Mall in Guelph, Ont., grows more than 2K lbs of fresh produce in rooftop garden

Most people wouldn’t think of putting a garden on a parkade, but CTV’s Alexandra Holyk visits an unusual rooftop garden helping people in need.

You won’t find cars on the top level of the Stone Road Mall parkade in Guelph, Ont., at this time of year. Instead, expect to see rows of garden beds and hearty crops.

Since 2021, the Rooftop Garden has produced more than 2,000 pounds of fresh vegetables and donated them to The SEED, a local not-for-profit food distributor.

“We have lettuce, beets, a lot of tomatoes, a lot of potatoes, a little bit of radishes, some spinach and onions,” said mall operations manager Kurt Vosper.

The mall is owned by Primaris REIT, which oversees several enclosed shopping centres across the country.

“[The company is] very big on environmental initiatives and things that we’re doing for our community involvement,” Vosper said. “They had an idea about doing a rooftop garden, so we jumped on it right away.”

Vosper initially launched the project with 10 garden beds and one beehive. Over the years, the garden has grown to include 20 planters made from recycled materials, rainwater collectors, and up to five hives.

The space is maintained by mall staff, including maintenance worker Ron Scott and building operator Corey Swan.

“I’ll usually start with weeding some of the gardens that we have up here,” said Scott. “And then proceed to do some watering.”

“My goal is just to tend it, make it great, and then give it back to the community,” Swan said. “End result, I want to give back to the community.”

Once the vegetables are ready to harvest, they’re taken to The SEED, where they are sorted and distributed to food banks, markets and an online grocery store.

“With food coming from the Rooftop, we’re now able to support more families with produce than we would be able to otherwise,” Tom Armitage, The SEED manager, said.

Since Armitage launched the initiative back in 2015, he said he’s noticed a steady increase in food insecurity year-over-year.

“Wages haven’t increased with inflation, rents have gone through the roof. There’s all sorts of impacts on the ability of people to afford anything, and in particular, food,” he said.

He also emphasized the ongoing need for donations and partnerships with groups like Stone Road Mall’s Rooftop Garden.

“People are often cutting produce out as one of the first things that they’re lacking in their diet,” said Armitage. “They can’t afford it, or they focus more on high-calorie foods using the money they have. Any more produce that we can bring in is always something that we look for.”

While community members can’t plant or harvest their own vegetables on the Rooftop Garden, Vosper said it is open to the public, with many people often coming to observe how the garden is maintained.