Do you want to try farming but don’t have the land available? That’s where the Ignatius Jesuit Centre (IJC) comes in. The centre is home to Ignatius Farm, which offers the public the opportunity to rent land for small-scale farming projects.
If this sparks your interest, consider attending the Ignatius Jesuit Centre’s upcoming small plot farm tour on June 6 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Ignatius Farm, 5420 Highway 6, just north of Guelph.
Hosted in partnership with the Ecological Association of Ontario (EFAO), the tour will introduce participants to Ignatius Farm’s Small Plot Agriculture program, including community gardens, the community orchard, and several small-scale farm enterprises operating on the land.
“The small-plot tour this year will feature three different tenants that we have on site, and then in the afternoon there’s also two workshops from different tenants as well,” said Kel Smith, communications and community manager at Ignatius Farm.
Participants will have the chance to hear directly from the growers about their journey starting at Ignatius. Small-plot tenants have launched a variety of initiatives through renting plots, including culinary and medicinal herb enterprises, permaculture-inspired plantings and agroforestry, seed-saving and biodiversity conservation, and educational and community food programs.
“You get a wide range of people. A lot of the tenants that come here are really early on in their enterprise, so they have an idea, they really enjoy gardening, they kind of want to take it to the next scale, the next step, and scale up a little bit. Often, it’s individuals who are really passionate, so there’s a lot of energy and passion that people bring into their ideas, and then of course, you have to figure out how to make ends meet as well,” said Smith.
This year’s farm tour’s featured growers include Original Native Plants, a nursery cultivating more than 265 species of locally sourced native plants for restoration projects and edible native landscapes; Piccolo Farm Organics, a regenerative quarter-acre farm specializing in culturally significant Italian vegetable varieties and handmade foods; and Marnie Lee McCourty, who is establishing willow plantings for basket and green burial casket weaving rooted in ecological and community care practices.
Participants are invited to stay for a picnic lunch after the tour and attend one of two afternoon workshops from 1-3 p.m.
One of the talks, “Soil Health in the Orchard,” will explore approaches growers can take to help support long-term soil and plant health, focusing on an orchard environment. The talk will be led by Matt Soltys, the Urban Orchardist and Meaghan Mechler.
The second talk, “Building Biodiverse Growing Systems,” will be led by Dani Hagel of Eramosa Herbals and will focus on how to design and grow ecologically rich spaces that combine native perennials, pollinator habitat, medicinal herbs, and productive food systems. Participants will learn how to incorporate these ideas into their own gardens.
“It’s a really good opportunity for people who are interested in farming or people who are doing small-scale farming to experience different setups, different organizations, and learn from each other,” said Smith, adding that one aspect of Ignatius’ Farm that is unique is that all the land is organic.
While the farm is no longer certified organic, they follow organic practices so that their tenants can certify if they would like to.
Besides the upcoming farm tour, Ignatius offers many opportunities for the public to participate in the center’s projects. There is a community garden space available for rent each year, spanning across four acres.
“We have over 220 plots this season that have been rented out, which means it is a very busy community garden,” said Smith.
Many gardeners tend to the same plot year after year. For those with financial constraints, there are also opportunities to volunteer and exchange time for a plot.
“I think you know most people would agree, right now, that small-scale ecological farming is a challenge in our current socioeconomic landscape. It’s hard to make ends meet. It’s hard to find high-quality opportunities for education and training. Land access can be a real challenge, so these are all topics that we like to address when we talk about tendencies at IJC,” said Smith.
Anyone interested in the farm tour can purchase tickets online at efao.ca/events.
