In just 12 months, we’ve expanded the Giving Garden and planted the Market Garden and Indigenous Medicine Garden. We grew more than 4,500 lbs of produce, established a Community Fridge on campus, and planted 90 different species, 100 pollinator plants and 20 trees, enhancing and activating a quality green space for our community.  

To enrich community members’ connection to nature, we provided over a dozen learning opportunities including coursework for RRU’s Master of Arts in Environmental Education and Communication program and six workshops engaging 200 participants on topics such as introduction to food gardening and ancestral foods. More than 170 volunteer sessions provided over 300 hours of experiential learning opportunities. 

“Connections to community partners, workshops, and the newly expanded Market Garden and Indigenous Medicine Garden have added huge potential for food production, ecosystem health, and community well-being. It has been incredible to be part of this space transformation and to witness people and the more-than-human world interact with the Farm” says Solara Goldwynn, Farm and Food Systems Lead.  

Over the next year, with thanks to TD Bank Group and Vision in Bloom donors’ continued support, we will begin to restore and expand the Polyculture Orchard in the upper field, install irrigation systems in all gardens, and increase community learning and engagement opportunities through workshops, events and weekly volunteer sessions. 

Read the 2023-2024 Farm at RRU Annual Report to learn more about the tremendous impact this greenspace has had on our community this past year.