New for 2025! Demonstrations from local experts
Drop in to the Lions room and watch local experts provide hands on demonstrations and answer any questions you have (demonstrations are 10-15 minutes long, come and go as you please).
10:30-11:15 Growing Hemp (for food & mulch) – Blake Hunter of Good Seed Land
Gardening with hemp for fiber and grain. Join local hemp farmer Blake Hunter as he walks you through the basics of growing hemp in your garden for various purposes. The most simple use can be to get some hemp seeds for eating and some hemp fiber for mulch or animal bedding.
11:45-12:30 All About Composting – Joyce McMenamon of Speedibins
Compost questions? Come learn the no turn, no smell, no rats easy way to make compost at home. Learn why, how, where, when, and what from a Master Composter. We’ll discuss where to set up. How to start it. What to put in. What to leave out. When is it ready to use and how to use the finished product? Can you compost dryer lint? Fish? Tea bags? And what about those aggravating compostable bags? Composting makes use of waste and livens up soil. And it’s easy to do! Come learn the secrets of safely and quickly making rich nutritious compost out of your kitchen and yard waste. Bring your questions for this fun discussion. Feed the soil that feeds the plants that feed us!
1:00-1:45 Seed Saving – Michalina Hunter of Cicada Seeds
Come learn tips and tricks for cleaning your garden seeds! Separating the seed from the chaff (unwanted plant material) helps seeds last longer, become more compact for storage, and reduces pests. We will clean some seeds together using common kitchen items and a fan for winnowing. Bring your seeds and your questions!
1:45-3:00 Film Documentary – In My Backyard
In My Backyard chronicles director Jamie Day Fleck’s personal journey into urban agriculture, converting her entire backyard into a kitchen garden. Using her personal story as a jumping-off point, she branches out to look at the various solutions that backyard gardeners and urban growers have dreamed up and implemented in Toronto.
