City Farm School

Loyola Farm Teaching Site

The Loyola Farm is the main teaching and demonstration site of City Farm School. In this garden we demonstrate a variety of growing styles suitable for urban, sub-urban or peri-urban growers. The garden is divided in to four main areas.

This year we have converted our demonstration gardens into experimental collective plots for the the City Farm School interns. Here the students are given the opportunity to explore new growing techniques, while working collectively on team plots.

The production beds are organized more conventionally in long straight rows of market vegetables. Here we have seen a great success with our fast growing greens, fresh garlic and, of course, an abundance of heirloom tomatoes.

The herbs garden is the oldest plot at Loyola. Originally created in 2010 as the RealiTea garden by members of the Concordia Food Systems Project, this garden boasts many varieties of medicinal and culinary herbs. These herbs are harvested and dried right on site, and can be purchased at Le Frigo Vert or tasted in the Concordia Greenhouse Tea Atrium.

And last but not least are our permaculture inspired plots. Just last year planted an area with fruit bushes and trees taking cues from permaculture, these were planted along side a variety of flowers herbs to help create a dynamic ecosystem that nourishes each plant as well as the whole. Along side this, is our hugel mound – a raised bed plot with a decomposing log at the base. As the log decomposes is provides nutrients and increases the water retention capacity of the soil, making it an ideal garden plot.