Design and Process 

Orca Gardens in Victoria is a community garden affiliated with the Canadian Orca Rescue Society, an environmental education organization that supports the restoration of salmon spawning grounds and other environmental initiatives to help orca survive and thrive in the waters off of Victoria. The Orca Gardens is an initiative organized and stewarded by approximately thirty dedicated volunteers who transformed a former derelict site on public land into a 4,500 square foot community garden to grow food, host garden events, and create a healthier, more biodiverse greenspace. 

The garden features no dig raised beds, strips of pollinator perennial plants, a small orchard and a birdhouse. Wood chips from a local arborist are used for paths and help build fungal pathways.  Lead mulch is applied seasonally.

Community Collaboration

The garden is home to some of Victoria’s only accessibility garden plots with raised beds of different heights for people with accessibility limitations. Produce from the garden is shared with local food banks, and school groups visit the garden to learn about growing fruit and vegetables locally. 

The volunteers from this garden are part of a wider network establishing community gardens across Vancouver Island. 

For more information about the garden, visit the Canadian Orca Rescue Society's website. 

 Photos c/o the Canadian Orca Rescue Society