City Farmer

City Farmer has become an institution in Vancouver, British Columbia, with a wholesome, forward-thinking mission. Since 1978, the urban farm has taught people how to grow food within city limits, compost their kitchen waste, and build sustainable outdoor living spaces. It encourages people to replace their lawns or transform their flat rooftops with something they can eat. City Farmer’s message has been the same for over four decades. It will undoubtedly remain relevant well into the future, so the City Farmer team puts a lot of effort into its teaching, inviting people from near and far to come and visit and learn if the opportunity arises.

The Demonstration Garden

The Demonstration Garden is a lush teaching space unique to the city. It spans a quarter of an acre in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighborhood and features five different garden areas.

1. The Biodiversity Garden is tranquil, with birds, bees, and humans alike adoring the space with colorful blooms, an insect hotel, a children’s fairy garden, and a wall of hop plants the staff uses to make beer each year.
2. The Organic Food Garden is the original space dug out of a parking lot in 1981. Seven head gardeners have overseen this oasis since then, lovingly planting perennial and annual crops alongside the farm’s rodent-resistant compost bins. The garden bounty typically includes squashes, kale, herbs, and apples, with more exotic crops like shiitake mushrooms, wasabi, and Asian greens. In this space, you can also find a whimsical cob tool shed featuring a green roof.
3. The Outdoor Classroom is where garden enthusiasts gather for the popular ‘wormshops’, a vermicomposting class subsidized by the city.
4. The Waterwise Boulevard Garden came to be after City Farmer removed the grass on a boulevard and replaced it with various plants that can handle heavy rain and periods of drought.
5. Finally, the Climate Change Adaptation Garden is the farm’s newest space that replaces an office building. Beds shaped like butterfly wings are filled with compost and planted with non-native crops like olives, lemons, and limes. 

Of course, composting is at the heart of City Farmer’s work, so the team has diligently tested many composters over the years and has hands-on experience to share with those interested in making black gold for their gardens. In addition to sharing knowledge, a basket or two of harvested organic produce is donated every week throughout the growing season to the Family Place, a charity helping families in need.  

City Farmer is a beautiful initiative that serves as a model for cities worldwide. Growing food close to or at home is possible, and living sustainably is within reach. The staff at City Farmer is eager to spread the good word and teach good growing practices; garden tours are available six days a week.

Check out their urban farming news site: cityfarmer.info