Sustainable Simcoe North

Let’s Get Growin’ in Orillia and Area Community Gardens! 

 by Madeleine Fournier of Green Orillia

Cost of living crisis. Inflated grocery store prices. Farmland being rapidly gobbled up and turned into subdivisions. What could a truly localized food system look like? It requires a total overhaul of the current system, which begins with shifting private, for-profit activities to public, abundant, and accessible ones. After all, food is a basic need, necessary for all human survival. 

There are some exciting growing initiatives that have sprouted up in the Orillia area within the past year, and while they may not be the complete food revolution we need, they are small steps towards a more localized and vibrant system. Let’s break them down. (Psstt – we have created a Food & Gardening Initiatives map where you can see all of these and more!) 

First, seed libraries! Three new seed libraries have been started this past year: The Severn Township Seed Library, the Orillia Secondary School Seed Library, and the Rooted in Ramara Seed Library. These are on top of the two pre-existing seed libraries which have been around for a while: The Orillia Public Library Seed Library, and the Lakehead University Seed Library. Seed libraries are open to all residents at no cost. Borrow a pack of seeds, grow them, and then save seeds from the plant and bring some back to the library! 

Next up, two new City-funded and operated community gardens. The City of Orillia already manages two community gardens: The High Street Park Community Gardens, and Lakehead University Community Gardens. In early 2023, due to interest from local residents, Orillia City Council directed city staff to explore the feasibility of and conduct community outreach about the creation of two new community gardens: one in Hillcrest Park and one in York Street Park. 

Based on this success, (Surveys indicated that 86% of the respondents are supportive at Hillcrest Park and 84% of the respondents are supportive at York Street Park), the capital projects were approved in the City’s 2024 budget and construction will begin this year! I would like to note that a common theme for municipally-run gardens is ‘allotment style’ (essentially – individual plots that folks rent out for their own personal use). While these certainly serve some functions, the notion of an individualized private plot seems to directly contradict the idea of a ‘community garden’ and I would generally like to call for a larger focus on the gardens that are tended to by a community, and open to all. 

There are also a number of school gardens either being planned, or already underway! One shining example is the school garden at Notre Dame Catholic School which can be seen from Highway 12. At the end of February, students began by planting seedlings in their classrooms, and thanks to a ton of community and faculty support, an outdoor garden with raised beds was created and is available to anyone in the community who would like to drop by and enjoy the garden space and/or take the produce as it matures. The school even hosted a Lakehead University BEd placement student, who was able to complete an ‘alternative placement’ at the school and was a catalyst for the work the students have done with the garden. 

Another inspiring example is the Lakehead University ‘Farm Lab’ project. This fallow 45×45 Research Garden that once hosted an industrial partnership with PolyEthics and a research test plot of biodegradable agricultural mulches was transformed this past year into a multifunctional, accessible, welcoming, productive, low maintenance and biodiverse agricultural ecosystem.

Raised beds were shaped, 730 kg of compost from Orillia’s Waste Diversion Site was picked up and unloaded, a delivery of wood chips for the pathways was received, a hose to the dining hall building was hooked up to fill the water tank, beds were planted, and a small hoop house was even constructed! The garden flourished this season and saw pounds and pounds of produce harvested and shared among volunteers, students and faculty, and donated to both The Sharing Place and the Lakehead Food Pantry on campus.

I was very fortunate to be a part of the activities in the garden this past year and look forward to seeing its growth. Plans for 2024 and beyond entail offering curriculum linked science education programs delivered through an ‘agroecological Farm Lab’ for Kindergarten-Grade 12 classes in our region – through field trips and school visits, and hands-on science education. 

We have heard rumours about a number of other school gardens in the works and look forward to hearing and sharing more as they progress: Harriett Todd, Georgian College, Twin Lakes Secondary School, and Orillia Secondary School. We hope to eventually see a garden at every school! 

Also worth noting is that the City of Orillia has a Food Access and Sustainability Working Group (currently recruiting new members!) whose mandate is to create a long-term local food strategy for the community. There is also the Simcoe County Food Council: “a community-based network committed to enhancing community food security and reducing household food insecurity in Simcoe County,” made up of community members, food producers, local businesses and organizations. 

I saw a beautiful quote online recently that stuck with me: “Gardening is not just about growing plants; it’s about growing communities, fostering community-sufficiency, and nourishing the spirit of resilience through localized food production.”

Let’s get growing, friends. 

Green Orillia is a volunteer-run community group focused on climate action, social justice, advocacy, education, democracy, and community resilience in Orillia and area. Follow Green Orillia on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, join the Facebook Discussion Group, sign up for the e-newsletter, or check out the website. Get in touch at greenorillia@gmail.com