A Stroll Through uOttawa’s Green Spaces

Have you noticed the soft, crimson raspberries on the bushes by the UCU? What about the maroon serviceberries adorning the trees along the sidewalk by STEM? The five staircase garden beds by Morisset Library with the cucumber leaves spilling over the sides of the bed? The tomatoes, basil, and kale plants filling the raised garden beds by the dining hall?

Have you noticed the pollinator-friendly flower arrangement by STEM and Marion? Or the grassy patch by CBY (which is actually a green roof!)?

All these fruit trees, vegetable gardens, pollinator gardens, and green roofs are part of what we call “Green Spaces” on campus! As its name describes, a green space is an area with plants, grass, or trees, and each type of green space has at least one major purpose.

Let's start with edible landscapes. An edible landscape is just a fancy way of saying a garden with plants you can eat.

I had the opportunity to take care of some of the vegetable gardens on campus this summer, and it was really fun and rewarding! In the morning, as I got to campus, I grabbed my turquoise gardening gloves and made my way to the three mobile gardens by the dining hall (UCU). I spent some time weeding the gardens and deadheading the marigolds, a pollinator-friendly flower added to the gardens to encourage pollinators to visit the gardens and to act as pest deterrents for favorable plant growth! Then, I’d prune the basil and parsley. The best part was that I could bring home all the ripe vegetables! I filled up three loaded bags with cherry tomatoes, basil, parsley, lettuce, kale, cucumbers, and banana peppers. Sometimes, I shared the harvest with colleagues at the Office of Campus Sustainability, but we also tend to donate produce to St. Joe’s Supper Table.

Cucumbers and banana peppers from the edible landscapes at uOttawa

Now, here’s the fun part: all of you—uOttawa students and staff—have access to all these vegetables and fruits on campus! We even encourage you to pick ripe veggies and fruits when you see them since we don’t want the food to go bad. Also... free food!

Although I spent a fair amount of time caring for the gardens, I was not alone in maintaining them. Actually, there are volunteers who check on the gardens and water them throughout the summer. As volunteers are often at the gardens, they have first pick on the veggies and fruits; so, if you like tending to plants, spending time outdoors, and eating fresh produce, why not check out this volunteer opportunity! We’re still accepting fall volunteers, you can register on the Community Engagement Navigator, placement #109.

Second, let’s talk about pollinator gardens. These are gardens on campus that have pollinator-friendly flowers and encourage pollinator diversity. The STEM/Marion pollinator garden is one of the most popular as it is a project created by a student who received a grant from WWF Canada. As it is a recent installation, the flowers have not spread out much, but they are still a sight to see.

Lastly, green roofs. Sadly, there are a few green roofs that are not visible/accessible on campus but that doesn’t downgrade their role in building a sustainable campus. Indeed, all green roofs are vital and with the severe storms and flooding that Ottawa has experienced this summer, we can see the importance of respecting the new building standard that requires all new buildings to have a green roof, given that the building can support the weight.

That being said, you can enjoy the feeling of being on a green roof by visiting the Montpetit green roof, the University Centre Terrace, and the Colonel By green roof!

Are you maybe wondering where all these green roofs are? Or maybe you have never actually seen the STEM/Marion pollinator garden? And maybe you want to go harvest some vegetables, but you have no idea where the garden beds are... Well, I created a green space map just for you with all the green spaces mentioned in this blog and more. There is also a picture and a description attached to each point on the map to let you know what you’re supposed to be looking out for. Enjoy your stroll through uOttawa’s green spaces!