As the summer advances, the sun begins to shine brighter and we head outdoors to relish the beautiful weather. It’s a great time to take walks, and the area around the UBC Farm has a lot of things to appreciate.
Prime growing season is underway at the farm, which is open from Tuesday to Saturday during the hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you just want to see what’s growing, you can walk through the farm using designated pathways and view the crops. If you want to sample the produce, the farm stand is open on site from 4-6 p.m. every Tuesday.
The weekend market is on every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m from June through to November 29, and it includes additional vendors selling baked goods, meats, handcrafted beverages, and ready-toeat meals.
Near the main entrance to the farm, you will find one of the biodiversity planters, which were created in 2024 as part of efforts to promote native pollinators. Experts say those are crucial for biodiversity and a healthier ecosystem.
To see citizen efforts towards sustainability in practice, check out the campus community Greenway gardens between the UBC Farm and Ross Drive. These gardens encourage residents to plant and harvest their own food. If you take a moment to sit on the bench in this area, you will probably see several different kinds of butterflies among the plants. The coned eagle’s nest is right above you, and you may be able to see or hear the eagles.
At the street end of the community garden plots, there is also a pollinator patch which is maintained by volunteers to encourage even more insects.
A total of five community garden sites are located around UBC with over 200 assigned plots. They include Nobel Garden, Rhodo Garden, Greenway North, Greenway South, and Hawthorn Garden.
They are extremely popular and there’s currently a waiting list to get a plot.
If you are curious and want to apply to get your name on the list, visit myuna.ca/gardens and learn more about how to register.
Moving along, if you take the gravel path between the trees and the farm, you will see another of these community garden spots. On the path between the garden and the townhouses, there’s a Little Free Library.
This library has only been open for a couple of months, but it’s already very popular, with a regular turnover of books. Take a book to drop off, or pick up something to read. There are plenty of benches on the nearby path, or you can take the paved path across Ross Drive to Mundell Park.
If you are interested in learning more about the plants and trees in the area, there are a number of educational signs on the greenway path beside the farm in both directions – both towards Nobel Park and north towards West 16th Ave.
ELINA HAILAIJIAO IS A STUDENT AT LORD BYNG SECONDARY SCHOOL.