Food does not appear magically on a grocery store shelf – although it may feel that way! Understanding our regional food system and connecting more deeply with what we eat everyday starts with growing food.
Growing food has been the centre of community and household life throughout space and time. How we access food has shifted as our society has gone through changes linked to globalization, industrialization, and so much more. While this has had some positive impacts, we are now often purchasing food that could be grown in our region from places thousands of kilometers away at a commercial grocery store. This impacts our carbon footprint, local biodiversity, healthy food choices, and the way we relate to food and nature.
However, there is a renewed interest in local food growing across the Ottawa region and other places in North America as folks seek to reconnect with these skills with backyard chickens, containers on their balcony, edible landscapes, community gardens, urban farms, regenerative agriculture… you name it!
Below you will find organizations and projects that support food growing in Ottawa – explore resources, growing spaces, communities, food growing practices, and more!
Growing food in your own garden is a great way to nourish your body and your soul. Whether you are a beginner gardener looking for support or a master gardener looking to connect with other passionate food growers, these horticultural and garden groups are a great way to start! Look for the one in your area below.
There are also a multitude of gardening resources specific to our region. Check out Just Food’s Garden Guide, which will teach you everything from building the soil to planting and harvesting at the optimal time!
Program(s): Canadensis Botanical Garden Society
The Garden Society supports Ottawa’s first botanical garden to promote Canada’s botanical diversity, horticulture, agriculture, and arboriculture. The Canadensis: The Garden of Canada includes several pollinator-friendly and edible plants.
Contact:
Website
(613) 454-5673
info@jardincanadensisgarden.ca
Canadensis
canadensisgardenofcanada
Program(s): Senior Organic Gardeners
Senior Organic Gardeners enables seniors to develop their own organic gardens with edible plants in community housing, apartment buildings, community centres and in their own home gardens. They empower seniors to learn and practise gardening skills, to encourage more nutritious diets with more fresh organic produce, to get gentle exercise, and to enjoy the company of other senior gardeners.
Contact:
Program(s): Garden Club
The Garden Club supports gardening workshops and community gardening projects in and around Champlain Park.
Contact:
Website
champlainpark@gmail.com
(613) 728-1945
Program(s): Facebook Group
This volunteer-led Facebook group enables beginner and expert gardeners in and around Ottawa to share knowledge on growing edible plants, experience the joy of growing food, and join a gardening community.
Contact:
Gardens Ottawa communicates with the city, the private sector, the tourism industry and other sectors of the community on behalf of the interests of the Ottawa gardening community. It also provides gardening resources including information on gardening events, gardening organizations, and community gardens.
Contact:
Website
(613) 301-4554
The Society facilitates several resources to support home and community gardeners including educational gardening talks, an online community of gardeners and gardening mentors, an annual scholarship for a local high school student starting to study any type of Horticulture, and an annual plant sale in May.
Contact:
Website
gloucester@gardenontario.org
GloucesterHorticulturalSociety
The Gardeners Group supports a community of gardeners who share knowledge, exchange seeds and plants, facilitate presentations at monthly meetings, run an Annual Plant Sale, and maintain gardens at the Greely Community Centre and the Greely Library.
Contact:
Website
(613) 821-3685
greelygardenersgroup@gmail.com
GreelyGardenersGroup
Program(s): Community Garden Development Fund (CGDF)
The CGDF provides an annual fund available to the community to financially support existing and new gardens.
Contact:
Website
(613) 824-7771
communitygardening@justfood.ca
JustfoodOttawa
justfoodottawa
Program(s): Community Gardening Network (CGN)
The CGN provides a resource-sharing network that supports the sustainable development of community gardening in Ottawa. They assist in the establishment of new community gardens, supports existing gardens, and all forms of household food-growing and the building of edible landscapes.
Contact:
Website
(613) 824-7771
communitygardening@justfood.ca
JustfoodOttawa
justfoodottawa
The Society facilitates monthly meetings with guest speakers, a plant sale, tours of member’s gardens in the summers, member discounts at nurseries, and other fun activities. They are a friendly bunch that has been welcoming members of the community for more than 100 years.
Contact:
Website
(613) 258-4645
khs_oha@yahoo.ca
KemptvilleHorticulturalSociety
The Society coordinates over 200 members from novice gardeners to master gardeners who facilitate educational events and courses, share knowledge on a Facebook group, run seed and plant sales, and maintain the Pioneer Herb Garden.
Contact:
Website
mhs@manotickhorticulturalsociety.com
ManotickHorticulturalSociety
The Gardeners offer free garden advice from trained volunteers year round through a Facebook group, speaker events, and garden guides.
