James Bay Garden Program
James Bay Neighbourhood Association has committed to involve more James Bay residents in food gardening and to identify food gardening opportunities (e.g. propose new sites for gardens). JBNA supports and encourages food growing across the whole community.
The neighbourhood contains many different gardening projects, including two allotment gardens and a community garden on city, several other food-producing gardens on city land, allotments on private land and in public and co-op housing, gardens at schools and other non-city public use site, and food gardening in areas developed under the auspice of the JBNA.
In 2015, the City initiated a “Community Garden Volunteer Coordinator Grant” program. JBNA participates in the program and has contracted services to fill the role of James Bay Garden Advocate. Services provided and projects undertaken include:
- establishing and maintaining, with volunteers, public areas for food production
- planting fruit and nut trees under the Food Tree Stewardship program in Todd Parkette (Montreal at Niagara) and Charles Redfern Park (Quebec St between Montreal and Pendray Sts.).
- in partnership with Discovery Coffee a herb box and plantings on the boulevard adjacent to the store.
- designing, planting and maintaining berry patches on wide boulevard spaces (not directly adjacent to homes).
- coordinating seed/plant swaps.
- promoting gardening through articles in the James Bay Beacon.
For more information contact Kathryn Pankowski, JBNA Garden Advocate
JBNA has partnered with the Montreal Street Community Garden to provide the long-standing garden with an administrative/governance home (see below).
Food gardens
Two community allotment gardens currently exist in James Bay: the Montreal Street Community Garden on Montreal Street between Simcoe and Niagara, and Garden of All Sorts on Niagara, south of the Montreal Street Community Garden.
At the south-east corner of Fisherman’s Wharf Park is a community herb garden, maintained by the City. The herbs are harvested by any member of the public who wishes to use the herbs.
The Montreal Street Community Garden
Began over 40 years ago as residents successfully transformed former industrial lands into two attractive allotment gardens. The gardens found their current home in 1994. The Montreal Street Community Garden has continued to operate as the oldest allotment garden in the City of Victoria
The Garden of All Sorts had its beginnings on Provincial land on Michigan Street. With the creation of Capital Park , the gardeners regrouped as a distinct organization under the umbrella of LifeCycles along Niagara Street, adjacent to McDonald Park.
Collective Garden
There is one community collective garden in James Bay. It is located in Beacon Hill Park north of Goodacre Lake at Arbutus Way. The Rock and Alpine Garden Society garden in Beacon Hill Park is a community garden located in the City of Victoria’s largest public park. Organized in 1967, it continues to be well maintained by the same group in 2010, over 50 years later.
