Thorold Indigenous Unity Garden

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Located within Mel Swart Lake Gibson Conservation Park, the Thorold Indigenous Unity Garden is a special place that brings together Indigenous peoples and the broader community to share teachings, stories, and traditional ways of working with the natural world.

The garden, which is shaped like a turtle, serves as an inclusive outdoor classroom where people from all nations can come together in peace and harmony to reflect, renew, celebrate, learn, and discover through ongoing Indigenous teachings, interactive workshops, activities, and presentations that will help deepen a stronger understanding of Indigenous culture and tradition and their incredible global contributions.

The partnership to create this Unity Garden by One Thorold Truth and Reconciliation Committee in collaboration with the City of Thorold is a visible symbol of commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and will provide a focal point for ongoing activities that celebrate the values and richness of Indigenous culture in our daily lives.

Access the garden at the intersection of Beaverdams Road and Decew Road.

Friends of the Unity Garden: Indigenous Ways of Knowing

The Unity Garden is a place where everyone is welcome to share space and reconnect with Mother Earth and our relatives of the Natural World. It's a based on indigenous traditional gardens which welcomes new members, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, and provides a space for people to learn about land-based teachings of a traditional community garden. By signing up to be friends of the Indigenous Unity Garden, you will be part of a supportive, like-minded community circle. You can gain access to teachings of the moon cycle, planting with respect, the seed world, "Honest Harvest" cultivating with love, nurturing, and re-igniting the reciprocity and symbiotic relationship with our older and wiser Kin from the natural world, and much more. After a few teachings, you will be able to nurture the garden on your time or with other community friends.

Indigenous Unity Gardening

Once you become part of the community garden and learn about how to work in balance with Mother Earth, you are free to come and garden at your leisure. The garden is a place where you can connect with nature, learn about sustainable practices, and participate in planting during specific indigenous cycles.. Whether you're an experienced gardener or just starting out, there's something for everyone in this supportive community. By working with the earth and nurturing the plant world, you'll gain a deeper appreciation for the natural world and the importance of living in harmony with it. So come join us in the community garden and discover the joys of gardening and the beauty of nature!