Concordia's Secret Garden

Sometimes, it’s difficult to find a quiet place or green space in which to relax and unwind between classes on Concordia’s Sir George Williams Campus.

That may be because many in the Concordia community have yet to discover one of the university’s hidden gems, the Concordia greenhouse.

“The greenhouse has been a part of Concordia in one way or another since the Hall building was built,” says Jackie Martin, greenhouse Coordinator. “The greenhouse is a part of the original structure. But it has only been in the last three to four years that the focus has shifted towards urban agriculture and community building.”

Located on the 13th floor of the Henry F. Hall Building (1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.), the greenhouse is not only a horticultural space; it’s a public area that welcomes everyone. “Anyone, not only students, is welcome to come to the greenhouse and enjoy being in the warm sunny atrium, help themselves to some homegrown teas and just relax,” says Martin.

Those looking for an extra dose of relaxation are welcome to participate in the greenhouse’s weekly meditation and jam sessions.

The space is home to several projects, including both aquaponics and vermicomposting.

Martin has three new projects in the works, one of which is the Food Justice Reading Group, which meets every second Thursday of the month to discuss readings related to food justice. “This project was really born out of a desire to address and learn more about the reasons why we need to practice urban agriculture,” she says. “I feel like the greenhouse project has been doing a really good job of facilitating practical agricultural skills, but it is important to remember and reflect on why we need to do it in the first place. I would say many people, definitely myself, became interested and later involved, in urban agriculture out of a desire to address and remedy many current environment and social injustices that our current food system is wrapped up in. Urban agriculture is a politically driven movement and I didn't want to lose that connection in the greenhouse.”

Martin is also working on the Four Seasons Growing Project, in which food is grown year-round. “For the past year or so, this project has been producing micro-greens which we sell to Le Frigo Vert, Cafe X, Burritoville and Kafein,” says Martin. “Now with this new expansion, we are starting to grow salad greens as well. The seeds just went in the soil, so it will be a few more weeks before the first harvest. We are now looking to focus more of our projects towards growing food for the local community.”

A third new project is a series of horticulture workshops designed to answer commonly asked questions by greenhouse volunteers on such topics as plants, soil and compost. “For example, the next workshop is on plant anatomy and reproduction, so we will learn all about parts of a plant, pollination, seed and fruit formation and then we will turn around and put this information to use in learning how to save seeds from different types of plants,” says Martin.

The horticulture workshops are scheduled on a bi-weekly basis on opposite Thursdays from the reading group. Each of the greenhouse projects holds weekly volunteer drop-in sessions, when people can work with the plants and projects. “If someone gets really inspired and wants to get more involved, they could do an internship here or use the space for a class project or even propose and start a new project in the greenhouse,” Martin says.

Keep up-to-date on events and projects at the greenhouse by signing up for a newsletter or by liking the Greenhouse Facebook page. 

Weekly Schedule

• Sundays: 12 to 4 p.m. – Four Seasons Sprouts volunteer session
• Mondays: 1 to 3 p.m. – Tea Atrium volunteer session
• Tuesdays: Come see us at Marché Local – Henry F. Hall Building terrace (1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.)
• Wednesdays:
  • 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. – Morning Meditation
  • 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. –  Four Seasons Greens volunteer session
• Thursdays:
  • 5 to 7 p.m. – House Plant Propagations volunteer session
  • 5 to 7 p.m. – Reading Group/Horticulture workshops
• Fridays: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Jam Session in the Atrium – bring your instruments!

Horticulture workshop schedule (all events from 5 to 7 p.m.)

• Gardening is Observation: Thursday, October 4, 2012
• Plant Anatomy and Function: Thursday, October 18, 2012
• Plant Nutrition and Health: Thursday, November 1, 2012
• Compost and Soil: Thursday, November 15, 2012
• Garden Ecology: Thursday, November 29, 2012

Related Links:
•    Concordia Greenhouse blog
•    Concordia Greenhouse
•    "Fun at Concordia's greenhouse" – NOW, January 19, 2011