The Stop's Green Barn

Our greenhouse and sheltered garden provide year-round growing space and an inspired environment for the community to learn and share agricultural knowledge, grow culturally diverse foods and support community food access.

The Greenhouse works throughout the late winter to produce thousands of seedlings for community gardens across the city. The rest of the year is spent producing food and our Microgreens social enterprise program. Half of the harvest goes directly home with community members, and the rest is used in Stop programs, such as our Community Meal Program and Food Bank.

• Contact Hilda Nouri, Urban Agriculture Manager at hilda@thestop.org or Chelsea Atkins-Macchione, Urban Agriculture Coordinator at chelsea@thestop.org

The Stop’s Earlscourt Community Garden is a bright oasis nestled here in the city. Together with members of community we participate in all aspects of gardening, from design, setup, planting and harvesting, through to maintenance and winter closure. What we harvest is split between the community volunteers and our various programs within the Stop.

But Earlscourt Garden is more than just growing nutritious food — it offers a break from the daily city grind and grows our community too. One of our volunteers notes, “Coming here each week is part of my medicine. To be in the nature, to put my hands in the soil, this I know is keeping me healthy”

Last year:
– We planted over 600 seedlings and countless seeds.
– Through the summer we hosted 10 expert-led workshops and countless skill-shares on different aspects of gardening.
– We hosted up to 5 sessions per week through the summer with as many as 15 community members per session.

We partner with the Sagatay program from Na-Me-Res (Native Men’s Residence) to animate the garden at Hillcrest Park, which includes the Mashkikii;aki’ing (Medicine Earth) Medicine Wheel Garden.

This partnership provides the men of the Apaenmowineen (Having Confidence in Oneself) program the opportunity to share teachings and learn more about plant medicine, gardening, and healthy living.

• Contact Jamal La Mont, Interim Garden Coordinator at jamal@thestop.org or Hilda Houri, Urban Agriculture Manager at hilda@thestop.org. 

Featuring local, sustainable, and organic products and great music, The Stop’s Farmers’ Market has become a neighbourhood meeting place, attracting more than 2,000 people each week and providing an important source of income for emerging and local farmers, culturally diverse food vendors and The Barns’ artists.

Saturdays, 8am to 1pm, year-round.

Contact Kyla Schwarz-Lam, Farmers’ Market Manager at farmersmarket@thestop.org.