Contact:
Website
mgoc_helpline@yahoo.ca
MasterGardenersofOttawa-CarletonFaceBookGroup
The Society provides monthly presentations on horticultural topics including the growing of vegetables and fruit. They also promote and support the creation of pollinator gardens for native plants.
Contact:
Website
(613) 721-2048
nepeangardeners@gmail.com
nepeangardeners
nepeangardeners
Program(s): Facebook Group
The Facebook group enables people to exchange genetic material related to garden and forest plants, seeds and fungi (perennials, cuttings, scion wood, mycelium, etc.) in the Ottawa area.
Contact:
The Society facilitates a network of over 300 members who engage in meetings, speaker events, educational resources, community garden projects, and gardening competitions.
Contact:
The Society provides support to gardeners, promotes growing vegetables through a weekly article called Veggie Bites, and runs speaker events. They are also working on converting a local park into a pollinator garden using native plants.
Contact:
Website
(613) 831-3246
sghorticultural@gmail.com
Stittsville-GoulbournHorticulturalSociety
Stittsville-Goulbourn Horticultural Society
The Society encourages interest and improvement in the practice of horticulture by organizing social events and meetings, exchanging knowledge, promoting gardening projects, organizing exhibits and trips, sharing seeds and plants, and communicating with the public.
Contact:
Website
(613) 620-2668
membership@wcgc.ca
WestCarletonGardenClubandHorticulturalSociety
Amano Gardens provides landscaping services for edible garden beds using a hands-on gardening method. They ensure each plant is looked after individually and reduce their environmental impact by using no power tools or herbicides and building water conservation strategies into garden design.
Contact:
Website
(613) 656-1329
contact@amanogroup.org
AmanoGardens
Edible Landscaping Ottawa provides landscaping services for edible gardens in livable spaces that empower clients to access organic produce in their yard and eat sustainably.
Contact:
Website
(613) 298-3466
info@ediblelandscapingottawa.ca
Edible Landscaping Ottawa
Edible Landscaping Ottawa
Gardening by Angelina provides landscaping services for edible and flower gardens using sustainable methods. They also participate in many horticultural groups, urban farming, and community gardens.
Contact:
Website
angelinagardener2015@gmail.com
Local Gardening Services
Project Name: Zero Waste Gardening Program
The Gardening Program supplies zero waste mini gardens.
Contact:
Website
(613) 291-5422
abilityfirstottawa@gmail.com
70 Bongard Ave
Ottawa, ON K2E 7Z9
abilityfirstottawa
AbilityFirstOtt
The Children’s Garden empowers community members to engage with food growing and nature through organic food-growing beds, a rain-harvesting tool/play-shed, composting, a variety of shrubs and trees, and more. During the spring, summer and fall there are weekly activities for children and youth as well as special events.
Contact:
Website
(613) 917-0103
ottawachildrensgardeninfo@gmail.com
321 Main St
Ottawa, ON K1S 1C8
Children’sGarden
SgardenChildren
mainstreet_childrensgarden
The Friends of the Central Experimental Farm facilitates volunteer gardeners who protect, preserve, maintain, and enhance the Ornamental Gardens and the Dominion Arboretum.
Contact:
Website
(613) 230-3276
info@friendsofthefarm.ca
Bldg. 72, Arboretum, Central Experimental Farm
Ottawa, ON K1A 0C6
FCEFOttawa
friendsofthefarmottawa
Project Name: GreenStar Enterprise Community Garden
The Community Garden encourages and engages Black Canadian youth and other minority to participate in self-employment opportunities around nutrition, healthy food, and physical activities.
Contact:
Website
(613) 567-0600
admin@jakukonbit.com
215-211 Bronson Avenue
Ottawa, ON K1R 6H5
JakuKonbitOttawa
JakuKonbit
Project Name: Plant-a-row, Donate-a-row
Plant-a-row, Donate-a-row supports community access to fresh vegetables. The concept is simple; plant-a-Row in your garden and after the harvest, donate-a-Row. There are also volunteer-run plots grown specifically for community donation at farms and in community gardens.
Contact:
Website
(613) 824-7771
communitygardening@justfood.ca
2391 Pépin Ct
Gloucester, ON K1B 4Z3
JustfoodOttawa
JustFood_Ottawa
justfoodottawa
Mādahòkì Farm provides a safe space where Indigenous communities can reconnect with the land through both healing and wellness programs and social enterprise opportunities. It also educates community members on traditional foods through agritourism and culinary experiences.
