Plant Possibility
Plant your seed to Grow@ the Homestead
An appeal to our community.
At The Brown Homestead, our Grow@ the Homestead program connects people to the land, our food, and each other.
We began Grow@ the Homestead to honour the farming history of our rural historic site, first settled in the 1780s, and to meet an increasing need in our community: food insecurity.
Today, many families in Niagara are struggling as food prices continue to rise. Access to fresh, healthy food matters more than ever.
Our goal is to raise $2000 towards Grow@ the Homestead by May 26.
We’re ready to plant possibility. Will you help?
Your donation supports food sustainability in Niagara through three important programs:
Seedling Giveaway Initiative
Fresh produce donations from our Victory Garden
Hands-on workshops, lectures, and Indigenous-led learning
We’re ready to grow, are you?
“The response was overwhelmingly positive. When people came to pick up seedlings, many shared stories about how these plants would be used, to help a neighbour, support their families and in many community gardens.”
Inspiring hands-on learning and sharing Indigenous knowledge
Through meaningful partnerships with Indigenous community members, Grow@ shares traditional knowledge and growing practices, including the Three Sisters Garden, a Haudenosaunee method of companion planting using corn, beans, and squash.
More than 165 people joined our free workshops, lectures, and community events last year, learning practical gardening skills, local agricultural history, and Indigenous growing knowledge.
Your gift ensures these learning opportunities continue.
Help families grow their own food
In 2025, we grew and gave away 426 heirloom vegetable and herb seedlings with community members across Niagara. Supporting our Seedling Giveaway Initiative helps families grow nourishing food at home, save money, protect heirloom varieties and encourage biodiversity.
From our garden to a table in need
Through our Victory Garden, volunteers dedicated over 150 hours to grow and donate over 112 kg (248 lbs) of fresh produce to local food banks helping provide more than 250 healthy meals for families facing food insecurity in 2025. Help us do this again this year.
Together, we can grow a Niagara where more families have access to fresh foods, practical skills, and meaningful community connections.
Your dollar counts.
Why is it called the Victory Garden?
During World War I and World War II, families on the home front grew vegetable gardens to boost food security, support rationing, and improve community morale. Our Victory Garden carries that spirit forward today.
Help us plant this hope in our community.
“I learned how to tell the difference between pollinated, heirloom, hybrid seeds, and the organic category. The most important aspect to know: if we feed the soil and keep it healthy, we feed the plants.”
A gift today ensures Grow@ the Homestead can continue to grow.
Plant possibility with The Brown Homestead.