A community-rooted network of urban orchards, food forests, and shared growing spaces cultivating abundance for all.
Explore Our SpacesWe hold our growing spaces as shared commons — stewarded collectively and open to everyone, guided by the principle that food-producing land belongs to the community, not individuals.
Every decision we make in the orchard improves soil health, increases biodiversity, and builds resilience over time. Permaculture is not just a technique — it is a commitment to reciprocity with the land.
The fruits of our collective labor are distributed equitably. Surplus harvests are shared with food banks and neighbourhood kitchens, ensuring that abundance reaches those who need it most.
Every site we tend is designed using permaculture principles: observe, then intervene gently, always building toward greater self-sufficiency and ecological richness. We prioritize perennial plants, water harvesting, and soil biology over yield maximization.
Our growing team includes trained permaculture designers, but most of what we know comes from the collective experience of three thousand members across a decade of tending shared land together.
We run regular workshops in composting, pruning, seed saving, and soil care — open to all community members, free of charge.
Read Our StoryFirst Sundays of each month at any of our sites are open to the public — no membership needed. Come, walk the space, meet stewards, and see if the orchard feels like home.
Membership is free and open to all. Register online or at any site. Members receive access to all growing spaces, workshops, seed library, and our seasonal harvest shares.
Some members tend plots weekly. Others come to harvest days twice a year. Some contribute to governance and planning. We welcome every level of engagement without expectation or obligation.
Join a working group — soil health, water management, seed saving, or new site development — to deepen your knowledge and contribute to the collective's long-term vision.
Experienced members can apply to become site stewards — taking on coordination and mentorship responsibilities for a growing site in exchange for access to additional growing resources.
Fourteen neighbors received permission to cultivate a neglected allotment. The first planting day saw forty volunteers show up with tools and seeds.
The Hawthorn Commons Food Forest was designed and planted with 800 perennial plants across seven food-producing layers — a living demonstration of urban permaculture.
Membership crossed a thousand. The Riverside Heritage Orchard — abandoned since the 1980s — was restored to full production through 2,400 volunteer hours.
Our seed library opened with 180 heritage varieties. By the following year it had grown to over 300, all contributed and stewarded by members.
Commons Orchard now stewards 18 sites across the city. Our 2025 harvest exceeded 12,000 kg, with 35% donated to community food networks.
Membership is free and open to all residents, regardless of gardening experience or physical ability. We have accessible paths and adaptable tasks for every level of mobility.
We respond to all enquiries within three working days. If you prefer, you can simply show up to any Open Orchard Day — no registration required.