April 22, 2021

Winnipeg
16° C, Sunny

Full Forecast

Contact Us Subscribe Manage Subscription Chat with us
Log in Create Free Account Help Chat with us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising Contact
    • Submit a News Tip
    • Subscribe to Newsletters

    • Finding your
      information

    • My Account
    • Manage my Subscription
    • Change Password

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate

    • Log Out
    • Log in
    • Create Free Account
    • Help

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate
  • Coronavirus Coverage
  • Replica E-Edition
    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • The Herald
    • The Headliner
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'Wester
    • The Times
  • Above the Fold
  • Front page
  • Arts & Life
    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Book Club
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Business
    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
  • Canada
  • Local
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • World
  • The StarNEW
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Archives
  • Canstar Community News
    • All Canstar Community News
    • The Headliner
    • The Herald
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'wester
    • The Times
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Classifieds
  • Contests
  • Coupons
    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • Sponsored
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Articles
  • Flyers
  • Homes
    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Newsletters
  • Obituaries
  • Puzzles
  • Photostore
  • More

©2021 FP Newspaper Inc.

Close
  • Quick Links

    • Coronavirus Coverage
    • Above the Fold
    • Home
    • Local
    • Canada
    • World
    • Classifieds
    • Special Coverage
    • Flyers
    • Newsletters
    • Obituaries
    • Photostore
    • Archives
    • Contests
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Content
    • Privacy Policy

    Ways to support us

    • Pay it Forward program
    • Subscribe
    • Day Pass
    • Read Now Pay later
  • Replica E-Edition

    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • The Herald
    • The Headliner
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'Wester
    • The Times

    Business

    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
  • Arts & Life

    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Sports

    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • Opinion

    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor

    Media

    • All Media
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos

    Homes

    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Canstar Community News

    • All Canstar Community News
    • The Headliner
    • The Herald
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'wester
    • The Times
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Coupons

    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • About Us

    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
Winnipeg Free Press
Articles Read
Your Balance +tax
Day Pass Till
Day Pass
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising Contact
    • Report an Error
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
    • Staff Biographies
    • Submit a News Tip
    • Subscribe to Newsletters

    • Finding your
      information

    • Log in
    • Create Account
    • Help
    • Chat with us

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate
    • My Account
    • Manage My Subscription
    • Change Password
    • Chat with us

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate

    • Log Out
Log in Create Account Contact Us
Contact Us Manage Subscription
  • Sections
  • Local
  • Arts & Life
    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Diversions
    • Environment
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Health
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Business
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Soccer
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
  • E-Edition
  • Homes
  • Classifieds
    • All Classifieds
    • Announcements
    • Automotive
    • Careers
    • Garage Sales
    • Merchandise
    • Pets
    • Real Estate
    • Rentals
    • Services
  • Sponsored
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Articles
  • Coupons
    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print
    • Ripley's Aquariums
    • The Bay
    • Staples Canada
    • Altitude Sports
    • Nike
    • Tuango
    • Ebay Canada
    • Sport Chek
    • Roots
  • Obituaries
  • Subscribe
Canada

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Vegetable gardens make big comeback

More Canadians are digging up their lawns

By: Shelagh McNally
Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Thursday, Apr. 21, 2011

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Print
  • Email
  • Save to Read Later

This summer, Jesse Payne will be digging up lawns in Ottawa to plant vegetable gardens in place of grass. He doesn't actually own the land -- owners have willingly handed over their property to his company in exchange for veggies.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/4/2011 (3654 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This summer, Jesse Payne will be digging up lawns in Ottawa to plant vegetable gardens in place of grass. He doesn't actually own the land -- owners have willingly handed over their property to his company in exchange for veggies.

"Vegetable Patch is an agri-business that gets people who don't have time to garden to share their backyards. In exchange for the use of their space, homeowners receive baskets of vegetables throughout the growing season," says Payne. "We are starting our fourth year and currently have 12 gardens just outside the downtown region of Ottawa."

Jesse Payne is trying to revive the tradition, one vegetable patch at a time.

Jesse Payne is trying to revive the tradition, one vegetable patch at a time.

Urban agriculture is becoming a popular trend across the country as the vegetable garden makes a serious comeback. It's been almost 70 years since so many Canadians have willingly tilled the earth. During the Second World War, the Canadian government encouraged people to grow their own food so existing stock could be shipped to troops overseas. "Victory Gardens" spread across the country; by 1943 there were more than 200,000 backyard plots.

As we became seduced by easy access to the supermarket, the home garden fell by the wayside. The first gardening revival in the 1980s was all about curb appeal but today's Canadian gardener is after a different kind of victory.

"People are concerned about their health and the price of food. We get most of our food from the States, but what happens to supplies when the soil becomes too weak and the weather unpredictable?" asks Dan Jason, owner of Salt Spring Seeds.

Jason started his small seed company in 1986 and in the last few years has seen tremendous growth, particularly from homeowners digging up their lawns and converting their sheds into greenhouses.

While it's true the backyard garden can lessen gas consumption by creating a no-mile diet, Canadians are supporting urban agriculture for less altruistic reasons. Compare a tomato fresh off the vine to its supermarket cousin and the real motivation is apparent -- flavour.

"People in general are more health conscious, but they also want better-tasting vegetables. Supermarket varieties don't taste as good as locally grown organic," Payne says.

The UN predicts that by 2036, more than 60 per cent of the world will be living in cities. Co-operative urban farms are considered a viable solution to the growing poverty of city dwellers. Gail Vandersteen and Wally Satzewich are pioneers in the urban agriculture movement. For 14 years their company, Wally's Urban Market Garden, has been selling local, city-grown organic produce to Saskatoon residents. Together with U.S.-based farmer Roxanne Christense, they created the SPIN (S-mall P-lot IN-tensive) program to teach people how to become farmers without having the pull up their urban roots.

This garden in Vancouver is one of the few remaining Victory Gardens in Canada. There used to be more than 200,000 of them across the country

THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES

This garden in Vancouver is one of the few remaining Victory Gardens in Canada. There used to be more than 200,000 of them across the country

"I've been surprised with the degree of enthusiastic response, from aspiring farmers to policymakers. SPIN farming focuses on the commercial aspects rather than the idealism, which needs to be coupled with revenue in order for urban farming to grow," Satzewich says.

Condo and apartment dwellers are not being left out of this gardening revolution. New York artists Britta Riley and Rebecca Bray created Windowfarms as part of an interactive art show. Designed to use recycled water bottles and to fit into any window, the vertical, indoor hydroponic garden became so popular that Riley opened up a business creating Windowfarm kits.

Stay informed

The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19.

Subscribe to COVID-19 Briefing
Sign Up

"Food is such an integral part of our lives that we hit home with the idea that you can grow your own food in winter in an apartment," says Riley. "Canadian sales have been so great that we had look for a Canadian distributor."

Where to start if you're interested in becoming an urban farmer? Payne and Jason recommend growing the vegetables you love to eat.

"A lot of people enjoy working in the garden and find it relaxing and meditative. Everyone should know how to grow food," Payne says.

 

-- For Postmedia News

 

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

  • Report Error
  • Submit a Tip
  • Refund

The Winnipeg Free Press invites you to share your opinion on this story in a letter to the editor. A selection of letters to the editor are published daily.

To submit a letter:
• fill out the form on this page, or
• email letters@freepress.mb.ca, or
• mail Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2X 3B6.

Letters must include the writer’s full name, address, and a daytime phone number. Letters are edited for length and clarity.

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Top