A self-Guided TOur Event
September 12, 2026
Our Mission
Our goal is to raise as much as possible to support our food-insecure neighbours when they need it most.
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Our tour of Victoria’s food gardens celebrates the vibrancy and generosity of our local horticultural community. It highlights just how much we can grow in our own backyards, strengthening our resilience in the face of rising grocery prices while nurturing the local ecosystem.
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We hope to inspire, empower, and uplift urban gardeners to grow more edible and medicinal plants, ultimately cultivating abundance for themselves and our growing community.
Our Mission
​Our tour of Victoria’s food gardens celebrates the vibrancy and generosity of our local horticultural community. It highlights just how much we can grow in our own backyards, strengthening our resilience in the face of rising grocery prices while nurturing the local ecosystem.
​
We hope to inspire, empower, and uplift urban gardeners to grow more edible and medicinal plants, ultimately cultivating abundance for themselves and our growing community.
Our goal is to raise $20 000 for our beneficiary the Shelbourne Community Kitchen, who support our food insecure neighbours when they need it most.
You can also donate directly to help us meet our funding goals, donations over $20 will receive a tax receipt.
Start With the Garden of Your Choice!
We'll put out a Garden Guide with the locations of the gardens, and a brief description of what each garden will showcase.
Follow Your Own Route
We aim to cluster the gardens so you have the time to visit as many as you like. We also encourage carpooling and cycling for the longer stretches across the city!
Speak with Garden hosts or Expert Volunteers!
Share our passion for growing food, herbs, and medicine! Talk to us about raising chickens or keeping bees! Ask about composting or rain catchment systems!
The Tour is A Fundraiser!
All proceeds go to a local organization working to ensure food security in our city.
How does it work?
Start With the Garden of Your Choice!
We'll put out a Garden Guide with the locations of the gardens, and a brief description of what each garden will showcase.
Follow Your Own Route
We aim to cluster the gardens so you have the time to visit as many as you like. We also encourage carpooling and cycling for the longer stretches across the city!
Speak with Garden hosts or Expert Volunteers!
Share our passion for growing food, herbs, and medicine! Talk to us about raising chickens or keeping bees! Ask about composting or rain catchment systems!
Our
Story
The Victoria Urban Food Garden Tour was founded in 2015 by Elizabeth Vibert, a history professor at the University of Victoria whose research explores gender and food security in Southern Africa. The Tour was created to build community and raise awareness about food sustainability and security, both locally and globally, demonstrating how small, collective efforts can make a meaningful impact.
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The Tour connected local farmers with organizations serving food-insecure communities in Victoria, increasing access to fresh, locally grown produce for individuals who might not otherwise have it.
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In 2019, the Victoria-based business Any Thyme Gardening took on the primary role of organizing the event, embracing it as a cause closely aligned with their values. Any Thyme designs gardens that prioritize food production for clients while also intentionally supporting local pollinators and wildlife.
Our 2026 Team
This year The Victoria Urban Food-Garden Tour is organized by Rebecca Lang and Kaleigh Valois of Any Thyme Gardening, a local garden design company that highlights growing food in urban gardens with an aesthetic focus.
