Spend a day exploring an innovative peri-urban farm that is redefining what farming can look like within city limits. Patchwork Market & Garden is a collaborative market garden owned and operated by three farmers: Winston Gamache, Josephine Junas-Grant, and Braden Stolte. They have built a thriving farm business using creativity, community partnerships, and a low-cost startup approach to overcome barriers to land access. Josephine and Braden are former Young Agrarians apprentices who have made their farming dreams a reality.
In addition to touring the farm, the Young Agrarians Alberta Land Matcher, Dylan Hall we will facilitate a discussion about their new Land Matching Program in Alberta. Whether you’re actively looking for land, have land to share, or simply want to support a more accessible future for agriculture, we invite your to be a part of the conversation.
What you will learn about:
Collaborative farm business models – Learn how three farmers share the work, risks, and rewards of operating a growing farm business while keeping costs low and maximizing efficiency.
Intensive no-till vegetable production – Explore permanent deep-mulch beds, succession planting strategies, cover cropping, seed production, and low-tech growing systems designed to produce abundant harvests with minimal equipment.
Flowers, pollinators, and honey production – Visit the flower u-pick, sunflower patch, bee forage plantings, and beehives that support biodiversity and farm income.
Animal integration and compost systems – See how pigs, chickens, composting systems, and biological cycles are integrated into the farm to build soil fertility and reduce waste.
Circular food systems and waste diversion – Discover how Patchwork collaborates with grocery stores, community organizations, and food security initiatives to redirect food waste, wood chips, and surplus production into productive uses that benefit both the farm and the broader community.
Farming at the edge of the city – Hear firsthand about the opportunities and challenges of farming on leased land in a rapidly developing urban area, including navigating permits, bylaws, and long-term land uncertainty.
Patchwork Market & Garden demonstrates how a small team with limited capital can build a productive and resilient farm using people power, community partnerships, and ecological growing practices. Their model offers valuable lessons for aspiring farmers looking for realistic and accessible ways to get started in agriculture.
A potluck lunch will provide space to connect with fellow farmers, growers, landholders, and food system visionaries. This is a great opportunity to exchange ideas, build relationships, and contribute to an important conversation about the future of land access and farming in Alberta.
To learn more and to register click here.