Grow@ the Homestead: Garden Programming
May to October 2026
Grow@ The Homestead is a community-based garden program encouraging sustainable gardening practices, hands-on education, an appreciation for Niagara’s rural past and present, and outdoor recreation. All harvests from our on-site garden is donated is to local food bank.
Join our free events, workshops, guest speakers to dig in to your community and enhance your learning of where our food comes from, and why local matters. All are welcome!
Dig in and learn with us in 2026!
All Grow@ garden programming is free to the public thanks to the generosity of United Way Healthy People, Strong Communities
Sign-up for a Grow@ Program
Submit the form below to register. Space is limited, and spots fill up quickly. One form per registrant.
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**WORKSHOP FULL**
Date: Saturday, July 25
Time: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. & 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Facilitator: Marcia Christie
Cost: $5 pickle fee
Participants will learn how to make their own probiotic-rich fermented cucumber pickles. Seasoned fermentation hobbyist Marcia Christie will walk participants through the steps to make their own crunchy sour pickled cucumbers, from selecting the best produce, to washing and preparing, packing the jars, and making the brine. The fermenting process, best practices, and time frames will be discussed in detail. All of this will be summed up in a written guide for the participants to take home.
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**WORKSHOP FULL**
Date: Saturday, August 22
Time: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Facilitator: Carrissa Gracey
Participants are invited to join together in a collaborative meal preparation using the Three Sisters. This year, educator and member of the Mohawk Turtle Clan, Carrissa Gracey will guide participants in preparing a traditional Wild Rice Stuffed Squash recipe.
Explore the significance of the Three Sisters in Haudenosaunee culture and work together in preparing the dish. Everyone will have a chance to enjoy the meal we prepared together at the end of the workshop.
To help us supply this workshop for free, we request guests bring a cutting board and knife if possible. Additionally, we request that you bring a plate and utensils to help us in reducing waste.
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Date: Saturday, August 29
Time: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Facilitator: Linda Crago
Join long-time garden expert Linda Crago to learn about the significance of heirloom varieties and seed saving. Through hands-on learning, participants will gain the basics to save seeds from any at-home garden.
Upcoming Workshops
Rural Niagara Speakers Series
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Date: Thursday, September 3
Time: 7 - 8:30 p.m. (Doors open at 6 p.m. for tours of the Homestead)
Presenter: Deena Errampalli
Dr. Deena Errampalli is a retired Agricultural Scientist, a retired Adjunct Professor at the University of Guelph, and a visual artist. She is also a gardener and a member of two garden clubs in Niagara Region. Gardens have been a major component of artistic expression for centuries, and they have been depicted in art and architecture around the globe. Deena believes that gardens have a place in all our lives; in particular, gardens become a place of comfort during difficult periods. Deena will draw from her experiences in both science and visual arts and will discuss the depiction of gardens in art and architecture.
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Date: Thursday, September 17
Time: 7 - 8:30 p.m. (Doors open at 6 p.m. for tours of the Homestead)
Presenter: Stephanie Bangarth
Historian Stephanie Bangarth offers a lens into the challenging history of the forced farm labour of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War in southern Ontario. The Brown Homestead will open the evening with a brief consideration of the Japanese Canadian farm labour experience in Niagara.
Stephanie Bangarth is a Professor of History and Human Rights at King’s University College at Western University.
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Date: Thursday, October 1
Time: 7 - 8:30 p.m. (Doors open at 6 p.m. for tours of the Homestead)
Presenter: Hugh Fraser
Fan favourite Hugh Fraser returns to the Homestead to get into the nitty gritty of Niagara’s barns and answer all your barn history-related questions! Discover the types of barns historically prevalent to the region, how to date barn structures, how barn building practices have evolved, what was considered when designing a fruit barn compared to a dairy barn, and more!
Hugh Fraser is the author of Swing Beam Barns of Niagara and is currently working on his second volume on the same subject.
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Date: Thursday, October 15
Time: 7 - 8:30 p.m. (Doors open at 6 p.m. for tours of the Homestead)
Moderator: Sara Nixon, The Brown Homestead
Hear directly from farmers in Niagara about how farming in the region has evolved over their years of working the land, current issues facing the agricultural sector, and innovations for the future. Come with your questions, and learn from first-hand experience!
Support Grow@ the Homestead
Our volunteer Garden Keepers grow over 500 heirloom seedlings each year. What we don’t giveaway is then grown in our gardens for the community.
100% of all produce harvested from the Grow@ program is donated to neighbouring food banks.
In the Garden: Digital Resources
In 2023 we started to plant from seed and grow our own seedlings for our garden, as well as for the community.
Check out the educational videos we produced to share what we’ve learned in the process.
Thank you to our generous donors!
The Brown Homestead sincerely thanks JVK for the in-kind donation of pots to support our 3rd annual Seedling Giveaway Initiative!
The Brown Homestead gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the United Way Niagara through Healthy People, Strong Communities with a 3 year commitment towards our GROW @ program.