Contact:
Website
(613) 838-5558
info@ottawasummersolstice.ca
4420 W Hunt Club Rd
Nepean, ON K2R 1H4
indigenous_experiences
Project Name: Vanier Community Maple Tree Forest
The Vanier Sugar Shack produces maple syrup, serves meals, hosts summer camps and multiple school programs, adn educates community members about maple syrup production.
Contact:
Website
(613) 842-9871
info@museoparc.ca
300, avenue des Pères-Blancs, au 2e étage du Centre communautaire Richelieu
Vanier Ottawa, ON K1L 7L5
MuseoparcVanier
museoparc
museoparc
Project Name: Rooftop Garden and Growing Together
The Rooftop Garden enables people to engage with three groupings of traditional plants: Ceremonial, Medicinal, and Children. This garden was created to honour the children of Residential Schools.
Contact:
Website
(613) 748-0657
info@wabano.com
299 Montreal Road
Ottawa, ON, Canada K1L6B8
WabanoCentre
WabanoHealth
wabano_centre
The Healing Garden offers peer support, therapeutic programming and curated safe spaces for Canadian and allied military and veteran women since 2015. Programming includes beekeeping, organic gardening, chicken keeping, and donkey walking.
Contact:
Website
wwhg@womenwarriorshg.org
6216 Renaud Rd.
Orleans, ON, K1W 0L1
WWHGottawa
women warriors hg
Forêt Capitale Forest uses applied research dedicated to afforestation to plan, plant, and manage lands in a way that maximizes carbon sequestration and enhances biological diversity. Some trees planted in the Food Forest will include serviceberries and nut trees.
Contact:
Website
info@foretcapitaleforest.ca
foretcapitaleforest
foretcapitaleforest
Nanabush Food Forests maintains several food forests sites around the city of Ottawa. By design, gardening in these forests builds soil structure, uses less water and inputs including labour, creates safe harbours for many species of pollinators and wildlife and yields a dramatic amount of highly nutritious food per square metre.
Contact:
Website
(613) 824-7771
info@nanabushfoodforests.com
2391 Pépin Ct
Gloucester, ON K1B 4Z3
JustfoodOttawa
JustFood_Ottawa
justfoodottawa
Canadian Seed Institute is accredited by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to certify food commodities as organic in accordance with the requirements of the Canada Organic Regime.
Contact:
Website
(613) 236-6451
info@csi-ics.com
Suite 200 – 240 Rue Catherine Street
Ottawa, ON K2P 2G8
Control Union Canada is accredited by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to certify food commodities as organic in accordance with the requirements of the Canada Organic Regime.
Contact:
Website
(604) 988-8484
8685 Rue Lafrenaie
St-Leonard, QC H1P 2B6
controlunion
Control__Union
Ecocert is accredited by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to certify food commodities as organic in accordance with the requirements of the Canada Organic Regime.
Contact:
Website
(418) 838-6941
contact@ecocert.com
4060 Bd Guillaume-Couture
Lévis, QC G6W 6N2
GroupeEcocert
Fraser Valley Organic Producers Association is accredited by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to certify food commodities as organic in accordance with the requirements of the Canada Organic Regime.
Contact:
Website
(778) 434-3070
admin@fvopa.ca
202-4841 Delta St
Delta, BC. V4K 2T9
Organic Producers Association of Manitoba Co-operative is accredited by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to certify food commodities as organic in accordance with the requirements of the Canada Organic Regime.
Contact:
Website
(204) 567-3745
info@opam-mb.com
Box 279
Miniota, MB R0M 1M0
OPAMMB
Pacific Agricultural Certification Society is accredited by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to certify food commodities as organic in accordance with the requirements of the Canada Organic Regime.
Contact:
Website
(250) 558-7927
PO Box 20094
Vernon, BC V1T 9L4
PACSOrganic
pacs_organic
Pro-Cert is accredited by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to certify food commodities as organic in accordance with the requirements of the Canada Organic Regime.
Contact:
Website
(705) 374-5602
infoebo@pro-cert.org
P.O Box 74, 2311 Elm Tree Road
Cambray, ON K0M 1E0
ProCertOrganic
ProCertOrganic
Québec Vrai is accredited by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to certify food commodities as organic in accordance with the requirements of the Canada Organic Regime.
Contact:
Website
(819) 693-4646
info@quebecvrai.org
4895, boulevard des Forges, bureau 101
Trois-Rivières, QC G8Y 4Z3
TCO Cert is accredited by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to certify food commodities as organic in accordance with the requirements of the Canada Organic Regime.
Contact:
Website
(306) 800-5210
info@tcocert.ca
618 Main Street
Humboldt, SK S0K 2A0
tcocert