2025 marked the 4th year of this kindly community of food growing friends in our Quadra Cedar Hill neighbourhood. CHUFF – the Cedar Hill Urban Food Farmers – sprouted April 2022 as an initiative of our Community Association’s Climate Action group. In Saanich, food and our food systems are the third greatest contributor to carbon emissions after transportation and buildings. Food waste plays a significant role. CHUFF’s goal is to encourage our neighbours to grow more food, consume more local foods, eat more of what’s in season, and prevent wasting food. Luckily for us, on southern Vancouver Island we can grow and purchase good, locally grown food year round and this contributes to a climate solution. CHUFF members gather most months of the year on Sunday mornings. Here are some of what CHUFF offered in its 4th year of operation. Curious about what’s coming in 2026? New Quadra Cedar Hill members are always welcome! Get in touch with an email to qchca.chuff@gmail.com
January 2025
Extending the variety of nutritious foods we grow in winter was our goal at this evening workshop on How to Grow Microgreens and Sprouts led by the Compost Education Centre’s delightful Kayla. Here we are gathered in CEC’s warm ‘n cosy straw bale learning centre. Participant comments: Great workshop. Really enjoyed it. I learned lots. Will definitely try growing sprouts. Workshop was good. I'm motivated now! Kayla was lovely. Great to see CHUFF friends again.
If you are new to food growing, we heartily recommend taking one of the Compost Education Centre’s many workshops. Or, join CHUFF!
March 2025
CHUFF-ians braved a downpour for our annual Seed Swap and tour of our host’s garden.
Lisa was looking for advice on how to maximize production in a backyard which is semi-shaded by Garry Oaks. Getting into each other’s gardens to share members’ years of experience, in differing grow situations, is one of the benefits that keeps CHUFF growers engaged.
Lisa’s comment on the day: I feel very fortunate to have had so many lovely folks who love to grow food come to our garden.
May 2025
Late in May CHUFF hosted its first ever, super successful Garden Tour & Plant Giveaway. This event was open to the public! Dubbed ‘It’s Not Too Late to Plant’, the tour and veggie starts giveaway attracted over 50 Quadra Cedar Hill neighbours. Karen’s Wicklow Village Plant & Seed stand overflowed with free vegetable starts and seeds, and even some native pollinators. All thanks to CHUFF members who started way back in March seeding dozens and dozens and dozens of extra tomatoes, peas, celery, zucchini and much more – all for the giveaway.
One lovely story comes from Marian who brought her granddaughter who was visiting from out of town. The youngster took home a cucumber seedling in a 4 inch pot, her first experience with trying to grow food. Later that summer Marian shared this photo of her very proud granddaughter with her Gigantic Cuke. Wow! Congratulations to this new generation food grower.
Watch for CHUFF’s 2nd annual public Garden Tour & Giveaway coming late May 2026.
June 2025
Members returned to Jeannette and Gavin’s newly renovated food, herb, and fruit garden to learn what they’d decided to change things up after many years growing in the same location, and why. A family of scientists who are always experimenting, these folks seek maximum calories for a vegetarian diet and have much knowledge to share.
August 2025
Each late summer or early autumn CHUFF hosts Taste Testing Our Garden’s Best. Members bring their favorite ‘fruits of the season’ for everyone to taste-test. There is usually a plethora of tomato varieties for instance, and when a particular favorite is found the grower will usually save seeds for others to plant next year. Folks share preserved foods too – we dipped into fig chutney with goat cheese, a new pesto recipe, and even a lightly-smoked tomato sauce.
Eric’s biggest ever garlic was the 2025 show stopper with a circumference of 16.5cm and weighing in at 870 grams. Wow!
October 2025
October marks our annual Harvest Potluck and member garden tour. Not all CHUFF members have expansive backyards and folks were impressed by how much food Delma grows in pots on a sunny south facing balcony.
As for the potluck, urban farmers know not only how to grow good food but also how to cook it! What better dish to celebrate another great growing season than strawberry rhubarb pie?
November 2025
CHUFF closed out the 2025 season with a member survey, asking What folks want to learn and share, next year? This reflecting CHUFF’s credo: our activities will reflect what engenders the interest of members.
Highlights to watch for in 2026 include: a Beginner’s Garden “Advice Please” tour; a farm visit featuring native pollinator plants & indigenous medicinals; the ever-popular Taste-Testing, Harvest Potluck, and member Seed Swap. In the Let’s Investigate category CHUFF members hope to also tour a nearby allotment garden, potentially take a group field trip to Saltspring for its fabulous Apple Fest, learn more from each other about growing avocados, yams, ginger and mushrooms, learn how to better utilizing the winter greenhouse, and up folks’ success with winter brassicas.
We encourage our QCH Community Association neighbours to watch for CHUFF’s 2 nd annual, open to the public It’s Not Too Late to Plant Garden Tour & Veggie Starts Giveaway, in late May.
‘Til then, as Sarah’s T-shirt advises, we hope you can:
Romaine Calm 🌿Be Sage 🌿 Take Thyme 🌿Squash Fear 🌿 & Stay Peas-ful while growing your own good
food, and/or consuming locally grown foods to support our local farmers.
For more information – contact qchca.chuff@gmail.com
