A place to grow food, skills, and community.

The Community Gardens at Ignatius Farm are one of the longest-running and largest garden allotment programs in Ontario. What began in the early 1990s as a small cluster of plots near the former Jesuit fields has grown into more than 3.5 acres of community cultivation today. For over three decades, these gardens have welcomed growers of all backgrounds—new Canadians, seasoned gardeners, emerging farmers, young families, and retirees—building a vibrant community connected through food and the land.

The gardens reflect the Jesuit commitment to care for our common home. Before the farm opened to the public, Jesuits and farm staff stewarded these fields for decades, tending vegetables, field crops, and orchards as part of IJC’s working landscape. Opening the land to community gardening was a natural extension of that tradition of shared work and shared abundance. Today, hundreds of gardeners return each season to grow their own produce, learn regenerative practices, and connect with the land in a tangible, hands-on way.

The scale and openness of the Ignatius gardens make them truly unique: few places in the province offer such large, flexible plots on ecologically managed land, supported by on-site compost, irrigation, mentorship, and a thriving community infrastructure. Many gardeners tend the same plots year after year, forming deep relationships with the soil and with one another.

A Shared Community Space

The Community Gardens are more than individual parcels of land—they are a place to build relationships. Gardeners participate in seasonal activities such as:

• Spring set-up days
• Waterline installation
• Pathway and boundary care
• The annual Clean & Glean, a collective fall harvest and site tidy-up

Volunteer opportunities allow individuals to exchange time for a plot, making gardening accessible regardless of financial means. Many gardeners also contribute to the Ignatius Farm newsletter by sharing photos, stories, and recipes, helping weave the diverse experiences of the garden into a shared narrative.

Garden Plot Options

Plots are available in a variety of sizes—from 100 to 1,000 square feet—to suit different levels of experience and ambition. Gardeners can choose from:

• Annual plots for vegetables and flowers
• Perennial plots for long-term crops (currently waitlist only – email farmoutreach@ignatiusguelph.ca for more information)
• Garlic plots for specialty growing
• On-site compost and straw mulch available for purchase

These flexible options allow gardeners to design a growing space that meets their needs, whether they are experimenting with their first crops or managing a near-commercial-sized plot.