Toronto is getting a new urban farm
Toronto will soon be getting a brand new half-acre urban farm where locals will be able to grow food and access healthy produce.
Called Flemo Farm, the project will be located in Flemingdon Park. The farm is meant to be community-driven, with emphasis on community engagement and community farmers. There will be tours, workshops, events and a weekly on-site farm market from July to mid-October.
Five community farmers will be given access to approximately 2,400 square feet of prepared garden space, have access to all infrastructure and equipment necessary to manage their plot, participate in workshops and trainings and keep any money they earn from what they grow in their own plot.
The farmers will be chosen by a Steering Community, and applications from people who experience systemic forms of marginalization such as growers who are Black, Indigenous, and people of colour, those living on a fixed income, newcomers, LGBTQ2S+ folks, women, and those with disabilities will be prioritized.
To apply, you must be a resident of Flemingdon Park or a neighbouring area, sell all your harvests within Flemingdon Park or your neighbouring community and be able to fill out the required application in full. Applicants are encouraged to seek assistance filling out the application, and can submit the application in any language.
A Farm Coordinator will manage the farm and programs including the development farm infrastructure and equipment, farm production and sustainability and will coordinate the Community Farmer program, workshops and trainings.
They'll also be responsible for overseeing a communal garden plot set to take up approximately half the site grown with the help of volunteers, which will be harvested and sold through a weekly on-site farm market they'll also be coordinating.
The land needs to be prepared and infrastructure needs to be set up before the farm can begin operating. This includes killing off all existing grass, applying organic amendments, and installing a fence, storage and much, much more.
A cover crop of rye has even already been seeded to protect and improve the soil until they can start planting veggies in spring, and a first crop of 1,800 cloves of garlic that should start budding in May has already been planted. Flemo Farm is set to officially begin growing in 2021.
Flemo Farm
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