Hello, from Victoria's boulevard garden co-op
The idea is simple. Property hosts share water and boulevards (grassy area between sidewalk and street). We install raised beds and soil. You join a community garden that grows to meet demand*. Come turn urban grass into farmland with us — no space required!
* Currently only in James Bay. Fairfield coming soon.
Last updated 2026-08-14
Meet your neighbours and learn new skills
With workshops and events throughout the year, Curbside fosters the social fabric that makes gardening worthwhile. Next event in 6 days:
See more events
Thinking long term
We need your help to continue growing in 2027. Here's a snapshot of our history and our goals.
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Fall, 2019
Curbside begins as a UVic club.
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Summer, 2020
Featured on CHEK and Peninsula News after delivering first garden beds.
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November, 2022
Curbside incorporates as a non-profit cooperative.
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December, 2025
Founders quit their jobs to pursue Curbside full-time.
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July, 2026
Curbside reaches 10 active gardeners.
- We are here
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Fall
Wooden, artisanal germination trays sold as a fundraiser for 2027. Request donations from everyone we know.
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Winter
"Deliberation potlucks" established as a regular event type.
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Spring
Prototypes of boulevard furniture and automated watering deployed to gauge interest from community. First AGM of the co-op.
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Summer
Total of 50 garden beds deployed and 15 events held. Pilot plots in Fairfield and Downtown. Begin semi-mechanized production of 1-2 products based on feedback from 2027.
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2028
"Micro-industrial arcade" piloted as a community-owned manufacturing paradigm. Pilot garden plots in Vic West, Quadra Village, and Oaklands.
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2029+
Total membership rivals all other community gardens in the city. Productive capacity sufficient to eliminate dependence on donations and grants. Work with other co-ops to strengthen local cooperative movement and food sovereignty.
Democratic by design
Curbside is a non-profit cooperative, which means members own and govern it. This will help it stay aligned with the needs of the community as it grows over the years.
Shall we save you a spot?
Join 2026 Season 🌱Do you have questions? Concerns? Irrepressible joy? Let us know! You can also stay in the loop with our newsletter.
A question well-stated is a problem half-solved
Our full FAQ page has more answers specifically for homeowners and gardeners.
Unlike regular community gardens, there are no water outlets readily available on the boulevard. In our program, gardeners will share a spigot, and potentially a hose, with the homeowner whose boulevard they're using. We hope this will be an opportunity to enjoy the acquaintance of some of your neighbours.
We make them ourselves out of used pallets! The process involves several steps — from pallet collection and breakdown, to plank processing, to bed assembly — some of which happen in pop-up "shop" spaces and others which are carried out with program participants on "build days". Building beds together makes for a fun activity and using pallet wood results in a unique, rustic look. Learn more.
It depends on the tool and on the particular arrangements between gardeners and homeowners. Small tools like trowels could be carried to the garden site by gardeners. Large tools like spades may be stored by Curbside in a centralized location and made available upon request. Some tools may be stored on homeowner property if both parties are comfortable with that, but this is not a requirement.
Absolutely. You can learn more about this here.
Ahhh, friend... *exhale long, wistful sigh*... a question only those who've lost something would ask. First of all, we grieve with you. Second, our beds have netting built in. You may see photos of circular beds on our site — those are an old design. After our gardens were razed in 2025, we spent several months designing netting fixtures right into the bed itself.
This is an important question and we're in the process of preparing a thorough review of the subject. In the meantime, though, we'll cover our key takeaways here, which we encourage you to supplement with your own research.
There are two primary contamination vectors for boulevards by roadways. First, the soil itself, which may have accumulated contaminants over many years. Curbside is largely shielded from this one since we use raised garden beds with clean soil imported from elsewhere.
Second, the settling of particles on the leaves of food crops (e.g., exhaust particles, tire microplastics, brake dust). This one is not irrelevant but is not likely to pose a significant risk because we're not growing on major thoroughfares in James Bay (growing on Blanshard would be different). Washing leafy crops is still advised, as it is when buying from the grocery store, but overall we haven't found anything to indicate that road contaminants are a serious concern in our situation.
There are other vectors worth being aware of, such as road runoff/splashes of oils/hydrocarbons onto beds and soil (largely mitigated by the 1.5m offset from curbs required by city guidelines) and salt/de-icers (more of a plant health concern than a food safety one), but our overall impression remains that these concerns are minor.
Again, please research to your own satisfaction and we'll publish more on this soon.
