Use the Space! From Construction Site to Thriving Community Garden
In 2017, Craig Marsh faced a challenge. His company had acquired a commercial property in downtown Collingwood, located prominently on Hurontario Street across from Town Hall. The previous building had been demolished, and new construction wouldn’t begin for at least two years. In the meantime, the site remained filled with debris, posing potential safety concerns. The Town required the property to be fenced off, an expensive solution that would have left the space unattractive and unused.
BeforeDuringAfter
A greener approach
Looking for an alternative, Craig chatted with The Growing Connection. Instead of installing a chain-link fence, TGC proposed a sustainable pop-up garden using Caja planters to form a living perimeter, transforming a liability into an asset.
The result: a lower-cost, visually appealing, and community-oriented solution.
From Vision to Action
Within just two weeks of project approval, the site was transformed. Water access was secured through a neighbouring building, and the garden installation began.
Using 100 Caja containers, a team of three people built the entire garden in a single weekend, no digging, permits, or heavy equipment required. With 60 containers forming a perimeter, and 40 additional boxes were clustered within the site
Sharing food & building community
The garden quickly became highly productive. Producing crops like tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, figs, beans, cucumbers, cantaloupe, basil, edible flowers, and more. This fresh produce was shared freely with community members, visitors, and local restaurants and cafés.
What began as a temporary fix evolved into a vibrant, shared food space.
Temporary project, lasting local impact
The project quickly gained support across the community. The Town of Collingwood contributed by installing bike racks and picnic tables, and by bringing youth summer camps to learn about urban agriculture. Local groups, including the Collingwood Garden Club, helped maintain the space, while programs like the Mother/Child Nutrition initiative used the garden for education. TFO also filmed a youth-focused segment on urban farming at the site. With its proximity to the farmers’ market, the garden attracted steady foot traffic and became a point of curiosity, learning, and connection.
The garden remained active through 2017 and was reinstalled in 2018 due to its success and strong community support. By fall 2018, construction had begun, and the garden had been removed. Yet the idea of “using the space” had already taken root, demonstrating how temporary interventions can create lasting value.
Rethinking Temporary Spaces
Projects like this show that even short-term, in-between spaces can be reimagined as opportunities for community connection, food production, and environmental impact. By working with what’s available, underused urban land can become something vibrant, productive, and meaningful.
Interested in transforming underutilized space in your community?
