Homegrown National Park You may have heard of the Homegrown National Park initiative started by the David Suzuki Foundation. As a park ranger I get to help out with some really cool projects that were started last year. PS 397 The PS 397: Proposed Depaving Project is a thin strip of land bounded on either…

This post is a step by step guide to enabling stewardship for the residential homeowner. We will explore what to look for in the garden, why its important, what to do about it and why we should tell people about it. Top Four Reasons For A new Gardener Ethic 1)      A knowledge based…

I am really excited about our latest design/build project. The most striking thing about the garden is the sheer number of trees in various stages of life/death that have swallowed large chunks of chain link fence (see photos). Also the garden is used by Knuckle Down Farms as a distribution point for a CSA. To…

I am a city kid born and raised. There is a sort of pride in it. Even though I had a wonderful connection with nature growing up, I always felt like I was overstepping my bounds and that nature wasn’t meant for me.   As I grew older I realized that nature is everywhere, the…

  This tree died last year and fell over during the icestorm, but what you can’t see are the 5-6 other saplings of the same species growing around the perimeter of the garden. The key is to observe changes on the property and know what to look for. Walk the property every season. Acer negundo…

10 Reasons We need to rethink Gardening I have been thinking a lot about what it means to be a gardener today. Over the years I have observed many changes in the community where I work: Restrictions on pesticide use in cities. The increased awareness of the public regarding health. Fear among the public regarding new…

Rooftop garden production 2013 brought its challenges and rewards as a growing season. Here at AccessPoint on Danforth, (a Community Health Centre and Hub of community services) the rooftop garden was in its third year under cultivation. With some perennial beds already well-established on our 6,000-square-foot green roof, and a successful Green Access program bringing…

  The other day I was reading about UofT plans to convert their large playing field to synthetic grass. The decision to support this idea or not has been posed by the media as a comparison between the cost of injuries and reduced playing time on the field due to poor site conditions verses the…

  Above is the concept for PARKed. An installation you can see at Canada Blooms from March 15th-24th. This project is a collaboration with Victoria Taylor OALA and Ecoman. I just love working with Victoria, totally fearless when trying something completely different. Take last years Concrete Bloom Bursts installation for example. It was one of…