Toronto students turn school grounds into thriving urban farm, workshop and event space
Buried logs help transport water and nutrients to the “three sisters” of corn, beans and squash in a replica of a thousands-year-old practice of local Indigenous Peoples.
By Morgan Sharp
National Observer
January 19th 2023
Excerpt:
THE FARM — Kunanec acknowledges that some people may see the school’s farm as more of a garden, but he says urban farming requires a smaller footprint in order to work where space is at a premium. The farm has produced quite a few harvests now, but its most recent addition of covers for two rows of raised beds has extended the growing season by about six weeks on either side of summer.
OUTDOOR KITCHEN — At the far end of the micro-farm, an outdoor kitchen and hosting space is under development. Already equipped with a wood-fired oven, the space will feature cupboards and other design features installed by tech design students and host events put on by those studying hospitality.
GREENHOUSE — Herbs from the greenhouse, situated next to the main shop classroom, are also used by hospitality students, while Kunanec and his green industries students use selective seed harvesting to improve next season’s output. They are expecting to produce at least half of the 5,000 seedlings they’ll need for the farm’s next growing season themselves. Meanwhile, a small outside space next to the greenhouse rotates crops of potato, corn, gourds or combined crops of companion plants, while a citrus grove next to it on the inside provides lemons, lime, grapefruit and oranges.
