Growing Together: Laurier’s Northdale Community Garden Cultivates Sustainability and Connection

When you ask a student where Laurier’s community garden resides in Waterloo, many students are surprised to hear that we have one on campus. Nestled behind the Northdale Campus building, you’ll find more than a green space – a growing hub for sustainability, food sovereignty, community engagement, and campus connections. This is the Northdale Community Garden—Wilfrid Laurier University’s 14,000 square foot garden where sustainability, community, and learning come together in full bloom.

Over the past five years, the garden has made improvements and welcomed new community members. Here’s how Laurier is cultivating sustainability and connection this growing season.

Cultivating Community: Laurier’s Northdale Garden Grows More Than Food

On a warm summer morning in Waterloo’s Northdale neighbourhood, you’ll often find students, faculty, and community members tending garden beds and admiring the buzzing bees around a spiral of pollinator-friendly plants. This year, the garden welcomed 26 Laurier-affiliated gardeners who maintain 8x8 or 4x4 plots. The redesign of plot sizes has opened access to even more campus community members. Gardeners receive a welcome package filled with planting guides, garden best practices, and helpful tips to get started—making it a welcoming environment for both seasoned growers and curious beginners.

“The Northdale Garden is about so much more than growing food,” says Dan McGregor, outreach and programs officer. “It’s a space for learning, connecting, and contributing to a more sustainable and inclusive campus environment.”

 A Shared Space for Growth

Launched as a collaborative space, the Northdale Community Garden offers 56 individual plots—32 large (8x8) and 24 smaller (4x4)—to gardeners from both Laurier and the wider community. This year, 26 plots are maintained by Laurier students, staff, and faculty. With the updated plot sizes, even more individuals have been able to access the garden and start growing their own fresh, organic produce.

While the space has changed over the years, we’ve welcomed back Patchwork Community Gardens, KW Urban Harvester, and Young City Growers. All of these groups contribute to the garden’s dynamic and diverse community that utilizes the garden space.

"Northdale garden has given me the space to learn, hands-on, about growing plants, harvest my own food to supplement groceries, and spend time in nature! Being at the garden, I've met many people with different knowledge to share and seen critters and bugs thriving in this naturalized haven hidden within the city. Having a plot here lets me learn, grow, and share in such a unique way."

- Sadie Teeple, Student

Growing Food, Culture, and Connection

Beyond the regular garden plots, the space also features several unique and intentional areas. A vibrant pollinator spiral, with more than 20 native species of wildflowers, grasses, and bushes, supports local biodiversity. The pollinator spiral and garden was facilitated by a mix of Sustainable Hawk Funding and support from the Staff Sustainability Certificate program that has remained a unique piece of the garden space.

One of Northdale’s designated areas is the Indigenous Food Sovereignty and Medicine Garden, overseen by Laurier’s Indigenous Student Centre. This area includes a Three Sisters garden, a ceremonial medicine garden, and strawberry plants—traditional foods and medicines that support both cultural learning and food security for Indigenous students.

This summer, a student employee from the Indigenous Student Centre is helping maintain the space, offering continuity and care that reflect Indigenous stewardship principles.

"The Northdale Garden is a vibrant space where Laurier students, staff, and the broader community can grow their own green space and connect with nature. More than just gardening, it fosters a strong sense of community where people learn from and care for one another. I've not only watched my garden grow here, but I’ve grown alongside it too."

- Arrianna Carello, Student Staff, Indigenous Student Centre

Rooted in Sustainability and Community

Whether it’s the simple joy of harvesting a homegrown tomato, the knowledge shared between gardeners, or the pollinators finding shelter in native plants, Northdale is a place where small actions take root and grow into something larger.

As Laurier continues to advance sustainability and well-being across campus, the Northdale Community Garden stands as a living, growing example of what it means to cultivate community—one plot, one seed, and one connection at a time.

For questions about the Northdale Community Garden, please reach out to Dan Mcgregor, outreach and programs officer, at dmcgregor@wlu.ca