Christopher Bialek works as a Community Learning Coordinator in the Education and Training division at Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. As part of the community learning team, he delivers environmental and nature-based events across Peel Region; providing meaningful opportunities that educate and engage the local community.

Climate change is rapidly impacting natural spaces on both a local and global scale, including our yards. Join us for an introductory gardening video with a focus on climate change resiliency. We will introduce concepts like rainwater harvesting, native plant gardening, rain gardens, and permeable paving.

Shelly Candell is a graduate of the University of Guelph with a degree in Agriculture. After spending a few years in research, she switched roles becoming a small business entrepreneur. In 2012, she started an organic farmers market in her local community at the Toronto Botanical Gardens. In 2015, she founded Bee City Canada, a charity inspiring communities and organizations across Canada to protect pollinators. Shelly directed the charity for five years and in 2020 she turned the charity over to Pollinator Partnership. Currently, she is the Coordinator of Education at Bee City Canada focusing on offering free live pollinator presentations to classrooms across Canada.

Linda Crago owns and operates Tree and Twig Heirloom Vegetable Farm in Niagara, Ontario. She has been in business for over 24 years. Over the years she has operated a CSA, attended farmer’s markets, sold produce to stores and restaurants, sold seed and seedlings for home gardeners, taught workshops, and lectured. As the years roll by, her focus has narrowed on seed saving and the sales of seedlings, in particular a huge selection of heirloom and open-pollinated tomatoes and many other rare items for the garden. All produce, seeds and seedlings are organically grown.

James Graham has been a passionate gardener since the age of five. He is the former President of the Ontario Horticultural Association (OHA), recipient of the OHA Silver Fir, and a Life Member of Waterloo Horticulture Society. His love for horticulture spills over into his home where he grows a variety of vegetables with flowers to encourage pollination.

Improve your vegetable growing adventure with tips and tricks from James.

Edward Hunwicks is the Supervisor of the Forestry Department at the City of Brampton. He has been working within the Forestry Department for over 25 years and has contributed greatly to the operations of the urban forestry services. His experience has allowed him to be knowledgeable of tree plantings in various areas such as parklands, valleys, and city streets. As a Supervisor, he has provided great leadership both within the department and externally on tree preservation, sustainability, and environmental awareness as it relates to trees. His mission is to continue to serve the community by continuously exploring innovative and best practices that will improve Brampton’s urban forest canopy for generations to come.

Named by Landscape Ontario as 2020 and 2021’s Garden Communicator of the Year, gardening has been Sean James’ hobby and profession for almost 40 years. A graduate of Niagara Parks School of Horticulture, a Master Gardener, writer, and teacher, Sean focuses on eco-gardening techniques, inspired by his earlier years where he grew up surrounded by nature near Crawford Lake in Campbellville, Ontario. He has spoken and landscaped throughout Canada and the US. Sean has had the honour to be part of creating the new Ontario Landscape Tree Planting Guide, and other key pieces. He owns ‘Sean James Consulting & Design’ and instructs at Mohawk College.

Cathy Nesbitt is the Founder of Cathy’s Crawly Composters and is a multi-award-winning environmental innovator who uses workshops and inspirational speaking to motivate people to live a more sustainable life.

Discover how worms convert organic matter (food scraps and paper) into nature's finest soil amendment known as castings. Worms are going to play an ever-increasing role in waste management, soil production and therefore food security. Taking care of food scraps is one way we can all help mitigate climate change. Feed the soil, not the plant.​

Bob Wildfong has been saving seeds and teaching seed saving techniques to gardeners and farmers for over 30 years. As the Executive Director of Seeds of Diversity, he helps seed savers across the country rescue and preserve thousands of rare heritage varieties of vegetables, grains, flowers, and herbs. He is also the Horticultural Specialist at the Doon Heritage Village museum, where he restores and interprets period gardens of the turn of the last century.

