Community Gardens & Orchards

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.

The City 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.
• Community orchards are groves of fruit or nut trees in a public park – community groups take part in the care, maintenance and harvesting of the trees and share the harvest with the community.

Start a Garden

Community gardens are plots of land on public and private lands. Community members and non-profit organizations maintain these gardens. Activities include the production of:

• food plants
• native and ornamental plants
• pollinator gardens
• permaculture projects
• fruit and nut trees
• demonstration farming
• other edible and floral landscapes

If you have an interest in starting a community garden in your neighbourhood, please:

• review the Community Gardens Policy
• Find suitable options for a potential site on city land using the community garden and orchard potential map
• complete and submit an Expression of Interest, which is due by June 1 annually

If you want to learn more about building a community garden in Victoria, read our guides:

• Building a Community Garden in Your Neighbourhood
• Guidelines for Projects in Parks (learn more about the My Great Neighbourhood Grant program)

If you have any questions, please contact the Parks Department or call 250.361.0600. Staff can help you determine whether a site is appropriate for community gardening and aid in preparing your application.