Discover Vancouver’s Community Gardens

This set of walking/cycling tours introduces eight different “pods”of community gardens. Each tour is under 3 km one-way, and contains between 3 and 6 community gardens. You can download separate tour maps or access a city-wide map.

Combined, the walking tours include most of the gardens in the City. But feel free to visit a garden even if it isn’t in a “pod” or on the map. Vancouver’s community gardens are open 12 months a year, 7 days a week, from dawn to dusk.

Mole Hill, Nelson Park, ONNI, & Davie Village Gardens
Three of these gardens have been developed as part of the 2010 initiative. Here you will see the simply beautiful Mole Hill residential restoration and its laneway of edible plantings. Visit any Saturday from June to October between 10 and 2 and you can experience the West End Farmers Market.  You can buy yummy goods from people who make, bake, or grow the items for sale.

Jacobs Well 1 & 2, Hastings Folk, Cottonwood, & Strathcona Gardens
This tour includes the incredibly diverse Strathcona Garden with over 200 plots, an espaliered apple orchard, vine walks, herb gardens, honey bee colonies, and much more. As you walk through Strathcona (Vancouver’s first neighbourhood), you will make your way to the Jacob’s Well and Hastings Street Folk Gardens that engage residents of the Downtown Eastside in growing their own food.

Tour #3 – Mt. Pleasant East 2.1 kms :: Download

McSpadden, MOBY, Garden of Eatin’, & Trout Lake-Cedar Cottage:
Each of these gardens offer garden plots to their neighbours. In addition, the “Garden of Eatin’” works with school kids to show them the benefit of growing their own food and getting involved in the community. If you go on a Saturday in May through October, between 9 and 2, you can experience the East Vancouver Farmers Market at 15th & Victoria Drive.

Robson Park, Tea Swamp, Elizabeth Rogers, City Hall North Lawn & City Hall Childcare
Vancouver’s Urban Diggers have been instrumental in developing community gardens in Mt. Pleasant, and three of these gardens are an example of the great work they have done to address the needs of this special community. You can also use the opportunity to check out the new garden at City Hall!

Urban Acres, Pine, Cypress, Maple & Kits West
These five gardens actually look like one as each starts where the next one ends. Gardened mostly by people living in the area, the Maple Garden is the city’s oldest community “shared” garden, setting a precedent for the development of more community gardens since that time. After you've done the tour, you can also wander over to Granville Island for more foodie fun!

Arbutus Victory Gardens & World in a Garden
The 42 plots along this strip of land are the last remaining remnants of Vancouver’s original Victory Gardens. One of these, the new World in a Garden is a skill development project of the Jewish Family Service Agency for youth to learn about gardening and community service. Youth of all faiths work together to grow food for the JFSA seniors’ food bank.

Slocan Park Orchard, Windermere High School, Collingwood.
Feeling a bit “peckish” while you walk? Make sure you stroll on by the “Native Berry Trail” on Van Ness between Renfrew and Joyce as you visit these three gardens, two of them are managed by the Collingwood Neighbourhood House Food Security Institute, a powerhouse of community food initiatives.