science students to help design and grow food to supplement their studies. Food produced in the garden is sold to Marquis Culinary Centre to feed the university. Any waste products are then dehydrated and taken to the Grounds Department Compost Centre to continue fertilizing the garden.

Get Involved

The College of Agriculture and Bioresoures Rooftop Garden is not open to gardener registration due to its sensitive location and academic purposes.

Location

The College of Agriculture and Bioresources Rooftop Garden located on a low roof of the Agriculture Building. It can be seen when passing through the walkway from W.P. Thompson to Agriculture.

Who Can Participate?

Residents of Assiniboine Hall, Wollaston Hall, Souris Hall, Seager Wheeler, Graduate House, and College Quarter who are living in residence over the summer months.

How Much Does It Cost?

There is no cost to join or participate in the McEown Community Garden.

What Do I Need to Know Before Joining?

The McEown Community Garden is a shared space and rules are in place to ensure that gardening is a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. All gardeners will be expected to read and comply with the McEown Community Garden Agreement.

How Do I Register?

Interested gardeners may apply within the application period (posted on this page early in the year) through our online application form.

Due to large numbers of applicants in previous years, we now allot garden slots on a first come, first serve basis. Our office and the Community Garden Co-ordinator will try to accommodate as many gardeners as possible in this process. Successful applicants will be contacted and asked to review and sign the McEown Community Garden Agreement.

2018 Timeline

Questions?

Please send any questions to community.garden@usask.ca or call (306)966.2282.

Community Garden Co-ordinator

A Community Garden Co-ordinator supports the garden each garden season. She/he will coordinate garden logistics and be a liaison between Residence, the Office of Sustainability, and gardeners. He/she will support gardeners throughout the season by organizing events, assisting in the garden, and providing guidance.