Community Gardens
Community gardens are beautiful and beneficial for your community and surrounding wildlife! Create a native wildflower garden, edible garden, rain garden, or wildlife-friendly pollinator garden to create habitat, promote biodiversity, and protect and beautify the land.
- Blog Posts (Community Gardens) by Watersheds Canada
- Community Gardening 101 by FoodShare
- Community Garden Toolkit by Housing Services Corporation
- Edible Community Garden Guide by Greening Sacred Spaces and Faith & the Common Good
- Edible Community Garden Guide: Tips for Gardening at your Faith Community presentation by Greening Sacred Spaces and Faith & the Common Good
- The Edible Garden Video by Greening Sacred Spaces
- Edibles Vegetables, Fruits, Herbs, and Edible Wild – Garden Plants by Canadian Wildlife Federation
- Gardening Creation: A Community Garden Toolkit by Bishop’s Committee on Creation Care
- Gardens Built by Love: Faith-Based Community Gardens by Karla Winham retrieved from Faith & the Common Good
- Native Plant Garden Guide: Tips for Native Plant Gardening at your Faith Community by Greening Sacred Spaces, Faith & the Common Good, and North American Native Plant Society
Garden Planning
- Planning Your Garden – Think like a Pollinator poster retrieved from Bee City Canada
- Plan Your Garden by Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library
- Natural Edge Native Plant Database handout by Watersheds Canada
- Basic Plant Botany: What’s in a Seed, Flower, Fruit? handouts by Seeds of Diversity
- Alternatives to Pesticides by Canadian Wildlife Federation
- 10 Outdoor Greening Case Studies in Ottawa by Greening Sacred Spaces and Faith & the Common Good
- 10 Outdoor Greening Fact Sheets by Greening Sacred Spaces and Faith & the Common Good
- Cleaning, Drying, and Storing Your Seeds by Seeds of Diversity
- Creating Habitat: A Guide for Community Groups by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
- Native Plant Care Guide by Watersheds Canada
- How to Care for Your Garden Tools by Canadian Wildlife Federation
Soil and Mulching
- Dig into Soil Activity Book by 4-H Canada
- Steeped in Soil Activity Book by 4-H Canada
- Earth-Friendly Gardening: Going Organic, Water Saving Tips, Companion Planting, Soil Care, Mulching, and Compost and Other Natural Fertilizers by Canadian Wildlife Federation
Seeds
- How to Donate Seeds by Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library
- Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library – Welcome and Seed Catalogue
- Seed Donation Form and Envelope Labels by Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library
- Seed Saving Instructions by Native Seeds: SEARCH, adapted and translated by Community Seed Network
- Seed Starting Resources by Seeds of Diversity
- Simple Seed Saving Instructions for Tomato, Lettuce, and Pea Bean Seeds by Seeds of Diversity
Lawn Care
- Lawn Care Aerating, Fertilizing, Mowing, Selecting, Sowing and Overseeding, Watering, and Problems by Canadian Wildlife Federation
- Lawn Care by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
- Protecting Your Gardens, Lawn…and Your Lake by Love Your Lake
Pests
- Natural Home Pesticides: Organic Garden Pest Control by Heather Rhoades, Gardening Know How
- Natural Insect Control handout by Canadian Wildlife Federation
Trees and Wildflowers
- Planting Trees by Canadian Wildlife Federation
- Tree Planting Care Guide by Reep Green Solutions
- Wildflower Garden Guide by Watersheds Canada
- A Complete Guide to Building and Maintaining a Rain Garden by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
- Baxter’s Rain Garden by Rideau Valley Conservation Authority
- Build a Rain Garden by Rain Ready Ottawa and City of Ottawa
- How to Care for Your Rain Garden: Guide to Routine Maintenance infographic by Reep Green Solutions
- How to Create a Rain Garden: A Guide for Homeowners! by Essex Region Conservation Authority
- Rain Garden Mural by local Ottawa artist Emily-Rose retrieved from EnviroCentre
