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online exclusive

by: Jennifer Cockrall-King

September 2009
10 Urban Garden Projects

The ‘eat locally’ trend has brought us back to our roots, literally. Here’s a look at how Alberta’s predominantly urban population is rethinking how to feed itself closer to home.


Photo credit: Itzafineday, Creative Commons, Flickr
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a model where consumers contract directly with a local farm, essentially investing in a share of the season’s crop. In return “shareholders” reap the rewards of weekly food boxes of shares of whatever is in season throughout the growing season at a great price. Getting your hands dirty is encouraged, usually two four-hour shifts per season if possible. Edmonton area: Sparrow’s Nest Organics

Greater Edmonton Alliance (GEA) is a multi-issue social advocacy group. Lately, one of its main focuses has been on lobbying the municipal government to adopt a local food policy in the interest of revitalizing the Edmonton’s local food economy. (Many other municipalities in Canada have legislated food security policies and protected agricultural land in their bylaws.) The GEA has also been behind the massive city hall rallies to preserve the existing highly fertile urban farmland in northeast Edmonton. Aberta has a long legacy of community gardens. By the 1920s, Vacant Lot Garden Clubs grew a significant amount of the fresh produce for cities, but the concept nearly died out until a few years ago. Back with a vengeance, community gardens are popping up all over urban spaces in Alberta. The greater Edmonton area has close to 70 sites (http://www.edmcommunitygardens.org), and Calgary has a dozen or so but is working hard to expand its network of community gardens.


Photo credit: Word Ridden, Creative Commons, Flickr
Eat Local First, an organization helping Edmontonians find and access local foods, just launched The Good Box Pilot Project. It’s a multi-farm CSA concept with northeast Edmonton farms pooling their produce for a weekly mixed box of local produce from mid-August to late-September. Each week, the box contains eight to 12 different kinds of vegetables, delivered to your doorstep. As a pilot project, it’s only available in some areas of city for now.

SPIN Gardening pioneers Wally Satzewich and Gail Vandersteen gave up their farm near Saskatoon when they discovered they could grow more produce, more easily on small, sub-acre, urban garden plots scattered throughout the city. They refined the concept and now SPIN Gardening is a worldwide phenomenon. Urbanites donate or rent their front yard to a Small-Plot INtensive farmer and in return, have it replaced with a vibrant well-tended and productive space.

WWOOFing stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Wwoofers, in turn, are volunteers on organic farms in exchange for room and board. Generally the commitment is 4 to 6 hours a day, 5 to 5 1/2 days per week and hosts agree to provide comfortable accommodations, healthy meals and a positive experience. People come from all over the world to Wwoof on many of the organic farms in Alberta, and many Albertans see the world through Wwoofing.


Photo credit: Mike Knell, Creative Commons, Flickr
Farmers’ Markets are most people’s entry into “eating locally.” With 94 seasonal and year-round farmers’ markets in the province, from Manning to Vauxhall, these are an easy and fun way to get to learn about the variety and seasonality of Alberta food. You’ll also find heritage and heirloom vegetables, fruits and meats that you definitely can’t find in chain grocery stores. An on-line map and listing of approved Alberta Farmers’ Markets is available online.

Guerilla Gardening can be though of as flower power with a political edge. Guerilla gardeners convert small, unused or abandoned urban public spaces into flower or veggie gardens, usually without explicit permission but with the intention to beautify neighbourhoods and bring attention to the possibilities of a bit of urban gardening. The movement began in Europe but is popping up in Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbridge.

Urban Apiarists (a.k.a. beekeepers) tend to keep their enterprises quiet and out-of-sight as their activities are frowned upon in most municipalities in Alberta. But like their counterparts in Toronto and Vancouver, city councils are seeing the positive Green Spin to allowing beekeeping in the city. As the chief pollinators for the food we eat, as agriculture goes urban, so will the bees. Check out the
Apiaries and Bees for Communities website to learn about rooftop and backyard hives coming soon all across Canada.


Photo credit: sashafatcat, Creative Commons, Flickr
Urban Chicken-Keeping is getting a leg up from the River City Chicken group in Edmonton and the Calgary Liberated Urban Chicken Klub (CLUCK). These advocacy groups are working to convince municipalities to change bylaws and legalize urban chicken keeping. Victoria, Vancouver and Burbaby already allow city residents to keep a few chickens for eggs. Edmonton’s “Urban Farmer” Ron Berezan is behind River City Chickens and Calgary’s CLUCK has a Facebook group.

