In partnership with the YWCA's Nourish Project, the City of Peterborough offers allotment gardening on municipal land throughout the City.
Community gardens offer individuals a small plot of land to grow fresh, healthy produce, herbs, flowers, or fruit trees, depending on the location. There are over 40 community gardens in Peterborough City and County, with seven located on on municipal parkland. These locations include:
View a map of additional garden locations supported by the Nourish Project in Peterborough City and County.
Read up on Policy 0023 - Community Gardens
Community gardens operate with a team of volunteers, which includes the individual gardeners and a coordinating team. Everyone who participates in community gardens on municipal property has to follow these guidelines to ensure success:
Gardener responsibilities |
Many individuals in the community wish to participate in community gardens. Those who hold plots must maintain them throughout the season in order to return the following year. Gardeners are expected to:
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Coordinating team responsibilities |
In addition to agreeing to individual gardener responsibilities, members of the coordinating team share the following responsibilities:
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Liability waiver |
The Plot Holder voluntarily assumes any risk of injury, damage or legal action and releases and forever discharges the Operator and The Corporation of the City of Peterborough and their officers, councillors, employees, agents and representatives from and against all liability, actions, claims, losses, costs, and damages which may be brought against the Operator and the City and which the Operator or the City may incur, sustain or pay arising out of or in connection with the Plot Holder’s use of and the Operator’s and/or the City’s provision of or termination of land for Community Gardens and the City’s provision of services, materials or facilities associated with community gardening. The Plot Holder releases and forever discharges the Operator and the City from any claim or demand whatsoever in respect of injury, death, loss or damage to property caused by or arising from the Plot Holder’s use of the Community Garden. The Plot Holder also agrees to hold and save harmless the Operator and the City from any and all causes of action brought by third parties, including other Plot Holders, against the Operator and the City arising out of the Operator’s or the City’s provision of services, materials or facilities associated with the Community Gardens. The relationship between the Plot Holder and the Operator is solely that of licensor and licensee. The Plot Holder is a licensee being granted a license for the non-fulltime use and occupation of city-owned land subject to the terms and conditions of this agreement. The Plot Holder, in consideration of being granted permission to use and occupy a Plot within the Community Garden, for the purpose of engaging only in permitted forms of community gardening, forever releases and waives any argument or claim the Plot Holder may have or may wish to make that a relationship of Landlord and Tenant exists between the Plot Holder and the Operator or between the Plot Holder and the City. The Plot Holder acknowledges and agrees that nothing contained herein, and no action taken by the City, the Operator or the Plot Holder shall confer on or vest in the Plot Holder any title or interest of any kind including an ownership interest, or estate in City-owned lands and the Plot Holder specifically releases and waives any argument or claim the Plot Holder may have or may wish to make that the Plot Holder has any interest of any kind including any ownership interest, or estate in the City-owned land being used as a Community Garden. |
If you would like to join the waitlist to access a plot in a community garden, please contact Nourish:
Community gardens require volunteer support and donations. Land may be provided by the municipality or a private owner. However, all items such as garden sheds, hoses, wood for boxes, etc. is supplied by the gardeners or donated. If you would like to start a new garden, you will need to gather the following information, and complete an application by clicking on the link below:
Requests are due by February 17 annually for gardens to begin that season.
If a community group would like to start a new community garden on municipal land, the application will be reviewed by Nourish staff, and shared with the City of Peterborough. Departments including Planning, Engineering, Legal, Building, Transportation, Risk Management, Public Works, and Community Services will review the application and consider if the location is viable. Some examples include if the site has heritage value, the impact on public works operations such as snow removal, and site safety is taken into consideration.
Once City staff have reviewed the location, a report is presented to the Arena Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee recommending to accept or deny the application based on the findings of the City departments.