- Rain Gardens by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
- ”Rain Smart Neighbourhoods” webinar handout by Watersheds Canada and Reep Green Solutions
- Urban Rain Gardens by Ottawa Riverkeeper
- Healthy Yards DIY: A Beginners Guide to Building a Rain Garden by Reep Green Solutions
- Planting Forage for Honey Bees in Canada: A guide for farmers, land managers, and gardeners by Pollinator Partnership Canada
- Wild About Pollinators poster by Canadian Wildlife Federation
- What is Pollination? and About Pollinators by Bee City Canada
- Site Preparation for Pollinator Gardens by The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
- Pollinator Garden Signs by Bee City Canada
- Helping Canada’s Pollinators in the Garden by Canadian Wildlife Federation
- Maintaining Your Pollinator Habitat: A Guide for Community Groups and Gardeners by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
Bees
- Extra Tips for Protecting Pollinators by Bee City Canada
- A Landowner’s Guide to Conserving Native Pollinators in Ontario by Susan Chan retrieved from Feed The Bees
- Bee City Canada Informational Postcards and Brochures
- Bee Identification Guide by Electric Power Research Institute, Pollinator Power Party, and Pollinator Partnership
- Bees and Other Pollinators by Canadian Wildlife Federation
- Proud to Bee a 4-H-er Activity Book by 4-H Canada
- Gardening for Bees by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
Butterflies
- Monarch butterfly and Milkweed colouring page by Debra Lynn Ireland
- Butterfly Gardens by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
- Gardening for Butterflies by Canadian Wildlife Federation
Insects
- Beneficial Insects by Canadian Wildlife Federation
- Beneficial Insects by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
Birds
Habitat
- Recreating Natural Habitats: Edges by Canadian Wildlife Federation
- The Basics of Wildlife-Friendly Gardening by Canadian Wildlife Federation and Gardening for Wildlife
- Resilient Shorelands infographic by Watersheds Canada
- Inland Waters Biodiversity – What’s the Problem? by Convention on Biological Diversity
- Lake Protection Workbook by Lake Links Planning Committee
- Guide to Preparing a Shoreline Naturalization Planting Plan by Watersheds Canada
- Shoreline Habitat Creation Manual
- Guide to Building Resilient Shorelines manual by Watersheds Canada
- Manordale-Woodvale Community Centre Rain Garden Case Study by City of Ottawa and EnviroCentre
- Who Can I Reach Out to for Future Projects? handout by Watersheds Canada and Greening Sacred Spaces
- A Muslim’s Guide to Climate Change by Bahu Trust and Kamran Shezad
- A Guide to Developing a ‘Green Team’ in Your Faith Community by Faith & the Common Good
- Faith and the Environment Toolkit by Community Environment Alliance retrieved from Faith & the Common Good
- Helpful Webinars
- Roadmap for Congregations, Communities, and Churches for an Economy of Life and Ecological Justice by World Council of Churches and edited by Rev. Norman Tendis
- Walk the Talk Toolkit by World Council of Churches
- Water Smart – Protecting Water from Source to Tap by City of Ottawa
- Greening Sacred Spaces Ottawa Green Gathering Network Night Event Recording
This collection of resources is a part of the Freshwater Stewardship Engagement Toolkit which was created for the Ottawa Faith Community Capacity Building Program. Watersheds Canada and Greening Sacred Spaces launched this program to provide faith communities in Ottawa and the surrounding area with the tools and resources their leaders and volunteers need to identify a freshwater stewardship need in their community. Six faith communities will lead greening projects using this information toolkit and microgrant program opportunity. Thank you to the Ottawa Community Foundation and TD Friends of the Environment Foundation for making this important project possible!
Learn more about the Ottawa Faith Community Capacity Building Program:
https://watersheds.ca/ofccb/