The Community Gardens Program is cultivating a dynamic community gardening movement across the City. Working in partnership with a wide variety of community groups, the program draws on the collective heritage of gifts from Toronto's distinct cultures. Community gardens benefit everyone by creating safe and healthy recreational activity within our parks system, and on other city-owned lands.

What is a community garden?

They are safe, beautiful outdoor spaces on public or private lands, where neighbors meet to grow and care for vegetables, flowers and native plant species. The gardeners take initiative and responsibility for organizing, maintaining and managing the garden area. This participation builds skills and creates positive community development that is widely accessible to a diverse range of people.

Reasons to start a community garden

Community gardens have been shown to:

• revitalize areas from fearful places into places for community programs and celebration, as community gardens engage sustained community involvement by youth, families, seniors, intergenerational, ethnic and multicultural groups;
• positively influence the decline of vandalism, documented crime, graffiti and negative park use;
• increase park programs and events;
• foster youth employment, volunteer activity, and the restoration of natural areas.

Objectives of the Community Gardens Program

• To identify and develop potential community garden sites throughout the City of Toronto.
• To develop partnerships between Parks and Recreation and community residents, seniors, faith groups, cooperative housing, hospitals, schools, daycare centres, and other community groups, for the establishment of community gardens.
• To nurture a diverse group of users and to develop a self-sustaining community gardens volunteer base.
• To provide horticultural and maintenance training to the various community groups and partners, and to promote quality care of community gardens.
• To provide technical assistance for the groups who participate in the stewardship of our parks and other city-owned lands.