The award-winning program, 'Get Growing, Victoria!' is a seedlings and soil-building materials distribution initiative created by the City of Victoria and delivered in partnership with grassroots groups, non-profit and community organizations. The main objective of Get Growing, Victoria! is to provide gardening materials and educational resources at no cost to encourage communities to grow food, grow gardeners, and grow community! Garden materials include vegetable and herb seedlings, and soil-building materials like compost, leaf mulch and woodchips. 

 

The City of Victoria supplies seedlings to community groups and organizations that work directly with, and serve, communities facing barriers to access fresh produce, gardening education and materials. Recipient organizations can act as distributors of the seedlings, direct to communities for home gardening use, or they can grow the seedlings and distribute the food they grow through existing operations. In 2023, the City of Victoria provided over 100,000 seedlings and 700 cubic yards of soil-building materials, supporting over 67 recipient organizations resulting in over 10,000 people being supported. 

 

Now in its fifth year, the program is starting from seed again under the care and attention of City staff. Seedlings will be ready for distribution between May 14 and June 1, 2024, through public distribution days in each Victoria neighbourhood.