Learn how to plan your garden now to grow a great crop of seeds for next year! Seed saving is an end-of-summer activity in the garden, but the process starts even before you plant in the spring.​

Christopher Bialek works as a Community Learning Coordinator in the Education and Training division at Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. As part of the community learning team, he delivers environmental and nature-based events across Peel Region; providing meaningful opportunities that educate and engage the local community.

Climate change is rapidly impacting natural spaces on both a local and global scale, including our yards. Join us for an introductory gardening video with a focus on climate change resiliency. We will introduce concepts like rainwater harvesting, native plant gardening, rain gardens, and permeable paving.

Shelly Candell is a graduate of the University of Guelph with a degree in Agriculture. After spending a few years in research, she switched roles becoming a small business entrepreneur. In 2012, she started an organic farmers market in her local community at the Toronto Botanical Gardens. In 2015, she founded Bee City Canada, a charity inspiring communities and organizations across Canada to protect pollinators. Shelly directed the charity for five years and in 2020 she turned the charity over to Pollinator Partnership. Currently, she is the Coordinator of Education at Bee City Canada focusing on offering free live pollinator presentations to classrooms across Canada.

Linda Crago owns and operates Tree and Twig Heirloom Vegetable Farm in Niagara, Ontario. She has been in business for over 24 years. Over the years she has operated a CSA, attended farmer’s markets, sold produce to stores and restaurants, sold seed and seedlings for home gardeners, taught workshops, and lectured. As the years roll by, her focus has narrowed on seed saving and the sales of seedlings, in particular a huge selection of heirloom and open-pollinated tomatoes and many other rare items for the garden. All produce, seeds and seedlings are organically grown.

James Graham has been a passionate gardener since the age of five. He is the former President of the Ontario Horticultural Association (OHA), recipient of the OHA Silver Fir, and a Life Member of Waterloo Horticulture Society. His love for horticulture spills over into his home where he grows a variety of vegetables with flowers to encourage pollination.

Improve your vegetable growing adventure with tips and tricks from James.

Edward Hunwicks is the Supervisor of the Forestry Department at the City of Brampton. He has been working within the Forestry Department for over 25 years and has contributed greatly to the operations of the urban forestry services. His experience has allowed him to be knowledgeable of tree plantings in various areas such as parklands, valleys, and city streets. As a Supervisor, he has provided great leadership both within the department and externally on tree preservation, sustainability, and environmental awareness as it relates to trees. His mission is to continue to serve the community by continuously exploring innovative and best practices that will improve Brampton’s urban forest canopy for generations to come.

Named by Landscape Ontario as 2020 and 2021’s Garden Communicator of the Year, gardening has been Sean James’ hobby and profession for almost 40 years. A graduate of Niagara Parks School of Horticulture, a Master Gardener, writer, and teacher, Sean focuses on eco-gardening techniques, inspired by his earlier years where he grew up surrounded by nature near Crawford Lake in Campbellville, Ontario. He has spoken and landscaped throughout Canada and the US. Sean has had the honour to be part of creating the new Ontario Landscape Tree Planting Guide, and other key pieces. He owns ‘Sean James Consulting & Design’ and instructs at Mohawk College.

Cathy Nesbitt is the Founder of Cathy’s Crawly Composters and is a multi-award-winning environmental innovator who uses workshops and inspirational speaking to motivate people to live a more sustainable life.

Discover how worms convert organic matter (food scraps and paper) into nature's finest soil amendment known as castings. Worms are going to play an ever-increasing role in waste management, soil production and therefore food security. Taking care of food scraps is one way we can all help mitigate climate change. Feed the soil, not the plant.​

Bob Wildfong has been saving seeds and teaching seed saving techniques to gardeners and farmers for over 30 years. As the Executive Director of Seeds of Diversity, he helps seed savers across the country rescue and preserve thousands of rare heritage varieties of vegetables, grains, flowers, and herbs. He is also the Horticultural Specialist at the Doon Heritage Village museum, where he restores and interprets period gardens of the turn of the last century.

Learn how to plan your garden now to grow a great crop of seeds for next year! Seed saving is an end-of-summer activity in the garden, but the process starts even before you plant in the spring.​