About Urban Agriculture

Urban Agriculture (UA) is defined as growing or producing food in urban spaces.

Urban Agriculture comes in many forms, but the most popular are backyard vegetable gardens, roof and balcony garden spaces, fruit trees and shrubs, edible landscaping, and growing plants in a controlled building environment (hydroponics).

The City of Pickering supports urban agriculture in a variety of ways, including:

  • hosting a weekly Farmers' Market
  • supporting the operation of the Valley Plentiful Community Garden
  • coordinating a 55+ Plot to Plate Community Garden Program
  • enhancing pollinator habitat
  • providing funds for urban agriculture-related projects through the City's Environmental Schools Grant and Community Grant 
  • encouraging developers to support opportunities to grow food
  • supporting Official Plan policies and zoning provisions that encourage community gardens in all land use categories and zones
  • integrating urban agriculture into long-range plans
  • delivering annual workshops to educate residents about growing food

To ensure the City's short-term actions and long-term planning meets the needs of the community, the City has launched a community consultation!

Community Consultation

Survey has now closed. Thank you to those who participated and shared their input!

Your ideas and feedback will help City staff develop educational programs and tools, select workshop topics, and explore new opportunities to support urban agriculture within the community.

Findings will be presented in a Report to Council in early 2024.
Important Documents
  1. Report to Council (Approved) - SUS 05-23
  2. Community Garden Policy

Community Gardens

Valley Plentiful Community Garden is located at the north end of Diana Princess of Wales Park (behind the Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex). The site is coordinated by the Valley Plentiful Community Garden Committee. Plots are rented to Pickering resident applicants on a yearly basis for the purpose of growing produce for personal use. A few plots have also been dedicated to serve the needs of the local food bank and are maintained by volunteers. The site was expanded many years ago to accommodate a total of 107 plots, 11 fruit trees and a beautiful pollinator garden.

Questions about the garden and membership can be emailed to the Valley Plentiful Community Garden Committee at valleyplentiful@gmail.com.

55+ Plot to Plate Program community garden site is located at the George Ashe Library & Community Centre. The four raised beds (twelve plots) are operated as part of Community Services Department ‘55+ Plot to Plate’ program that residents can apply for annually to participate. Two additional ground plots are maintained by volunteers with a portion of the harvested produce being donated to the local food bank.

Valley Plentiful Community Garden