Rooftop garden growing and buzzing for 3rd season on Edmonton mall

Rooftop garden at Kingsway Mall in Edmonton on May 23, 2025. (Brandon Lynch/CTV News Edmonton)

A garden perched atop an Edmonton mall is growing once again.

The rooftop garden at Kingsway Mall returned for its third season on Friday, and the shopping centre says the bounty is expected to be bigger with 90 planters up from the 54 planters last year.

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The garden is expected to produce more than 300 pounds of fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs which will be donated to Edmonton’s Food Bank to feed families in need.

“Fresh, accessible food has never been more important to our community,” Bo Tarasenko with Kingsway Mall said in a news release.

“With the growing demand for food support in Edmonton, and the recent loss of key programs that previously supplied fresh produce, supporting food security initiatives is more important than ever.”

“Although a garden like this one feels like a small drop in the bucket, we’re committed to doing what we can, and we hope others will be inspired to grow and give as well,” he added, with numbers indicating Edmonton’s food bank is averaging almost 44,000 people using the hamper program in the first four months of this year.

“Locally grown food not only helps reduce food insecurity, it also contributes to a food sovereign Edmonton,” Tamisan Bencz-Knight with Edmonton’s Food Bank said in a press release.

“Growing a little extra goes a long way in helping put food on the table for those in need while also contributing to a kinder community.”

Kingsway Mall covers the cost of the garden and it will be maintained entirely by mall staff and tenants for the first time.

Rooftop beehives are also back, which were added last year to encourage pollination of the plants.

More information about the rooftop garden and other mall initiatives can be found online.