By: Harry Fischer, CAFES Board Member
Gardening used to be simple – find some bare ground, stick a seed in and wait for Mother Nature to do the rest. Well, times have changed and so has gardening in Ottawa, especially with regards to growing on city property. After years of tangled rules and processes, a bit of lobbying by numerous groups including CAFES Ottawa and Wild Pollinator Partners, and a push by some key City Councillors including Marty Carr, the City of Ottawa has finally carried out some overdue and necessary pruning to the Community Garden program. The result is the coming new and improved Community-Led Greening Initiatives and Gardening Program!
All gardeners need tools and supplies, and the city’s new tools include moving the program to a new city department: Recreation, Cultural and Facility Services (RCFS). RCFS is better positioned to support the program, and has hired two new staff (Krissy May and Katie Lester) to detangle the old model of de-centralized departmental responsibility into a one coordinated group that will centralize program applications, permitting and coordination.
This new group includes key representatives from relevant city departments to give us a functional one-stop point for applications to various community-led greening and gardening and greening proposals. This will ensure all proposals go through a common structured review process with one point of contact, complete with an integrated review of physical, environmental, and safety concerns.
Another key component of this revised program will be the city’s internal "Rule of Three" process - that community applicants will receive timely and clear reasons for any delay or rejection to their application, with suggested modifications and alternate steps to get the project back on the proverbial track.
Since the new staff had a lot of prep work to do, including detangling years of backlogged applications, the new program is a bit delayed (lots of bind weed and stuff like that to cut through!) but it’s anticipated that they will start accepting new applications in early 2026. They can be contacted at: communitygardens@ottawa.ca
The city standards will be benchmarked against current best practices, with opportunities for exemptions on a case-by-case basis. A key change is that soil testing costs for approved food garden projects located on city property will be covered by the city, supporting long-term sustainability.
A Public Information session will be held on Tuesday, February 24th, 2026 at 6:30pm at Ben Franklin Place, to inform city residents about the new changes and processes. Just as any good garden surprises the gardener with new shoots and flowers, this garden program still has some surprises to come, including online application management, a city site inventory and further work integrating program objectives with broader city strategies.
Long-term sustainability will be supported through community engagement, resource sharing, and potential policy adjustments such as fixed-term agreements and updated operational standards. Work is ongoing to get invasive plant removal permitted as an eligible program activity, as is coordinating with the "Adopt-a-Park" program on native pollinator gardens, and exploring GIS mapping for community gardens and greening projects to enhance visibility across Ottawa.
The result of this new program should result in an increase of streamlined community initiatives that lead to a greener, more beautiful, resilient city. Now go plant something!
The author, Harry Fischer can be reached at Ottawagarden1957@gmail.com
For more information, check out the latest memo from RCFS on program updates.
On Saturday, October 18th, 2025, CAFES, the Mechanicsville Community Association and MP Yasir Naqvi are planting 50 new native tree saplings at our Mother's Day Woods site at Tunney's Pasture! We are looking for volunteers to help out - all are welcome, no prior planting experience required. Planting equipment and snacks will be provided.
Date: Saturday, October 18th, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Location: Tunney's Pasture, Ottawa - we are meeting in the field between Goldenrod Driveway and Kitchi Zibi Mikan, on the North end of the Tunney's Pasture area. We will have signs put up to direct where to go.
Parking: There is a paid visitor parking lot at the corner of Parkdale Avenue and Goldenrod Driveway, near the Brooke Claxton Building. Alternatively, there is street parking on Emmerson Avenue, and on other nearby streets in the Mechanicsville neighbourhood.
This project is part of CAFES' annual Tree Initiative to increase tree canopy in Ottawa neighbourhoods that need trees the most. Read all about the Tree Give-Away we organized earlier this year on Mother's Day weekend to encourage kids and families to plant trees on private properties in the city. This planting event on October 18th is planned as a follow-up activity to support Ottawa residents to participate in tree stewardship.
Thank you to TD Friends of the Environment for your generosity in making this project possible. Thank you to MP Yasir Naqvi for your continued annual partnership with CAFES on tree planting in Ottawa. Thank you to MPP Catherine McKenney for your support towards this event.
-
-
-
On Saturday, October 18th, the Mechanicsville Community Association in partnership with CAFES volunteers planted over 70 new native tree saplings at our Mother's Day Woods site at Tunney's Pasture! It was a glorious fall day. We were thrilled to share this exciting day with over 30 volunteers. Thank you so much for everyone who came out to help increase Ottawa's urban tree canopy!
This event is part of CAFES' annual tree programming to increase tree canopy in Ottawa neighbourhoods that need it most. Read all about the Give-Away we organized earlier this year on Mother's Day to encourage kids and families to plant trees in backyards.
Thank you to TD Friends of the Environment for your generosity in making this event possible. Thank you to MP Yasir Naqvi for your continued annual partnership with CAFES on tree planting in Ottawa, and to MPP Catherine McKenney for your support towards this event. Thank you to the City of Ottawa CEPGP.
Interested in becoming a tree steward? We are still looking for a few volunteers to return to the Tunney's Pasture planting site periodically to help water the new trees in the spring, summer and fall of 2026 using our on-site water tote. These trees will need weekly waterings next year to ensure their health and survival. If interested, please contact Erica at eshardlow@cafesottawa.ca. A huge thank you to those who have signed up so far.
-
-
Calling on tree-loving volunteers! CAFES will be repotting over 20 trees into larger pots on Wednesday, July 2nd from 5:00 - 7:00 pm at 166 Glebe Avenue, Ottawa. We would love to have a few volunteers come help out if interested.
These trees are intended to be planted in October 2025 as part of our Community Tree Planting Initiative at Tunney's Pasture (see link here for last year's event). We purchased them from Ferguson Nursery this spring in 1-2 gallon pots, and they currently need to be upgraded to larger 4 gallon pots so they can grow throughout the summer. Species include silver maple, cedar, white birch, yellow birch and pine.
This will be a small, casual backyard activity. While we will start repotting at 5:00 pm, you are welcome to drop in anytime until 7:00 pm. Soil, pots, general garden tools, and some extra garden gloves will be available to use. However, if you have your own garden gloves, please bring them along!
If interested in helping out, please email Erica Shardlow at eshardlow@cafesottawa.ca
On Saturday May 10th, the Hintonburg Community Association (HCA) hosted a wonderful spring tree give-away in partnership with CAFES Ottawa and the Hintonburg Community Centre. With one of the lowest canopy cover percentages of Ottawa's urban neighbourhoods, the HCA successfully distributed 80 free tree saplings to residents living directly in the Hintonburg neighbourhood for planting on private property.
The trees given out were entirely native to this region, and came in either 2 gallon pots or bare-root. Planting instructions were given out with each tree to guide recipients on best planting practices. Species included Yellow and Grey Birch, Maple, Pussy Willow, Red and White Oak, Red Osier Dogwood, White Cedar, White Spruce and Pin Cherry.
The HCA is continuing to work with recipients to ensure the trees have the best chance at survival. Please feel free to contact freespringtree@gmail.com is you have any questions, and visit the link here for a great resource on tree care.
Thanks to everyone who participated in this fantastic initiative to grow the neighbourhood's canopy!
