Mission Statement

The Bells Corners Community Garden (BCCG) is dedicated to fostering food security, sustainability, and community engagement through urban gardening. We grow fresh, nutritious vegetables to support local food banks and ultimately neighbours who need access to healthy food.

By cultivating a shared space for learning, collaboration, and environmental stewardship, we empower our community to connect, grow, and give back.

A sweet collaboration!

The Maple Hill Urban Farm is located in Ottawa’s Greenbelt, and it’s managed by farmer Don Trott, who fundamentally believes the world need more farmers. The farm is an ideal environment of sustainable food production. Farmer Trott is committed to teaching and sharing the benefits of growing food naturally, and collaborating with others in the community who have a similar approach to gardening and giving back.
With the kind support of Farmer Trott, team BCCG joined the allotment garden community at the Maple Hill Urban Farm in 2024. He cleared a generous plot of land that we used to grow fresh produce. The vegetables were donated to the FAMSAC Food Cupboard, strengthening our BCCG goal to support food insecure families.

It takes a village

The plot of land at the Maple Hill Allotment Garden is a much bigger undertaking than the other two BCCG locations—our front-yard garden and the OLP Catholic School Garden. As a result, the set up took a village of generous community members who gave their time and tremendous energy to establish a thriving BCCG Allotment Garden.

Shovel, sow, grow!

The BCCG Allotment Garden provided farming lessons and laughter for everyone who volunteered to set up this new space that was rooted in community. With so many new things to learn, the growing season offered refreshing insights on farm-grown goodness. From using cardboard for composting, to adding leaf mulch for improving soil fertility, our BCCG team discovered a farm community in full bloom!

Life at the farm!

Plotting for Success

We made a planting plan since successful gardening is all about location, rotation, and a little negotiation—because even carrots and onions have opinions on personal space!
Soil, sweat and smiles

Good soil is like a great foundation for a house; without it, the plants might as well pack their roots and leave. So, we did sweat a little over the soil in the beginning, and smiled later when we reaped the results.
One seedling at a time

Every seedling is a little green gamble. Will the seed make it, or not? Well, with the right care and a lot of patience, our team grew a bundle of plants that produced some yummy vegetables.
Cardboard and compost

Psst! What’s the secret to rich soil? Turns out, cardboard can play a big role in composting. It’s a secret ingredient to establishing fertile soil that bears the best fruits.
Cute or creepy crawlies?

Friend or foe, that was the key question as we encountered many insects, pollinators, and worms who sometimes hindered, but mostly helped, our garden to grow.
Seeds of a strong community

When volunteers planted this allotment garden inspired by purpose, they were not just growing vegetables—they were cultivating hope, one tomato, zucchini, carrot, cabbage, or radish at a time!
From dirt to delicious

Nothing makes food taste better than knowing we grew it ourself—seasoned with patience, sunshine, and maybe a little shouting as the weeds, weather and pests tried to derail our gardening goals.
Volunteers, veggies and vision

A big vision, and a team of determined volunteers proved that the best way to tackle food insecurity isn’t with talk, but with trowels, teamwork, and a truckload of fresh veggies.
Harvest hustle!

The harvest hustle isn’t just about gathering food; it’s about planting seeds of generosity that grow into community care. It’s about the bumper crop on its way to the food bank, ready to make a difference.