When I lived in Leslieville (circa 2006), I was wandering home from the Leslie Spit one day when I discovered this random area filled with garden plots. There was a gated entrance, padlocked, with a sign reading “Private Property.” They were official city Allotment Gardens, but I didn’t really understand at that time what an allotment garden was.
Then things happened yada yada yada, and I forgot about the cute gardens on Leslie Street.
That was until last April when my friend ME reminded me about them. He had one before, but in B-F-N-W, and was hoping to secure a new one. By this time of the year, however, the only plots still available were at Keele & Finch and on some magical street called Stoffel that I’d never heard of. ME said not to even bother– if you have to haul-ass out to B-F-N-W just to prune some tomato plants, chances are you won’t. Especially when your preferred state is sloth, such is the nature of the ‘bo.
Random Googling led to this article on Torontoist.com featuring the Leslie Street Allotment Gardens, and inspired me to cast aside slothiness in pursuit of more conveniently-located plots for 2011.
HOWEVER, the City of Toronto clearly did not want me to find these plots.
This is because, in my opinion, they can’t handle the pressure. They don’t have the land and plots sufficient enough to sustain the HUNDREDS of people who put their names on waiting lists every year because they have gone out of their way to figure out what the hell is going on with the Allotment Gardens. You really have to want it. Because the information is NOT THERE.
This is what the City’s website has to say:
Allotment gardens are available to individuals to plant vegetables or flowers. Plots are available at various locations across the City. To request a garden plot, be placed on a waiting list, or get further information on rates and availability, call 416-392-8188 and press 8, or visit your local permit office.
That’s it.
You have to basically find personal blogs or interest groups, such as Friends of Dufferin Grove Park, to learn more.
From my research, these are (some of) the available Allotment Gardens in Toronto:
Leslie Spit
High Park
Old Weston Road & St. Clair Avenue
Martin Grove & Rathburn
Jane Street & St. Clair Avenue
Hwy 27 & Dixon Road (the magical Stoffel Drive!)
Brimorton & Markham Road
Lawrence & Kennedy
Keele & Finch
I think there’s a couple more. This site has a more thorough list, but I’m not sure if it’s complete either. Since there’s no official City of Toronto list of their own Allotment Garden locations!!
In fact, some of these locations do not even come up on Google Maps!
I know this firsthand because I just spent two FREEZING hours tonight wandering around Jane & St. Clair (or, more accurately, wandering through many a side-street from Scarlett Road to Runnymede, north of St. Clair) looking for the elusive York Gardens– the Allotment Garden I just placed myself on a waiting list for.
Because another lovely twist to this Quest for Eden is that you first have to get yourself on a waiting list. Because all the plots are full. And every year the current renters renew with the City, and if any plots are not renewed, the City only then turns to the waiting list to fill empty spots.
This is what you have to do to get an Allotment Garden in Toronto:
1. Research the available locations, and find the one closest to where you live, or where you want to spend your time tending to your crops.
2. Find the exact address of the garden, and go there to see what it’s like. (They are all different; the plots in High Park are really close together, whereas the plots on Leslie Street are nicely divided.)
3. On February 1st, call the Permit Office at 416-392-8188 (press 8, then press 1) repeatedly from 8:30am when they open until you get through. Curse and swear at the busy signal you will undoubtedly hear. But keep trying. I called 33 times in 12 mintes before I got through. Then wait on hold for about the same amount of time. (You won’t mind being on hold after listening to that stupid busy signal over and over again.)
4. Cheer when the City worker picks up! Yay!
5. Specify which Allotment Garden you are interested in. Give your name and phone number. Give it again when the City worker says “Yah, I didn’t get any of that.”
6. Wait until April to find out if you actually get a plot. The City will call you either way (or so they say).
7. In the meantime, daydream about your new Gentleman Farmer status, and take out many a gardening book from your local library.
8. If your April phonecall is a Yay, not a Nay, pay for your plot. It will cost $53.50 plus HST. You have to pay again every year.
9. Take out more gardening books. Subscribe to Gardening Life magazine.
10. On May 1st you will gain access to your plot.
11. Hopefully you will have already bought cute gardening boots like these, and visited the Dollarama for some complimentary gloves. You probably should have bought your gardening tools at a proper garden centre.
12. Make sure you find out what foods to plant during which months, and also when to reap what you sow. Your plot access will end on October 15th.
13. Oh, and don’t forget to read plenty of Coco Hobo Recipes for inspiration on how to prepare your harvest! ;o)
I hope this post helps you find your own piece of Eden in the city. Coco Hobo: The Blog will be featuring a new section on Gardening that will showcase my experiences and ME’s too (if we are lucky enough to secure plots come April!).
Until then, I will be taking advantage of the Groupon I purchased in January for two harvest boxes of Fruits & Veg delivered to my door by Green Earth Organics. As you know, I usually get my f&v from Front Door Organics, but as the discount diva that I am, I couldn’t pass up that Groupon deal. (I am also addicted to Groupon and have decided to let it determine the course of my social life from now on.)
Also, when I get back from New York City next week (more on that to come as Coco gets around!), I am looking forward to making roasted carrots with honey, cumin and cinnamon– an idea that came to me the other day when I was snacking on some hummus. I will share the recipe with you, of course, when I get around to preparing it… or maybe I will make a tagine… oh but I’ll need to purchase one first… hmm.
From one of my favourite films, the grossly under-appreciated Reuben, Reuben:
“The problem with you is, you combine pure genius with overwhelming sloth.”
Damn sloth. Maybe that’s why there’s no official City of Toronto Allotment Garden website. Sigh.
In solidarity,
Your friendly neighbourhood (gardening) ‘bo
x