Curtis Lowe

I’ve walked past that same vacant lot on the corner of Maseko and 12th for years. It was a patch of weeds, a dumping ground for old tires, a place that just felt forgotten. But last spring, a group of us from the neighbourhood decided to change that. We didn’t wait for the city or … Read moreHow to Turn an Empty Lot into a Thriving Community Garden

I still remember the first time I really looked at the empty lot on the corner of 5th and Maple. It wasn’t much to see—hard-packed dirt, broken glass glinting in the sun, a few plastic bags snagged on weeds. Most people walked past without a second glance. I saw a place where neighbours could swap … Read moreHow to Turn a Vacant Lot into a Garden That Feeds the Block

Why That Empty Lot Matters Every neighborhood has one. A patch of dirt behind a chain-link fence, a sun-baked corner where nothing grows but weeds and old wrappers, a forgotten parcel that the city mows twice a year and otherwise ignores. For Patricia Ndlovu, a longtime resident of a tight-knit block, that lot on the … Read moreHow to Turn a Vacant Lot into a Community Garden: Real Steps from the Ground Up

Why Vacant Land Is a Sleeping Giant Every neighborhood has that one lot. Weeds waist-high. A few old tires dumped in the corner. Maybe a mattress. It sits there year after year, doing nothing for anybody. But I’ve watched a patch of hard-packed dirt like that become a place where kids pull carrots from the … Read moreHow to Turn a Forgotten Lot into a Neighborhood Garden That Feeds People

I’ve walked past that weed-choked lot on the corner of Maple and Third for years. It’s a patch of dirt, broken glass, and the occasional discarded mattress. But when I look at it, I see tomatoes, collards, and a place where neighbors might actually stop and talk instead of hurrying past with their heads down. … Read moreHow to Turn a Vacant Lot into a Working Community Garden

Why That Empty Lot Is Worth a Second Look Every neighbourhood has one. A patch of ground where a house burned down twenty years ago and nobody rebuilt. A strip of weeds between a laundromat and a parking lot. A corner that collects fast-food wrappers and broken glass. Most people walk past without seeing it. … Read moreHow to Start a Community Garden on Vacant Land: A Real-World Guide

The first time I watched a community garden get named by a city grant officer, I knew we had a problem. Three women who lived on the block had carved the garden out of a vacant lot. They hauled soil in shopping bags. They negotiated water access with the church next door. They grew callaloo, … Read moreHow to Name Your Community Project Without Letting Outsiders Do It for You

There’s a quiet kind of magic in taking a patch of forgotten land and turning it into a place where neighbours meet, vegetables grow, and kids learn where food actually comes from. I’ve seen it happen in my own neighbourhood, and I want to share exactly how you can do it too. This isn’t about … Read moreHow to Turn a Vacant Lot into a Thriving Community Garden

Walk any neighbourhood long enough and you will spot it. A patch of land nobody bothers with. Weeds chest-high, a few scattered bricks, maybe a faded sign that hasn’t meant anything in years. That land isn’t just empty. It’s waiting. And with a bit of planning, a handful of neighbours, and a willingness to get … Read moreHow to Start a Community Garden on Vacant Land: A Step-by-Step Guide for Neighbourhoods

You know that lot. The one on the corner with the busted fence and weeds so tall they look like they’re staging a rebellion. You’ve walked past it thinking, “Somebody should plant something there.” Well, that somebody is you. I’ve helped start three gardens in spots just like that—places where the soil was questionable, the … Read moreHow to Turn a Vacant Lot into a Community Garden (Without Losing Your Mind)