Town seeks non-profit to run Fort Erie’s first community garden

Fort Erie is getting its hands dirty with an all-new community garden set beside the Fort Erie Railway Museum and Central Fire Station, and the town is looking for people with a green thumb to lend a hand.

Applications are now open for a non-profit or other eligible group to run the garden’s daily operations during the 2026 growing season starting this May. The deadline to apply is March 27.

The project would install a volunteer-run garden on town land at 400 Central Avenue as Fort Erie looks for ways to support low-cost food access and local climate goals through the new community-led program.

The garden will include raised beds and fencing, with water hookup and a washroom nearby. The site also has available parking and access from a transit route.

Eligible applicants include non-profits, service clubs, registered charities and incorporated volunteer organizations that will become the town’s official partner and take charge of day-to-day garden operations.

That work would include planting, watering, maintenance and harvest through a volunteer network. The organization would also need to keep records on volunteer activity, garden operations and harvest for town review.

Town staff plan to provide the land, site preparation and essential garden infrastructure including soil, seedlings, plants and basic tools such as gloves, hand tools, wheelbarrows, watering cans, compost bins, sunscreen and first-aid kits.

The application is asking groups what they want to grow, where the harvest would go and how they would engage the public. The successful organization would then sign a community garden agreement before staff prepare the site for the 2026 season.

Under the town’s policy, the first agreement would run for two years, with an inspection and review after the first year. The town can inspect the site every six to eight weeks during the growing season, as well as before the season starts and after it ends.

The policy bars commercial cultivation for sale, cannabis and illegal substances, along with animals or livestock on town-owned garden sites. Volunteer organizations would carry responsibility for garden operations and for restoring the site if the project ends.

The town’s project timeline sets March for applications, partner selection and sponsor recruitment. Construction and site preparation are scheduled for April, with the growing season set for May through September and harvest and seasonal cleanup planned for October.

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