HomeGrown Gardens
HomeGrown helps families to gain the skills to build, plant and maintain gardens. The garden beds are 3 feet by 8 feet and constructed out of re-claimed wood ends donated by many of the local mills. Each family receives 3 beds in the first year and can receive more each year. Participants start their own seeds to later transplant into their garden or plant both seeds and transplants right into the ground. Many of the seeds and transplants that we use are donated by local seed farmers.
Through-out the season, HomeGrown visits each household to provide encouragement, answer questions and help with garden maintenance. Her goal is to help facilitate concrete gardening skills and concepts. This includes planning, planting, and general maintenance, which includes harvesting, watering, weeding and pruning.
HomeGrown offers workshops that focus on greenhouse seeding, composting, nutrition, seed saving, winter gardening, food storage and more depending on the needs of the community. Including the community in the planning and executing process of building towards food self-sufficiency is most important. The community participates as a whole through Celebration Dinners where we address issues such as food security, workshop selection and community involvement.
Together, HomeGrown creates a fully functioning organic vegetable garden including:
- soil, seeds and plant seedlings
- wooden frames to enclose your garden
- basic garden skills on how to grow a garden
- enthusiastic support and volunteer labour
If constructed and maintained properly, a single garden can supply an entire family with produce for the whole growing season.
HomeGrown's History
The HomeGrown Gardening Project was initiated as a pilot project of LifeCycles in 1997. It was the first time a project like this had been attempted in Greater Victoria and perhaps even in Canada. HomeGrown is based on similar projects in the United States: The Kitchen Garden Project in Olympia and the Home Gardening Project in Portland.
Since its launch, HomeGrown has been in high demand. We had over 75 requests for gardens in our first year. Unfortunately, due to time and funding restrictions, only 15- 20 can be built a year. From 1997 until 2003, HomeGrown was based as a youth-led initiative and built over 250 gardens around Greater Victoria.
Our relationships with various First Nation communities started in 2001 with Tsartlip First Nation's Community Garden. In 2003, five backyard gardens were built. In 2004, ten more gardens were built with five more gardens added each year since. Pauquachin First Nation has had five backyard gardeners, including the daycare garden, participating in the HomeGrown Project since 2004. In 2005, Tseycum First Nation started their community garden. In 2007, both the Victoria Native Friendship Centre and Tsawatainuek First Nation have started community gardens. Gardens are maintained through home visits, workshops, and community events. 2008 started with hiring the Urban HEAL coordiator Carrie Pollard.
HomeGrown's Supporters
Thank you to HG's volunteers! See contact information below for information on volunteering with HomeGrown!
Thank you to the following local businesses and communities: Stellar Seeds, West Coast Seeds, Full Circle Seeds, Integrity Soil, Dig This, Garden Works, The Compost Education Centre, Scia'new Nation, Victoria Native Friendship Centre.
Thank you to our funders: Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative, Heifer International, VIHA Aboriginal Health, Tsartlip First Nation, Pauquachin First Nation, Tseycum First Nation.