Vic West Orchard-
Source: City of Victoria, Community Gardens and Orchards
Source: City of Victoria, Community Gardens and Orchards
🌳 What Is a Food Forest?
A food forest (or forest garden) is a multi-tiered, perennial planting system designed to mimic natural woodland ecosystems. It typically includes canopy fruit or nut trees, understory shrubs, edible perennials, groundcovers, vines, and soil-building plants—creating a self-replicating, biodiverse edible landscape.
In Victoria, British Columbia, Vancouver Island, practitioners using permaculture principles have built both public and semi‑private food forests that follow this layered, multifunctional design model.
What Key Motivators Bring People into the Food Forest Movement?
1. Food security and access: Ensuring locally accessible, nutrient‑dense food. As I have mentioned many times before in my somewhat ''pushy" gardening articles, Vancouver Island currently provides only about 6-10% food for Island residents from sources on the Island. We are an island. We are growing quite rapidly. I am not going to get apocalyptic here, but we need to begin growing more of our own food. Long-term perennial food production is the goal with an adequate harvest from trees, shrubs, and herbs that requires minimal annual inputs.
2. Environmental resilience: Building soil health, moisture retention, and drought tolerance. My friends and family on the prairies think of Vancouver Island as part of the "Wet West Coast". While we do get a good deal of our precipitation as rain, not nearly the amount that we have in the past, and not enough to produce food crops that rely on steady seasonal rains. We have had droughts in some parts of the Island over the past several summers. Our non-food forests need to be managed better to prevent the destructive, out-of-control fires that have been licking up our country from sea to shining sea. People in neighborhoods want to learn what to do to feed themselves using the best science, modern and ancient. The goal here is to achieve climate and ecological resilience with soil regeneration, pollinator habitats, and moisture retention.
3. Wildlife & pollinators support: Enhancing biodiversity in urban settings. Victoria is heralded as one of the most beautiful cities in North America. But we frequently fail to recognize the death knell of the chemicals we use to get rid of bugs, fungus, slugs, rats, and whatever creature is also considered a hazard to our beautifully designed flower beds and manicured lawns. Most of us now know of the plight of the honey bee as a pollinator. But did you know that "wild bees"--which include wasps and hornets-- also pollinate? Did you know that birds depend on a fairly hearty insect population as food? Learning how to live in harmony with the diverse wildlife and pollinator populations will ensure a healthier future. Education & cultural engagement are the aim here through workshops on pollinators, pruning, harvesting, native plants, and, in general, understanding the interrelationships of nature and humanity.
4. Social cohesion: Block parties, shared harvests, community events built around common space and interest.
Organizing Process: Step by Step
Local Governance & Community Models in Victoria
1. Banfield Commons, Vic West
Situated in Banfield Park, Banfield Commons began in 2006 through a collaboration between the Vic West Food Security Collective and Lifecycles Project. It transformed underused public land into a vibrant permaculture food forest, featuring fruit trees, berries, culinary and medicinal herbs—all open for public harvest
Voice of Organizers:
Patti, a founding organizer, described the journey:
“I partnered with Lifecycles to do a food forest… There weren’t city policies then. One year post‑proposal, the policy was approved in 2005, and that’s when Banfield Commons came to be.”
In the reddit permaculture community, one local enthusiast praised it:
“The Banfield Commons community food forest is pretty cool. I haven’t volunteered there myself, but I have chatted to a couple of the people running it, and they seemed pretty knowledgeable.” Reddit
Snapshot:
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Land: Public park, maintained by volunteers
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Access: Open for harvest by anyone
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Governance: Community-led, overseen by Vic West Food Security Collective
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Impact: Soil building, pollinator habitat, and public engagement via monthly work parties.
Situated in Banfield Park, Banfield Commons began in 2006 through a collaboration between the Vic West Food Security Collective and Lifecycles Project. It transformed underused public land into a vibrant permaculture food forest, featuring fruit trees, berries, culinary and medicinal herbs—all open for public harvest
Voice of Organizers:
Patti, a founding organizer, described the journey:
“I partnered with Lifecycles to do a food forest… There weren’t city policies then. One year post‑proposal, the policy was approved in 2005, and that’s when Banfield Commons came to be.”
In the reddit permaculture community, one local enthusiast praised it:
“The Banfield Commons community food forest is pretty cool. I haven’t volunteered there myself, but I have chatted to a couple of the people running it, and they seemed pretty knowledgeable.” Reddit
Snapshot:
-
Land: Public park, maintained by volunteers
-
Access: Open for harvest by anyone
-
Governance: Community-led, overseen by Vic West Food Security Collective
-
Impact: Soil building, pollinator habitat, and public engagement via monthly work parties.
2. Spring Ridge Commons & Fernwood Orchard
Canada’s oldest public food forest, Spring Ridge Commons, began in 1999, and over 20,000 visitors have since toured it. Wikipedia. Set on a half‑acre in Fernwood, it features figs, mushrooms, herbs, buckwheat, benches, and woodland-style pathways.
Voices from Volunteers:
Linda Chan, volunteer of six years:“If people are in nature, they appreciate nature and they will actually fight for nature... Something like a garden fosters that” Victoria News.
Sean Newton, volunteer since 2012:
“This is a way to get to know where you live, connect yourself to the soil, connect yourself with the hummingbirds, squirrels.”
Snapshot:
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Land: Publicly accessed urban forest garden
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Access: Open to all; educational tool for schools
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Governance: Volunteer-run, donations-funded; fundraising is key due to maintenance costs
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Impact: Community connection, ecological habitat, hands‑on learning.
3. Fernwood Orchard & Spring Ridge Commons (Fernwood NRG)
- Fernwood’s food spaces reflect creative neighborhood governance and a strong tradition of linking food to community services and events.
- Co‑ordinated by the Fairfield‑Gonzales Community Association, with city grant support.
- Hosts permaculture workshops and harvest permaculture classes (e.g. goumi harvest, fig pruning)
4. Highlands Food Forest (Highlands Community Gardens)
Voices from Leadership:
Libby McMinn, co-chair:
“It’s very much a human food ecosystem with attracting pollinators for trees and annual crops… food foresting helps in adapting to climate change... more moisture retention… bacterial and fungal activity.”
Participation Logistics:
Membership costs $10 for Highlands Parks & Recreation members; requires ~12 volunteer hours/year to access harvest and orchard benefits
5. Secret Garden Street Food Forest (Private-Neighbourhood Initiative)
More from Participants:
“They teach us, they share with us... it’s inspiring… they’ve inspired us… Neighbours have lent us five boulevards to grow vegetables and flowers on.”
**Neal Yonson (volunteer and LifeCycles Project collaborator):
“James really took years of care… to make it a productive place… I’d love to help steward this as a public space… learning how much work… I’m happy to get involved.”
They hope to officialize it via city designation and unlock more grants, ensuring the legacy of this “nucleus of other gardens” for the neighborhood.
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