Jennifer Cockrall-King is the food writer and behind the Food Girl and Edible Prairie blogs. She also has successfully grown pinot grigio grapes in Edmonton.

online exclusive

by: Jennifer Cockrall-King

September 2009
email to a friend

10 Urban Garden Projects

The ‘eat locally’ trend has brought us back to our roots, literally. Here’s a look at how Alberta’s predominantly urban population is rethinking how to feed itself closer to home.


Photo credit: Itzafineday, Creative Commons, Flickr
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a model where consumers contract directly with a local farm, essentially investing in a share of the season’s crop. In return “shareholders” reap the rewards of weekly food boxes of shares of whatever is in season throughout the growing season at a great price. Getting your hands dirty is encouraged, usually two four-hour shifts per season if possible. Edmonton area: Sparrow’s Nest Organics

Greater Edmonton Alliance (GEA) is a multi-issue social advocacy group. Lately, one of its main focuses has been on lobbying the municipal government to adopt a local food policy in the interest of revitalizing the Edmonton’s local food economy. (Many other municipalities in Canada have legislated food security policies and protected agricultural land in their bylaws.) The GEA has also been behind the massive city hall rallies to preserve the existing highly fertile urban farmland in northeast Edmonton. Aberta has a long legacy of community gardens. By the 1920s, Vacant Lot Garden Clubs grew a significant amount of the fresh produce for cities, but the concept nearly died out until a few years ago. Back with a vengeance, community gardens are popping up all over urban spaces in Alberta. The greater Edmonton area has close to 70 sites (http://www.edmcommunitygardens.org), and Calgary has a dozen or so but is working hard to expand its network of community gardens.


Photo credit: Word Ridden, Creative Commons, Flickr
Eat Local First, an organization helping Edmontonians find and access local foods, just launched The Good Box Pilot Project. It’s a multi-farm CSA concept with northeast Edmonton farms pooling their produce for a weekly mixed box of local produce from mid-August to late-September. Each week, the box contains eight to 12 different kinds of vegetables, delivered to your doorstep. As a pilot project, it’s only available in some areas of city for now.

SPIN Gardening pioneers Wally Satzewich and Gail Vandersteen gave up their farm near Saskatoon when they discovered they could grow more produce, more easily on small, sub-acre, urban garden plots scattered throughout the city. They refined the concept and now SPIN Gardening is a worldwide phenomenon. Urbanites donate or rent their front yard to a Small-Plot INtensive farmer and in return, have it replaced with a vibrant well-tended and productive space.

WWOOFing stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Wwoofers, in turn, are volunteers on organic farms in exchange for room and board. Generally the commitment is 4 to 6 hours a day, 5 to 5 1/2 days per week and hosts agree to provide comfortable accommodations, healthy meals and a positive experience. People come from all over the world to Wwoof on many of the organic farms in Alberta, and many Albertans see the world through Wwoofing.


Photo credit: Mike Knell, Creative Commons, Flickr
Farmers’ Markets are most people’s entry into “eating locally.” With 94 seasonal and year-round farmers’ markets in the province, from Manning to Vauxhall, these are an easy and fun way to get to learn about the variety and seasonality of Alberta food. You’ll also find heritage and heirloom vegetables, fruits and meats that you definitely can’t find in chain grocery stores. An on-line map and listing of approved Alberta Farmers’ Markets is available online.

Guerilla Gardening can be though of as flower power with a political edge. Guerilla gardeners convert small, unused or abandoned urban public spaces into flower or veggie gardens, usually without explicit permission but with the intention to beautify neighbourhoods and bring attention to the possibilities of a bit of urban gardening. The movement began in Europe but is popping up in Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbridge.

Urban Apiarists (a.k.a. beekeepers) tend to keep their enterprises quiet and out-of-sight as their activities are frowned upon in most municipalities in Alberta. But like their counterparts in Toronto and Vancouver, city councils are seeing the positive Green Spin to allowing beekeeping in the city. As the chief pollinators for the food we eat, as agriculture goes urban, so will the bees. Check out the
Apiaries and Bees for Communities website to learn about rooftop and backyard hives coming soon all across Canada.


Photo credit: sashafatcat, Creative Commons, Flickr
Urban Chicken-Keeping is getting a leg up from the River City Chicken group in Edmonton and the Calgary Liberated Urban Chicken Klub (CLUCK). These advocacy groups are working to convince municipalities to change bylaws and legalize urban chicken keeping. Victoria, Vancouver and Burbaby already allow city residents to keep a few chickens for eggs. Edmonton’s “Urban Farmer” Ron Berezan is behind River City Chickens and Calgary’s CLUCK has a Facebook group.

Jennifer Cockrall-King is the food writer and behind the Food Girl and Edible Prairie blogs. She also has successfully grown pinot grigio grapes in Edmonton.

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