Some Ottawans turning to urban farming to make ends meet

As food prices continue to climb, more people are turning their love for gardening into a way to save money.

Cole Etherington was not always a green thumb. In fact, he said his first year of gardening was horrible: his crops didn't grow, the soil wasn't right and everything that could go wrong, did.

"It just absolutely sucked," he said.

Yet that failure pushed him to evaluate where he went wrong and how he could improve. The following year when the snow melted, Etherington began again at his home south of Ottawa.

He said the game-changer was when he started using his chickens' manure as fertilizer. Since then, his budding garden has produced fresh vegetables including squash, tomatoes, cucumbers and an array of herbs.

He wants people to know growing their own food can also help reduce their carbon footprint.

"Even just one tomato plant in a pot of flowers on your balcony is part of the fight against climate change," he said.

"My hope is to empower people to embrace gardening by giving them food access, food security, but also showing that they can help make a difference."

Meanwhile, Shabana Buwalda, who lives in a townhouse in Ottawa, has converted her backyard into a mini farm with several garden beds.

Her family of four has spent nearly six years growing much of their own produce, including carrots, beans, kale and beets. They then preserve whatever they can to last through the winter season.

"I would encourage people to start really small, just to get curious," she said. "And with each passing season, you'll start to realize how little we need to rely on grocery stores."

Making the most of tight spaces

Even those who live in apartments are finding innovative ways to keep the greens growing.

Deborah Smeltzer had to downsize and adapt her gardening hobby after she moved out of her house two years ago.

"I had a huge garden. Every space in my yard was some kind of garden, and so I built a lot of knowledge through doing that — and then life changed," she said.

Since moving into a one-bedroom apartment, she has experimented with ways to grow food in a minimized space.

In the warmer months she started growing produce on her balcony, but an ongoing feud with pigeons forced her indoors.

She has now built a plywood shelf atop the heater by her windows to make room for an ever-growing collection of avocado and lemon trees.

My hope is to empower people to embrace gardening by giving them food access, food security, but also showing that they can help make a difference.​​​​​​- Cole Etherington, Ottawa urban farmer

As for Etherington, he also hopes to pass along more than a love of gardening — a message of inclusiveness.

When he first started a small business putting together starter kits for people who are interested in gardening, he was hesitant about telling the world that he is a trans farmer, fearing backlash from a community that he didn't think he fit into.

But he has received messages of support from others who also didn't think they'd see anyone like themselves in agriculture.

"I thought it was important to be that person, and getting messages from people saying they appreciate it just means the world to me," he said.

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta-Canadian Press News Fellowship, which is not involved in the editorial process.