Land Stewardship

Urban Roots London We also have a responsibility as stewards of the land. We do our best to ensure we’re taking care of the land and growing responsibly. Our farming practices are organic and sustainable. We don’t use herbicides, pesticides, or chemicals, especially because our main site is so close to the river. Weed maintenance is done by hand or through solarization when possible. We owe a great deal of the knowledge we use in our practices to Indigenous growing practices. The practices we use around intercropping, cover cropping, crop rotation, and water management all have roots in Indigenous knowledge. 

Our Norland Ave site includes wetlands that have been overtaken by invasive species such as phragmites and buckthorn. In 2022 we began our two-year Environmental Initiative project of restoring the wetlands. We conducted a herbicide-free trail to manage invasive phragmites with tarping in partnership with the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. The tarps will remain for 2 years. This is an ongoing process of invasive species management projects. Early in the summer of 2022 our volunteers and staff worked together to clear invasive garlic mustard from the wetlands! Biodiversity includes animals, and the wetlands are home to turtles, one of whom laid her eggs near our farmgate market in 2022!