Transform Your Yard to a Food Garden Mentorship Program

The City of Yellowknife (the City) and Northern Roots are excited to announce the second year of the Transform Your Yard to a Food Garden Mentorship Program. During this program, residents will learn vegetable production skills, attain hands-on food growing and harvesting training, and receive ongoing mentorship support to transform their yard into an abundant food garden.

Last year we were happy to see 18 mentees learn how to create a sustainable food garden. While some mentees became market gardeners, others focused on developing their personal gardens, increasing their ability to be self-sufficient.

Building off this success, Transform Your Yard into a Food Garden will offer two different programs in 2024. Both Level 1 and Level 2 will be run by Northern Roots Consulting, an organization with 34 years of experience working with the land, soil, people and plants. This year, the Yellowknives Dene First Nation’s Dechı̨ta Nàowo has joined as a partner in the mentorship program and will continue, in collaboration, to shape the program. Given our northern context, special consideration and respect for the land, as well as Yellowknife’s unique growing conditions and climate will be at the forefront of the teachings.

Level 1 will kick off in February 2024 and span approximately 11 months. This program is geared towards new participants and will include 14 group sessions, along with individual sessions as needed to cater to the specificities of each gardener. Session topics will include how to get started, seed selection, understanding soil and composting, how to plant and care for seedlings, and harvesting and preserving crops. Guest instructors will also share knowledge with participants.

Registration for Level 1 is now open and costs $250. To register, please visit the Northern Roots website. Northern Roots will provide additional information on the schedule and location of these workshops. To be added to the waitlist, email info@northern-roots.ca.

Level 2 is intended for those who participated in 2023. That said, if you are already a market or skilled gardener who did not take the Level 1 series in 2023, please contact Northern Roots to see if you are eligible to register for Level 2.

This program was made possible thanks to the collaborative work between the Government of the Northwest Territories, Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, City of Yellowknife, the Yellowknives Dene First Nation Dechı̨ta Nàowo, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks Agriculture Extension Services.