May 2019 Newsletter


Just Food News and Events


1. May 6 |Just Food is Hiring Students for the Summer!

2. May 7 | Last Day to Purchase your Rain Barrel and Garden Irrigation Accessories from the Just Food Fundraiser!

3. May 14 | How to Start a Community Garden Workshop

4. May 28 | Free Container Gardening Workshop & Seed Library 

5. May 24 – 30 | The Biggest Little Farm at the Bytown!

6. May 29 | Introduction to keeping bees in Ottawa – $15


Other Community News and Events

7. May 13 | Mark Cullen is Speaking at Canadensis’ Annual General Meeting (AGM)

8. June 30 | Deadline to Apply for Ryerson’s Urban Agriculture Policy Course

9. Check out some amazing food initiatives on FLEdGE’s Youtube Channel



Just Food News and Events 

1. Just Food is Hiring Students this Summer!

This summer we are looking for students to fill the roles of Assistant Program Coordinator and Assistant Community Farm Coordinator at the Just Food Farm! Click here to view the job postings and learn more.

2. May 7 |  Last Day to Purchase your Rain Barrel and Garden Irrigation Accessories from the Just Food Fundraiser!

Support Just Food by purchasing your rain barrel and/or tote from us this year for your food growing needs.

Here’s how you can easily obtain your rain barrel:

  • Step 1: visit our website to pre-order your rain barrel – payment options include credit, debit, or cash-payment on pickup
  • Step 2: place your order and choose a payment method – the deadline to order is May 6
  • Step 3: attend the Just Food rain barrel pick-up event on May 12, located at the Just Food Farm, 2391 Pépin Court, Gloucester
    *If you cannot pick up on May 12, alternate arrangements after this date can be made! 

We look forward to helping you conserve water and save money this coming season.

Click here for more information, or if you have any questions, email communitygardening@justfood.ca.  

3. May 14 | How to Start a Community Garden Workshop

When: Tuesday, May 14, 2019 from 6:30pm-8:30pm

Where: Just Food Farm in the Big Red Barn | 2391 Pépin Court

Note: This course is mandatory for anyone seeking funds from the CGDF

  • Learn about what you need to know in search of land, planning, building, and community building
  • Understand what supports are accessible through the Community Gardening Network
  • Learn how to access funds through the Community Garden Development Fund (CGDF)

Email communitygardening@justfood.ca to RSVP. 

4. May 28 | Container Gardening Workshop & Seed Library Pop-up – free!

Curious about container gardening? Join us and CCOC at this free event!

This event has two aspects: a workshop on container gardening and an Ottawa Seed Library pop-up!

Learn the basics of gardening, access some free seeds to try your hand at seed saving – don’t worry, we will have another workshop at the end of the summer on seed saving! 

Register today!

5. May 24 – 30 | The Biggest Little Farm at the Bytowne

Just Food is partnering to promote The Biggest Little Farm from May 24 – 30 at the Bytowne Cinema! 

This is a visually stunning film and we hope you prioritize to see it on the big screen!  This shows one family as they start up on their farm. For information on start-up farm supports in the Ottawa region, email phil@justfood.ca.

Click here to view the trailer.

6. May 29 | Introduction to keeping bees in Ottawa – $15

When: Wednesday, May 29 from 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Where: 2391 Pépin Court in the Big Red Barn 
Cost: $15 (inclusive of HST) cash at the door / pay-what-you-can 

Learn the basics of what you need to know for keeping bees in Ottawa with Just Food and Ron St. Louis from Capital Bees. This includes gaining a better understanding of the policy environment and what changes are afoot, how to get started and next steps for learning! 

Register today | RSVP communitygardening@justfood.ca


Other Community News and Events

7. May 13 | Mark Cullen is Speaking at Canadensis’ Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Mark Cullen will be guest speaking at the Canadensis AGM. He will speak about his new book ‘Escape to Reality: How the World is Changing Gardening and Gardening is Changing the World.”

When: May 13, 2019 – AGM starts at 6:30pm, Mark will speak at 8:00pm (free of charge)
Where: Neatby Building, Salon A, 960 Carling Ave, Parking is free

8. June 30 | Deadline to Apply for Ryerson’s Urban Agriculture Policy Course This course looks at participatory policy formulation processes leading to sustainable development and institutionalisation of urban agriculture. It also highlights tools and methodologies for analysing stakeholders, farming systems, land uses, and regulatory frameworks. Next steps involve strategic planning, followed by the formulation of action projects and policies and their implementation (considering contrasting disciplinary perspectives), and finally, monitoring and evaluation. The course uses a wide array of case studies from cities around the world. Duration: 39 hours  Click here for more information about the course. 

9. Check out some amazing food initiatives on FLEdGE’s Youtube Channel

The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems Youtube Channel has a new video series called “The Social Economy of Food.”

This video series emphasizes  environmental, social, and economic value simultaneously throughout our food systems across the country. Take 3 minutes to watch some of these amazing examples of Indigenous groups, farmers, organizations, and businesses across Canada that are making strides to improve our food systems throughout various stages.

One notable highlight is a video on our awesome local partner, Hidden Harvest Ottawa – a volunteer-based initiative that harvests food from nuts and fruit trees across the city, and donates a portion to the nearest food banks. 



Start-up Farm Program

Just Food established the Start-Up Farm Program to support new farmers in the Ottawa region. By offering access to land, shared infrastructure/equipment, and training, the program aims to enable more people in this region to start their own successful farm business.

> Read More about Just Food’s Start-up Farm program