The Yates Street Community Garden Story

In recent years, the Downtown neighbourhood has undergone tremendous change—transformations that continue today. As this part of the city developed, the last community growing space was lost to new construction. In 2016, local residents came together to organize and advocate for a new community garden to serve those living in and near the urban core.

Partnering with the Victoria Downtown Residents Association enabled the newly formed garden committee to apply for funding and grants. Their efforts coincided with the launch of the City’s “Growing in the City” initiative, which provided crucial support and resources. The Victoria Cool Aid Society also stepped in, generously offering meeting space and their expertise.

The final hurdle was finding a suitable location. With most downtown land privately owned, the search was difficult. After weeks of effort, 1012–1014 Yates Street was secured as the new home of the Yates Street Community Garden.

The committee then evolved into the Yates Street Community Garden Steering Committee. They established garden guidelines, crafted a mission and vision statement, and secured start-up funding from the Victoria Downtown Residents Association, Cool Aid Society, Vancity, and the City of Victoria. This funding made it possible to purchase materials for garden beds, soil, and infrastructure.

The University of Victoria City Studio worked on garden plans as part of their summer course – incorporating community engagement and wonderful recommendations that enriched the vision of the garden. Camosun College Trades built 50 garden boxes in July and August of 2016. By the end of September, the first seeds were sown by community gardeners.

Since then, our garden has substantially grown – including several community and non-profit beds. We’ve cultivated many cherished traditions and yearly events to grow our community roots, including potlucks, workshops, and our annual Blossom Your Pride celebration.

The community that has grown from those first seeds is a beautiful testament to the power of community gardening. If you are interested in joining the community or providing support to the ongoing success of the Yates Street Community Garden, please send us an email!